5.17.R - Lesson: "The Cry of the Children" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Flashcards
hich of the poets we have discussed in this module openly admired Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
Langston Hughes and Sidney Lanier
Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe
Emily Dickinson and Gwendolyn Brooks
Edgar Allan Poe and Sidney Lanier
Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe
Why did Elizabeth Barrett Browning write “The Cry of the Children”?
She read a parliamentary report.
She heard it from a friend.
She grew up in child labor.
She visited the mines in person.
She read a parliamentary report.
Re-read this stanza:
“They look up, with their pale and sunken faces,
And their look is dread to see,
For they mind you of their angels in their places,
With eyes meant for Deity;–
‘How long,’ they say, ‘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?
Our blood splashes upward, O our tyrants,
And your purple shows your path;
But the child’s sob curseth deeper in the silence
Than the strong man in his wrath!’”
What is Browning accusing England (the “cruel nation”) of? Select all that apply.
Browning uses a lot of emotional language and imagery to pull at the reader’s heartstrings. For example, re-read this stanza:
“And well may the children weep before you;
They are weary ere they run;
They have never seen the sunshine, nor the glory
Which is brighter than the sun:
They know the grief of man, but not the wisdom;
They sink in man’s despair, without its calm–
Are slaves, without the liberty in Christdom,–
Are martyrs, by the pang without the palm,–
Are worn, as if with age, yet unretrievingly
No dear remembrance keep,–
Are orphans of the earthly love and heavenly:
Let them weep! let them weep!”
Do you think this imagery is effective? Was emotional persuasion the most effective way to convince members of Parliament to change things? Why or why not?
Give your thoughtful opinion in 3–5 sentences.
Your Answer:
In this poem, she used imagery likely to make the reader sad and emotional. This was truly effective because I felt a little uncomfortable and emotional when I read this poem, which would have been the best way to change the minds of the Parliament members.
Browning switches to the child workers’ perspectives several times in the poem. For example, re-read this stanza:
“‘For oh,’ say the children, ‘we are weary,
And we cannot run or leap–
If we cared for any meadows, it were merely
To drop down in them and sleep.
Our knees tremble sorely in the stooping–
We fall upon our faces, trying to go;
And, underneath our heavy eyelids drooping,
The reddest flower would look as pale as snow.
For, all day, we drag our burden tiring,
Through the coal-dark, underground–
Or, all day, we drive the wheels of iron
In the factories, round and round.’”
Is it more powerful to hear the children describing their situation than Browning? Why or why not?
Give your thoughtful opinion in 3–5 sentences.
Your Answer:
The way that she switched to the child worker perspective was very effective. The reason why is that it was pretty emotional to listen to them and how they would rather be dead than alive. At the same time, you could not stop reading it even though you wanted to. Therefore, switching back and forth between those two perspectives was very effective.
