THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN (1842) -ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWING

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61) was the most prominent poet in the

Victoria era. Her works where immensely famous in England and

America.She devotedly brought several social issues to light such as

child labour , slavery and oppression of women.

In this poem she explored the difficulties of children who were working in mines and

factories. She portrayed demonic images of a factory Hell and it has contrasted with the Heaven of English

Countryside and The inferno of Industrialism with the bliss of a land- based society

The children wanted to escape from Mines to city for the serenity of meadow and country.

She concluded the grinding, droning mechanism of Industrial society which destroys the promise

and hope of human life.

What is child labour? Children work under the age of

15.why do children work?

Poverty ,lack of awareness and importance of education

What are the solutions to solve the child labour?

Increasing the family income, Giving Free education , Social

services .

The cry of the childrenFor 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 ironIn the factories, round and round.

For, all day, the wheels are droning, turning,---Their wind comes in our faces,---Till our hearts turn , --- our head, with pluses burning,And the walls turn in their places---Turns the sky in the high window blank and reeling---Turns the long light that droppeth down the wall---Turn the black flies that crawl along the ceiling---All are turning , all the day, and we with all, ---And , all day, the iron wheels are droning; And sometimes we could pray,‘O ye wheels’ (breaking out in a mad moaning)‘stop ! Be silent for to –day!’

GlossaryNew wordsweary – tiredmeadows – lawn, grass landtremble – shakestoop– bending forwarddrooping – closing eyelids in tirednessdroning – making continuous low sounddroppeth – fallscrawl – move like an antmerely – onlymoaning – expression of pain

Poetic Devices

Rhyming Words ---- leap , sleep stooping , drooping turning , burning Pray , day

Rhyme Scheme ---- ab ab Poetic lines Figure of SpeechThe reddest flower would lookas pale as snow Simile "O Ye, wheels stop!be silent for today Personification

We are weary Alliteration

The child labourers are too tired to run or leap. They long for rest and comfort. If cared for meadows, they would prefer to fall down and sleep.

Their knees are painful. They can't walk.

Their dull eyes see the reddest flower as pale as snow.

The children are turning the iron wheels in thecoal dark underground cells of the factories

Everything appears to be spinning around them .

The effect of the repetition 'turning' is so apt that the spinnng movement is

intensely felt.

The child labourers are desperate to beg the wheels to be silent and stop atleast for a day.

Poem in a Nutshell

• The poet expresses very clearly the painful feelings of the children.

• The children feel weary as they work in factories and mines.

• They turn the iron wheels all the day .• So everything appears reeling , rounding, rotating

and winding.• To them red flower look as pale as snow.• They can't even walk.• The children pray to the wheels to be silent for a day.

EXTRACTS – POEM COMPREHENSION

“For oh,” say the children, we are weary,And we cannot run or leap.

A) What are the children mentioned in the first line?The children mentioned here are child labourers.

B) Who does “We“ refer to?

“We” refers to the child labourers.

C) Why are they weary?They are weary due to their hard work in the factory.

D) Why can they not run or leap?They cannot run or leap as they are very tired due to their

hard work in the factories.

E)) Why has the poet used the words run or leap?The poet has used the words run or leap as it is a natural

tendency of children.

If we cared for any meadows, it were merely to drop down in them and sleep.

A) what is the intention of children to care for any meadows?Normally children wish to run, leap and play in meadows,

B) Do the children mentioned here want to play in meadows? Why.?No. The children mentioned in the poem don’t want to run or play in meadows because they are too tired to do that.

C). What do they want to do in meadows?They want to drop down in meadows and to sleep due to their tiredness and fatigue.

Our knees tremble sorely in the stooping,we fall upon our faces trying to go.

a) Which part of their body is very much affected? Their knees are affected very much.

b) Whose knees are referred to here?The knees of the child labourers are referred to here.

c) Which words describe their pain?The words ‘tremble sorely’ describe their pain.

d) Why are children stooping?The child labourers turn the wheels all the time. As they lean forward and push it, they are stooping.

e) what is the meaning of the word ‘stooping’?Stooping means ‘bending forward’.

f) why do the children fall upon their faces?As the children feel giddy due to long hours of turning the wheel, they fall upon their faces.

And underneath our heavy eyelids drooping,The reddest flower would look as pale as snow.

a) What is the meaning of drooping?Drooping means eyelids closing due to tiredness.

b) Why are their eyelids drooping?Their eyelids are drooping due to prolonged work without rest.

c) Why would the reddest flower look as pale as snow?As the child labourers are extremely tired, they don’t derive happiness from their surroundings. So don’t derive happiness from their surroundings. So their tired eyes would see the reddest flower 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 ironIn the factories, round and round.

A) What do the child labourers do all day?They drag their burden all day long.

B) Where do they work?They work in the coal-dark underground cells.

C) What do they drive all day? They drive the wheels of iron all day.

D) How do they drive the iron wheels?They drive the iron wheels by walking round and round the machines.

E) How do the children feel after their work?The children feel very much tired after the work.

For all day, the wheels are droning, turning-Their wind comes in our faces.

A) How are the wheels turned by them?The wheels are turned with a greater effort and strain by children . They don’t enjoy the work at all.

B) What are droning?The wheels are droning.

C) How do the children get the wind /waind/ in their faces?The children get the wind in their faces as they turn the wheels continuously all day long.