The Impact of Industrial Revolution in William Blake's "London" and Elizabeth Barret Browning's "The Cry of the Children"

Abstract

The Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occur in agriculture, textile and 
metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England. The 
Industrial Revolution began in Britain from around the 1750s around 1830. This then began to spread 
to other countries. During industrialization, manual labour was replaced by mass production and there 
is great economic growth. As well as an increased division of labour, technology was used more to 
provide solutions to problems (rather than relying on people to solve the problems). While Industrial 
Revolution led to economic advancement, it also brought about increase in economic hazards, poverty, 
unemployment, child labour and sexual exploitation. This paper aims to examine the impact of the 
Industrial Revolution while analysing William Blake's "London" and Elizabeth Barret Browning's 
"The Cry of the Children." A content analysis of these poems will be used to examine the relevant 
points of view of the poets on the positive and negative effects of industrial revolution. The study 
found that the industrial revolution not only eradicated poverty, but also increased it. It also led to 
child labour, hunger, death, disease and social stratification. Therefore, this study will focus on the 
negative aspects of the industrial revolution.