Character Building With Work

1517 Words7 Pages
‘The Best Writing about work asserts that it is character building.’ Using Padraic Colum’s A Drover as a starting point, compare and contrast with how poets present work in least one other poem, in light of this statement. 40 marks- 45 minutes Character building normally arises in work ‘A Drover’ by Padraic Colum shows how the job the he does has helped build his character and made him appreciate the work he does. This is contrasted with ‘The Buffalo Skinners’ which is written by an unknown poet. The poem shows a negative outlook on work and how instead of building his character it changes him as a person. Both poems use a range of techniques to give an insight into their working life and the effect it had on their lives. One way in which ‘The Drover’ shows the way that his job has shaped the person he is today is through the way he describes his relationship with his animals. In the beginning of the poem his close relationship with the beasts is clear through, “Go my cattle and me”, which shows how both he and his cattle live, strive and work together. Through this you can see how his job has allowed him to make relationships with the most unlikely of things. It shows the simplicity of his relationships with the animals he has to work with. Another subject matter is his perseverance to get the job done. The poem tells of his hardship and the circumstances he has to go through to get the job done, “wet, winding roads”, which highlights his ability to withstand the harsh conditions through his work which also allows the audience to see how his work has allowed him to handle most things other people could not. It also shows how he does not complain about this as in the poem it is not said in a tone which comes across as overly negative. The subject matter is a key way in which the poet shows how he has become a better, stronger person through his working life.
Open Document