| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Song - The Unprotected Female

Page history last edited by jnb339@... 14 years, 11 months ago

 

 

 Song - The Unprotected Female

(For Lord Stanley)

 

AIR - “The Literary Dustman

When woman would assistance claim,

‘Gainst some one that would hurt her,

The man’s unworthy of the name

Of Briton who’d desert her.

Now Agriculture, bathed in tears, 

And dropping with dejection,

Implores of you, my brother Peers,

Your Lordships’ kind protection.

CHORUS.

My Lords, I’m sure you’ll all confess,

That every British free male

Is bound to succour, in distress,

An unprotected female.

Consider well, I do entreat,

Her critical position,

In fear and dread of being beat

By foreign competition.

Who wouldn’t from invasion shield

His native country’s beauty?

Then don’t, my Lords, the Corn Laws yield,

But stickle for your duty.

My Lords, &c.

 

Reflect that, noble Lords, with you

This female is connected,

What can you, will, hope to do

If she is unprotected?

For her, your rates of rental high,

You know full well you owe to;

My Lords, my Lords, if she should die,

Where do you think you’ll go to?

My Lords, &c.

 

Then nail, with a determined stoke,

The mast your colours high on

And rally round the British oak,

Stir up the British Lion.

Protect the female thus distrest,

On you entirely resting.

What, than your own self-interest,

Can be more interesting?

Then sure, my Lords, you’ll all confess

That every British free male,

Is bound to succour, in distress,

This unprotected female.

 

 

 

 

“Song—The Unprotected Female.” Punch, or the London Charivari (1846): 253. 

 

               Notes on the Text

 

 

Green is for proper names or legal terms

Blue is for unfamiliar terms 

Pink is for words/ideas common in the 19th century

 

(1) Lord Stanley: Also known as Edward Stanley 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley.  A powerful, distinguished gentleman and parliamentarian.During the publication of this poem, Lord Stanley was Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the British Government and would soon after the publication of this song in Punch, become the president of the Board of Trade. This is important because Britain was in an agricultural crisis due to foreign competition and free trade. With both of these positions, he could help both problems (OED).

 

(2) AIR: verb; to set to music, to sing (OED).

 

(3) The Literary Dustman: Published around 1835, the Literary Dustman was a popular comic song composed by Mr. Glindon and composed by J.T. Craven which was performed by piano and voice (JScholarship).

 

(4) Women would assistance claim:Lord Stanley was the husband of a remarkable woman Henrietta Maria, the great, great, great, great granddaughter of King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Villiers. Henrietta received harsh criticism from her community due to the community’s belief that she didn’t belong in social issues and politics due to her gender and did not deserve the status that came along with her husband, Lord Stanley. In 1846, women were still oppressed, not given equal rights, and still delegated to domestic issues. It is important to note that not only in this poem, but during this time, this may be why politics are directed towards the “British free Male" (Jalland 117). Regardless, Lord Stanley not only backed his wife in society, but also funded all of her endeavors. He helped her establish the Women’s Liberal Unionist Association and Girton College, Cambridge that promoted higher education for women (OED). Lord Stanley proves himself to be the ideal British free male that the poem calls on to come to the aid of the “unprotected female” whether literally or metaphorically by pulling Britain (the unprotected female) out of its agricultural rut from foreign competition through his position as under-secretary of foreign affairs.

 

(5) Agriculture: The cost to produce corn and wheat became too high for the urban working class to maintain. Many had to lay off workers or abandon their farms to be able to afford the seed to harvest in the first place. It also made it difficult that unusual patterns of bad weather ruined what bit of homeland crops there were and the decrease in food supply resulted in the death of farming animals used in harvesting. What produce was left after the undesirable weather conditions was too expensive. In turn, cheaper foreign alternatives were chosen (British Parliamentary Papers 288).

 

(6) British free male:Class distinctions were very common during this time period; however Britain saw a great increase in nationalism beginning in about 1750.  A free male was considered any man who had voting power and could hold money.  This concept became applicable to more people within the kingdom, as “greater social contacts between Welsh, Scottish, and English landed families during the London season meant (as Gentleman’s Magazine remarked in 1819) that “the manners of the nobility and gentry assimilate over the whole kingdom” (Colley 104).   

 

(7) succour: verb; to help, assist, aid (a person, etc.) (OED).

 

(8) foreign competition: Large amounts of produce imports, especially from the United States of America, have a lot to do with the agricultural crisis in 1846. During this time, wheat farmers were screaming for protection from free trade. With free trade, large amounts of wheat from the USA were freely traded into Britain at prices well below production costs. This was very detrimental to British farmers because it was costing too much to harvest the produce, and in turn, the cost of British produce was higher than the US imports. The effect was that farmers were forced to abandon or sell their farms. Poverty among rural residents reached an all time high (Hunt 117).

 

(9) Corn Laws: Originally created to regulate the internal trade, exportation and importation of crops from Britain to other countries, the Corn Laws went through many years of transitions from 1660 when they were established, to 1846 when they were repealed.  By 1660, the interests of the consumer became the primary concern.  A few years later, in 1663, the government shifted their concerns from the consumers to the producers.  Agitation against the Corn Laws began to grow in the 1820s when new methods of securing information about the possibilities of producing foreign corn began to emerge.  1838-1842 were considered the years of the bad crop where stagnation was taking place in the industry and terrible sufferings were found among the lower class workers.  Then 1842-1846 were considered the years of the good crop because improvements were taking place throughout the industry and trade.  Discussion about decreasing the protection on domestic agriculture became prevelant, and after much debate between various political parties, the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 due to increasing crop failtures.  Minister Peel had decided to repeal the Corn Laws because he believed "the Corn Laws were the main cause of the distress, and that their repeal would substancial and enduring relief" (Barnes 253). 

 

(10) stickle for: verb; to strive or contend for (OED).

 

(11) mast your colours: In other words, "raise your flag", i.e. the British flag or "Union Jack".  The flag essentially represents the three kingdoms within the United Kingdom: England / Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, bearing each of their crosses within the pattern.  The flag creates a sense of nationalism and unity, and has been the flag of the United Kingdom since 1801. (The British Household).

 

(12) British oak: The British Oak is frequently represented throughout British literature, and has been known to represent Great Britain, the British Monarchy, and British naval strength (Wiley 805).  Fulford, in an analysis of several popular British writers, notes that “The oak image entered popular culture, appearing in numerous ballads and songs during the late eighteenth century.  British sailors, like British ships, exemplified the national virtue of oaklike strength” (164).  According to Michael Wiley, Charles I wanted to honor the tree and established “the order of the royal oak” and today it is known as the national tree (805).

 

(13) British Lion: In reference to Britain’s national animal, the lion.  The lion is often used as “the lion as an emblem (e.g. of English or Scottish royalty) or as a charge in heraldry” (OED).  The lion is frequently seen as a symbol of bravery, strength, and ferocity, representing such looked-for qualities in British citizens.

  

 

 

                Commentary on the Text

 

 At first glance, “Song - The Unprotected Female” may look like a song about specified gender roles where the male is in charge of protecting the female.  Full of references to women in distress and the call to all Lords to come to their rescue, this song implies much more than basic gender stereotypes found in the eighteenth and nineteenth century society.  At the time, women were seen as helpless and secondary to their strong male counterparts, and the authors of Punch use these common ideas to create a deeper metaphor for Britain’s agricultural society.

      On a closer read of this text, this “unprotected female” seems to stand for something larger than gender roles. To begin with, the poem is directed to Lord Stanley, a man in British office for foreign affairs and trade (OED). If this were truly a poem about a woman’s condition, it would have been directed to a female. It becomes clear that this song is directed to men of power like Lord Stanley who are not only representations of British pride, but also the men who are “worthy of the name of Briton,” that they would do anything to protect the state of the country.  

     Shaped by nationality and the reliance on agriculture, this song is a metaphor for protecting Britain from foreign competition and foreign crop exchange (Hunt 117).  We begin to see this metaphor come to life in the first verse: “the man’s unworthy of the name of Briton who’d desert her”.  Here we see that “her”, the “unprotected female”, is Britain herself.  Speaking to “every British free male”, this song is calling them to take care of their country and to protect its resources.  Because the Corn Laws had just been repealed by Minister Peel, the country was now left with outside competition and regulations.  Even though Minister Peel felt the country was suffering because of the Corn Laws and believed their repeal would bring relief (Barnes 253), this poem satirizes the assumption that Great Britain’s agriculture was being compromised, being left unprotected by the government as a result of the agricultural decline.  The irony of the poem is seen through the distressful female because the government officials of the time believes the Corn Laws were causing the country’s distress, when in reality the country was in distress because of the lacking agricultural protection.  The female character of the poem is being threatened by foreign invasion and is in desperate need of saving, just as Britain is in need of agricultural saving (British Parliamentary Papers 288).  Great Britain now needs to come together in unity to protect its resources in order to uphold its agricultural strength.

           Through its satirical references to Lord Stanley and the Corn Laws, this song is a comical metaphor for Britain’s struggling agricultural security.  Instructed to be played to the tune of “The Literary Dustman”, this song is being shown in a comical setting, ultimately turns a serious issue as agricultural security into a lighter situation.  By personifying the country through the use of a female character, this song is giving politics and laws a more gender-stereotyped side as Britain is the main character in real distress.  The gender-stereotypes explored in this song show how multi-layered this piece is as it can be read through a gender-focused lens or through a politically-focused lens.  Though Lord Stanley is not a character in this song, its dedication to Stanley is a satirical move on the part of "PUNCH".  As the head of foreign trade, Stanley was willing to die for his wife but not for his country (OED), even though both can be seen as “unprotected females”.  This shows that men in power were willing to be heroes of women but not heroes of their country, ultimately leaving its resources and agriculture in distress.

     This poem creates a deep sense of nationalism for its citizens.  Though frequently referring to the “lords” as the ones who need to protect the female, the chorus indicates that this duty belongs to all British free males.  As the annotation on “British free males” indicates, class distinctions were “becoming increasingly silent” during this time as nationalism and unity was on the rise (Coley 104).  Calling for its citizens to rally together, to “mast your colours high on”, to take control of their country, this poem is emphasizing Britain’s patriotism and nationalism as means to come together and to regain the country’s security.  The last stanza of the poem makes several references to British symbols, including the colors of the flag, the British Oak, and the British lion.  "Punch" utilizes these items to remind its readers of what British citizens stand for, and what they must protect.

 

 

Renee Schloss, Jasmine Brown, Amelia Kellam; April 14, 2009

 

 

                Works Cited

 

 

Please be sure to cite reference works, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, scholarly articles, other 19th century sources, and other websites that you used in preparing this page.  In particular, it is extremely important to use quotation marks when copying material directly from another source, to provide a parenthetical citation to the source and relevant page number, and to include that source here.  If you do not know how/when to decide what to cite or how to format citations in MLA Style, please consult your instructor. [Please retain these directions.]

 

Agriculture 1843-1865.” Volume 9: British Parliamentary Papers. Shannon: Irish University Press, 1971.

 

Barnes, Donald G. A History of English Corn Laws, from 1660-1846. 1930. New York: A.M. Kelley, 1961.

 

Brake, Laurel. Nineteenth-Century Media and the Construction of Identities. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.

 

Colley, Linda.  "Whose Nation? Class and National Consciousness in Britain 1750 - 1830."  Past and Present 113 (1986): 97 - 117. 30 Mar. 2009.

 

Fulford, Tim.  “Romanticizing the Empire: The Naval Heroes of Southey, Coleridge, Austen, and Marryat”.  MLQ: Modern Language Quarterly, Volume 60, Number 2, June 1999, pp. 161-196.

 

Hunt, Jocelyn. Britain, 1846-1919. New York: Routledge Press, 2003.

 

Jalland, Patricia. Women, Marriage, and Politics. England: Oxford University  Press, 1986.

 

The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition). Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  University of Missouri - Kansas City.  14 April 2009. 

 

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (revised edition). Ed. Edward Cooke.  Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press: 2004.  University of Missouri - Kansas City.  9 March 2009.

 

The British Household. "Union Jack." The Official Website of the British Monarchy. 30 Mar. 2009.

 <http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/UnionJack.aspx> 2008.

 

“The Literary Dustman. A Comic Song.” JScholarship. 13 April 2009 <https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/10127>

 

Wiley, Michael.  “Coleridge's "The Raven" and the Forging of Radicalism”.  SEL Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, Volume 43, Number 4, Autumn 2003, pp. 799-813.

 

 

  

 

 

 

                Project Group Members

 

Member Name

University

Course

Renee Schloss University of Missouri-Kansas City Eng 345WI
Amelia Kellam University of Missouri-Kansas City

Eng 345WI

Jasmine Brown University of Missouri-Kansas City Eng 345WI
     
     

 

 

             

 

 

     Project Completed: semester and year

 

                Group Chat

 

Use this chat room to facilitate collaboration if you are working on this project from multiple locations. [Please don't delete these directions.]

 

 

 

 OED Online. March 2009. Oxford University Press. 4 April 2009

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.