Song of the Shirt
WORLDHISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 4.1OPENERSONG OF THE SHIRTUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Song of the Shirt”, OER Project, www.oerproject.com/1PurposeHistorians use all kinds of sources to piece together the who-what-when-where-and-whys of the past. For this activity, you’ll be the historian, and you’ll use song lyrics from 1843 to draw conclusions about the age of industrialization.Process1.You’re about to read the song lyrics to a song called “The Song of the Shirt.” What do you think this song will be about, based on the title?2.Read the song lyrics below.“The Song of the Shirt,” by Thomas Hood Published anonymously in Punchmagazine, 1843With 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!”“Oh, men, with sisters dear! O, 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. “Work-work-work! My labor never flags; And what are its wages? A bed of straw, A crust of bread—and rags.Image retrieved from the Library of Congress.
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 4.1OPENERSONG OF THE SHIRT2That shattered roof—and this naked floor A table—a broken chair—And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank For sometimes falling there!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!”3.Now, answer the following questions:•Who do you think this song is about? •Where and when do you think the scene described in this song takes place?•What is the tone of the song? How can you tell? (Check out the author’s word choice, use of metaphors and similes, or other imagery. How do these elements convey a particular mood?)
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT1750 / LESSON 4.1OPENERSONG OF THE SHIRT3•Why do you think this song was written? (Do you think the author hoped to reach a particular audience? Or accomplish a particular goal?)