Lore, by R.S Thomas, and Woman Work, by Maya Angelou, are very different, but also very similar poems. They both deal with life and work, and therefore indicate the poets' attitude towards these issues.

Lore is based on the life and work of an octogenarian Welsh hill farmer, called Job Davies, in comparison to Woman Work, which deals with a young, unnamed, Afro-American woman, was possibly enslaved and lives in the Southern States of America.

The sexes of the two poets, as well as their characters in the poems, are of major importance. The fact that Thomas uses a man as his protagonist reveals a very stereotypic attitude towards work. Thomas possibly believes that muscular strength is a solely masculine characteristic, and therefore does not mention the existence of a wife or daughter, although it is possible that Job was never married. Angelou, clearly influenced by her...