Analysis of Lore and Cynddylan on a Tractor - 2918 Words

Ronald Stuart Thomas was a Welsh poet and Anglican Clergyman who lived from 1913 to 2000. He spent all of his life in small farming communities in isolated parts of Wales. He didnt care for the modern world, but instead believed in living a traditional life. After reading these two poems, it becomes apparent that R.S Thomas views on the developing technological world and the traditional ways influenced his poetic work greatly. He was very concerned about the environment, and this idea is clearly stated in the poem Lore, especially were he says: ?What to do? Stay Green, Never mind the machine,? I think that these lines, clearer than any of the other lines in Lore or Cynddylan on a Tractor, sum up R.S Thomas beliefs on the†¦show more content†¦There is also a buried rhyme in the last two words in each of the two lines, although, on first hearing the poem the way it was intended to be read (enjambment), I didn?t notice the rhyme. ?After the slow poison And treachery of the seasons.? Again, I think these lines refer to the harsh life that Job has lived, but this time, I think that R.S Thomas is trying to say that instead of living, we are all really just slowly dying, that the time that we spend alive, is also the time that is edging us closer to death. The metaphor ?treachery of the seasons? is again referring to how time passing, is, in a sense, killing you. ?Miserable? Kick my arse! It needs more than the rain?s hearse,? The first part of this quotation is a rhetorical question, and it sounds much more light-hearted and joking compared to the sobering previous two lines. It also radiates a sense of defiance and obstinacy towards the very idea of his life being miserable. ?It needs more than the rain?s hearse,? again, this is a pretty serious metaphor, quite a contrast to the previous line. Arse and hearse is an eye rhyme, but I think it is quite strange that R.S Thomas would choose to link these two words together, considering the difference in tone, the word arse is said in quite a humorous sort of way, which is very different from hearse, which is of course connected to death. ?Wind-drawn, to pull me off The great