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READ THIS
In this sonnet the poet observes a beggar in the rich area of Belgrave Square. She uses her daughter to
beg from the working class, while avoiding the wealthy.
A NOTE ON THE POET
Matthew Arnold was born in December 1822, the son of the headmaster of the now famous Rugby
School.
He was initially tutored at Rugby but, in 1841, began studying at Oxford University where he graduated
in 1844.
He started teaching at Rugby but, in 1847, became Private Secretary to Lord Lansdowne who was Lord
President of the Council. It was then that he published his first book of poetry.
Arnold soon took up a position as an inspector of schools and, because of the increased salary, almost
immediately married Frances Wightman with whom he had six children.
He was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford in 1857 and was apparently the first man to deliver his
lectures in English instead of Latin.
In 1883 and 1884, he toured the United States where he delivered lectures on education and democracy.
He retired from school inspection in 1886 but, just two years later, he suffered a heart attack and died.
He was then 66 years of age.
Arnold is heralded today -- along with Tennyson and Browning -- as one of the great Victorian poets
although his poetry received only mediocre reviews during his own lifetime.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
"A tramp I saw."
- Comment on the poet's use of this unusual word order. (4)
[Need help?]
Usually one would say: I saw a tramp. By inverting the word order, the poet has placed "a tramp"
prominently at the start of the line. This draws attention to the words and serves to emphasise them.
It also produces a contrast with the words ending the first line: "Belgrave Square". This contrast
highlights the incongruity of seeing such a lowly person in such a wealthy, upper class area.
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- In your opinion, why did the poet choose the word "tramp" and not simply
"beggar"? (4)
[Need help?]
A tramp is of an even lower class than a beggar. The word implies that the person is destitute, is a
vagrant, with no home and no prospects.
The word has a strong emotional connotation as it conveys the absolute misery of the woman's situation
and her battle for the survival of her family.
A beggar may actually have a place to stay but chooses to beg. This woman has no option.
The word "tramp" can also refer to someone who is promiscuous. However, it is unlikely that this
is the poet's intention as he clearly wants the reader to sympathise with her.
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"A babe was in her arms."
- Identify and discuss the emotion the poet wishes to evoke. (3)
[Need help?]
The intention is to evoke sympathy for the mother and the child. The mother's situation is so desperate
that she has to go out begging with a baby on her hip. The poet wants us to feel sorry for the family.
It could also evoke anger and disgust in the readers as we feel it is wrong for a mother to use her baby
to make money through manipulating people's feelings.
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"she touch'd her girl."
- What is your opinion of the mother using her daughter to beg? (4)
[Need help?]
There are two ways of looking at this situation.
One could argue that she is doing the right thing since she is so desperate that she has no other choice.
Her actions are determined by her situation.
A young girl begging is also likely to evoke more sympathy: thus the begging session would be more
successful. It is a matter of survival.
On the other hand, using young children to beg is all about the manipulation of people's emotions. People
feel obliged to give money because they do not want to be seen as selfish and unfeeling.
The use of children as beggars also sets the wrong example and helps to perpetuate a cycle: if they
regard begging as a means of survival, they will never be encouraged to find gainful employment.
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"but of friends,
Of sharers in a common human fate."
- Comment on the poet's choice of words: "friends" , "sharers" and
"common". (4)
[Need help?]
The words all imply a shared bond, a commonality of sympathy, understanding and feeling.
The words convey the empathy which is felt by people who share similar experiences and situations.
There is a unity of spirit.
These people share a sense of identity and belonging; they have a sense of community.
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"She will not ask of aliens, but of friends."
- Identify the "aliens" and "friends" and explain why each is identified as
such. (4)
[Need help?]
An "alien" is someone who falls outside the group. The rich are the aliens as they and their world
are so different and so far removed from that of the beggar.
The labourers are the friends because they are part of her world: they understand her situation and her
plight. They know about suffering and what it is like to have to eke out a living.
They feel like her friends because there is common ground between them and they are able to share
experiences.
Friends provide support and comfort. By giving the child money, the workers have given the mother the
comfort of knowing she will be able to buy food for her children.
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"She turns from that cold succour."
- Explain the meaning of this line. (4)
[Need help?]
The word "succour" means to help or to provide assistance, especially in a time of need; to provide
aid and give comfort.
The woman chooses to ignore the wealthy when she sends her daughter to beg.
If the wealthy were to give her money, it would be "cold succour" because they give without any
empathy. They have no understanding of her situation and give money automatically or because she
makes them feel guilty. If the rich were to give her money, it would not be comforting like the money from
the labourers.
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"Which attends
The unknown little from the unknowing great."
- Identify each of the groups mentioned here and explain the significance of the lines. (8)
[Need help?]
The "unknown little" are the lower classes. They are described as "little" because they are
of a lowly status and are regarded by the upper class as being of little importance.
They are described as "unknown" because the upper class is not interested in them and knows so
little about them.
The "unknowing great" are the wealthy upper class.
They are described as "great" but that is only in their opinion. It is clear that neither the poet nor
the beggar thinks they deserve their lofty status.
The upper class is "unknowing" because they show no interest in the rest of humanity. They are
ignorant of the suffering of the working class.
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- What is the poet's TONE when he mentions the "unknowing great"? (2)
[Need help?]
It is a critical tone. The poet is being ironic.
The poet does not regard the upper class as "great" because they do not help the less fortunate.
They are too concerned with their own status to take note of the plight of others.
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Consider the title and the content of the poem.
- Do you think it is a suitable title? Substantiate your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
The title is unusual considering the content of the poem. West London is one of the wealthiest areas in
London and is traditionally the home of the aristocracy.
One could argue that the title is well chosen since the poet uses the contrast between the title and the
content to highlight his message.
The poem serves as a reminder that in the midst of all this wealth, there are people living in abject poverty.
It is an indictment against society and a reminder that we can all help to ensure a better world for all.
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