In two of Auden's major works he uses the idea of ​​distraction to express how humans can be self-centered and tend to turn a blind eye to the problems of others rather than the own. In the “Musée des Beaux Arts,” Auden uses a painting by Pieter Brueghel titled Landscape with the Fall of Icarus as the setting for his poem, and uses the characters in the painting as evidence that people can be very self-centered and unaware. Auden also portrays this same idea in his poem “Funeral Blues,” in which he expresses feelings of losing a loved one of extreme importance. These feelings help the reader relate to the magnitude of loss that death can bring, but they also show that people forget that the world around us continues to turn regardless of their personal situation. In both of Auden's works he expresses the theme of self-centeredness and unawareness of others and the world around us. Auden does this by using the actions of the characters in the story, as well as the characters themselves, as examples. In the "Musée des Beaux Arts" Auden writes about the fall of Icarus and how the characters in the poem react to a falling boy. of the sky. He begins by explaining that the “old Masters,” or Masters of the Craft, were never wrong about suffering (Line 1). He then describes mundane activities that may have taken place during Icarus' fall, "While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully" (line 4). Auden continues to describe what children and even animals who do not pay attention to what is happening may have done. When Icarus falls from the sky all the characters ignore him. Some, Auden argues, may even have heard the scream and the splash in the water, but refused to even look in the direction where he was… at the center of the paper… at the end. People rarely remember that their problems are not the only problems and that worse things could happen elsewhere. Auden uses the narrator's actions, words, and feelings to show that people can be distracted about problems that others may face. In both "Funeral Blues" and "Musée des Beaux Arts" Auden expresses this idea of ​​self-centeredness becoming in people's way of life by using the characters themselves as examples and their reactions in the poems to exemplify how self-centered people can be. It's easy to forget that the world is much bigger than the few miles people see every day, and very few people can truly understand how big this world really is. Auden's poems help you become more aware of how big the world really is and that there are more inhabitants than the mere fraction of people you see in everyday life..