Abstract:
This paper explores the literary representation of social death through the poetic
works of Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah and W. H. Auden. Literature has a long
history of reflecting social consciousness and a medium for expressing the evolving
conditions of human identity. In the modern era—marked by materialism,
individualism, and existential anxiety—both poets reflect a profound crisis of social
existence. Through a close, qualitative analysis supported by critical reviews,
scholarly articles, newspapers, and books, this study examines how abstract ideas such
as success, identity, alienation, and modern values are encoded in their poetry. The
paper traces the progression from the image of the modern self to themes of
psychological estrangement, voluntary exile, and systemic marginalization. These
recurring motifs collectively point to the sociological phenomenon of social death—
a condition where individuals, though biologically alive, are rendered socially
invisible or irrelevant. While “social death” originates as a sociological construct, this
paper argues that Shahidullah and Auden articulate its essence metaphorically,
revealing the disintegration of human connection in modern society. Their poetic
representations serve not only as artistic expressions but as cultural critiques of
dehumanization in contemporary life.
