It is written in four-line verses, each stanza having a regular abcb rhyming scheme, common in ballads. The poem begins by portraying graphically the anguish of the mother, using emotive phrases such as ‘burden’d heart’, ‘breaking in despair’, ‘sadly clasped’, ‘grief’ and ‘dread’. The poem seems to address humanity, which is allowing this travesty to happen. It is only in the fourth stanza that we get our first glimpse of the boy who appears to be terrified as he ‘clings to her side’. In the next two verses the paradox ‘He is not hers’ is repeated to emphasise the fact that, although she gave birth to him, he belongs to whoever is willing to pay for him. The wreath mentioned is a symbol of death – to her this parting is like the death of her only child.
The next two stanzas explain how much this child means to his mother – the joy she felt when he was born. The poet uses the metaphor of a fountain gushing over a desert to portray how meaningless her life had been before his birth. When he was born she had some hope for the future and this is being taken away from her so tragically. Verse eight ends on a pleading tone. Surely God can do something to help them?
Verse nine describes how the child is torn from ‘her circling arms’. These words effectively show the warmth and love of their relationship which has now been destroyed – she has ‘sad eyes’ and he has a ‘mournful face’. They are united for the last time in their shared grief.
The tone of the last verse is bitter. Because she is a slave, the mother has no rights and is powerless to resist. ‘Her bitter shrieks’ resound through the air but there is no help for her as her heart is ‘breaking in despair’. This ends the poem on a pessimistic note and it is difficult not to feel the anguish and despair of the slave mother.
The next poet, Thomas Hood, was the son of a London bookseller who became a journalist and contributed to magazines such as ‘Punch’. ‘The Song of the Shirt’ was inspired by an article which appeared in ‘Punch’ which highlighted the long hours and poor wages of a working-class woman. Hood was greatly moved by the article and, as a result, wrote this poem which was published in ‘Punch’s’ 1843 Christmas edition.
The first stanza describes the appearance of the woman, emphasising how exhausted she is –
‘fingers weary and worn’, ‘eyelids heavy and red’. Emotive words such as ‘poverty’, ‘hunger’ and ‘dirt’ add to the effect. The next nine verses consist of the song Hood imagines that the woman is singing, using the repetition of the words ‘Work! Work! Work!’ for added emphasis.
The poet uses metaphors to portray the exhaustion of the woman - ‘the brain begins to swim’.
Verse four appeals to humanity to intervene and care about ‘human creatures’ lives’ which are being worn out. This is similar to the appeal to humanity made in the first poem. Hood is perhaps suggesting that people never think about the hard labour that has gone into the making of a shirt. The word ‘Shroud’ is also introduced here as symbol of death. He goes on to personify Death – ‘That Phantom of grisly bone’ as the woman appeals to a God who has allowed ‘flesh and blood’ to become so ‘cheap’.
The tone of the next verse is one of despair as the woman describes her meagre wages in return for hours of hard work. He uses imagery to describe how weary the woman is –
‘my shadow I thank
For sometimes falling there!
The work the woman is described as similar to the hard labour inflicted on criminals as punishment for their crimes. She goes on to point out that she is jealous of the swallows who can enjoy the world outside – one that is denied to her. She dreams of the beauties of nature that she used to enjoy and longs for one hour ‘To feel as I used to feel’. The despair of the woman is emphasised in verse ten where she says that she cannot even cry in case it would disturb her work.
The last verse echoes the first one, describing the woman who is singing the ‘Song of the Shirt’. The mood of this poem is also one of pessimism and despair.
Both poets have used language effectively to highlight the plight of slaves and their inability to change their situations. They have both attempted to portray the sense of hopelessness that these people experience and the ignorance and thoughtlessness of the rest of humanity. Both of these poems have made me think more about the way we take other people for granted. Nowadays we imagine that slavery no longer exists, but unfortunately there are many countries in the world where people live and work in terrible conditions, in return for a pittance, to line the pockets of their rich employers. It is only through poetry such as this, that these wrongs can be highlighted and we are made to think about others. I always remember the phrase –‘There, but for the grace of God, go I’.
