Robert Simpson
Prof. M. Mehaffy
English 102
3 March 1998
Perfect Man
"The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden describes the ‘perfect’ man, well liked by everyone; I think the author is trying to show us how impossible it is to be ‘perfect’. Through public opinion the author describes a man that has done everything right: He was an excellent worker, he was a good friend and he was married with five children. His work history showed that he worked hard, he never got fired and he never went against the union. The author asked two questions, was he free and was he happy. It is assumed that we know everything about this man and therefore nothing could be wrong.
I liked the way the prefect man was described. His work ethic and his views were impeccable. The author did an awesome job describing him, while also showing how impossible it would be to achieve perfection. I liked the last two questions, was he free and was he happy. I thought the author’s way of answering these questions was very good. "Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard", I think that sentence says a lot more than what is on the paper. How can someone that is so closely watched be free? If your not free how can you be happy? It would be impossible.