Names: Astudillo, Virginia; Chiacchiera, Ana; Schiavi, Julieta

Practical Work #6: W. H. Auden

Read and analyze the poem you were assigned using the Guide to poems. Then,
answer the following questions:

a) How would you define Auden’s role as a poet considering his biographical information and
the poem analyzed?
As an English poet, playwright, critic, and librettist Wystan Hugh Auden (1907 - 1973) became one
of the most influential and greatest artists of the twentieth century. Throughout his life, he visited
Germany, Iceland, and China, he served in the Spanish Civil war, and in 1939 , he moved to the
United States, becoming an A american citizen. Moreover, he constituted a pivotal member of the
“Oxford Group” or the “Auden Generation,” in which Marxist and anti- Ffascist doctrines prevailed
and writers addressed social, political, and economic concerns in their writings. For a poet who was
involved in political, theological and social issues of the time, the wars that occurred in the twentieth
century and their devastating consequences became central in his poetry.
Not only the historical context, which was doomed by Auden as the “age of anxiety”, but also his
poems, such as “September 1, 1939” (1939), depict and reveal his political commitment through
different references to cultural, political and historical events and concerns of the period. As regards
the poem “September 1, 1939”, it is possible to find several allusions and discourses, particularly the
political and psychological, which reveal Auden’s concern with politics. The poem is characterized by
displaying Auden's political concern and commitment through an accusatory and disillusioned tone.
In addition, he shows some hope for the people to fight together against the anti- Ddemocratic forces,
particularly the forces that prevailed at in that time. In addition, particularly in the first stanzas of the
poem, Auden criticizes and condemns human selfish and uncommitted behaviour that enables
wrongdoing and corruption to continue and develop. Regarding this, in the first stanza, the poet
criticizes and condemns the dishonesty of governments and their corruption, w hich create widespread
fear and anger :,

Uncertain and afraid / As the clever hopes expire / Of a low dishonest decade: / Waves of anger a

As regards his disappointment with society itself, particularly in the fifth stanza, Auden addresses
people, particularly America, for turning a blind eye to the upcoming war and global crisis,

Faces along the bar / Cling to their average day: / The lights must never go out, / The music mus
b) In his poems, Auden alludes to different historical characters, people, events and places.
Choose two instances of allusion and explain what the purpose of employing such allusions is.
Consider the context of the poem.
The writing of “September 1, 1939”, by W.H. Auden was influenced by the turbulent period
in which it was written. A second world war was around the corner and feelings of despair, anxiety
and distress were common among the people. In order to convey these feelings, along with his own
emotional response, Auden decided to include a number of allusions, especially those that connected
the present with events of the past.
One of the allusions found in the poem is in the third stanza,
Exiled Thucydides knew/ All that a speech can say/ About Democracy,/ And what dictators
do, /The elderly rubbish they talk/ To an apathetic grave;/ Analysed all in his book,/ The
enlightenment driven away,/ The habit-forming pain,/ Mismanagement and grief:/ We must
suffer them all again//(Auden, 1939, lines 23-33)
In this case, there is an allusion to the Greek historian, Thucydides, making reference to his
life and his ideas. The purpose of this allusion is to bring what Thucydides believed and claimed
about human nature back to the present times. In particular, Thucydides said in the book he wrote
about war that wars would keep on occurring because of how humans want to have war . In this
way, Auden criticised Modern society for not being able to learn from the past, and continue to act in
the name of greed, money and power, which would eventually lead them to war and pain.
Another allusion present in the poem makes reference to the Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky
and his lover Diaghilev, “
What mad Nijinsky wrote/ About Diaghilev/ Is true of the normal heart;/ For the erro
. In the history between Nijinsky
and Diaghilev, it is possible to see a love story that ended up in pain and suffering. Because Diaghilev
did not get to be with Nijinsky, driven by jealousy, anger and a desire for revenge, he condemned
Nijinsky to a life inside an asylum. In fact, Diaghilev’s behaviour was “bred in the bone” (line 62),
implying that all his actions of violence which were caused by a desire for causing pain were already
in his nature, as it is in the nature of every person in the world. This allusion is intrinsically related to
what Auden wanted to convey with the previously mentioned allusion. Just as Diaghilev, the whole
world is condemned to causing suffering and pain, whether that is because we cannot get what we
want or because causing this pain will get us what we want.
As portrayed by Auden in his poem, World War II was advancing over the world because of
greedy people who would do anything in their reach to get a benefit, whether that implied killing and
destroying thousands of lives. This, however, is impossible to be corrected or changed, since from the
beginning of time, people were and will be condemned to being this way, because it is part of
designed into their nature.

c) How does Auden use symbolism and imagery to emphasize the theme in his poetry?
Wystan Hugh Auden uses symbolism and imagery to a great extent so as to emphasize the major
themes in “September 1, 1939”.
The use of symbolism and imagery in this poem is highly important in order to analyze the theme
of the poem. One of the symbols that are key in this poem are the skyscrapers which represent the
state’s authority and power over the people. For instance, in lines 34-38: “
Into this neutral air / Where blind sky
In
this case, within the symbol of skyscrapers, there is an instance of personification, in which the
skyscrapers are “blind” and they “their full height” to impose their power and to make people
believe that they are invincible. This symbol might make reference to Ccapitalism and how the
government thought that by having huge skyscrapers, they would be powerful and they would
compete in the world. Therefore, the symbolic use of skyscrapers alludes to the image of the
government, who like buildings, impose power and, at the same time, the government uses the
skyscrapers to “blind” themselves and the common people so as no to see what is going on outside
their country.
Another significant symbol in Auden’s “September 1, 1939” is light and darkness. In this case, light
represents hope and justice, resistance and connection among the people. However, darkness makes
reference to fear, ignorance and oppression. For example, throughout the poem there are instances of
darkness as a symbol of fear: “The unmentionable odour of death / Offends the September night.”(l.
10-11) “Children afraid of the night” (l.54), “From the conservative dark” (l.67). Through these
examples, it can be seen that the speaker wants to emphasize the feelings of fear, uncertainty and
ignorance towards the war that was coming. On the other hand, the symbol of hope appears at the end
of the poem, in which the speaker suggests that if common people connect with each other and use
their voices, they will be capable of fighting against Ffascism. For instance, the speaker alludes to the
people as “points of light" (l.92), and that this human connection can “show an affirming flame” (l.99)
so as to fight the “negation and despair”. (l.98) Therefore, through these examples, it can be seen that
there is a feeling of hope and that the speaker wants people to be united and to raise their voices to
fight for justice.
Hence, the use of symbolism and imagery are key to reinforce the theme of Auden's poem
“September 1, 1939”. These symbols make reference to two opposite forces, the first one related to
the government and symbolized by the skyscrapers, and on the other side the common people
symbolized by “points of light”, emphasizing the feeling of hope and justice towards the authoritarian
government s.
d) What kind of language does Auden employ in his poems? Consider different discourses and
literary devices in relation to the content of the poem. Provide examples to support your
answer.
Auden’s “ September 1, 1939” (1939) takes place on the eve of the most destructive war in history
and it is featured by its melancholic, disillusioned but accusatory tone towards society and politics . In
this poem, Auden not only comments on how societal attitudes, and political corruption and
dishonesty can lead to war but he also condemns the lack of acceptance of homosexuality in an
implicit way. By using certain lexico-grammatical resources and referring to different discourses,
particularly the psychological and the political ones, Auden succeeds in creating a cynical mood and
condemning society and the anti- Ddemocratic government s.
As regards the lexico-grammatical resources chosen, Auden’s “September 1, 1939” is made up of
words with a rather negative connotation. Among this lexico-grammatical choice, the reader can
perceive mainly noun phrases and adjectives which contribute to creating a cynical and disillusioned
tone. From the beginning of the poem, the reader can notice some instances of negative lexico-
grammatical resources: “low dishonest decade” (5), “anger and fear” (6), “darkened” (8) and
“unmentionable … of death” (10). Throughout the poem, the third stanza is loaded with many noun
phrases with negative connotations. Such is the case of “dictators” (26), “rubbish” (27), “apathetic
grave” (28), “habit-forming pain” (31) and “grief” (32), among others. By including these resources
throughout the whole poem, A uden does not only create a disappointed and disillusioned tone but
also condemns and criticizes the governments’ wrongdoing and dishonesty. Moreover, by using these
negative adjectives, such as “uncertain” and “afraid” in the third line, Auden also describes the period
of uncertainty and fear for the coming war.
As it was previously mentioned, throughout the poem, readers can recognize different discourses,
such as the political and the psychological. As regards the political discourse, Auden alludes to
political ideologies and movements and also includes terms related to politics. Some terms related to
the political sphere, and are distinctly written in capital letters, are “Democracy” (25), “Collective
Man” (37) and “Imperialism” (43). Some other terms are used to criticize particular ideologies, in this
case Capitalism. For example, the words “conservative” (67), “ethical life” (68) and “commuters' '
(69) are used to comment negatively on Ccapitalist societ iesy. By integrating these terms related to
politics, Auden manages to protest and condemn not only the anti- Ddemocratic governments but also
the societal Ccapitalist values and beliefs. The poet also employs historical references to support and
strengthen his disappointment towards governmental authority. For instance, Auden refers to Martin
Luther in lines 12-14: “Accurate scholarship can / Unearth the whole offence / From Luther until
now”. Furthermore, the writer also refers to Adolf Hitler and displays the relationship this dictator had
with Luther, both were anti- Ssemit ics and spoke against homosexuality. Auden also refers to Hitler’s
education and cruel childhood, which constituted probably a cause for his Ffascist government. Auden
also alludes to Thucydides and, by doing this, refers to the political failures which had been repeated
throughout history, “The enlightenment driven away, / The habit-forming pain, / Mismanagement and
grief” (30-32). Another discourse included in Auden’s poem is the psychological one. Regarding this,
the poet makes use of terms, relatively negative, connected to psychology, such as “psychopathic”
(18), “euphoric” (41) and “compulsory” (74).
Along with these discourses, Auden also integrates a moral discourse throughout the poem. One of
the most famous lines in the poem is : “We must love one another or die.” (88), which is
complemented by the previous lines ``”Not universal love / But to be loved alone” (65-66). In these
lines, Auden rejects Iindividualism and selfishness and argues about the importance of acknowledging
the connection with others, as a society.

e) What is your favorite line/s in the poem you analyzed? Why is that?
Ana Paula
My favourite lines are “Beleaguered by the same / Negation and despair, / Show an affirming flame.”
(97-99). I consider these last lines to be my favourite as they bring hope in a desolated and uncertain
context. Auden encourages people to not give up and, also, promotes love, hope and courage, even
when they are surrounded by negation and despair. These few people who still stand represent the
remaining hope and “affirming flame”, which stands for the emotions and strong desire of those
citizens who still have hope. Though the poem is featured by a disillusioned and melancholic tone,
the last stanza provides it with human e hope from citizens who desire a just society.

Julieta
My favourite lines are “All I have is a voice / To undo the folded lie” (l. 78-79) and “We must love
one another or die” (l. 88). I liked these lines very much since they ma kde me feel powerful because
of the fact that we all have a voice, and that all voices matter. In addition, if those voices come
together and are united, they can make justice, they can “undo” whatever “folded lie” is believed and
held by the powerful people. Also, I liked line 88 in which Auden made me think about how
important it is to be united, mostly in these times of Iindividualism. I think that united people can
make a lot of changes, but it’s up to us to raise our voices and fight for either our dreams or against
authorities. The poem ends and iIt makes me feel very powerful knowing that everyone matters, not
only the people that have power but everyone whose desire is to raise its voice.

Virginia
My favourite lines of the poem “September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden (1939) are “Defenceless under
the night/ Our world in stupor lies;/ Yet, dotted everywhere,/ Ironic points of light/Flash out wherever
the Just/Exchange their messages” (lines…). I liked these lines because after all the distress and
hopelessness that the speaker perceives in the world and after all the people whose nature drives them
to cause pain and suffering, he also sees “points of lights”, which I interpret as those things that are
worth fighting for and those people who decide to fight for them. After all, the speaker sees, and
encourages us to see as well, that there are good people who are willing to fight for what is good and
noble (“the Just”).

SELF-EVALUATION QUESTIONS:
1. Make an account of what you have learnt: do you think you still have doubts in relation to
certain topics? Do you need to expand or revise?
In this unit, we have learnt about W.H. Auden, his poetry, his story and the historical context in
which he wrote his poems. Also, we learnt about W. B. Yeats, who was also an influential poet of that
time. For this reason, Auden decided to write a poem in memory of W. B. Yeats so as to not only to
Yeats but also to enjoy his poetry as well. It is worth mentioning that this type of poetry is
considered to be post-war poetry. Hence, Auden and Yeats are considered highly influential poets of
that time.
2. Re-read the programme and make connections to what you are currently discussing
Through the analysis of Auden’s poetry and the studying of material related to poetry of the
Second World War, the historical context and recurrent discourses and ideologies present at the time
of Auden’s writing, it is possible to say that we have realized at some extent the following objectives
of the programme:
- “Reflexionar acerca del texto literario como discurso social y cultural y de lenguaje en uso a
través de la lectura e interpretación de textos literarios.”
- “Orientar al alumno hacia un conocimiento profundo de los discursos históricos, filosóficos,
culturales, etc. que circulan en el período en cuestión.”
- “Capacitar al alumno para formular abstracciones y generalizaciones sobre la obra literaria y
la interrelación de las mismas con fenómenos universales más allá de los límites del tiempo,
fronteras o diferencias culturales.”

3. Do you still need more 'technical vocabulary' (especially literary terms)?

We think that learning more metalanguage as regards literary terms contributes to our analysis
on literary works, as we are aware of more literary aspects and devices that are usually implemented
purposely. We see an improvement in our understanding of literary works because of the technical
vocabulary we learn every week, however, there is always room for more improvement.
Bibliography

Igntu.Ac.In, http://www.igntu.ac.in/eContent/MA-English-02Sem-Dr%20Mohammed%20Tausif

%20ur%20Rahman-Poetry.pdf . Accessed 21 June 2021.

“September 1, 1939 Analysis.” ENotes, 2 Oct. 2016, retrieved from

www.enotes.com/topics/september-1-1939/in-depth#.

Levine, p. Notes on Auden’s September 1, 1939. (Blog post). A Blog for civic renewal.
retrieved from https://peterlevine.ws/?p=9468#disqus_thread
Poetry Foundation. ‘W. H. Auden’. Poetryfoundation.Org,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/w-h-auden Accessed 21 June 2021.

September 1, 1939
I sit in one of the dives
On Fifty-Second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
5 Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
10 The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.

Accurate scholarship can

 Unearth the whole offence
From Luther until now
15 That has driven a culture mad,
Find what occurred at Linz,
What huge imago made
A psychopathic god:
I and the public know
20 What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.

Exiled Thucydides knew

All that a speech can say
25 About Democracy,
And what dictators do,
The elderly rubbish they talk
To an apathetic grave;
Analysed all in his book,
30 The enlightenment driven away,
The habit-forming pain,
Mismanagement and grief:
We must suffer them all again.

Into this neutral air

35 Where blind skyscrapers use
Their full height to proclaim
The strength of Collective Man,
Each language pours its vain
Competitive excuse:
40 But who can live for long
In an euphoric dream;
Out of the mirror they stare,
Imperialism's face
And the international wrong.

45 Faces along the bar

Cling to their average day:
 The lights must never go out,
The music must always play,
All the conventions conspire
50 To make this fort assume
The furniture of home;
Lest we should see where we are,
Lost in a haunted wood,
Children afraid of the night
55 Who have never been happy or good.

The windiest militant trash

Important Persons shout
Is not so crude as our wish:
What mad Nijinsky wrote
60 About Diaghilev
Is true of the normal heart;
For the error bred in the bone
Of each woman and each man
Craves what it cannot have,
65 Not universal love
But to be loved alone.

From the conservative dark

Into the ethical life
The dense commuters come,
70 Repeating their morning vow,
"I will be true to the wife,
I'll concentrate more on my work",
And helpless governors wake
To resume their compulsory game:
75 Who can release them now,
Who can reach the deaf,
Who can speak for the dumb?

All I have is a voice

To undo the folded lie,
80 The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
85 And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

Defenceless under the night

90 Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
95 May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.

September 1939 / 1939

W. H. Auden