How we cite our quotes: (line)
Quote #4
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured. (lines 16-17)
Again, Auden uses all his poetic powers to make the Unknown Citizen sound like a ghost. It never says that he bought the insurance policies – they were merely "taken out in his name." This makes the purchase sound like a passive decision. Throughout the poem, the reader views the Unknown Citizen at a distance, from the perspective of the investigators who are poring over his paper trail.
Quote #5
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car and a Frigidaire (lines 20-21)
The Unknown Citizen buys whatever appliances and gizmos are considered "necessary" at the time, even if they aren’t really essential. What would this list include today? A new computer, iPod, and a flat screen TV?