“The Cry of the Children,” written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in 1843, was an appeal to the British people about the moral question of child labor. The poem’s obvious main goal is to provoke sympathy from readers for child laborers, but Browning does not stop there. In the final stanza she asks the British people how long they will continue to oppress children, saying “how long, O cruel nation, will you stand, to move the world, on a child’s heart,- stifle down with a mailed heel its palpitation, and tread onward to your throne amid the mart?” (Lines 153-156) Her disgust with child labor is best shown with her imagery in “The Cry of the Children.” She also uses other literary devices, such as repetition, to emphasize her theme of the evil of child labor. The first use of imagery to provoke sympathy comes as early as line 3, where the image of a child leaning on his mother is presented. Then, in lines 5-10 the morality of child labor is brought into question using repetition. The repetition of the word “young” associated with lighthearted activities and …show more content…
The most common that is associated with them is pale, which is symbolic of their unhappiness and that the work is, quite literally, draining the life out of them. A contrast is presented in line 72, saying that even “the reddest flower would look pale as snow.” Line 74’s use of “coal-dark” emphasizes this contrast of good, beautiful things and child labor. Darkness is referenced in lines 130 and 139, using the thought of children working in coal mines along with the darkness of the situation to evoke the reader’s sympathy. The last use of color imagery is perhaps the most well-used, saying “your purple shows your path!” (Line 158) This double meaning implies the wealth of those oppressing the children as well as once again bringing sympathy because of purple representing the children’s
In Florence Kelley’s speech, she discusses her anger about child labor. She gives numerous examples of how child labor is immoral and wrong, which creates a vindictive and scolding tone. Primarily through imagery, parallel structure, and exemplification, Kelley calls attention to the horror of child labor.
The novel Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys does an excellent job illustrating the troubling issue of child labor. The extent of child labor in a country is directly linked by the nature and extent of poverty within it. Child labor deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. It is detrimental to physical and mental development. Today, there are an estimated 246 million child laborers around the globe. This irritating social issue is not only violates a nation’s minimum age laws , it also involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor, and illicit activities. In Between Shades of Grey , Lina and her ten year old brother are unrightfully charged 25 years of labor at a work camp in Siberia. It prevented the children from going to school and used them to undermine labor standards. In the harsh winter and even worse living conditions, they watched their mother as she starved to death.
The first effect of the birth imagery is to present the speaker's book as a reflection of what she sees in herself. Unfortunately, the "child" displays blemishes and crippling handicaps, which represent what the speaker sees as deep faults and imperfections in herself. She is not only embarrassed but ashamed of these flaws, even considering them "unfit for light". Although she is repulsed by its flaws, the speaker understands that her book is the offspring of her own "feeble brain", and the lamentable errors it displays are therefore her own.
Throughout the passage, Florence Kelley uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to collectively and deliberately get to the point regarding limits on child labor and improvements for the working women. The use of rhetorical devices target both her specific and indirect audience by appealing to her audience’s logical and emotional senses. By writing in a combination of facts and evidence with emotional appeal to draw her audience, Kelley delivers her message effectively and successfully using emotional appeal and logical reasoning as the vehicle to her message of child labor and improvements for working women.
The fact that they feel they can sit about the knee of their mother, in this stereotypical image of a happy family doesn’t suggest that the children in this poem are oppressed... ... middle of paper ... ... y has a negative view of the childish desire for play which clearly has an effect on the children. The fact that they the are whispering shows that they are afraid of the nurse, and that they cannot express their true thoughts and desires freely, which is why they whisper, and therefore shows that Blake feels that children are oppressed. I feel that the two poems from innocence which are ‘The Echoing Green,’ and ‘The Nurses Song,’ display Blake’s ideological view of country life which I referred to in my introduction, and show his desire for childhood to be enjoyed.
My thesis statement is that children’s innocence enables them to cope in difficult situations. Children generally have a tendency to lighten the mood in sad situations because of their innocent nature. They turn even the saddest situations to mild, innocent situations. This is evident when Marjane says “these stories had given me new ideas for games”, (Satrapi, 55). By saying this she refers to her uncle’s stories of how he and other prisoners were tortured in prison. Stories of torture have never been easy to hear even for adults but Marjane so innocentl...
... During this era the fact that children had rights was arguable, it was not until the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1901 that this fact was actually recognized. In the 1830’s a series of acts were passed to try to ensure safety of these working children, laws such as The Chimney Sweepers Act of 1788 , The Victorian Child Labor Laws Against the use of Child Chimney Sweeps, The Chimney Sweepers and The Chimneys Regulation Act of 1840 and Chimney Sweepers Act of 1875. The success of these laws came due to the increasing acceptance of the idea that children deserve to enjoy their childhood. As the era progressed, artist created works that “embodied the innocence of children” and also depicted the horrible conditions that they were forced to work in (Kincaid 22). Even with such blunt depiction of the work conditions, change did not come rapidly but it came nevertheless.
In 'Ballad of Birmingham,' Dudley Randall illustrates a conflict between a child who wishes to march for civil rights and a mother who wishes only to protect her child. Much of this poem is read as dialogue between a mother and a child, a style which gives it an intimate tone and provides insight to the feelings of the characters. Throughout the poem the child is eager to go into Birmingham and march for freedom with the people there. The mother, on the other hand, is very adamant that the child should not go because it is dangerous. It is obvious that the child is concerned about the events surrounding the march and wants to be part of the movement. The child expresses these feelings in a way the appears mature and cognizant of the surrounding world, expressing a desire to support the civil rights movement rather than to ?go out and play.? The desire to no longer be seen as a child and have her voice heard by those being marched against and by her mother (who can also be seen as an oppressive form of authority in this poem) is expressed by the first few lines. The opinion of the child is much like that of all young people who want to fight for their freedom.
Christopher Hibbert’s The English: A Social History, 1066-1945, harshly reflects child labor. The author uses graphic details to portray the horrible work environment that the children, sometimes as young as four and five, were forced to work in. Hibbert discusses in much detail the conditions the children work in, the way they are mistreated, and what was done to prevent child labor.
The poem contains the central idea that many of these children never understood what home really means. In Native American culture the people venerate earth and it is referred to as mother nature which we see in the poem. The rails cut right through their home but they don’t view them like the average person. They view the tracks as if they are scars across mother earths face and her face is the Native American’s homeland. She is scarred for eternity but she is perfect in their dreams. This symbolism is ironic because the children try to reach home using the railroad that ruined natural life for them and many other Native Americans. In the second stanza the speaker says “The worn-down welts of ancient punishments lead back and fourth” (15-16). Which can be talking about the marks on the children’s bodies after getting caught while running away. But the “word-down welts” can also symbolize the welts that were put on mother nature throughout history. The last five lines of the poem sums up the symbol of hope through their memories and dreams. The last line of the poem says, “the spines of names and leaves.” (20-24). The “spines” symbolize the physical strength of the children and their ability to maintain hope individually “names”, and for their tribe
Starting with the first stanza, Blake creates a dark and depressing tone. He uses words such as died, weep, soot, and cry to support this tone. In the first two lines the child shares his family with us, stating his mother’s death and the fact that his father sold him sharing that the child must come from a poor background “When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet my tongue”(Lines 1-2). The image of a poor child getting tossed into another unhappy place sets the tone for the beginning of this poem. Blake uses the word “weep”, instead of “sweep” in the first stanza to show the innocence of the child “Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep”(3). The fact that the child cried “weep” instead of sweep shows that the child could not be any older than four. Blake describes that they sleep in soot also meaning they are sleeping in their death bed. The average life span of children who work in chimneys is ten years due to the harsh work environment. The child portrays sorrow in the last line of the first stanza “So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.”(4)
French writer Victor Hugo, was banished by Napoleon III, emperor of France, for writings that were critical to the government. In April of 1857, English Poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a letter to Napoleon, which she never mailed. Imploring Napoleon to excuse Hugo for writing a furious letter to the government.
as far as to declare her love as the sole reason for her existence in
It is fascinating how far the world has transformed in the past 300 years. The world has evolved in the way labor is accomplished. The innovation of machines, abolishment of slavery and child labor laws have all played a part in this history. 300 years ago, slaves were the main force of labor because they were cheap. Economically, the next major force of labor was the children. Since children were smaller, they were able to do jobs that adults could not, such as sweep chimneys. This was a terrible job for children to be doing. William Blake writes about how miserable the kids were in two poems, “The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Innocence), and “The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Experience.) In both poems the kids were not happy with the situation they were in because of the harsh conditions. Child labor is extremely harmful to children, and Blake realized how dangerous it was. He criticizes the King, the Church, and the parents for their contribution to a child’s misery. It is evident that parents would force
What comes to mind when hearing the words child labor? Is it simply of children doing work in a 1920’s factory? Is it an image of Malaysian children in a sweatshop making sneakers for less than a quarter a day? When many people think of child labor, they always connect it with negative meanings. Child labor has become a global issue; many of the countries whom employ child workers are developing ones. According to the International Labor Organization, the number of child laborers has decreased from a stifling 246 million, to 168 million. It’s also well known that child labor was a major part of the United States, and many other industrial countries in the late 1800’s and for the US, mainly in the early 1900’s. While child labor is constantly viewed in the negative, many do not take a look at the possible benefits of having children work at an earlier age. Trying to refrain from looking more into the hazardous conditions that many children have to work with, looking at the idea of having children work at an earlier age and the benefits it brings in terms of developing a better work ethic, and aiding children into stepping into the adult world.