Social Criticism

Social Criticism is one of the most relevant themes in the romantic period because of the industrial
revolution. It brought bad working condition to working class society. Working hours extended, and the wages
decreased. Also, using child as labor became unfortunately possible. So, in order to touch a point for the child labor
romantics and Victorian poets tried to be voice of these people. “The Cry of the Children” is a poem about the
experiences of child laborers in England during the Industrial Revolution written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  the
poem calls attention to the cruelty of exploiting children as workers and argues that such exploitation destroys
childhood innocence. According to Speaker, Children are too young to know sorrow, and they are so young that
even their mother cannot comfort them. Whereas, young animals do not know what means sorrow, children born
by crying because they are used as work force in dangerous and harsh condition. Also, there is comparesion
between poor children and children who are better condition. While children in better condition play game, poor
children are used as labor because with the industrial revolution, rich became richer, poor became poorer. The
other comparesion is that whereas old people cry because the life is about to end for them like old tree, Children
cry because the life is so early to die for them. They die before their time has come. The reason is that children are
not old because they are as tired as old people because of child labor. And they are dying at early age because of
working in harsh condition. Actually, society makes them dead. Only chance for them is to run away from mine and
city in order to feel comfort. But they even cannot run away because they are so tired to run away. They wish to say
enough but they do not have voice. They turn their face to god for wishing the comfort life because only god can
hear them and save them. But according to them, god is unresponsive to them because their boss states that
working is god’s order and work for god. However, the problems that poets touched a point are not only about child
labor. There were some problems about social class system. Men of England by Percy Shelley is a great poem that
handles with the troubles in the English society. The poem’s theme is about inequality, exploitation of working class,
and revolution. Speaker cries for all England’s working class. Why do they work to make other people rich instead of
themselves? Their hard work only enriches the upper-class people. According to the society, they are nothing but
the labor. The speaker suggests that power should be in the hands of working people and encourages workers to
revolt against the oppressive “tyrants” who keep them down. The only solution is to rebel against the system which
makes them marginalized. Speaker suggests that England’s true power is in the hands of the oppressed lower
classes. If they don’t rise against upper class people, England will die. However, it is not an easy action. Power is in
the hands of these tyrants, and revolting them can be fatal, or suffering. Moreover, child labor and social class issue
were not only problem for the era. Racism was the fact of 17.cc British Society. Their terrible lifestyle and
discrimination by society are also main topic for poets. The Little Black Boy by William Blake is the reflection of
society’s immoral norms and abused an innocent child. In the poem, the black boy is telling us how dark-skinned
people are treated in society. Because of their dark skins,    Speaker says that he is physically black, but his soul is
white. At this point, whiteness is always associated with purity, innocence, happiness. But, he feels sorry for his skin
color because he is seen as shadow for his skin color in society. For example, graveyards are always descripted as
black, and malignancy is born from darkness. However, he mentions that there are no differences between white
and black because god gives the light to everybody and god embraces everybody whatever their skin color is. Even
if the child is not ready for life’s challenges, he will have to encounter these inequalities. Also, his mother says that
black people will learn to bear discrimination. There are some metaphorical representations in the poem. Cloud is
used for white person, and sun burnt face is used for black person in poem. To sum up, the black boy is not
comfortable, but only with death he will meet happiness; and he will be as equal as a white boy.
Self-Reflected
When we look at the characteristic of Romanticism, we find self-reflected poems written by
Romantic Poets. So, I intend to analyze the self- reflected poem in my essay. Firstly, I want to analyze
I wandered lonely as a cloud by Wordsworth. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by Wordsworth is a romantic
poem that describes the blissfulness of a solitary life. It is romantic poem based on imagination, nature,
isolation from society, loneliness. We can see the everyday feelings of the Poet combined with nature,
and loneliness. By looking the environment, Speaker depicts the nature. In the poem, he depicts himself
as cloud because he is as lonely as cloud in the society. Both are floating over hills, valleys alone in
nature. The speaker mentions the beautifulness of the nature by stating that thousands of daffodils
resembles like stars because both are seen as if they are dancing with harmony. Also, speaker says that In
the nature we must feel the joy because our heart can have full of pleasure by living alone in nature.
Obviously, Speakers forgets his dull melancholy life when he witnesses beautifulness of nature with
daffodils. Clouds metaphorically represents loneliness. And golden daffodils represent beautifulness of
nature. Addition, when we look at the background of poet, we see that He was in distress and
depression. His sister helped him and gave advise to him to run away from depression. Her advice was
that go to nature, find yourself in there, so he begun to live in nature. So, it is clear that the poem reflects
his inner world and his experience in the nature. On the other hand, I intent to analyze Revenge by
London. We can see the painful feelings of poet for love toward her beloved in the poem.    There is one
speaker in the poem. The speaker is holding plenty of negative feelings towards her listener. The listener
is someone she was in a relationship with but is no longer. Also, we know that listener is now in a
relationship with another person. We realize that speaker is so upset. The aim of this poem is to tell the
future pain of the man is going to endure at the hands of his new partner. In first 8 stanza, Speaker wants
to say that he is not mine anymore. He is free to look his new woman’s hair, and smile. He is free to
breathe her. But, later on, we observe there is a change her mood, she said that I revenged at last.
Because she is okay right now. She can move on her life. But, she states that he will feel same thing what
she felt, because his new partner is not faithful. But there also paradoxical thoughts in speaker’s mind.
Speaker points that he teaches her how to endure all pain and according to her, he needs to learn this.
She hopes that the pain ruins him, but she does not want to see him as living death because she still
cares him. She also mentions that the pain that he will suffer will be his punishment because he makes
her miserable. According to speaker, his new beloved will abandon him, and he will experience the same
feeling which is love pain. What she wants to say to him is that you love (someone) but don't be loved.
You suffer from the heartache like me. You miss her but don't be reunited Like I was not reunited with
you.    We can see the self- reflection of the speaker to her ex-love in the poem. Next, "The Tables Turned"
was written by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. We can see the reflection of
Wordsworth’s life style in the poem. We know that He was in distress and depression. His sister helped
him and gave advise to him to run away from depression. Her advice was that go to nature, find yourself
in there, so he begun to live in nature. In nature, He saw the beautifulness of nature. In the poem,
according to speaker, people should stop to work hard. Also, speaker states that studying books in boring
and the work never ends. Instead of them, people should listen to music because in music there is
wisdom. And speaker also suggest that go to nature because nature helps people to learn more. Nature is
a far better teacher. Nature supplies people knowledge, happiness and peace.    For example, a forest in
spring can teach people more about humanity. The speaker asks his friend to open his heart to nature, so
with the open-heart, people can gain wealth. Speaker says that let nature be your friend. We can
comment that Wordsworth utilizes nature as a symbol for purity and emotional satisfaction in the poem.
Addition, I point out that nature healed Wordsworth to escape his ill thoughts because tone of the poem
is peaceful and happy.

Gender Role İn Poem.

The women’s cause is man’s by Lord Alfred Tennyson is one of the poems which bases on Gender equality
in Victorian Period. It is controversial in its own time because the poem has feminist value. We know that
women were not in good condition in the era. They were not respectable in the society contrary to Men.
Society thought that men and women were different, but not unequal in the society. However, Tennyson
contemplates the value and role of women. According to poem, Women is seen as a whole and not
separate items from men. Men and women should be equal in order to create “the two-celled heart
beating, with one full stroke because both man and woman are each other’s cause. men and women
must coexist in order to be whole and prosper. One cannot live without the other. Toghater they are
stronger. The woman's cause is man's. They rise or sink Together. Addition, the other poem that I intend
to analyze is Wollstonecraft A Vindication of Rights of Women by Wollstonecraft. Marry Wollstonecraft is
a woman writer who encourages woman for education and social equality in his works. So, the work is, of
course, feminist work. In the work, she criticizes the educational system which allowed more advantages
for boy instead of girls. She states that neglection of Women’s education has led to great misery in the
society. Being an angle at home was the only thing that women learnt in the society instead of using their
wit and virtue. According to the Marry, reason is what makes people human, that virtue is what
distinguishes people from one another. Women need to learn these two concepts through the education.
However, they are not given adequate opportunity to develop their reason and attain virtue. they’re
taught to please men. Addition, in the work she suggests that Women deserve the protection of civil laws
in order to support them in fulfilling their duties. They should also have the option of studying medicine,
politics, and business in order to have more occupational doors open to them. Moreover, there is a
proposal in the work. She says that national schools for all children should be free because childhood is
the most important for development of people. Especially Educating girls in such schools will not distract
them from domestic duties. In fact, it will enable their minds to trigger their reason and prepares them
all the better to fulfill their duties. Briefly, Wollstonecraft suggests a Revolution for women to develop
themselves.

GOTHİC ELEMENTS IN POEM