Reapers in a mieliefield
What are the labourers doing?
They are harvesting corn and milies to make place for the new harvest.
What equipment do they have?
They have brags tied around their waist and tractors with trailers to carry the full bags.
Describe the weather conditions.
It is very hot and "Faces furrowed with sweat" indicates that there is an exreme heat the workers.
What do they drink when they are thirsty?
They drink malty maheu.
Identify the peotic devices used in stanz 4. Discuss how it contrinutes to your understanding of the labourers working conditions.
Alliteration. This shows how painful and intense the sun is lie its physically hitting the workers.
Refer to lines 10-13: Explain how the alliteration and simile paint a clear picture of the 'boss'.
The boos is a smoker that is extremely concerned with the harvest, he is a overconcerned man and he is observant over his grain, showing his concern for his harvest/ income.
Explain the effectiveness of the personification in lines 17-19.
The sun is described like a person wipping them. This shows how painful or punishing the heat feels making their jobs harder.
Refer to lines 25-26: Identify the figures of speech and how they illustrate the effect o the break that the labourers have taken.
The simile compares the woman to lively horses showing they are full of energy after the break.
In your opinion does the poet succeed in conveying the extreme working conditions of the workers? Give a reason for your answer by refering closely to the text.
Yes, the poet does. The line" The sun lashes the workers with a red-hot rod" effectively conveys the harsh and intense heat, with "faces furrowed and wet with sweat" highlights the phsical toll of the labour. This vivid imagery creats a strong sense of the worjers struggle.
Describe the mood of the poem by referring closely to the diction.
The mood is one of harsh realism and struggle. The diction used, such as "lashes", "red-hot rod"and "furrowed and wet with sweat" creates a sense of intensity and hardship.
Identify the sound devices in the following contexts:
wet with sweat
Alliteration
Rustling
Onomatopoeia
Loaded by thick limbed labourers
Alliteration
Brine-bathod brow
Alliteration
Battered cans/bubbling with malty maheu
Alliteration/Onomatopoeia