Edwin Markham, "The Man with the Hoe" Signed

Description

Edwin Markham (1852–1940)
signed poem
, "
The Man with the Hoe
" which created a profound sensation. It is a sermon addressed to the heart, and its lesson is not limited to any nation race or clime. It voices humanity's protest against inhuman greed. There is a majestic sweep to the argument, and some of the lines pierce like arrows: It was called "the supreme poem of the century" in 1899, and was inspired by Millet's famous painting of the same name. In addition, an image of the
"Man with the Hoe"
by Jean-Francois Millet which caused a storm of controversy in 1863.
Edwin Markham (1852–1940) once internationally famous as the author of the poem "The Man with the Hoe," Markham was a popular American literary figure during the first half of the twentieth century whose works espoused progressive social and spiritual beliefs. In contrast to the experimentalism and pessimism that generally characterized poetry of this era, Markham's quatrains, sonnets, and heroic verse celebrate peace, love, and socialist utopian reform. In a 1902 essay in the
Comrade,
Leonard D. Abbot proclaimed that "
Markham, more than any other poet in the English language, can claim the honor of being the Bard of Labor—the true product of the last great movement that is destined to shake the world."