The Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution as described by Eric Hobsbawm, a historian, was “The most fundamental transformation of human life in the history of the world”. Though this is a very powerful statement it is arguable that it is also one of the truest statements ever made. The Industrial Revolution changed virtually every aspect of every life in the modern world in some way, shape, or form. The Industrial Revolution’s first wave began in the eighteenth century in the cotton industry. This wave was caused by new innovations in spinning techniques that made the production of cotton products much faster.

The poem The Steam Loom Weaver was strange, yet interesting to me. I found the poem strange, not because of the language used, but rather because of the topic that is spoken of which is steam. I originally thought that this poem was simply one that I would not find interest in, but upon reading the poem a second time I found a deeper meaning that I had not noticed before in my prior reading. The poem speaks of two lovers who are walking together and their only topic of conversation is that of steam. The woman says that she cannot work because her loom has no steam and since the man is an engine driver, she feels that he should be able to right the problem. Once the man agrees to fix her loom other issues arise that were not previously spoken of. The issues that arise refer to additional needs that the woman must have met before she is able to work and the man agrees to supply the articles that she needs in addition to fixing her loom.

I have always heard the saying “No good dead goes unrewarded” but in the case of the man in this particular poem, I would say that he is doing a bit much and is being taken advantage of. Perhaps I do not understand the writer’s intentions, but I feel that the poem shows that sometimes, good people get taken advantage of and I see that being a metaphor for the way that workers were treated in during the industrial revolution. They felt that they were part of something great, but really they were being exploited for their work abilities.