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Stereotypes In W. H. Auden's The Unknown Citizen

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In “The Unknown Citizen”, the author, W.H. Auden, discusses the life of a nameless man whom society describes as a “saint”. While describing the actions of the man, the author labels him as “happy” and “free”, two implications that the author and society chooses to believe. Presenting positive attributions of the man, the author comments that the man “was married and added five children to the population” and “was popular with his mates and liked a drink” which, to society, means that he is “happy” in life. Following natural stereotypes, society labels popular people or people with big families as “happy”. Not only was the unnamed man “happy” but he was also said to be “free”. To society, the man was free of worrying about money or his children

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