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And that cannot stop their tears. The young lambs are bleating in the meadows ; The young birds are chirping in the nest ; The young fawns are playing with the shadows ; The young flowers are blowing toward the west—. But the young, young children, O my brothers, They are weeping bitterly !
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Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children” is a passionate indictment of child labor in 19th-century industrial England. First published in 1843 and later revised multiple times, the poem captures the immorality of exploiting children as workers, and condemns both the people and societal institutions that uphold child labor as ...
The Cry of the Children" is a poem by English writer Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It examines children's manual labor forced upon them by their exploiters. It was published in August 1843 in Blackwood's Magazine . [1]
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- 1843
- Summary
- Themes
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Similar Poetry
The poem alternates between the voice of a narrator and the voice of the children. The speakerintroduces the children, their plight while at the same time asking that the listener and all fellow human beings pay attention to what she’s saying. Then, the children raise their voices. They express their sorrow as well as their desire to meet their dea...
The themes in ‘The Cry of the Children’ include pain/suffering and God. Throughout the poem, Browning uses very direct language in order to address the overwhelming problem of children’s labor during her lifetime. This was something that she often spoke out against, something that was quite unusual for the time. This can be interpreted simply from ...
‘The Cry of the Children’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a thirteen stanza poem that is divided into sets of twelve lines. These follow the rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEF, with a few moments of divergence throughout. For example, the first stanza rhymes ABABCDCDAEAE. Additionally, readers should note how some of the end sounds are repeated in other...
Browning makes use of several literary devices in ‘The Cry of the Children.’ These include but are not limited to examples of anaphora, metaphor, caesurae, and enjambment. The latter is a common formal device that is concerned with where the poet chooses to end a line. If the line ends before the end of a sentence or phrase, then it is likely enjam...
Stanza One
The first stanza of ‘The Cry of the Children’ is quite direct (as are all the following stanzas). Browning immediately jumps into the main point of the poem, condemning and exposing the horrors of child labor in England and around the world. She asks her brothers or her fellow countrymen if they can hear the “children weeping.” These young boys and girls are too young to know the sorrow they’re experiencing, she adds, making it all the more important that someone listens. The following lines...
Stanza Two
The next stanza also begins with a question. She asks the listeners, her “brothers,” if they have even thought to ask the children why they’re crying. This suggests that men and women of the upper classes usually do not take the time to think about what the children are going through. There are some griefs, the speaker says, which can be expected. This includes the old weeping for their youths and the loss of long-held dreams. These are normal griefs, ones that come with age. But, when a chil...
Stanza Three
The third stanza of ‘The Cry of the Children’ is dedicated to what the children look like. It also brings in the first bits of dialogue. The speaker describes them as having “pale and sunken faces” that are filled with grief. They are burdened as if they’re old men. The children speak in the next lines, expressing how tired they are and how gloomy they find the earth. They’ve barely had time be able alive, and already they’re seeking rest in their grave. Unfortunately, they say, they have a l...
Readers who enjoyed ‘The Cry of the Children’ should also consider reading some of Brownings’ other poems. These include ‘Sonnet 14,’ ‘Sonnet 24,’ and ‘Patience Taught by Nature.’ The first sonnet, ‘Sonnet 14,’ is one of her best-known. It contains a speaker’s ideas about how she wants to be loved. She’s interested in being appreciated for love’s o...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
The Cry of the Children. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Track 15 on The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Vol. II. This poem was published in 1843. The poet protests against...
How and where does “Cry of the Children” condemn the failures of patriarchy, be that social, religious, or otherwise? Where and why do these children envy the elderly? Compare and contrast the speaker’s voice with that of the recorded speech from others.
May 13, 2011 · The Cry Of The Children. Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence) Childhood. Death. Family. Humorous. Life. Melancholy. Nature. Do ye hear the children weeping, O my brothers, Ere the sorrow comes with years? They are leaning their young heads against their mothers--- And that cannot stop their tears.
