Which Quotation From The Unknown Citizen Is The Clearest Exa

Which Quotation From The Unknown Citizen Is The Clearest Example Of

Which quotation from “The Unknown Citizen” is the clearest example of satirical writing? A. “Except for the War till the day he retire / He worked in a factory and never got fired, ...” B. “And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.” C. “He was married and added five children to the population.” D. “Our researchers into Public Opinion are content / That he held the proper opinions for the time of year. ...”

Paper For Above instruction

"The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden is a quintessential example of satire, using irony and exaggeration to critique modern society’s obsession with conformity, surveillance, and the dehumanization of individuals through bureaucratic processes. The poem presents the figure of the 'unknown citizen'—a man who embodies the ideal, unremarkable, and entirely compliant citizen—highlighting the absurdity of valuing individuals solely based on societal statistics and conformity rather than personal identity or human uniqueness.

Among the provided quotations, the most explicit example of satirical writing is D: “Our researchers into Public Opinion are content / That he held the proper opinions for the time of year. ...” This line encapsulates the satirical tone because it mocks the idea that a person's worth is determined solely by their alignment with the prevailing social and political sentiments. The phrase “proper opinions for the time of year” highlights the superficiality and conformity required of citizens to be deemed 'acceptable,' critiquing the way modern institutions seek to control thought as much as behavior.

Option A describes the citizen's employment record, emphasizing his consistent and unremarkable work history. While it uses humorous phraseology like “never got fired,” it primarily underscores the speech's dry, factual tone, illustrating the bureaucratic obsession with record-keeping. Although it satirizes the dehumanization of work and employment tracking, it is less explicitly critical of societal norms than option D.

Option B mentions that the citizen's health record shows he was once hospitalized but left cured. This detail points toward the regimented monitoring of health and the way medical data is commodified in the modern world. However, this line is more descriptive than satirical; it doesn't carry the same overt critique of societal power structures as the selected quote D.

Option C states that the citizen was married and had five children, highlighting demographic conformity. While this could be read as a commentary on societal expectations regarding family, it is more surface-level and lacks the biting irony and critique present in option D.

In conclusion, while all four options depict aspects of the citizen's life that reflect societal standards and values, option D most effectively exemplifies satirical writing. It employs irony to critique the societal obsession with public opinion, conformity, and the reduction of individual identity to data points. Auden's subtle mockery of the superficial evaluation of citizens underscores the poem's overall critique of modern mass society and the loss of individuality in the face of institutional oversight.

References

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