Elizabeth Barrett Browning 2

The Horror of Child Labor Over 150 years later, the same situation exists. Light was not exactly shed in the problems of child labor in the mid-1800’s. Soon, authors like Elizabeth Barrett Browning stepped to the forefront and raised public awareness for the deplorable conditions child laborers were subjected to. When government investigations into child labor revealed the rampant exploitation of children, Browning responded with a poem created in sympathy, taking the form of her 1843 …

…is their own death, and even their wishes for that are denied. Browning continues ”The Cry of the Children,” reiterating the same sentiments and feelings of work and pain for the abused child laborers. Her poem worked to bring acknowledgement and the light of truth to a subject often ignored in her time. Child labor issues continue to plague our society, but thanks to the work of authors like Browning, the incidences continue to decrease.