The anthology states that Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry deals with the "silenced," those with no voice. It seems that Charles Dickens also gives voice to those marginalized (the Hands, specifically). How effective is he, especially in comparison to EBB? And, how are Dickens and EBB's works different from those of Clough and the Rossettis in commenting on the industrialized 19th century?
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In Hard Times, Dickens gives voice to the marginalized members of society by showing the attitude of people like Bounderby towards the Hands. Bounderby says several times in the novel that the Hands want turtle soup and a gold spoon to eat it with. It is pretty obvious that that isn’t what the Hands want at all, especially in Steven Blackpool’s speech to Bounderby, when he says, “look how you considers of us, and writes of us, and talks of us … and how yo are awlus right, and how we are awlus wrong.” The Hands only want better working conditions, work hours and better wages. Maybe most of all they just want to be heard instead of being treated like machines. The relationship between the Hands and the Bounderby’s of the world are very well described by Dickens. The Hands will continue to work themselves to death, and have no power or choice, and the Bounderby’s will have all the power and the money.
ReplyDeleteBy contrast, EBB’s poems are very powerful and give voice to the marginalized, ie., the child factory workers and slaves. But her poems don’t really describe the relationships and circumstances between the marginalized and those in power. The voice of the factory boss or slave owner is not really heard, so she doesn’t describe the inter-relationship between the two groups.
Clough’s ‘The Latest Decalogue’ seems to describe the attitude of factory owners. The poem talks about how people pay lip service to Christian values like the 10 commandments, but because of their materialism, they re-interpret them so that they fit better with their attitudes. For example, the most important thing to a factory owner would be his profits, so he can re-interpret, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” into “No graven images may be worshipped, except the currency.” In this way he can justify his actions in his pursuit of money. Rosetti, in ‘Babylon the Great,’ seems to be comparing the ancient city of Babylon to a contemporary manufacturing city. For example, I think she is trying to express the idea that a person could make a great fortune in the mining or textile industry, and that the lure of money is a great temptation. But not far under the surface is the negative side of these industries – the filthiness of manufacturing cities, and they way that people are exploited in the name of big business.
Personally, I think EBB's poems are more hard-hitting and blunt than Dicken's "Hard Times".
ReplyDeleteEBB spends a lot of time trying to recreate the monotony of working in the mines and factories ("The Cry of the Children"--'For, all day, the wheels are droning, turning...our head, with pulses burning) and she gives her readers a glimpse in the characters' minds ("The Runaway Slave"--My own, own child! I could not bear/ To look in his face, it was so white). EBB puts us in her characters' place for a moment before she points the finger of blame at society. Her bold verdict of her own society's guilt makes it hard to ignore our own individual faults and imperfections. EBB may not have been completely right in blaming the "men" in her society or leaving out the "mothers," but her poems are not subtle in their accusations.
Dickens' novel allows us to see the relationship between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie from a third person point of view. He speaks of the "Hands" (workers) and the rich businessman (Bounderby) and how these characters interact. There is little direct interaction, but when there is interaction, obviously the big businessman gets the upper hand. He is more knowledgeable and he has the means to do more whereas those who are under him (i.e. Stephen Blackpool) have little resources (money, knowledge) and little power. Dickens subtly shows us the vast differences in the higher and lower classes, but he also gives us a peak into each of these classes individually. The rich man may know more Facts, but he lacks compassion and creativity. The poor man on the other hand lacks Facts, but he makes up for it in his ability to love. I think Dickens is successful in showing us that love is just as important, if not more important, than knowing a lot of Facts.
I would have to say that EBB, however, is more successful in showing her readers that the marginalized people deserve more representation. She cuts right to the chase without using any subtlety. The only negative side to EBB's writing is that she makes bold accusations, and therefore gives the readers a chance of resenting her poetry rather than taking heed to it.
Clough and the Rossettis on the other hand only seem to describe their respective societies as a whole. Their poems do not focus on individuals or specific interactions between the rich and the poor. Clough makes fun of individuals' tendencies to shape the holy Ten Commandments into something that allows them to commit smalls sins just so long as they (insert good deed here). Christina Rossetti attacks the city of Babylon and its people, claiming that it is evil and can suck you in if you fall into its trap--"Foul is she and ill-favoured, set askew: Gaze not upon her till thou dream her fair, Lest she should mesh thee in her wanton hair..." Dante G. Rossetti wonders about the future of his society and how people in the far off future will view them. What kind of imprint will modern society leave and how will our descendants think of us? Will we be role models for the future or will people see us as flawed? What kind of evidence will we leave behind for those after us to interpret?
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ReplyDeleteIn response to Allison,
ReplyDeleteI like your description of the "Hands" and "Bounderbys" of the world. I think you were right on the money in discussing the fact that Dickens was trying to relay a message to his audience by trying to incorporate the different traits of the upperclassmen vs. the lowerclassmen.
Elizabeth Barret Browning’s poetry is very clear of the “silenced” she is voicing. She seems to go to the very heart of her readers leaving no image untold and no words unspoken appealing for the wrongs in society to made right. Browning allows the reader to understand that in not responding with action, society must prepare for the consequences of those causing the injustice and the consequences of those standing idly by. Charles Dickens is bit more complex in his writing of the injustices. Using satire, he approaches his readers in a less confronting way. As he states, “Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.” In this way, Dickens “packages” social ills into smaller parts that do not overwhelm his readers. It makes his readers feel as if they can make a difference, even if only a small one. In comparison to EBB, I believe Dickens is complementary, yet much more subtle. Though, even in his subtleness, he drives the central focus in clear view to the reader.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference in Dickens and EBB’s work in comparison to Clough and Rossetti. It is my opinion that Clough and Rossetti appeal to their readers with the actual consequences of not taking action to Dickens’ and EBB’s message. Clough and Rossetti know that most people want to do the right thing, yet feel hopeless and decide that they cannot make a difference. Yet, these two writers let these individuals see that what they do not do speak louder than what they do because what we leave as a society is what we will be remembered by. Clough ends his work, “The Latest Decalogue” with the boldest point of the dangers of standing idly by when he states, “More than yourself to love your neighbor.” It is the people’s choice and Rossetti reiterates this in “Babylon the Great” that people should not stand back and allow those in power who “Unutterable, with plagues hid out of view” to mold our future and write our history for us.
In response to Claudia: The only negative side to EBB's writing is that she makes bold accusations, and therefore gives the readers a chance of resenting her poetry rather than taking heed to it.
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said here. EBB does run a chance of offending people to the point of resentment. Dickens on the other hand uses more subtle overtones, but that too can allow the importance of the message to not be taken as seriously as it needs to be. I think they really do complement each other as writers when you read their pieces side by side!
OOPS! Claudia, I apologize, I forgot to notate your quote! :)
ReplyDeleteCharles Dickens, in his novel Hard Times, gives voice to the silent by showing they working class people in their own environment and how they are viewed by the upper class. Dickens shows us the life of Stephen and his unionized working co-workers and how he is expatriated by them. He also shows the attitude Bounderby and Mrs. Sparsit have for the working class citizens. Each character struggles in their own way, and some of the upper class take pity on the lower, such as Louisa with Stephen, but Dickens makes incredible class distinctions that the reader can see just how unfair and separate each class is.
ReplyDeleteI find Dickens to be rather effective in his giving voice to the silent, particularly in the second book, where we see the union rally and the struggles of Stephen and his loss of work. Just by earning a bad name from Bounderby cut off all his chances of obtaining another position at any other factory. E.B. Browning is also effective, and I think I would put them on a level playing field. Browning tends to appeal more to your pathos and Dickens just presents the situation with incredible imagery and detail in which you can make your own decision, but are inclined to feel for the working citizen.
Dickens and Browning focus on the individual people and specific issues. Clough and Rosetti do not focus on the minute, specific issues to a class or type of person, but they comment on the nation as a whole and what has developed from the industrialized society.
In my opinion E.B.B. and Dickens explore a similar topic through two very different genres of writing. We have E.B.B. describing the suffering of working children in an industrialized society. The poem has significant length to it, but brevity is typically more valued in such a work. Through the multiple stanzas used in revealing the plight of the children and the ignorance of men and God to it, we see a confrontation being stirred rather quickly between the readers of this poem and those who it is written about. It forces the reader to come to a conclusion about how the content of the poem is going to make them feel. That alone bears some consideration as to how effective this poem must have been to its original audience.
ReplyDeleteDickens' work is definitely more prolific he does advocate a strong message very early in the book that the reader must face and before continuing on with the story. In terms of overall effectiveness I feel that even though his descriptions can seem tedious, Dickens paints a portrait more concretely for me. The dimensions he gives his characters create such a strong dramatic center, I can't help but get pulled in to the book the more I read.
Joy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement regarding the emphasis of Clough's and Rosetti's works in comparison with E.B.B. and Dickens. The scope of Clough and Rosetti gives a larger , more grand sense of the societal values of the time.
Browning and Dickens are both effective, but in very different ways. Dickens use of the novel to display his writings allows him to easily use multiple characters. These characters give a variety between the low-class and high-class, allowing Dickens to show not only individual characteristics of each, but also relationships between them. He creates an interesting story that people are interested in reading and they are able to become drawn into the plot. The well-developed characters and their relationships expound upon their voices, causing the readers to become more invested in the storyline. The antithesis of the lower-class characters highlights their suffering and their voices by contrast.
ReplyDeleteDickens’ vehicle of the novel uses characters, while Browning’s poems use persona. As he uses sentences and paragraph structure, she uses stanzas and alliteration. Neither writer was subtle in their statements. Dickens high-class characters stress, “In this life, we want nothing but Facts, sir; nothing but Facts!” (9). Browning was just as forward in her approach, as seen in the following line from “The Cry of the Children”: “how long, O cruel nation, / Will you stand, to move the world, on a child’s heart,-”
Clough is also very blatant, and as a result, effective. Different from Dickens and Browning, Clough addresses anyone who acts unethically. The satire in “The Last Decalogue” envelops the message in a well-known form recognizable to most – The Ten Commandments. This makes it effective as it allows him to reach and relate to a wide audience. The religious reference mixed with the blatant satire makes it powerful enough to bring guilt to the reader. It is obvious that the writer feels very seriously about the subject.
Rossetti’s “Babylon the Great” is less forward than that of the other writers. The use of the sonnet makes it a very structured piece. She is the only writer of the four that centers her subject around a metaphor. This makes it less blatant, as the reader must read into piece to find the meaning. Only those who understand the Biblical reference to the city of Babylon will truly grasp the poem.
The poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a highly emotional experience. She uses the power of the individual to give strength to her poetry. By not speaking about the oppressed, but instead allowing the oppressed to speak for themselves, she is truly giving a voice to the silenced. In both ‘The Cry of the Children’, and ‘Runaway Slave’ previously ignorant readers are wracked with guilt after finally having the wool pulled from their eyes.
ReplyDeleteCharles Dickens is far more objective in his presentation of the oppressed. He takes readers into the world of industrial England, and allows them to make their own conclusions. His writing allows readers to merely observe, as though they were flies on a wall. Though his writing still has a persuasive feel to it, readers are not guilted into a reaction.
E.B.B's poetic voice is very strong, and also very effective in opening the eyes of the reader, and giving voice to the marginalized people. I think on a different, but equally effective level, Charles Dickens gives the oppressed a voice. He lets the acts of injustice speak for themselves. As the reader grows closer to the characters, they become more disgusted and appalled by the world their beloved characters are forced to live in. In this way, I believe Dickens' subtlety actually trumps the hard hitting emotionalism of Barrett Browning.
Clough and the Rossetti's works give a grander scope of the industrialized world. It is not the wronged and victimized individual that is presented, but the wrongs, and consequences of the society itself.
Conner,
ReplyDeleteI like that you used 'concretely' as a way to describe the way Dickens' novel helped your view of the situation. My point in my post was to say that I thought readers would appreciate the 'choice' Dickens gives them to observe and draw a conclusion as compared to E.B.B's emotional tactics to which most human beings would have to react. She does not give her readers a chance to look over the situation in a logical way before their emotions take over, and I believe many readers may learn to resent that lack of freedom.
Courtney, I completely agree with your comparison of Browning and Dickens. I do think that Dickens is more objective and Browning appeals to your emotions. Dickens does, however appeal your emotions, but in a very subtle way in which you have to make your own decisions about how to feel.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Claudia:
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that EBB's poems are more hard-hitting and blunt than Hard Times, and her poems provide a very visual impression of the suffering of child factory workers and slaves. I think that these poems target a slightly different audience and especially a different purpose than Hard Times. The poems are especially useful for political purposes – to make people aware of the problems in society. Not that Hard Times does not do a good job of that, but it takes longer to read a novel than a poem. EBB wanted to get her point across in a blunt and powerful way, and in a form of writing that could be read and processed faster, and in so doing she reaches more people.
in response to zampak:
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the difference of Clough and Rossetti from EBB and Dickens. I agree that they paint a picture of the consequences of actions, where as Dickens and EBB try to bring attention to people's unethical acts and persuade them to change.
Also, you are correct in saying that these writers do a better job at presenting the inevitable future; especially in "Babylon The Great."
Compared to EBB, Dickens is very effective in giving a "voice" to the Hands, especially, when they try and organize a union against the employer (Bounderby) for better working conditions and better pay. The people are not only represented by Stackhouse who persuades the people to join the union but also thru Stephen who explains to the people why they should not join the union. In his novel you can actually witness the people speaking but in EBB's writing she gives "voice" to the marginalized thru her words according to what she has witnessed and from others. When comparing Dickens and EBB to Clough one can basically view that Clough gave the Ten Commandments of what "thou" shall not do as a survival guide in the Industrialized society. Rosetti, he paints a picture of what the physical and industrialized society looks like as well as how one suffers.
ReplyDelete