Poetry Coursework
I am going to compare these two poems by thinking about the theme, purpose, mood, language and imagery.
An extract from "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" by Oscar Wilde.
In the first verse of this poem, the writer introduces us to a miserable setting of a prison, "the dripping wall, the leaden sky." This sets us in the mood of how it was to be a prisoner at the end of the 19th century.
Oscar Wilde introduces us to another character, a murderer. Throughout the poem, Wilde sympathizes with this character. We see this by the use of language. Wilde tells us about the wardens who watched this prisoner, "for fear the man might die." "And by each side a warder walked." Although the wardens knew that this man would be put to death, they still watched him in the event that the prisoner might take his own life. Wilde refers to this man as 'prey' thus giving the impression that the wardens are hunting this man's blood. This use of language reveals that Wilde disapproves of the way the man is treated and sees this as an unjust act.
The purpose of Wilde's poem is to protest against the authorities and against the way the prisoners are treated. He writes about the harsh conditions,
"We rubbed the door, and scrubbed the floors,
And cleaning the shining rails:
And, rank-by-rank, we soaped the plank,
And clattered with the pails."
The rails were already shiny they didn't need cleaning.
Wilde also protests against the difficult and monotonous work. The structure, language and brisk rhythm in this poem give emphasis to the main point of Wilde's poem.
"And shaven heads and feet of lead
Make a merry masquerade."
He uses harsh repetitive words that are difficult to pronounce.
"With blunt and bleeding nails." Just as this is difficult to say, it was difficult work to do. The thought of this cruelty makes you quiver.
Oscar Wilde was in prison when he wrote this poem, and therefore he could not openly address his intended audience. Instead, He used a lot of irony in his writing. He questions the role of compassion through irony, in such a place with a definitely ironic tone,
"And what should human pity do
Pent up in a ...
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He uses harsh repetitive words that are difficult to pronounce.
"With blunt and bleeding nails." Just as this is difficult to say, it was difficult work to do. The thought of this cruelty makes you quiver.
Oscar Wilde was in prison when he wrote this poem, and therefore he could not openly address his intended audience. Instead, He used a lot of irony in his writing. He questions the role of compassion through irony, in such a place with a definitely ironic tone,
"And what should human pity do
Pent up in a murderer's hole?
What word of grave in such a place
Could help a brother's sole?"
Wilde is attacking the governor, the doctor, and the Chaplin for not having pity on the prisoners. He disapproves of their approaches by listing their actions coldly. A minister of church should be praying with him. Religious men have jobs to pray with him and accompany him. But the Chaplin isn't doing his job.
"The governor was strong upon
The regulations Act
The doctor said that death was but
A scientific fact;
And twice a day the Chaplin called,
And left a little tract."
In this poem, Wilde portrays a very miserable, dull and harsh picture of life in prison. I think that it is a well-written poem. It tells us of the hardship and fear that prisoners experienced. The poet himself is indignant.
It is written as a ballad in a story like form, its brisk rhythm creates the impression of monotonous and repetitive life they were experiencing.
I think that "The Song of The Shirt" is another poem that conveys a sense of being imprisoned.
Unlike the ballad, the woman who is described in "The Song of The Shirt," is not really imprisoned. However, in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," Wilde is literally imprisoned where as in "The Song of The Shirt" the woman is metaphorically imprisoned.
Unlike in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," Hoods' poem protests about the way the woman is treated by - the "rich" people who are probably - as referred to in the 4th verse - men. Thomas Hood describes the woman's work using hard monotonous language,
"With fingers weary and worn
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sits in unwomanly rags
Plying her needle and thread."
In addition, he used a lot of repetition, "Stitch! Stitch! Stitch!"
"Seam, and gusset, and band,
"Band, and gusset, and seam,"
The song of the shirt is written in a cycle. It consists of a man imagining himself in this woman's place, he feels strongly towards the situation. The first and last stanzas are the writer - Thomas Hood - speaking, and in the following ones, it is the woman speaking. This tells us the story of her life. It goes round and round everyday the same boring work, it is a cycle. Thomas Hood may have seen this sort of situation or may have heard about this situation. In the Ballad of Reading Gaol we also find a cycle. Wilde describes how everyday they scrubbed the planks and cleaned the ranks. This structure really makes us feel the harshness and creates the image of the situation.
This is the same as in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," where Wilde describes his harsh work in jail.
The women in "The Song of The Shirt," describes herself as a slave and prisoner,
"Its O! to be a slave"
"Work, Work, Work -
As prisoners work for a crime."
This represents the harshness of her situation. However, her descriptions are all in similes as she was not really imprisoned. She felt like she was a prisoner in her own home. She would rather be a slave; at least her master would make sure she is properly fed.
Unlike In the Ballad, the woman in The Song of The Shirt does not fear death since; she is close to it anyway.
"But why do I talk of death?
That Phantom of grisly bone,
I hardly fear this terrible shape,
It seems so like my own."
She looks like death, as she isn't fed properly. She can only afford the very basics, "A crust of bread."
She goes on to describe a life she wants. The language becomes more poetic because she is talking of something that she cannot have. We do not find this in the extract from "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."
The purpose of this poem is written as a form of protest. The poem is protesting about the conditions that women like her have to work in, "unwomanly work." Throughout the poem, there are references to these unwomanly conditions, her being thin, slave like, and metaphorically imprisoned. The woman has no time for tears, "A little weeping would ease my heart." She would feel better if she could cry.
She has no time for walks, "No blessed leisure for Love or Hope."
She is literally working like a machine... "A mere machine of iron and wood
That toils for Mammon's sake."
This is the same as in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," where Wilde protested about the inhumanity and harsh work in prison.
A lot of lack of feeling is shown towards this woman, she works for the greed of others. Both poems are written to bring to people's attention what situation these women have to deal with. The type of people who read poems, are educated people. Someone in authority should do something about this. The people should become aware of social injustice. For the sake of luxury, women are suffering terribly. "Its not linen you're wearing out, But human creatures lives!"
The man in "The Ballad of Reading Goal," committed murder. He lacked spiritual help. Those who are doing hard labor might be better citizens if they were treated like humans. They did heart-breaking work. The author isn't saying that people should not be send to prison, but you should treat men as if they are men, not mindless animals. The harsh labor in "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," is expressed through the language used and the regular rhythm in this poem. The poems are designed to make us feel the woman's plight, they give emphasis. In "The Song of The Shirt," the only way she can make this appeal is in a song.
Over all, I think that this poem is very well written. It's persuasive and really reflects what the women felt during those difficult times. In "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," Wilde was restricted to expressing all his feelings openly, therefore I think that "The Song of the Shirt" is clearer and easier to understand. I also feel that it was very wrong that a woman, who didn't do anything to deserve such labor, should be treated like that. Even if you have committed a crime, people should have respected the fact that they were human beings. Both poems convey a sense of imprisonment but in very different ways. It wasn't laws that needed to be changed, people needed a new attitude.
Rifki Schachter Year 10
