Symbolism in "The Shirt"

Most people take the clothes that they put on for granted hence they do not bother to know the labor conditions under which the clothes are produced. In the poem “Shirt” Robert Pinsky goes through all the steps in the production of the shirt. The shirt is symbolic of the conditions of workers in the sweat factories. Robert translates the effects of historical occurrences into the situations in the modern day. He begins the poem by describing the sweatshops in Malaysia and Korea where the workers and talking about politics and gossiping over tea. The poem pays tribute to the Malaysian and Korean workers in the Triangle Shirts factory. It talks about the Scottish workers that came up with the clan tartans and explains how the workers were oppressed by the mill owners. The poem depicts the relationships that exist between the workers and the consumers of various products in the contemporary world.

The language used in the poem is descriptive, and it helps in bringing out the message that the shirt is not an ordinary thing that should be taken for granted by the consumer. The poet utilizes the language that is used in a factory when he mentions “The wringer, the mangle. The needle, the union,” (8). The use of factory terminologies plays a crucial role in bringing out the setting and the mood of the poem. This language plays a crucial role in capturing the reader’s attention. More important, this terminology reminds the reader of what it takes to have fully –made shirt.

“The Code” that is mentioned in the last line of stanza three alludes to the laws that govern the working conditions in the factories. The author alludes to the blaze that occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, in Manhattan in 1911.An excess of one hundred immigrant laborers lost their lives because of the blaze. He writes that “one hundred and forty-six died in flames” (11).The laborers were exposed to dangerous conditions such as long working hours and low wages. The code complies that the laws relating to the safety of the workers were dismissed and this led to the infamous blaze. The infamous blaze is an image that plays a crucial role in bringing out the theme about the exploitation and suffering of workers in the sweat factories. Furthermore, the inclusion of fire in the poem evokes empathy in the reader because it shows that the laborers in the sweat factories are tormented.

Robert Pinsky describes the death of the martyrs from the Triangle Shirt wait factory. For example, he writes that “Around his neck and kissed him. Then he held/Her into space, and dropped her. Almost at once” ( 21- 22). The laborers lost their lives because there were no fire escapes and hydrants. The death of the laborers is similar to those of the martyrs because they suffer the consequences of the poor conditions at the sweat factories. This vision is crucial in emphasizing the plight of the workers in the sweat factories. Furthermore, he mentions George Herbert who was a famous poet in the seventeenth century and the ancestor of Irma. Irma is the woman from South Carolina that is tasked with the responsibility of inspecting the shirt. He succeeds in tracing the history of shirt making by mentioning a prominent person like Herbert. The historical reference is essential in showing the losses that are attributed to the sweat factories.

The shirt is a symbol of the simple things that communicate a lot about the lives of the ordinary people. The poem is very useful because it makes the reader think about the shirt he or she is wearing. It makes the reader wonder whether the shirt is produced through the exploitation of workers in the sweatshops. The detailed descriptions that are used in the poem to show the relationships between the shirts and the laborers that make them. For example, Pinsky shows the relationships that exist between him and the woman that inspected his shirt when he states that “And feel, and its clean smell have satisfied/Both her and me. We have culled its cost and quality” (15). This line shows that the laborer does an excellent job in doing a high-quality job. However, the employers of the laborer do not appreciate this fact based on the conditions that the laborers are required to work. The descriptions underscore the fact that the laborers that make the shirts are human beings that have feelings. The poem conveys the message that simple objects such as the shirt generate a lot of thoughts despite their simplicity. The simple objects give a lot of information regarding the day to day occurrences in the life of a human beings.

Arguably, the poem makes a strong argument about the relationships between human beings. It offers an explicit revelation about the relationship that exists between the workers and the consumers. Consumers buy products without caring the conditions under which the products were produced. The workers toil in a bid to produce various goods, but the consumers seem to ignore their toil and exploitation. Consumers take the workers for granted, and this is not fair because without the workers they will not have clothes. In other words, Pinsky is trying to make attainment that the consumers ought to appreciate the input of the workers that make their clothes.

Furthermore, the poet makes a statement on how the individuals that own the factors of production exploit the workers in a bid to make profits. The owners exploit the workers in a bid to make maximum profits. They do not comply with the laws that relate to the safety of the workers at the places or worker. The unhygienic conditions at the places of work increase the vulnerability of the workers to hazards such as fire. All in all, Pinsky’s poem makes a powerful statement about the labor conditions and the labor relationships in the contemporary world.