'The Song of the Shirt' by Thomas Hood

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The Song of the Shirt

With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat, in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread--
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous pitch
She sang the "Song of the Shirt."

"Work! work! work!
While the cock is crowing aloof!
And work — work — work,
Till the stars shine through the roof!
It's Oh! to be a slave
Along with the barbarous Turk,
Where woman has never a soul to save,
If this is Christian work!

"Work — work — work
Till the brain begins to swim;
Work — work — work
Till the eyes are heavy and dim!
Seam, and gusset, and band,
Band, and gusset, and seam,
Till over the buttons I fall asleep,
And sew them on in a dream!

"Oh, Men, with Sisters dear!
Oh, Men, with Mothers and Wives!
It is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures' lives!
Stitch — stitch — stitch,
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
Sewing at once with a double thread,
A Shroud as well as a Shirt.

But why do I talk of Death?
That Phantom of grisly bone,
I hardly fear its terrible shape,
It seems so like my own —
It seems so like my own,
Because of the fasts I keep;
Oh, God! that bread should be so dear,
And flesh and blood so cheap!

"Work — work — work!
My Labour never flags;
And what are its wages? A bed of straw,
A crust of bread — and rags.
That shatter'd roof — and this naked floor —
A table — a broken chair —
And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank
For sometimes falling there!

"Work — work — work!
From weary chime to chime,
Work — work — work!
As prisoners work for crime!
Band, and gusset, and seam,
Seam, and gusset, and band,
Till the heart is sick, and the brain benumb'd,
As well as the weary hand.

"Work — work — work,
In the dull December light,
And work — work — work,
When the weather is warm and bright —
While underneath the eaves
The brooding swallows cling
As if to show me their sunny backs
And twit me with the spring.

Oh! but to breathe the breath
Of the cowslip and primrose sweet —
With the sky above my head,
And the grass beneath my feet
For only one short hour
To feel as I used to feel,
Before I knew the woes of want
And the walk that costs a meal!

Oh! but for one short hour!
A respite however brief!
No blessed leisure for Love or Hope,
But only time for Grief!
A little weeping would ease my heart,
But in their briny bed
My tears must stop, for every drop
Hinders needle and thread!"

With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread —
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous pitch, —
Would that its tone could reach the Rich! —
She sang this "Song of the Shirt!"

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Song of the Shirt: A Remembrance of Suffering

Thomas Hood's "The Song of the Shirt" is a poem that has stood the test of time. It is a powerful and poignant reminder of the plight of the poor and the oppressed, and a call to action for social justice. This essay will offer a detailed literary criticism and interpretation of "The Song of the Shirt," exploring its themes, imagery, language, and structure.

Background and Context

Before delving into a close reading of the poem, it is important to understand the historical and social context in which it was written. "The Song of the Shirt" was first published in 1843, during the Industrial Revolution in England. This was a time of great social and economic change, but also of great inequality and suffering. The factory system was in full swing, and workers were often paid very low wages for long hours of labor in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. Many women and children were exploited as cheap labor, working in sweatshops and textile mills. The poem was originally published in Punch, a satirical magazine that often criticized social and political issues of the day.

Summary of the Poem

"The Song of the Shirt" tells the story of a seamstress who is working late into the night to finish a shirt. She is exhausted and hungry, and her fingers are sore and bleeding. She sings a melancholy song as she works, lamenting her fate and her poverty. She dreams of a better life, where she can rest and be free from toil. But her dreams are shattered by the harsh reality of her life, as she is forced to work long hours for little pay, with no hope of escape. The poem ends with a plea for compassion and justice, as the speaker implores the reader to remember the suffering of the poor and to work for their welfare.

Themes

One of the central themes of "The Song of the Shirt" is poverty and its effects on the human spirit. The poem paints a vivid picture of the seamstress's life, showing the toll that poverty takes on her body and her soul. She is exhausted, hungry, and in pain, and her only solace is her song. But even that is tinged with sadness and despair, as she longs for a better life that seems forever out of reach. The poem shows how poverty can crush the spirit and rob people of their dignity and hope.

Another theme of the poem is the exploitation of workers, particularly women and children, in the industrial system. The seamstress is a symbol of the millions of workers who toiled in the factories and mills of England during the Industrial Revolution. She is paid little for her long hours of labor, and her working conditions are dangerous and unhealthy. The poem highlights the injustices of the system and calls for reform and change.

A third theme of the poem is the power of art and music to express the human experience. The seamstress's song is a powerful expression of her longing and her pain. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of circumstances, art and music can give voice to the human spirit and offer a glimpse of hope and beauty.

Imagery

One of the most striking features of "The Song of the Shirt" is its vivid and poignant imagery. The poem uses a range of sensory details to create a vivid picture of the seamstress's life. We can feel her tiredness and hunger as she works late into the night, we can see her bleeding fingers as she sews, and we can hear her melancholy song as she sings. The imagery creates a powerful emotional impact, drawing the reader into the world of the poem and making us feel the seamstress's pain and suffering.

The poem also uses a range of visual imagery to create a picture of the seamstress's life. We can see the seamstress at her workbench, surrounded by scraps of fabric and thread. We can see the dim light of her candle and the shadows that dance across the walls. We can see the worn and threadbare clothes that she wears, a symbol of her poverty and her struggle. The visual imagery creates a sense of realism and authenticity, making the poem feel like a true representation of the seamstress's life.

Language

The language of "The Song of the Shirt" is simple and direct, but also powerful and evocative. The poem uses rhyme and repetition to create a musical quality that echoes the seamstress's song. The repetition of the phrase "work, work, work" emphasizes the seamstress's tireless labor, while the repetition of the word "shirt" emphasizes the importance of her work and the poverty of her circumstances.

The poem also uses a range of metaphors and symbolic language to convey its themes. The seamstress's song is compared to a "dying swan," a symbol of beauty and grace in the midst of pain and suffering. The "garret" where she lives is a symbol of her poverty and her isolation from the rest of society. The metaphor of the "song of the shirt" is a powerful symbol of the seamstress's struggle for dignity and justice.

Structure

"The Song of the Shirt" is a lyric poem, consisting of four stanzas of eight lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, giving the poem a musical quality that echoes the seamstress's song. The repetition of the phrase "work, work, work" at the beginning and end of each stanza creates a sense of rhythm and momentum, emphasizing the seamstress's tireless labor and her struggle to survive.

The poem also uses a range of poetic devices to create a sense of unity and coherence. The repetition of the word "shirt" throughout the poem emphasizes the importance of the seamstress's work and the poverty of her circumstances. The use of the word "they" in the final stanza creates a sense of solidarity and compassion, as the speaker appeals to the reader to remember the plight of the poor.

Interpretation

"The Song of the Shirt" is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the human experience of poverty and suffering. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of circumstances, art and music can give voice to the human spirit and offer a glimpse of hope and beauty. The poem is also a call to action for social justice, a plea for compassion and reform in the face of the exploitation of workers and the inequality of the industrial system.

As a literary work, "The Song of the Shirt" is a testament to the power of language and imagery to convey complex and universal themes. It is a poem that has stood the test of time, resonating with readers across generations and cultures. It is a poem that reminds us of the importance of empathy and compassion, and of our duty to work for a more just and equitable world.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Song of the Shirt: A Classic Poem of Social Injustice

Thomas Hood's "The Song of the Shirt" is a powerful and poignant poem that speaks to the heart of social injustice. Written in 1843, the poem is a commentary on the plight of the working poor in Victorian England, and the harsh conditions they faced in the textile mills and factories of the time. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and language of the poem, and examine how it continues to resonate with readers today.

The poem is structured as a ballad, with a simple and repetitive rhyme scheme that echoes the monotony of the working-class life it describes. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the poem, as the speaker describes a woman working late into the night, sewing shirts for a pittance:

"With fingers weary and worn,
With eyelids heavy and red,
A woman sat in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread—
Stitch! stitch! stitch!
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
And still with a voice of dolorous pitch
She sang the 'Song of the Shirt.'"

The woman's physical and emotional exhaustion is palpable, as she works tirelessly in conditions that are both degrading and dangerous. The repetition of the word "stitch" reinforces the monotony of her work, and the alliteration of "poverty, hunger, and dirt" emphasizes the harshness of her surroundings. The phrase "unwomanly rags" is particularly striking, as it suggests that the woman has been reduced to a state of degradation that is unworthy of her gender.

As the poem continues, the speaker describes the woman's song, which is a lament for her lost youth and beauty, and a plea for mercy from a society that has abandoned her:

"Oh, men with sisters dear!
Oh, men with mothers and wives!
It is not linen you're wearing out,
But human creatures' lives!
Stitch—stitch—stitch,
In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,
A shroud as well as a shirt."

The woman's song is a powerful indictment of the social and economic system that has reduced her to this state. The reference to "men with sisters dear" and "men with mothers and wives" is a reminder that the women who work in the mills and factories are not just faceless workers, but human beings with families and loved ones. The line "It is not linen you're wearing out, but human creatures' lives!" is a stark reminder that the cost of cheap clothing is paid in human suffering and exploitation.

The final stanza of the poem is a call to action, urging readers to take up the cause of the working poor and demand change:

"In poverty, hunger, and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,
A shroud as well as a shirt.
But why do I talk of Death?
That phantom of grisly bone,
I hardly fear his terrible shape,
It seems so like my own—
It seems so like my own,
Because of the fasts I keep;
Oh, God! that bread should be so dear,
And flesh and blood so cheap!"

The speaker's reference to "a shroud as well as a shirt" is a reminder that the working poor are not just struggling to survive, but are literally working themselves to death. The repetition of the phrase "It seems so like my own" emphasizes the universality of the woman's plight, and the fact that anyone could find themselves in her position. The final lines of the poem are a powerful indictment of a society that values profit over human life, and a call to action for readers to demand change.

In terms of imagery, the poem is full of vivid and evocative descriptions that bring the woman's world to life. The phrase "unwomanly rags" is just one example of the powerful imagery that Hood uses to convey the woman's degradation. The line "A shroud as well as a shirt" is another example of the way in which Hood uses imagery to convey the harsh reality of the woman's life. The image of a shroud being sewn alongside a shirt is a powerful reminder that the woman's work is literally killing her.

The language of the poem is also noteworthy, as Hood uses a simple and direct style that is accessible to all readers. The repetition of the word "stitch" is just one example of the way in which Hood uses language to convey the monotony of the woman's work. The use of alliteration in the phrase "poverty, hunger, and dirt" is another example of the way in which Hood uses language to convey the harshness of the woman's surroundings.

In conclusion, "The Song of the Shirt" is a classic poem of social injustice that continues to resonate with readers today. Hood's powerful imagery and simple language convey the harsh reality of the working poor in Victorian England, and his call to action is just as relevant today as it was in 1843. The poem is a reminder that the cost of cheap clothing is paid in human suffering and exploitation, and that we all have a responsibility to demand change.

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