1.

O Masters, Lords and Rulers in all lands, is this the handiwork you give to God, This monstrous
thing distorted and soul-quenched?
- This passage speaks about the chaos occurring amidst complex and orderly system of the
cosmos. It throws a question as to why authorities or leaders/rulers, despite being created
good, are transformed into exploitive, plundering and irrational beings. In other words, the
author expresses the oppression that exists between those who labor for their good and
those who above them.
2. Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans, upon his hoe and gazes on the ground, the
emptiness of ages in his face, And on his back the burden of the world.
- The author uses a figurative language to express how he (man from Millet’s World-famous
painting) represents all working-class people. It also expresses the how laborers are
burdened by their works. Carrying a work that pays less than what they deserve is definitely
an injustice.
3. Give back the upward looking and the light, rebuild in it the music and the dream; make right
the immemorial infamies, Perfidious wrongs, immedicable woes?
- The author pleads to strengthen the spirit of hope and the courage amongst laborers, that
despite the burden and obstructions they may be able to rise and overcome the oppression
by making rationally good decisions for a better result.
4. As a child of the “future”, how would you respond to the question, “How will the future reckon
with this man? Posed by the persona?
- The first step on how we can consider our workers/laborers is by believing that we can make
a difference by implementing rational and moral changes in the society. It all boils down to
good governance and building concrete justice system. By choosing good leaders today, we
can help create better opportunities and build a ladder to help laborers step up their game
for success.
5. Who do you think is the modern “man with the hoe”? How does the society treat them?
- Basically, this modern “man with the how” could be anyone; hand to mouth earners,
minimum wage earners, ordinary employees. The society is at fault that these working-class
people have become slaves of their work. The unsolicited opinions of those people in power
invalidating the hardships of our laborers also contributed to how low and insignificant the
laborers’ image has become. We should start changing our perception and learn to see the
value of hard work.