The Unknown Citizen and Nineteen Eighty-Four

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      The Unknown Citizen: A Model for Oceania or a Rebel in Disguise? On the surface, the Unknown Citizen appears to be the quintessential model citizen of Oceania. He diligently fulfills his duties, consumes the prescribed media, and exhibits unwavering loyalty to the Party. Auden's poem meticulously catalogs his virtues: "five and twenty censored/read/books" (lines 10-11), "no ration card, no ration book/no hire-purchase agreement" (lines 22-23), and even "funeral with wreaths and watched for signs/of weakness by the undertaker's man" (lines 38-39). This rigid adherence to societal norms and meticulous attention to detail mirror the Party's demands for absolute obedience and control. However, beneath the veneer of conformity, hints of rebellion flicker. The very act of anonymity, the "unknown" label, suggests a deliberate choice to remain unidentifiable, perhaps to avoid scrutiny and express individuality. The emphasis on "no sin" (line 8) could be interpreted not as a genuine claim of innocence but as ironic defiance, a subtle jab at the Party's omnipresent surveillance. Additionally, the citizen's "one flaw" – "a strange rage for order" (line 26) – hints at a darker motivation, a potential for subversive action masked as meticulousness. This duality aligns perfectly with Orwell's concept of doublethink, where individuals hold contradictory beliefs simultaneously. The citizen, like many in Oceania, might outwardly conform while harboring hidden dissent. The Speakers: From Conformity to Rebellion and Back? The speakers in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" offer a more nuanced spectrum of potential placements within Oceania's rigid hierarchy. Winston Smith, a Party member wrestling with forbidden thoughts, occupies a precarious middle ground. He adheres to the outward demands of Big Brother, yet secretly yearns for freedom and truth. This internal conflict mirrors the doublethink Winston experiences, forced to believe fabricated narratives while clinging to his own memories and glimpses of a different reality. His rebellious streak, evident in his diary entries and illicit relationship with Julia, would likely land him in the Outer Party, constantly under surveillance, perpetually at risk of being exposed and vaporized. Julia, on the other hand, initially embodies a Party loyalist, a member of the Youth League and active participant in Party activities. However, her rebellion stems not from a conscious desire for truth, but from a yearning for physical pleasure and emotional connection forbidden by the Party. This hedonistic defiance aligns with the Proles, Oceania's underclass kept ignorant and placated through cheap thrills and distractions. However, Julia's awakening to love and Winston's influence could push her towards the Outer Party, seeking a more fulfilling life even at the risk of persecution. Doublethink vs. Romans 1:18-23: A Battle for the Mind The concept of doublethink in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" finds a chilling echo in Romans 1:18-23. Both grapple with the human capacity for cognitive dissonance, the ability to hold contradictory beliefs and suppress inconvenient truths. In Orwell's dystopia, doublethink is an enforced mechanism of control, manipulating individuals to accept fabricated realities and deny their own perceptions. Big Brother's slogan, "War is Peace," embodies this absurdity, demanding unquestioning obedience regardless of logical contradictions. Romans 1:18-23, however, approaches cognitive dissonance from a theological perspective. It describes humanity's tendency to worship idols and created things over the true God. This "suppress[ion] of the truth" (verse 18) reflects a conscious choice to turn away from reality and embrace comforting illusions. The passage condemns this deliberate turning away as "foolishness" (verse 21) and a descent into "immoral practices" (verse 24). Both doublethink and the suppression of truth described in Romans 1:18-23 highlight the human capacity for self-deception and the dangers of unquestioning acceptance of imposed narratives. However, while Orwell presents doublethink as a tool of oppression, Romans offers a moral condemnation of willful ignorance and the potential for spiritual consequences.  

Sample Answer

   

W.H. Auden's "The Unknown Citizen" and George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" paint chilling portraits of totalitarian societies where individuality and independent thought are ruthlessly suppressed. While separated by genre and historical context, both works offer intriguing parallels in their portrayals of conformity and resistance. This essay explores how the citizen and the speakers in "The Unknown Citizen" would likely fare within the nightmarish landscape of Oceania, analyzing their potential place in its rigid social hierarchy and contrasting their viewpoints with the doublethink demanded by Big Brother.