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

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 ... ...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.