The Cry of the Children (poem)

"The Cry of the Children" is a poem by English writer Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It examines children’s manual labor forced upon them by ruler(s). It was published in August 1843 in Blackwood's Magazine.^[1]

Background

Browning wrote about contemporary topics, particularly to liberal causes of her day as critic Stephen Greenblatt argues, (2013) Elizabeth Barrett Browning (pp. 1993–1994). For instance, in "The Cry of the Children", Browning narrates children being underground the majority of their young lives, dragging wheelbarrows and working long hours. One says young life because they are put under harsh conditions, causing their lungs and hearts to rapidly dysfunction. Not only that, but Browning has a sensible writing manner in her works, and for this poem she uses a young lamb bleating in the meadows as a reference to the young children crying from whatever pains they must endure at the moment. Browning involves young animals to symbolize innocence and being put through both mental and physical pain for the satisfaction of an owner (1842). It is intelligent for the poet to do this as a reader can put themself in that position to understand how intense the conditions were.

"The Cry of the Children" by Browning is a twelve stanza poem consisting of terza rima rhyme scheme. Terza rima is an ABA BCB CDC DED and so on, rhyme scheme. Browning uses this precisely throughout the poem. This is superior as it makes the poem’s main idea straightforward as well as uncomplicated. This leads readers to Browning's key point, the death of children because they are forced to work from a very tender age and they pray to God to be taken before their time of actual death (BeamingNotes, 2015). Browning best describes this in lines 51-52 as the children say “It is good when it happens, that we die before our time” and in lines 86-87 the children pray for the absurdly noises to come to an end (Browning, 1842). How could one not forget the in-depth significance of this poem, and Browning bringing awareness to the public of the horrifying abuse from owners towards children? Browning’s excellent manner helps readers and critics understand about history and English literature.

Browning as well has used a melancholy tone, as it is understandable because of the children’s predicaments. Not only that, it coincides with the rhyme scheme and symbolism. For instance, if the reader were to read the poem as a ballad, he/she would hear the rhyme scheme and be able to put themselves in the position of the children. As well as when Browning uses the young animals to symbolizes the children’s innocence, by depicting the tone one can tell it is not an exciting situation (Browning, 1842). Overall, Browning’s use of tone, symbolism, and rhyme scheme helps readers understand the underlying “truth” as to why children were forced to complete manual labor by their ruler(s). It was of much intelligence for the poet to do this, as it helped many view history as how it really was and helps students in their English Literature classes.

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References

1. "Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'The Cry of the Children' as first published in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine". British Library. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
2. Greenblatt, Stephen (2013) Elizabeth Barrett Browning (pp.1993-1994) Beaming Notes (2015) Barrett Browning, Elizabeth (1842). “The Cry of the Children”.