Poem Analysis The Unknown Citizen Essay - 977 Words

The Average Man W. H. Auden satirizes the United States as an entity, which restrains individual advancement. Through depersonalization, the government rewards those who actually never do anything. However, the Unknown Citizen has a monument built as a symbol of his perfection. Thus, Audens The Unknown Citizen shows how the government makes each individual merely a number unless they do not conform to societys norms. The monument of the unknown citizen is erected not to honor the memory of a man, but to show how he is the perfect example of a good citizen (Auden). In this poem, the citizen is just an average person who never stands out among the rest of the population. For example, Yet he wasnt a scab or odd in his†¦show more content†¦Auden ends the statement with a comma rather than an exclamation to illustrate the inconsequential nature of the citizen working in a factory. Factory work is monotonous, one shift after another not evoking any emotion. Indeed, the citizen lives a boring life, doing the exact same thing as the average person. He cannot stand out, for the only way to do so is for the citizen to be different, not fulfilling societys demands. Throughout the poem, the citizens actions do not amount to anything but further conformity. For example, Auden states that And all the reports on his conduct agree that, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint (3-4) which illustrates how all his actions were normal according to the governments standards. The government considered his actions so good that they call him a saint. Therefore, Auden uses this tone to prove that living the life of the statistical, average citizen would be boring. Courage defines a hero. The citizen Auden describes is a hero to the government because he never causes any problems. They even dedicate a statue to him, but he never acts courageously. He follows the crowd and never stands up for himself. A true hero leads as Abraham Lincoln did when he held the nation together during his Presidency. However, Auden proves that the citizen follows the crowd with the line, When there was peace, he was for peace: when thereShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem The Unknown Citizen 1518 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Unknown Citizen† by W.H Auden and â€Å"next to of course god america i† by e.e. cumming are two poems that deal with similar issues. They both address the issue of dying soldiers and blame blind patriotism for the deaths of these soldiers. The theme of both poems deals with the need for citizens to become more outspoken and follow their own beliefs instead of simply following their country. However, each poem addresses a topic that isn’t found in the other poem, and the poems themselves are structurallyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Unknown Citizen And The Short Story The Lottery 1230 Words   |  5 PagesUnexpected Truth The Poem Unknown Citizen and the short story The Lottery give examples how people can rebel and conform in different ways. The way these stories were written evokes a lot of emotions, from anger to confusion. In life there are two people in the world, ones who conform to every whim and those who will rebel to create a difference in their society or others. The Unknown Citizen, by W. H. Auden, is about a man who obeys the law and does what needs to done by a normal citizen. The author paintedRead MoreThe Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesThe Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden The poem that I am going to talk about is the Unknown Citizen by W.H Auden. I am going to talk about what I first glimpse in the poem but then after further study what you actually see. At the start of the poem under the title it hasRead MoreThe Unknown Citizen By. Auden1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe Unknown Citizen Analysis The Unknown Citizen, written by W.H. Auden, is a satirical poem declaring the petty accomplishments achieved by an unnamed citizen in a presumably American or industrialized society. Through several readings of the poem, many would not even consider the Unknown Citizen as a poem, but rather, a letter of recommendation or a speech for a political election. The only obvious characteristic of this piece resembling a poem is the rhyming scheme. Other than rhyming, thereRead More Analysis of The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden Essay examples1464 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden â€Å"The Unknown Citizen†, written by W.H. Auden during 1940, is a poem where the speaker, a representative of the state or government, directs a speech to the audience about a monument being erected for a citizen. Written in free verse, although using many couplets, this poem is a poem that describes the life of a certain person through his records and documents. This citizen is portrayed as a normal and average human being who is being honouredRead MoreThe Unknown Citizen by W.H.Auden1320 Words   |  5 PagesThe poem â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† by W.H. Auden is a poem with a strong message to a wide audience. It portrays a political system’s control over its citizen. The poem is telling us we are a product of our countries, we are nothing but a number of digits to be identified. The poem revolves around the life of the unknown citizen, JS/07/M/378, who was granted a monument by the government in honor of his flawless life in an un-free society. He is by all means the perfect citizen, the citizen who has devotedRead MoreWho Are We to Judge? Essay example578 Words   |  3 Pagesand Wystan Audens, The Unknown Citizen try to do this. Who is to say that their analysis of the two characters is correct? The two poems are based only on what is observed, not what is known. Richard Cory is structured in a very consistent, easy to read manner, but is as harsh and radical as the form is classical and neat. The poem is an extended description of a man, a very rich, successful man, named Richard Cory. The narrator of the poem spends a good part of the poem, the first three stanzasRead MoreAnalysis Of Auden s The Unknown Citizen, And Funeral Blues All By Auden2119 Words   |  9 Pagesduring this period was strong, influenced mostly by his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, but his social views were always more complex labels that were given to him. Three works of Auden that can be analysed are â€Å"September 1, 1939†, â€Å"The Unknown Citizen†, and â€Å"Funeral Blues† all by Auden all share ideas of totalitarianism and death even though they all have varying structures. Auden was born in York, England on February 21, 1907. He was raised in a very industrial area in Northern EnglandRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Richard Cory820 Words   |  4 PagesThe poem â€Å"Richard Cory† is Robinson’s famous poem about a man named Richard Cory who was outwardly wealthy and admirable to many. The poem adopts an overly narrative style. Through this style, the poet is able to detail of the life and timesof Robinson Cory as a loner of the upper social class in America. It is a tale of internal conflict and dissatisfaction experienced by a man who everybody admired. The personadescribes him using finest terms such as ‘gentleman’ to denote of how people of the lowerRead MoreThe World Is Too Much With Us And The Unknown Citizen2049 Words   |  9 PagesWorld Is Too Much With Us / The Unknown Citizen† This is a critical analysis of two poems – The world is too much with us by William Wordsworth, and The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden focusing on how the two poems highlight the mundane drudgery of life. It is a drudgery, and one that people do not even recognize because they are consumed in leading materialistic ways of life, conforming to the state and the society or both. The text proceeds from analyzing each poem individually, and later draws parallels

Article Bibliography On Global Warming - 1385 Words

This paper will be concerned with an article pertaining to the topic of global warming. The article, written by R. Cowen, appeared in a November 2006 issue of Science News. The article discusses a recent idea for using technology in order to solve the problem of global warming. Like other technological solutions, this one seeks to reduce global warming without at the same time undermining the existing economic system. In addition, like other proposed solutions, this one is based on the assumption that the global economy requires the continued development of industry, with all the polluting emissions that are caused as a result. This paper will first define some relevant terms, followed by a summary of the content of Cowen’s article. The paper will conclude with my personal reaction to the article, along with my opinion on what I think needs to be done to alleviate the problem of global warming. Some key terms need to be defined in order to clearly understand what Cowen’s article says, as well as what it implies. First, â€Å"global warming† refers to the phenomenon that occurs when certain gases in the earth’s atmosphere (known as â€Å"greenhouse gases†) make it impossible for sunlight to be reflected off the earth and back into space. These gases are created by emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Most scientists agree that global warming is having a negative impact on the environment. It causes climate changes, the melting of polar ice caps, and a rise inShow MoreRelatedClimate Change : Should We Be Worried? Essay777 Words   |  4 PagesClimate Change: Should We Be Worried? Global warming is one of the most stressed issues on mainstream media today, behind the war on terror. Although, should we be worried about it? In this annotated bibliography, the sources consider plenty of information about climate, such as, how it affects the earth, possible solutions to the energy problem, and proof that global warming is happening and that it is caused by an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere. For solutions to the problem the sources contemplateRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography on Global Warming1303 Words   |  6 PagesGiacomo Real ENG 1302 Comp. amp; Rhet. II Professor Kamm Monday amp; Wednesday 7PM – 8:15PM Annotated Bibliography amp; Essay Annotated Bibliography on Global Warming: Fact or Fiction Fumento, Michael. â€Å"The Cooling Off on Global Warming.† The Washington Times 8 July 1999: 15. LexisNexis Academic . Academic Universe. W. I. Dykes Lib., University of Houston-Downtown. 20 Feb. 2010 http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.uhd.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/ Fumento explains that a nonprofit groupRead MoreClimate Change Essays1637 Words   |  7 Pagesclimatologists, the notion of Global warming today is commonly heard but very misunderstood. One might ask, what exactly is global warming and should we care? According to What is Global Warming? in LiveScience, global warming is a gradual increase in the temperature of Earths surface and atmosphere, that has become a world-wide environmental issue.1(Lallanilla,2013) Similarly, this topic is one of great controversy because of widely differing opinions on current global warming rates and the impact byRead MoreGlobal Warming s Terrifying New Math1151 Words   |  5 PagesThesis Development: In the article â€Å"Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math†, Bill McKibben opens by saying that back in 2012, according to the statistics, Canada surpassed the global record high for climate temperature, destroying other previous records. Despite the research and the displaying of data, no one is doing anything to address the issue. McKibben takes three distinctive numbers that shed light on this issue 2 degrees Celsius, 565 gigatons, and 2795 gigatons, to validate and support hisRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effect On The Environment1311 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Global warming refers to an incremental in earth’s temperature. Some believes this is occurring naturally but the prevailing view attributes climate change to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect refers to the warming resulting from certain gases such as carbon dioxide in Earth s atmosphere trapping heat. These gases traps heat but let light in, similarly to the glass walls of a greenhouse. The general belief is that mankind are chiefly responsible for global warming becauseRead MoreGlobal Warming Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming is the rising of average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere due to greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect consists of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor insulating the Earth’s surface and helping it maintain warm temperatures. However since there is so much carbon dioxide filling the air the Earth atmosphere absorbs almost all of the suns emission. When the sun heats the earth the atmosphereRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1022 Words   |  5 Pagesrelated change in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, happening over time scales of decades or longer. It’s the world’s greatest threat. Climate change is the change in temperature over a period of time. It involves the greenhouse effect and global warming. Where is it? It is an issue affecting everyone everywhere. Climate change exists within the Earth’s atmosphere, where temperatures are slowly rising. The Top Ten countries affected the most by Climate Change are generally countries with aRead MoreGlobal Warming Essay1407 Words   |  6 PagesNovember 2014 Global Warming Essay The idea of global became prevalent when the world began industrializing. As the popularity of cars grew and industrial factories began to spring up the air quality suffered. The problem was not recognized because, aside from a few orange skies, there were no obvious effects. Although in this day and age we can see what global warming is doing to our Earth, there are still those people who believe that humans are too small to make an impact. Global warming is tooRead MoreAn Inconvenient Truth Research Paper1374 Words   |  6 Pagesyears to come. This film explores the problem of global warming and what we have to do now in order to slow down or reverse the dangerous effects of climate change. The main theme of this film, is the issue of climate change. He starts out by showing how global warming is caused, how the earth is heated and the atmosphere holds in the heat, but with greenhouse gases, the heat is held in. The greenhouse gas that is responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide, or CO2. A graph was shown thatRead MoreClimate Change And Global Warming1371 Words   |  6 Pagesthe world is facing today. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the processes that lead to climate change and strategies that can be used to address this issue. In order to comprehend how human activities contribute towards climate change and global warming, we have to truly understand the science behind this phenomenon. First of all we need to clarify what anthropogenic climate change means. This refers to the change in the amount of greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere as a result

Concepts of Music Notes free essay sample

Melodic line and line are often used in a general sense, while specific melodic entities are called melody, theme, or subject, depending upon the point of reference. †¢ In an abstract sense, melody is the repository of subject matter or idea in many world music traditions. Melody is very important as idea in Western music. The Western view of melody is that it means something it is what the music is about. The melodic material of a given piece of music is what the overall piece is based upon and it is this basic idea to which all other elements in a composition relate. HARMONY †¢ Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity and chords, actual or implied, in music. It is sometimes referred to as the vertical aspect of music, with melody being the horizontal aspect. Very often, harmony is a result of counterpoint or polyphony, several melodic lines or motifs being played at once, though harmony may control the counterpoint. Harmony is said to give the effect of depth to a melodic line and forms the accompaniment material to melody in a homophonic texture. †¢ One property of harmony is vertical profile which adds sonic depth to music. The effect of three or more different tones sounding at the same moment in time creates the sense of greater mass and intensity of sound as compared to the effect of the sound of a single note. Chords are constructed from low to high tones. The lowest tone of a chord is known as the root and all other chord tones are built higher in pitch from this tone. Harmony occupies the sonic space below melody. Another property of harmony is harmonic saturation. Minor harmonic saturation occurs when a few chords occur in a passage of music while major harmonic saturation occurs when many chords occur in a musical passage. Low harmonic saturation creates a serene and calm emotional mood while high harmonic saturation creates a sense of great intensity and expectation. †¢ Harmony contributes to the structural design of music. The arrangement of melodic material lends itself to hierarchical design more noticeably than does harmony. This is because repetition of patterned material is more obvious in melody than it is in harmony. †¢ Harmony supports the structural design of musical components by helping to define climatic and cadential points in each phrase. Harmony contributes directly to the structure of strophic songs (songs that repeat melodic material for each stanza of new text) RHYTHM †¢ Rhythm is sonic action in time. More specifically, rhythm is the arrangement of durational sonic patterns or tone lengths that fall on or between the beat. †¢ Rhythm is shaped by meter. Composers arrange rhythms so that count one of the meter gives the point of reference of the rhythm. †¢ Rh ythm is generated by divisions of the beat. When music has a steady beat, the rhythmic patterns that comprise the music are generated by sounding tones on the beat, and between the beat. This is accomplished by dividing each beat into groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and sometimes more, divisions. These divisions are called duplets, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, and octuplet divisions, respectively. †¢ Rhythmic patterns are often repeated. Rhythmic patterns most often undergo a process of repetition in music. †¢ Rhythm is articulated by implied dynamic and agogic accents. An agogic accent is a stress of length, whereby a certain note is played longer than other notes within the rhythmic pattern. †¢ Rhythm contributes to the effect of motion in music. Rhythm and rhythmic patterns are a direct contributor to the effect of movement (motion) in music. The repetition of a rhythmic pattern creates a sense of forward motion by the appearance of successive sounds in a continuum of real time. TONALITY/TIMBRE †¢ The harmonic profile or sound quality of a sound source is timbre or tone colour in music. †¢ May also mean to describe the organization of the melodic and harmonic elements to give a feeling of a key centre or a tonic pitch. †¢ Timbre is determined by the harmonic profile of the sound source. Every sound source has an individual quality that is determined by its harmonic profile. Dark or simple timbres coupled with loud dynamics are encountered only occasionally in music and affect moods of starkness and loneliness. The same timbres coupled with soft dynamics affect moods of mystery and terror. †¢ Timbral combinations provide unique possibilities for music. Often composers assign successive segments of melody o r other material to different instruments. Certain orchestral combinations of instruments sound very much like other non-orchestral instruments †¢ Single reed instruments produce a mellow sound quality i. e. clarinets. Flutes produce soft tone qualities. Double reed instruments such as the bassoon and oboe produce a nasal like tone quality. Brass instruments again produce a completely different tone quality to woodwinds. The same will go for other instruments. Electronic instruments will produce a synthesised quality. TEXTURE †¢ In music this is referred to as the layers of sounds within a composition. †¢ There are many informal terms that can describe the texture of a piece of music (thick, thin, bass-heavy, rhythmically complex, and so on), but the formal terms that are used to describe texture all describe the relationships of melodies and harmonies. Monophonic music has only one melodic line, with no harmony or counterpoint. †¢ Homophonic music can also be called homophony. Homophony has one clearly melodic line; its the line that naturally draws your attention. All other parts provide accompaniment or fill in the chords. In most well-written homophony, the parts that are not melody may still have a lot of melodic interest. They may follow many of the rules of well-written counterpoint, and they can sound quite different from the melody and be interesting to listen to by themselves. But when they are sung or played with the melody, it is clear that they are not independent melodic parts, either because they have the same rhythm as the melody (i. e. are not independent) or because their main purpose is to fill in the chords or harmony (i. e. they are not really melodies). †¢ Polyphonic music can also be called polyphony, counterpoint, or contrapuntal music. If more than one independent melody is occurring at the same time, the music is polyphonic. †¢ A heterophonic texture is rare in Western music. In heterophony, there is only one melody, but different variations of it are being sung or played at the same time. TEMPO †¢ Tempo (an Italian word) identifies the rate of speed of the beat of music and is measured by the number of beats per minute. †¢ A beat may be slow or fast. Human perception perceives a range of tempo speed from about 30 to 240 beats per minute. †¢ Tempo is an important ingredient in the mood of any example of music, whether it be aggressive or calming in effect with excitement generally revealed through a fast tempo while solemnity is always revealed through a slow tempo. †¢ In music terminology and notation tempo indications are most often expressed in the Italian language. Terms that are used include, largo: very slow, broad, large lento: slow adagio: slow, comfortable, easy andante: moderately slow, a walking pace moderato: moderate allegro: fast, cheerful, joyful vivace: lively, quick presto: very fast, rapid. †¢ Modifiers of Tempo agitato: agitated (e. g. Allegro agitato) animato: animated (e. g. Allegro animato) appassionato: passionately (e. g . Andante appassionato) assai: very (e. g. Allegro assai) cantabile: singing (e. g. Adagio cantabile) con brio: with spirit (e. g. Allegro con brio) con fuoco: with fire (e. . Allegro con fuoco) con moto: with motion (e. g. Allegro con moto) espressivo: expressively (e. g. Adagio espressivo) grazioso: with grace (e. g. Andante grazioso) ma: but (e. g. Moderato, ma con brio) maestoso: majestically (e. g. Andante maestoso) marcato: marked, stressed (e. g. Andante marcato) molto: very, much (e. g. Molto allegro/Molto adagio) non: not (e. g. Allegro non troppo) non troppo: not too much (e. g. Allegro, ma non troppo) piu: more (e. g. Piu allegro) poco, un poco: little, a little (e. g. Poco adagio or Un poco piu adagio)