Repetition and Hidden Meanings in “Song of the Shirt.
The poem, written by Thomas Hood, was written in protest of the poor working conditions in London at the time. CONTENT. On the poem itself, it begins on a singing woman who is sewing a shirt. The poem follows her through tough times, still doing her work, the suffering gradually worsening more and more. At the end, though, the first stanza is repeated.Song of the Shirt - With fingers weary and worn With fingers weary and worn - The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets.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.
Thomas Hood (1799-1845) was an English poet who is often remembered for his poem “The Song of the Shirt.” In this poem, Hood writes about the inhumane working conditions of England’s poor.Part 2 - Birds, Beasts, and the Weather. Written Near a Port on a Dark Evening. Part 3 - Travel, Migration, and Society. The Cry of the Children. The Song of the Shirt. On the Day of Judgement. Part 4 - Love, Wisdom, and Age. A Song of Faith Forsworn. Farewell, Ungrateful Traitor. When We Two Parted. I Years had been from Home. When You are Old.
The poem went on to inspire paintings entitled The Song of the Shirt by, amongst others, G. F. Watts (1850), Charles Rossiter (1854), Anna Blunden (1854), Frank Holl (1874), J. E. Millais (1876, in this case the picture is called Stitch, Stitch, Stich), Edward Radford (1887) and Albert Rutherston (1902).
