September free essay sample

Referring to the German invasion in Poland in 1939, Auden writes while sitting in a bar in New York City, noting the actions of those around him: people continue to carry on their normal lives in spite of the horrors of war going on abroad. The message of September 1, 1939 is timeless. Although referring to an event more than seventy years ago, the poem gained popularity following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The poem is a criticism of multiple things in society at the time. Auden appeals to man to reflect on themes such how German history led to the outbreak of WWII, the democratic industrialized man, and human sins concluding with a message of hope: people need to overlook their boundaries and differences and recognize that we must love each other. The first two stanzas refer to the German invasion of Poland and other historical accounts of war that may have brought glory to countries, but many people suffered. We will write a custom essay sample on September or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the first stanza the speaker has a obvious tone of sadness, which is very noticeable due to the use of words as â€Å"Uncertain, afraid, anger and fear†.In the second stanza the speaker makes a reference to Linz, which is the city where Hitler was born. Auden chooses the words â€Å"psychopathic god† to refer to Hitler, giving that it was his the decision to invade Poland. The last two sentences of the second stanza are: â€Å"The unmentionable odor of death Offends the September night. † Those two lines are a clear reference to the invasion. He uses the word â€Å"unmentionable† to express that the death and destruction was ignored by many, or at least a blind eye was turned to it.The lines also are easily applied to the recent September 11, 2001 attacks, in that many people were killed on a September night as well. The speaker doesn’t only criticize Hitler, but also the democratic industrialized man and the â€Å"American Imperialism†. The speaker claims that the air is neutral, meaning that it doesn’t belong to anybody. However, modern men built skyscrapers in order to show off their power. Auden states, â€Å"Out of the mirror they state. Imperialism’s face. †This suggests that industrialized countries, such as America, are imperialist and cloud people’s views of reality, also making them think they are better than those in other countries. This makes it easier for them to ignore what is going on in the world. Auden also makes a reference to Thucydides, who wrote that history should be remember by what actually happened instead by the glory of a country, meaning that a war does not have a winner, and we should remember the people that we lost instead of glorifying whoever wins.Over time, we forget about all the innocent lives lost and we remember the past in a patriotic way. As the poem continuous the speaker touches the aspects of sin. Talking about selfishness, the speaker claims that one of the problem of society is that men cannot share different values, and again, considers himself to be the most important. Auden writes, â€Å"Not universal love But to be loved alone. † Clearly the author is implying that people are selfish, giving up a universal love in order to fight for being loved alone.Because the poem is referring to the World War II, we can imagine that Auden feels the world has not responded well to Hitler’s takeover of Poland. He looks around at â€Å"face along the bar/Cling to their average day† and laments that people continue their lives as normal despite what has happened. It refers to the values of each country individually, meaning that no country wants universal love, which would be achieve if every country would respect each other values and beliefs.This is all a part of the attitude of imperialism which is an â€Å"international wrong. † The sin of humans is to think they are more important than others, allowing these events to happen. Surprisingly the poem ends with a positive message. The speaker talks about Eros, he Greek god of love, claiming that every man has a little of love inside themselves. While war and death are occurring and â€Å"our world in stupor lies† there are some people, â€Å"the Just† who recognize the evil and speak out against.What all these people have in common is that they realize they are all the time, that all over the world we suffer from the same problems. Auden states that all the people are, â€Å"Beleaguered by the same Negation and despair, Show an affirming flame. † The speaker is trying to express that regardless of what is happening, there are lights in the darkness, people who are willing to speak out and pass along the message of hope. Although there is war, there are people who speak out against it and voice reason, and have faith in humanity. eo