Truly does an individual’s qualifications or frame of mind affect the way they are seen in culture? The poem “Solitude” by simply Ella Wheeler Wilcox as well as the poem “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden imply that background attitude can affect how a person is looked at and cared for in world. Wilcox’s poem “Solitude” and Auden’s poem “The Unfamiliar Citizen” talk about the designs of the individual compared to society and the happiness within just, but “Solitude” focuses on what sort of person’s feelings and attitude affects their very own part in society, when “The Unknown Citizen” targets how a persons background and place in society could affect they are identified.
Wilcox and Auden show the idea of the person versus world and the pleasure, or none whatsoever, within a society in every of their poems. Wilcox displays the idea of the individual versus culture throughout “Solitude, ” however the strongest example in her poem would be: “Be happy, and your good friends are many: / Be unfortunate, and you reduce them all” (Wilcox 13-14). Wilcox can be stating that after an individual is happy they may find themselves surrounded by company looking to share in their happiness, nevertheless , when an person is unfortunate or despondent that companionship dissipates because people do not need to be brought straight down by a person’s grieving. Auden also produces the idea of the consumer versus culture in “The Unknown Citizen” and makes it clear within the last two lines of his poem: “Was he totally free? Was he happy? Fit absurd: as well as Had nearly anything been wrong, we should absolutely have heard. inch (Auden 28-29). Auden’s estimate takes on a sarcastic develop and claims that even though the unknown resident meets the standards society spots on a person, including contentment with ones your life, there is no method of knowing if the human can be happy with their very own life based solely on their personal background placement in society. Though Wilcox and Auden the two utilize topics of the individual compared to society, both poets work with two entirely different ways to make that point.
Wilcox displays how an individual’s emotion and attitude can affect an individual’s put in place society while Auden illustrates how a persons background and place in society can shape how they are perceived by that society. Wilcox again and again uses lines in “Solitude” that all come for the same meaning, if a person is happy they will be accepted by culture, but if someone is disappointed they are detested from the universe around them. Wilcox’s poems became and still continue to be popular, and Gail Shivel, author of the biographical essay “Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, inches speculates why this is: “Although it is very common to focus on the emotional articles of her work, it is vital to note that her popularity probably has more to do with her craft. inches (Shivel, 70). Auden as well had a craft of his own in fact it is noticed in “The Unknown Citizen. ” Auden’s “The Unidentified Citizen” is known as a poem that turns someone into yet another statistic, it will be declared that the unfamiliar citizen could be anyone whatsoever. The unfamiliar citizen of this poem, based upon their personal history and place in society during their lifetime, was speculated by simply society to obtain been content and realized that in the event that he was not, they would include known.
Wilcox’s “Solitude” and Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” both show the idea of the versus world and how kinds happiness could affect their put in place society. Wilcox focuses on how and individual’s emotions make their place in society when Auden concentrates on an individual’s personal background to put them within a society. Both of these poems illustrate the idea of the versus contemporary society, which is a great obstacle that all human being can face at some point in their life, be it due to the individuals attitude or background. World has a way of telling us exactly who we should be and just how we’re supposed to act, and Auden and Wilcox screen this idea beautifully in each with their poems.
