Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Wieners' "Children of the Working Class" is an unflinching and poignant meditation on the intersection of class, mental health, and societal neglect. Written from the confines of Taunton State Hospital in 1972, the poem bears witness to the systemic abandonment of society's most vulnerable, reflecting both personal experience and a broader critique of social and economic hierarchies.

The opening lines set the tone with stark imagery: "gaunt, ugly deformed / broken from the womb." Wieners immediately situates the subjects of his poem—the working class—as victims of generational hardship, their suffering etched into their bodies and psyches. The description of them as "horribly shriven at the labor of their forefathers" suggests a burden passed down through generations, where the toil and sacrifices of their ancestors have left them physically and mentally depleted. This framing establishes the poem as both an elegy for these lives and a condemnation of the conditions that perpetuate such suffering.

Wieners' language is raw and unsparing, reflecting the grim realities of the lives he describes. The working class is depicted as "pinched men emaciated, piling up railroad ties and highway ditches" and "blanched women, swollen and crudely numbered before the dark of dawn." These individuals, robbed of their vitality, are reduced to tools of labor, their humanity overshadowed by their function in an exploitative system. The imagery of "scuttling by candlelight" evokes a haunting, almost Dickensian portrait of industrial despair, while the phrase "thick peasants after the attitude" suggests a stoic endurance born of necessity but devoid of hope.

The poem transitions to a critique of institutionalized suffering, focusing on those confined in Taunton State Hospital and similar facilities. Wieners writes of these individuals as "locked in key's; housed of course / and there fed, poorly." The dehumanizing conditions are vividly detailed through descriptions of *"sooted, plastic dishes" and "stamped Department of Mental Health spoons," which serve as symbols of an indifferent bureaucracy. The inmates, reduced to mere cogs in a societal machine, are described as performing "some particular task long has been far removed," emphasizing the futility and purposelessness imposed upon them.

Wieners grapples with the theological implications of such suffering, questioning how a divine creator capable of producing natural beauty and artistic splendor could also allow for such profound human misery. The juxtaposition of "the graces of formal gardens" and "the exquisite twilight sunsets" with "dwarfs, who cannot stand up straight with crushed skulls" underscores the stark contrast between divine creation and the brutal realities of life for the marginalized. This theological tension reflects Wieners' personal struggle to reconcile the existence of a benevolent God with the systemic injustices he witnesses.

The poem takes on a deeply personal tone as Wieners reflects on his own lineage and the inherited struggles of his family. He writes, "My Mother was born, I am witness to the exasperation of gallant human beings at god," situating himself within the narrative of working-class suffering. The acknowledgment of "children with phobias, manias and depression" highlights the intergenerational transmission of trauma, suggesting that the conditions of the working class extend beyond physical labor to encompass profound psychological scars.

Wieners does not shy away from implicating wealth and privilege in this narrative of suffering. He contrasts the hardships of the working class with the indifference of the "bloated millionaire, who still lives on their hard-earned monies." This critique of economic disparity underscores the systemic nature of poverty and the exploitation that sustains it. Wieners' assertion, "I feel I shall have to be punished for writing this," reflects the societal taboo against exposing these inequities, as well as his own sense of vulnerability in challenging the status quo.

The poem's closing lines offer a bleak summation of Wieners' vision. He rejects "Whitman's vision" of a harmonious, democratic America, instead bearing witness to "the poorhouses, the mad city asylums and re-life worklines." This rejection of transcendence in favor of stark realism underscores the gravity of Wieners' critique. The poem ends on a note of profound disillusionment: "I am witness not to God's goodness, but his better or less scorn." This line encapsulates the poet's indictment of a society—and perhaps a deity—that allows such suffering to persist.

"Children of the Working Class" is both a searing social critique and a deeply personal lament. Wieners' raw and evocative language captures the physical and emotional toll of systemic neglect, while his theological musings and autobiographical reflections lend the poem a sense of urgency and authenticity. In bearing witness to the lives of the marginalized, Wieners challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable truths of inequality and to reckon with their implications for society and humanity.

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