There are around seven billion people on this planet, and all of us are different. However, no matter how different we are, we are all human. The man who writes poetry is no different than the man who reads it, and the man with a billion dollars is no different than the man with nothing. In his poem, “September 1, 1939”, W.H. Auden suggests that each person, at their core, is the same and that differences in humans occur as a result of their experiences that they are unable to control. Auden conveys this belief by classifying all people together, by describing the lack of agency in critical life events, and by justifying the actions of those who lack control in their lives. First, this paper will explore Auden’s idea that all people are
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Auden’s use of blank verse form deliberately echoes that of the poem “Easter 1916,” a poem about the unsuccessful Irish uprising in Britain on Easter monday, 1916. The uprising was shut down by the British, and the Irish were left with even less control over their land than before. By invoking the Easter uprising, a clear example of a population’s absence of jurisdiction, Auden demonstrates the lack of self authority people possess. Auden also alludes to the vacancy of power over occurrences in people’s lives through his seemingly random and arbitrary breaking of his blank verse form. At several points throughout the poem, Auden breaks his blank verse form and rhymes two non-consecutive lines. For example, Auden rhymes lines three and five of the first stanza and lines one and three of the third stanza. The rhyme scheme shows zero consistency and therefore zero control. Auden also suggests people’s lack of dominion over important incidents in their lives by writing in a first person, point of view which allows him to write subjectivley through a man who feels helpless in the beginning days of WWII. Auden relates his large scale ideas through a more personal and localized medium; instead of an all knowing writer pushing his ideas on the reader, Auden becomes a …show more content…
On September 1st, 1939, Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer and effective dictator of Germany, invaded Warsaw, Poland and initiated the single most destructive event in human history. By naming his poem, “September 1, 1939,” Auden invites the reader to explore the ideas exhibited by World War II. In his second stanza, shortly after referencing “Linz,” the childhood home of Hitler, Auden invokes a seemingly paradoxical “Golden Rule” when he states, “ Those to whom evil is done/ Do evil in Return.” By implying that this reverse of the “Golden Rule” applies to the Adolf Hitler, Auden proposes that he, the man responsible for World War II, cannot be held accountable for his actions, as he is only reacting to previous occurrences in his own life. Auden also uses historical context to defend the behavior of those who lack dominion over events in their lives by referring to the American government and their decisions regarding neutrality during the early days of the war. Congress insisted on neutrality during the beginning days of WWII; however, the majority of people, including Auden, felt that American participation in the war was inevitable. By calling the American Congress “helpless governors,” Auden suggests the inevitability of an American presence in the war and effectively justifies the American government’s poor
Auden’s use of blank verse form deliberately echoes that of the poem “Easter 1916,” a poem about the unsuccessful Irish uprising in Britain on Easter monday, 1916. The uprising was shut down by the British, and the Irish were left with even less control over their land than before. By invoking the Easter uprising, a clear example of a population’s absence of jurisdiction, Auden demonstrates the lack of self authority people possess. Auden also alludes to the vacancy of power over occurrences in people’s lives through his seemingly random and arbitrary breaking of his blank verse form. At several points throughout the poem, Auden breaks his blank verse form and rhymes two non-consecutive lines. For example, Auden rhymes lines three and five of the first stanza and lines one and three of the third stanza. The rhyme scheme shows zero consistency and therefore zero control. Auden also suggests people’s lack of dominion over important incidents in their lives by writing in a first person, point of view which allows him to write subjectivley through a man who feels helpless in the beginning days of WWII. Auden relates his large scale ideas through a more personal and localized medium; instead of an all knowing writer pushing his ideas on the reader, Auden becomes a …show more content…
On September 1st, 1939, Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer and effective dictator of Germany, invaded Warsaw, Poland and initiated the single most destructive event in human history. By naming his poem, “September 1, 1939,” Auden invites the reader to explore the ideas exhibited by World War II. In his second stanza, shortly after referencing “Linz,” the childhood home of Hitler, Auden invokes a seemingly paradoxical “Golden Rule” when he states, “ Those to whom evil is done/ Do evil in Return.” By implying that this reverse of the “Golden Rule” applies to the Adolf Hitler, Auden proposes that he, the man responsible for World War II, cannot be held accountable for his actions, as he is only reacting to previous occurrences in his own life. Auden also uses historical context to defend the behavior of those who lack dominion over events in their lives by referring to the American government and their decisions regarding neutrality during the early days of the war. Congress insisted on neutrality during the beginning days of WWII; however, the majority of people, including Auden, felt that American participation in the war was inevitable. By calling the American Congress “helpless governors,” Auden suggests the inevitability of an American presence in the war and effectively justifies the American government’s poor