The Unknown Citizen Passivity Quotes Page 2
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| Quote #4 Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, |
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, |
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?
| Quote #6 Our researchers into Public Opinion are content |
These lines are the very definition of passivity. He has no will of his own.
