In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas.

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In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas.

Both Angelou and Thomas expLore and present their ideas in very different and contrasting ways. Through out the two poems it is easy to gain knowledge into the poet's backgrounds and beliefs. The two poems are connected by the obvious theme of work, which both poems are clearly passionate about. However the way in which they do work or view it is very different.

Primarily culture defines a person's origin, beliefs, actions and reactions to certain situations. I will begin by looking at Maya Angelou's background. She was born in st Louis on April 4 1928 as Marguerite Johnson. She lived in a black segregated community in Arkansas with her grandmother and brother until the age of eight. Her grandmother was a hard worker. She ran a general store and the home, brought up the children and looked after her crippled son. Members of the white community however often spoke down to her grandmother. At 8 Maya moved to live with her mother in St Louis, Illinois. Her mother was also a hard worker in clubs and enjoyed the high life. At 8 Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend She became mute until she was 13. Maya herself worked hard in her teens as a cook, waitress and brought up her son, born when she was 16. She had many occupations over the years as a poet, writer, scriptwriter and director. So Maya Angelou's formative years were spent with strong hardworking women. She experienced prejudice throughout her young life, which could explain why she seems to want to be white "cover me with white" this shows puracy and wanting to be white because generally they had more rights and an easier seeming life. Being white equalled having privileges. Maya Angelou's poetry generally shows a lot of emotions. Like her wanting to rest, practically pleading to the reader, when she has a real need to be white in order to gain privileges and Maya Angelou has nothing to call her own, "Sun, rain, curving sky Mountain, ocean, leaf and stone Star shine, moon glow You're all that I can call my own". Maya Angelou does such a long list of work daily yet; she has nothing of her own to show for it, no possessions, nothing. So instead of getting depressed because she has nothing. She is instead positive and says look I own all of this (environment) what more could I want.

R.S Thomas's background however is drastically different, which may explain why the same topics are covered in both poems but why the views on these topics are so contrasting. He had a very religious background. Thomas was born in Cardiff in 1913.his full name is Ronald Stuart Thomas (characteristically strong welsh names). He Spoke the traditional welsh language, was ordained, became a curate, then a rector in the church. He was alienated from much of welsh country life, because of his position in the clergy.. He constantly remained concerned about the hard- working farmers and farm labourers of Wales, renowned for his suspicion of solace although he was unmarried. His poetry is uncompromising: images like slate - hard and sharp: his style - spare, unflinching, honest.

In both poems the characters are symbolic of different people. In the poem Lore Job Davies is a symbolic character of most welsh farmers, who are solitary and really gain pleasure out of hard manual labour. In Woman work even though Maya Angelou is speaking in the first person (I), however she is speaking really as her grandmother and all the other hard working women she has come across in her past, she seems to be speaking out for them and writing about their experiences and troubles.

Maya Angelou's poem conveys a sense of the tedium of her work. For her it is difficult, tiring and tedious. The message of this poem is to communicate that a woman can't continue the hard work she is doing, she hasn't got the strength and she is physically exhausted and mentally worn out. She dreams of having a rest and having a better life for herself, she is standing up for her rights as a human being. She is not some ongoing machine. She wants others to take a break and dream of a better life in order to keep going and to reach their 'perfect life'.

She is expressing her views in relation to her hard work and her dreaming which sustain her to continue her daily grind.

It gives the reader a deeper understanding to how when you have nothing else you can call the environment yours and this too will help you persevere; "star shine, moon glow you're all that I can call my own". Maya Angelou is relying on the environment for strength and something to lean on and call you own something worth going on for.

R.S Thomas however has a very contrasting view to Maya Angelou's concerning work and dreams. His poem Lore conveys a sense of pride that he has in his work; "it needs more than the rains hearse, wind drawn, to pull me off". It conveys to the reader Job Davies traditional views about life, work and dreams. This poem is about how hard work, can make you livelonger, and feel happier. This hard graft benefits your health and fitness. Thomas's spiritual background makes him believe that you have to be strong minded and willed he believes in a very strong work ethic he gets this strength from his religious background and from being in tune with the natural environment around him. He communicates to the reader that inner stability and spiritual well being comes from good hard work and the environment. He expresses his feelings about how hard work is the only way to succeed in life .he believes dreams don't get you anywhere in life you should instead "live large, man, and dream small". He thinks that there is no room for dreams, they don't pay the bills or create happiness, and you should live to work and work to live. He gives the reader a deeper understanding about how a scheduled life of solid work is the way forward and the way to progress onto a life of fulfilment or happiness.

Maya Angelou's poem is written to give women who live a hectic life of work, like her some hope of a better life. She is mainly writing to under privileged black women, so that they know there are others out there, she may want the readers to provide her with sympathy and understanding. you have to dream of a better life in order to continue, this is the message Maya Angelou sends out to the reader. She understands what they are going through, being a slave to the family, with the children to look after and the husband not helping at all; "I've got the children to tend", "the tots to dress", "the baby to dry". She never once mentions any other help from a husband or other adult, which makes me conclude that there is one but doesn't help out or she is a single mother. She seems quite lonely. We can see this by the fact that she only mentions her children; she may want someone to talk to her or help her with all her work. Maya Angelou's poem could have been directed at her grandmother who cared for her until she was eight, she might be trying to say that she understands what she went through and how her grandmothers dreams kept her going. And from this experience she knows how valuable dreams can be so she want to enrich other peoples lives by telling them how valuable dreams are when you have nothing else to latch onto. Maya Angelou makes me automatically feel involved because she lists all her chores to do which everyone can relate to that someone they know do. I want to go and talk to this woman. She seems so helpless, lonely and in need of a rest and some help; "let me rest tonight" she seems to be asking, pleading for help. Because I can relate to the chores and never ending work she has to do. The cultural difference isn't a barrier whatsoever. I can easily relate to the ideas and themes of loneliness, never ending work, helplessness and dreaming being the way to progress because it gives you hope.
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R.S Thomas is targeting his poem for people who dream too much and fail to make any progress because of it. He is trying to change people's viewpoints in general to match his. He is talking generally to all people because he gives a general message at the end of his poem, wanting them to know "live large, man, and dream small". Unfortunately I don't think that this message will really hit people because the poem Lore makes me keep at a distance and I don't feel involved in it. I can't really relate to anything he is ...

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