English Literature

World renowned English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), is considered one of the outstanding poets of her era, the Victorian era. She has written several works and had several publications. Some of her works include The Battle of Marathon (1820), Aurora Leigh (1856), Casa Guidi Windows (1851), and Poems before Congress (1860). Most of her works reflected social issues present during her time and it was apparent in her works The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims Point and Poems before Congress. She felt for the Italians and became an advocate for them in her work Casa Guidi Windows.

In her poem Work and Contemplation, she describes an artisan womans perspective of work opposed to the orthodox view of the Protestant Church. During her time, the Church compelled each person to devout hisher mind, body, and soul in work. Any sort of diversion from work was not acceptable. Elizabeth Browning believed otherwise. In her poem, she describes an artisan woman producing thread by spinning cotton in her wheel. She sang a song so as to amuse herself while doing the repetitive task. The woman knew the work by heart and her singing made her relaxed and made her work less tedious. She amused herself and she did well in her job by producing a perfect thread.

The author aimed to point out to the Church that people can both engage themselves with physical tasks and spiritual actions at the same time without having to compromise one with the other. Both feeds the person and makes himher yield goodness in both aspects.