HERER.S. THOMAS

R.S. THOMAS

29 March 1913 – 25 September 2000

BIOGRAPHY

Ronald Stuart Thomas (29 March 1913 – 25 September 2000) (published as R. S. Thomas) was a Welsh poet and Anglican clergyman. R. S. Thomas was born in Cardiff, the only child of Thomas Hubert and Margaret (née Davis).

He was awarded a bursary in 1932 to study at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, where he read Classics.In 1936, having completed his theological training at St. Michael's College, Llandaff, he was ordained as a priest in the Church in Wales. From 1936 to 1940 he was the curate of Chirk, Denbighshire, where he met his future wife, Mildred (Elsi) Eldridge, an English artist.He lived during WWI and WWIIWas a vicar at St Hywyns church, from 1967 to 1978

In 1996, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature

Thomas believed in what he called "the true Wales of my imagination," a Welsh-speaking, aboriginal community that was in tune with the natural world. He viewed western (specifically English) materialism and greed as the destroyers of community.

STANZA 1

I am a man now. Pass your hand over my brow. You can feel the place where the brains grow.

• “I am a man now.” is a short simple sentence, this shows the brutal and brief nature of war and violence. Establishes a sharp tone and atmosphere

• It also implies that, as he is going to war he is no longer considered a boy – but “a man”

• the phrase “the brains grow” implies that he is growing in knowledge and understanding of the world as he is exposed to the violence of war

STANZA 2

I am like a tree, From my top boughs I can see The footprints that led up to me.

• The simile “I am like a tree” is also a short and brief phrase, reinforcing the previously mentioned points

• The narrator links himself to a tree (nature imagery), and says that he can see “The footprints that led up to me.”

• These are a metaphor for the past events in his life which led him to be who he is now.

• This establishes a reflective tone – he is reflecting on his past (possibly as a response to a near-death experience)

STANZA 3

There is blood in my veins That has run clear of the stain Contracted in so many loins.

• “blood” is war imagery• “the stain” is a metaphor for the prejudices and negative emotions which lead

to war. • The fact that this “stain” is carried in the “veins” as “blood” shows that it is

passed down from generation to generation• However, the narrator has “run clear” of this – he has broken free of the

hereditary prejudices leading to violence.• The word “Contracted” has many negative connotations – we ‘contract’ a

disease or illness

STANZA 4

Why, then, are my hands red With the blood of so many dead? Is this where I was misled?

• Rhetorical question – “Why, then, are my hands red/With the blood of so many dead?”

• The narrator questions – if he has escaped from the violence-seeking prejudices of his ancestors, why is he at war, killing people?

• He concludes that he has been “misled” – forced or tricked into war.

• More war imagery is seen – “red”, “blood”, “dead”• The phrase “hands red” brings connotations of guilt and blame

STANZA 5

Why are my hands this way That they will not do as I say? Does no God hear when I pray?

• Parallel structure to Stanza Four – he is still in the questioning phase

• Here, he questions why his hands “will not do as I say” – his hands being a symbol for his entire self.

• This reinforces the idea that he has been forced or coerced into war

• The final line “Does no God hear when I pray?” shows his desperation – he prays not only to one god, but many.

STANZA 6

I have no where to go The swift satellites show The clock of my whole being is slow,

• The sense of desperation increases, as the narrator now openly admits he is trapped – “I have nowhere to go.”, another short sentence showing brutality.

• Sibilance in the next line (“swift satellites”), brings in a sinister and lingering tone, and shows how he is constantly being watched, and consequently cannot escape.

• Onomatopoeic effect in the next line enforces the ‘slow motion’ of his life – repetition of the long ‘o’ sound in “the clock of my whole being is slow”.

• This metaphor of him being a clock also has many ramifications – his life becomes predictable and controlled, not unique in any way.

• This stanza has parallel structure with the initial stanza

STANZA 7

It is too late to start For destinations not of the heart. I must stay here with my hurt.

• The stanza starts with him admitting “it’s too late to start/For destinations not of the heart”, meaning that it’s too late to intellectualise or think rationally – only violence, war, and prejudices remain

• The poem ends on a decidedly melancholy tone – “I must stay here with my hurt”, showing that he truly is trapped in war, and cannot get out.

GENERAL ANALYSIS

• the regular structure and rhyme scheme (AAA BBB CCC etc.) shows the unstoppable march of the war

• the poem moves from him being a new recruit (“I am a man now”) to being a hardened veteran, familiar with the tragedy of war (“I must stay here with my hurt”)

CRITIQUES

Recognized as one of the leading poets of modern Wales, R. S. Thomas writes about the people of his country in a style that some critics have compared to that nation's harsh and rugged terrain. Using few of the common poetic devices, Thomas's work exhibits what Alan Brownjohn of the New Statesman calls a "cold, telling purity of language." James F. Knapp of Twentieth Century Literature explains that "the poetic world which emerges from the verse of R. S. Thomas is a world of lonely Welsh farms and of the farmers who endure the harshness of their hill country. The vision is realistic and merciless." Despite the often grim nature of his subject matter, Thomas's poems are ultimately life-affirming. "What I'm after," John Mole of Phoenix quotes Thomas explaining, "is to demonstrate that man is spiritual." As Louis Sasso remarks in Library Journal, "Thomas's poems are sturdy, worldly creations filled with compassion, love, doubt, and irony. They make one feel joy in being part of the human race."

RELEVANCE

• There are a lot of references towards war, in our time-we are also embraced with war

• Poem also has a lot of references towards Jesus, and how he was bought into the world, and how he was crucified. Also references to prayers.

• The only time he mentions technology is in the 6th stanza, and is described as “my whole being is slow”

QUESTIONS

• Form and structure • How many stanzas does this poem contain? • What is the effect of parallel structure?• What do the length of the lines symbolize

• Language• Identify at least 5 language devices• Alliteration, Metaphor, simile, negative or positives connotations and repetition.• Explain the effects that each of these devices have on the reader

• Imagery• Look for words that create effective and memorable images within the reader’s mind• Do these connect with other ideas or highlight themes?• Explain effect on reader

QUESTIONS

• Repetition, rhyme and rhythm• What is the rhyme scheme• Why does this poet specifically use this rhyme scheme• Does it create a marching rhythm?• What is the effect of repetition? Where is it used? Does it reinforce main ideas or emphasizes a

certain point?

• Tone and poet’s bio• How does the poet convey his main ideas of the poem across to the reader?• What feelings are evident in this poem?• In partnership with vocabulary, how does this technique assist the reader to gain more understanding

of the poet’s attitudes towards war?

• Y- compare• What other poems can be compared to this one?• Do any other poems have similar ideas or opinions about war?