first line of the poem as set of numbers, initials, and marks to show that there is no room for individualism in the ideal society of the future. Even someone as worthy as the citizen described in the poem is not known Ta 4by his personal name. The last two lines of the poem that states that asking if the citizen is happy or free is absurd, “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.” (Auden 29-30). These statements show clearly the non-existence of individualism. The citizen is only known by all the good things that he did to serve the state. Nothing about his personal feelings is known. This is not considered important enough to be known. In Vonnegut’s story it is the same idea. Competition is the greatest sin in such a society. Nobody should be better than anyone else. This can be linked to the modern society that Auden and Vonnegut mocks at. People in our modern society are always striving for equality of some kind. The society in “Harrison Bergeron” succeeded in eliminating prejudices yet the result is fatal to the democracy. The people lost their individuality and humanity. Powers falls in the hands of a few, which is much more like a communist system.Both writers use irony to help readers see the absurdity of the dystopic images of society. The title of Auden’s poem is ironic. Audens talks about how everyone knows everything about this citizen and then names the poem “The Unknown Citizen”. If the citizen is so popular and worthy enough to have the state builds a monument to honor him, how could he remains unknown? The “unknown” part of the citizen is not only his name but also his inner self in a society that does not honor individuals being humble and honest. The “unknown” that Auden may want to address is the individualism that is unknown to this society of “the Modern...
