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How does the poetry of the Victorian period treat social issues?
● The Victorian era was characterized by great progress, with urbanization of the rural
areas, development of the industry and technology
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Nevertheless, numerous poems from the era
portray the strong backlash against the rapid advancements and the movement
towards modernity from the traditional way of life
...

● It is possible to illustrate poetry composed in the Victorian period which critically
stresses the role of progress in Victorian society in bringing about social problems
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● To illustrate, Victorian themes of decadence, corruption and a decline in religious
values as a result of the move towards modernism is expressed in the poem: “​Dover
Beach​” by the prominent social critic of the time, Matthew Arnold, where the poet’s
sensibility towards the decline of conventional values is emphasized
...
Thereby the mood of
the poem here highlights the increasing problems of immorality during the nineteenth
century Victorian period
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Here, the image of the light is
referred to as a metaphor to draw the reader’s attention to the idea of diminishing
hope as society’s conventional relegations morality was perceived as declining and
gradually being replaced by a modern yet depraved society
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Notably, Rossetti expresses her condemnation of the
advancements of society, which undoubtedly attracted sin and moral corruption,
particularly through the increasing rate of prostitution in the cities
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To demonstrate, the city is personified as an immoral woman, as

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this is implied in: “Foul is she and ill-flavoured” and: “no wine is in her cup but filth
is there”, where phrases such as “foul”, “ill-flavoured” and: “filthy” illustrate the
poet’s use of negative connotations to describe the city
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This illustrates the similar attitudes
towards social issues expressed in Arnold’s poems, since both poets condemn the
move towards modernity which is seen as the cause of social problems in the
Victorian period
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For
instance, comparable to the ideas of Arnold and Rossetti, is the poems of Thomas
Hardy, which often criticize the transformation from the traditional, unadulterated
agricultural society into large cities that were usually corrupted by sexual immorality
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The substantial use of irony in the dialogue between the two speakers in the poem
creates a sense of sardonic tone, implying Hardy’s reproachful attitude towards the
idea of social mobility where status can be gained through decadence
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Consequently, through this satirical depiction of
the city’s immorality, Hardy is able to criticize one of the greatest social problems of
the Victorian society; prostitution and sexual immorality, dubbed as: “The greatest
social evil” by social critics
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The advancement of industrialization in modern cities undoubtedly brought
great social problems, namely child labour, which was harshly denounced by a
number of Victorian poets
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The poet conveys this criticism to the reader through the manipulation of narrative
structure, which offers a perspective of children working in factories, since this is
demonstrated through: “Our blood splashes upward, O gold-heaper”
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● Moreover, Browning’s use of structural and linguistic devices additionally enables the
poet to express her denouncement of the social issue of child labour in the Victorian
era
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This creates an impression of the monotonous
sound of machinery that is referred to in: “the iron wheels are droning”, and: “cold
metallic motion”, which effectively stresses the continuous and oppressive labour that
anguished children working in factories during the period
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Instances of
this are implied in: “pale and sunken faces”, “they sink in man’s despair” and: “They
are weeping bitterly!” Here, the poet’s use of language intended to appeal to the
Victorian reader’s sentiments and encouraged to raise outrage at the appalling
conditions in factories
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● However, the most significant social issue that preoccupied poetry in the Victorian
period was undoubtedly the extreme increase in poverty and the gap between the rich
and poor in large cities
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This can be illustrated through the poem: “​Thirty
Bob A Week​” by John Davidson, which effectively criticizes the inequality of the
social class system and the social problem of poverty through the manipulation of
narrative structure
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For instance, the
speaker of the poem criticizes his society, implied through: “the bally power of others
to be bossed”, highlighting the impact of the class system brought about by the
capitalist interests of industrial society
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Here Davidson’s use of informal language through
colloquialism and the dialect of Victorian working- class Londoners effectively adds
to the harsh, realistic depiction of poverty and the susceptibility of the working class
against this social problem, which Davidson sums up as: “a naked child against a
hungry wolf”
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● Despite the fact that many poets expressed their condemnation of the Industrial
Revolution and social progress from the outset; emphasizing the rise of decadence and
decline of religious faith as a source of these increasing problems, the most effective
presentation of social issues from the Victorian era is arguably composed by poets
whom strongly protested against capitalist interests and demanded political change by
drawing attention towards the most vulnerable victims of society
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