Tj Kiefer

Mueller AP

Literature and Composition

2/10/09

“Woman Work”

The attitude in “Woman Work” is quite apparent. It gives off the same feelings and attitudes we all have when it comes to work or something we dislike but know we have to do. There is the immediate attitude of disgust and hatred followed by the over-embellished thoughts of the relief and rest that comes after doing hard work.

The first stanza is where the teller remarks on all of the chores she has to do throughout the day, in almost a list format. Every line has another chore and it seems like there is no rest or break in the middle, she just goes from one task to another. Each line is end stopped which shows that each task is separate and just continually goes into the next after the previous task is complete. Unlike other women during this time period, which seems like a Southern setting due to the cotton and cane referenced, she does not stay contained in the house. Her work takes her outside to do tasks which initially seem to be men’s chores, like picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. This could imply that she is a single mother, which would make her life more stressful and the completion of her jobs even more important. You can feel her growing tired and more weary after each line.

Finally she completes her tasks as the second stanza begins, and she starts to call on nature for relief, as shown in lines like “Fall softly, dewdrops And cool my brow again.” This gives a very refreshing image of a cool mist which is one of the greatest feelings after working hard in the sun. It also has traces of Romantic literature because of all the references to nature and how it helps a person who is tired from working long hours doing chores. Another change in the poem is that the lines in the second through fourth stanzas are now enjambed, instead of end stopped. This ends the “laundry list” feel of the first stanza and helps provide the imagery of the nature references. She also uses apostrophe in the final stanzas, literally calling on nature to aid her, as if the sun and the snowflakes could hear her and come to her help. This shows a sort of delusional state that she is in after all of her hard work and amplifies her need for rest.

The attitude changes from the beginning of the poem and the rest of the poem. The first stanza is much different from stanzas two through four to be exact. The first stanza gives an attitude of dread and determination, shown by the seemingly endless list of chores and how important it is that they are all completed. The second through fourth stanzas provide and attitude of longing for relief and rest, which the teller believes will come from nature, as shown by all of the references to nature and how they can aid a tired person.