Verse 2 introduces Job’s voice. The poem moves from 3rd person to 1st person as verse 2 begins. Job says that it would take more than the harsh weather conditions to stop him from enjoying his life, ‘It needs more than the rain’s hearse’, this also gives an image of death by using the word ‘hearse’. Verse 2 shows a positive attitude towards life and that he is not miserable, ‘Miserable? Kick my arse!’ It shows that he thinks that it would take a lot more than the weather to drive him away from his work or make him miserable. The use of the metaphor ‘great perch of my laugh’ at the end of the second verse helps to support other evidence in the verse showing that he is happy and enjoys his life.
Verse 3 has a jaunt rhythm, which reflects on his life, as he lives an energetic life, the rhythm has a fast and energetic pace to show this. Job says that all he needs to survive his harsh life is food, ‘Paunch full of hot porridge’, although his life is hard he can get through it if he has food.
In verse 4 Job notices the beauty in the nature as he works outside so it is always surrounding him. ‘Mowing where the grass grew, Bearded with golden dew’, this shows that he notices the small details. Also the use of the word ‘golden’ suggests that he finds wealth in nature, as it is these things that he treasures.
In the last verse he begins with a rhetorical question and answers it. The last verse shows how he prefers the traditional way of farming without machinery, ‘Never mind the machine’. The first two lines rhyme but the last two don’t and are separate sentences to end the poem. The message of the poem is about working hard and doing what you enjoy despite the conditions that may have to be endured. The poet tries to show that food is all that is needed to get through life and that you will enjoy life if you enjoy your work. The poem is optimistic because the poet describes how the farmer lives his life to the full and enjoys every aspect of his life. He also makes the poem seem optimistic, as the farmer has nothing negative to say about his work and is always happy. He expresses that technology is destructive in the last verse, ‘Never mind the machine, whose fuel is human souls’. These lines show that he thinks that the traditional way of farming is more enjoyable as machinery runs on the souls of humans, showing that he prefers manual labour without the aid of technology. Job Davies’ individual life also stands for a more universal message about farming because it shows that if you are happy with what you do you should carry on. Job does not agree with using modern machinery and although he struggles he prefers the traditional way of farming. I feel that the wider message of the poem shows that if you enjoy your work and your life you should carry on even if there is suffering involved. I think that Job Davies has a strong character and is determined to continue working on his farm, which shows that he doesn’t give up and is enthusiastic.
‘Woman Work’ by Maya Angelou is about a black, American woman who works as a slave, she shows a very opposite view of work compared to Job. She has many jobs to do and does not enjoy her work or show any positive emotion towards it. The woman is constantly working and refers to the weather to take her away from her work. The poet begins verse 1 with a list of jobs to emphasise the large workload that she has to deal with. Verse 1 is the longest verse and lists the jobs that she has to do and although she has no desire to do the work she has no choice because she is a slave, She feels that her work is something that she is forced to do and she has no pleasure in doing it. She views her work as the focal point of her life and it is the first thing that she has to do so her work takes priority in her life. Her work is done from a sense of obligation, the list shows that it is a never ending struggle and a constant rapid chore. She does not gain any sense of satisfaction from working therefore she has no reward. The poet repeats the word ‘I’ in the list of jobs to how that she is alone in her work and that she has to do the work without any help, ‘I’ve got the shirts to press’. There are no full stops in the list, the structure reflects on what she does. It shows that she moves from one job to the next without a break and sees it as a constant chore. There are also rhyming couplets in the list, which helps to speed it up, showing that her work is constant and continuous. The rhythm here is used to different effect, it shows that her work is tiring whereas the similar rhythm in ‘Lore’ showed that Job was happy and found his work enjoyable.
In the next four verses the rhythm is slower as there is punctuation to slow the pace. The structure is different to the first verse as the other verses are much shorter. The punctuation affects the structure, as the lines are longer. There are no longer any rhyming couplets but alternate rhyme as the verses are shorter. I think that these changes are made to the poem when the poet begins to appeal for peace and a break from routine, which emphasises the long list if jobs that she has to do. The verses are made shorter to show the differences between her working life in verse 1 and what she hopes for in the next 4 verses. The rhythm is slowed down to show the contrast between her constant chores and the more relaxed lifestyle that’s he dreams of, giving the poem a dream-like quality. In the last 4 verses she dreams of being outdoors and asks violent weather to take her away, ‘Storm blow me from here’. She uses strong words such as ‘fiercest wind’, showing that she feels strongly about her situation.
She appeals to the different elements by asking them to take her away from her problems, she gains comfort from harsh weather, ‘Cover me with cold icy kisses and let e rest tonight’. The metaphor ‘cold icy kisses’ shows that she gains comfort and affection from the outdoors where she can escape from the pressure of her work. The woman craves relaxation as shown in the 4th verse, ‘Let me float across the sky ‘til I can rest again’ and it is shown again in the next verse, ‘Let me rest tonight’, which gives a sense of pleading and desperation. In the last verse she uses another list of natural elements and says ‘you’re all that I can call my own’. This tells us that she could be very poor and so does not have many possessions. She calls the ‘Sun, rain, curving sky, mountain, oceans leaf and stone’ her own but they don’t belong to anyone, showing that she has no hope in her life because she has nothing else that she calls her own as she is a slave and her work brings her no reward. I feel that there is a strong message about slavery and the woman has a poor quality of life. I feel sorry for the woman as she does not enjoy her work but she had to do the jobs because she is a slave. I think that the woman is treated unfairly as she has to do the work without any help.
The main theme of ‘Woman Work’ is slavery and how the slaves are forced to work. The woman in the poem hates her work and can only find comfort in the weather when she is outside. 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.
