Examine closely Lore by R.S Thomas and Woman Work by Maya Angelou.

Examine closely Lore by R.S Thomas and Woman Work by Maya Angelou.

How do the poets show their attitude to life and work in their

writing?

The poems ‘Lore’ by R.S Thomas and ‘Woman Work’ by Maya Angelou are

poems about the working life of two very different people.

The poem ‘Lore’ is about a Welsh farmer who enjoys his work and

prefers the traditional way of farming. He works hard and has been

farming for most of his life, he works for himself. The poem is also

written by a Welsh farmer and this voice is used in the poem.

‘Woman Work’ is about a black American slave, she however does not

enjoy her work; she gains nothing from it and longs to be free from

her work so she can enjoy more important things in her life. Although

she hates her work she still works hard, she does not work for herself

as she is a slave, her work is a strong contrast to Job’s.

‘Lore’ by R.S Thomas is about a Welsh farmer. Verse one describes the

hard life of the farmer, Job, and the effects that the harsh weather

has had on his life. Despite the hard life he has endured, Job Davies

is still cheerful and enjoys his work because he has been doing it for

eighty-five years. The weather is described as ‘slow poison’, which

shows that it is having effects on his life and although he is still

alive it is making his life hard. Job’s age is measured by the number

of winters he has lived through, ‘eighty-five winters old’, he has

lived through harsh seasons and has suffered but he is still doing the

work that he enjoys. This image of Job shows that he is enthusiastic

about his work and is determined to continue. The name ‘Job’ suggests

that he is similar to the character from the bible who is tested and

has suffering in his life but ...

... middle of paper ...

...side. She longs to be free as

she asks the violent weather to take her away and like Job she finds

comfort in nature. ‘Lore’ is about a Welsh farmer who enjoys his work,

shown by the long period of time that he has been doing the same job.

The main theme in this poem is farming, traditional farming in

particular as Job Davies is against the use if machinery. The port of

‘Woman Work’ shows a negative attitude towards work and life as she

emphasises the large workload and says how she turns to the weather

for comfort and affection. The poet of ‘Lore’ shows a positive

attitude towards his work and Job clearly enjoys what he does. The

poet shows that all Job needs to survive is food, he also shows that

Job enjoys his life and he also has been affected by the weather but

despite the harsh conditions he carries on. The reasons that they work

are very different.