On August 16, 1819, a crowd of men, women, and children, numbering sixty thousand, gathered on St. Peter's Field in Manchester, England, to protest for political representation. Organizers had been planning the pro-democracy, anti-poverty protest for months. The aim of the protest was to influence political change through the peacefully display numerical strength and discipline. However, during the protest, military personnel were tasked with arresting one of the protest's speakers and dispersing the unarmed crowd. In a highly overaggressive manner, the local militiamen entered the crowd on horseback wielding their weapons. In the chaos, eleven people were killed and hundreds seriously injured. The events became known as the Peterloo Massacre. As an opposite to the heroism at the battle of Waterloo, the name of the event intended to mock soldiers for the unwarranted killing of peaceful protesters.
At the time, Percy Bysshe Shelley was living in Italy. Shelley, an advocate for peaceful demonstration, was furious when he received news of the massacre. In response to the atrocities that took place in his native land, Shelley wrote "The Mask of Anarchy". The poem uses vivid imagery and unsettling language to expose the brutality and ugliness of the British government, and call for solidarity among protesters. The protest poem also served not as a call for violent revolution, but for continued peaceful demonstration. Shelley believed that true reform could only be achieved through peaceful means. Years later, a bill reforming parliament was passed. And this poem, along with other writings by Shelley, have been and continue to be used by advocates of civil disobedience. Works Cited "The Peterloo Massacre." The Peterloo Massacre, Campaign for a Fitting Memorial to the Martyrs of Democracy. Web. <http://www.peterloomassacre.org/index.html>. Lynch, Diedre Shauna and Jack Stillinger. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. D. New York & London: W.W. Norton, 2012. 779-789. Print. |