The Cry of the Children

250 Words Essay
How is Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children” Links to an external site.a response to conditions like those in the evidence given before the Sadler Commission Links to an external site.? How does she portray the effects of industrial labor on children? Who was the audience for this poem, and how might it have influenced public opinion?

Resources

https://victorianweb.org/history/workers1.html

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/elizabeth-barrett-brownings-the-cry-of-the-children-as-first-published-in-blackwoods-edinburgh-magazine

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children” is a powerful response to the appalling working conditions for children during the Industrial Revolution. The poem was published in 1844, a time when the issue of child labor was being hotly debated in Britain, and the evidence given before the Sadler Commission was exposing the brutal exploitation of children in the country’s factories and mines.

The poem portrays the effects of industrial labor on children in a poignant and harrowing manner, highlighting the toll it takes on their health, wellbeing, and innocence. Barrett Browning vividly describes the “pale, thin faces” of the children, who are forced to work long hours in dangerous and unhealthy environments, with little or no rest. She also touches on the loss of childhood joys and the absence of any sense of hope in the future.

The audience for this poem was largely middle-class reformers and philanthropists, who were concerned about the welfare of the working classes and were advocating for change. The poem was first published in “Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine”, which had a wide readership, and its impact was significant. It brought the issue of child labor to the forefront of public discourse, inspiring others to speak out against the inhumane treatment of children in the workplace.

As such, “The Cry of the Children” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a powerful response to the conditions faced by children during the Industrial Revolution and helped to influence public opinion on the issue of child labor. The poem was a poignant reminder of the devastating effects of industrial labor on the young, and it inspired others to work towards a brighter future for all children.