A comparison of W.H. Auden's "The Unknown Citizen" and Edwin Arlington Robinson's "Richard Cory".

Throughout time, society has had its ways of developing what is to be considered the Ideal Citizen. This Citizen consists of many traits that are favorable by the many. If someone were to encounter such an individual, they would respect them, hear others good praise about them, and possibly even admire them. They would likely give the viewer the impression of an enjoyable lifestyle, one that many would trade with their own. However, the ways …

…done a great job in building the ideal citizen for society's many needs, but just as many people think only for themselves, it never gave much consideration for the ideal citizen's own, or any individual citizen's, needs for that matter. Works Cited Auden, W.H. "The Unknown Citizen." Literature: Reading-Reacting-Writing. Ed. Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1997. 698. Robinson, Edwin Arlington. "Richard Cory." Literature: Reading-Reacting-Writing. Ed. Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 1997. 992