EYO 10 ENGLISH CONFLICT AND POWER POEMS + PEOM TECHNIQUES

Ozymandias

George III reigned during the time the poem was written, and was generally disliked. George III has been seen historically as a tyrant. The poem engages in these issues of power and conflict through the discussion of a huge statue in the desert, which is of Ozymandias.

The poem concerns the discovery of a semi-destroyed and decaying statue of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, and shows how power deteriorates and will not last forever.

"I met a traveller"

2 views

1-Shelley detaches himself from the story as this is just a story he's being told. He's clearly saying that this isn't an attack on the British monarchy and their abuse of power. However, it clearly is a thinly veiled attack.

2-Shelley shows he hasn't even seen the statue himself which emphasises how unimportant Ozymandias is.

"Of that colossal wreck"

The ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing time and nature.

"hand that mocked them"

2 views

1-"Mock" means to ridicule something. The sculptor may be mocking Ozymandias or the other way round.

2-This is the more literal view which is the sculptor is making the statue since "mock" also means to create something.

"sands stretch far away"

1-Sibilance emphasises the feeling of empty space in the dessert.

2-The desert is a piece of nature and is vast and powerful and survives far longer than the insignificant statue.

3-This tells us 2 things: power is transient and nature and time are far more important than human power.

Context: The strong view that nature is powerful is because Shelley is a Romantic Poet. The Romantics also dislike monarchies and absolute power.

'Sneer of cold command'

-possibly shows the arrogance and anger of Ozymandius

- Shows that Rameses 2 has lost all control of his reputation through the power of time

'boundless and bare'

- shows the unlimited power of nature, and how with just a few years all of someones legacy can be destroyed

'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains.'

- Irony - he tells others to despair at his great works, however in the end he is the one despairing as his works are destroyed by time

- Time also undermines him

- He sounds crazed by power

‘antique land‘

- once used to habit people and crops but now is lifeless

- place from the past

London

London, as a city, was swiftly progressing in the industry. Blake was critical of the industrial revolution, and expressed the transformation of the city as he experienced it in the poem, thereby justifying its place in the collection Songs of Experience.

"Chartered"

William Blake repeats the word ... throughout the first two lines of the poem to show that the Thames and the streets are owned by the rich - he displays a bitterness towards this idea.

"Marks of weakness, marks of woe."

The quote ... shows what William Blake has seen. The alliteration is used to show the desperate lives of the poor in London, and how there is no hope.

"In every cry of every man, In every infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban,"

Again William Blake uses alliteration with the quote... This is used to highlight how poverty effects all ages and "every" emphasises a community, or a society.

"The mind-forged manacles I hear."

William Blake uses a metaphor in the quote ... This is used to highlight how the poor have no escape out of poverty,as they are stuck/trapped in this way of life.

"Every black'ning church appalls,"

At this point in the poem, Blake's message can be seen. He has a problem with religion as the quote ... shows that the church is not using it's power to help the poor, even though it should.

The church is corrupt.

"And the hapless soldier's sigh, Runs in blood down palace walls."

Blake's message can be seen again in the quote... He is bitter at the monarchy for not helping the poor, as they don't even help their own soldiers, who die for them, even though they have enough money to stop it.

"How the youthful harlot's curse, Blasts the new-born infants tear,"

William Blake makes this quote very powerful. The quote ... shows how poverty is a never-ending cycle - the prostitute, a symbol for desperation, would give birth to a child who is born into poverty, and will not get out of it.

"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse."

The last line in London has bleak indications. The quote ... shows that the future (marriage) is in danger of death (hearse)

Warning

William Blake's London was made to be a .... for the future, because if these problems are not solved, the problem will get worse.

Alternate

London has a ... rhyme scheme, maybe to show the ongoing cycle of London life.

My last Duchess

The poem is set in Renaissance Italy and is narrated by the Duke of Ferrara, who is showing a painting of his late wife, the Duchess, to a visitor. Through the Duke's speech, the reader learns about the Duchess's personality and behaviour, as well as the Duke's own character flaws.

“That's my last Duchess”

Possessive pronoun shows his power.
Portrays the Duke as a collector of wives
No fear of repercussions for his crime - happily shows the painting to the envoy.

“Painted on the wall“

Symbol of the Duke's controlling nature.
The Duchess will remain in his house forever - she is trapped & obectified.

“Will't please you sit and look at her?“

The Duke wants the envoy to admire his wife as if she were a caged animal - reinforces his objectification of & power over her
Emphasises her entrapment.

“(Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I)“

The parenthesis mimics the curtains - he relishes the control he has over her.
Controls who can look at her - emphasises his possessive, psychopathic nature.

“Called that spot of joy into the Duchess' cheek“

She blushes - depicted as a blemish, which conveys that the Duke thinks it ruins her pure beauty
Almost like a command - perhaps his power has been threatened.
Repetition emphasises his jealous nature & paranoia - projects his own distorted vision of the Duchess onto the listener.

“Half-flush that dies along her throat“

Fricative sounds.
Foreshadows the Duchess' death by poisoning or asphyxiation.

“She had a heart... too soon made glad, too easily impressed“

Reproaches the Duchess for her kind, coquettish nature.
Jealous that she is being courteous towards other men & not just him.

“She looked on and her looks went everywhere“

Hyperbole - paranoid that she has a wandering eye.
The Duchess' only crime was enjoying life & not respecting the Duke's rank

“The dropping of the daylight in the West“

Plosives create the Duke's scornful tone.
Sunset mirrors the drop in her innocence & so alluding to her infidelity.

“She thanked men“

Ambiguity of how she thanked them makes the Duke paranoid - leads to suspicions about her infidelity & irrational jealousy.

“As if she ranked my nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's gift“

Angry that she doesn't value his wealth & status
Doesn't think she appreciates him enough.
His criminal psyche is conterminous with his male aristocratic power.
Undisguised arrogance & pride.

“E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose never to stoop.“

Elongated assonance creates an irate tone
Caesura emphasises his obstinacy.
He will never lower himself to the Duchess' level - arrogance.

“Who passed without much the same smile?“

Rhetorical question.
Strong sense of jealousy - the Duke wants to be special & because he isn't, he grows angry.

“This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together“

Fragmented speech heightens tension - chilling & frightening.
The ambiguity of his actions makes them more unsettling
Suggests all-consuming irrational jealousy got the better of him.
His power has no limit - he has the ability to kill & feels no emotional reaction.
Violence is implied - all the more chilling.

“Your master's known munificence“

The Duke is motivated by wealth & status.

“His fair daughter's self“

Dehumanisation & objectification of his next wife
Reinforces that he doesn't truly care for his wives - he's only after the money & reputation.

“Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse“

Likens himself to the Roman God - emphasises his arrogance as he sees his power as all-conquering.
Seahorses symbolise femininity - suggests that this image alludes to how he controls the Duchess.

“Cast in bronze for me“

Cyclical structure.
The poem begins & ends with the Duke talking about himself.
Emphasises his hubris & arrogance.

Rhyme & rhythm

Heroic, rhyming couplets create a well-controlled speech.
Reinforces how the Duke likes to have power & control over everything.
Couplets are usually associated with love which emphasises the Duke's love for control.

Language

Sophistication of his syntax & elevated diction reflects his feelings of superiority.
Calm & reasoned style emphasises his psychopathic tendencies - no emotional connection to the death of his wife.

Form & structure

Heroic couplets, enjambment, controlled asides & deliberated digressions capture the pattern of natural speech to convey the Duke as a calm, collected figure
Juxtaposes his psychopathic, domineering nature.

Storm on the Island

Heaney has authored a poem about a community of islanders who are preparing for a storm, investigating the battle of nature vs man. It centres on their experience of the storm, and how they appear to get them regularly, and then how this impacts life on the island as they wait inside for it to pass.

"We are prepared: we build our houses squat"

"prepared" suggests that his community is accustomed to the barrage from the seas or metaphorically the barrage of bombs. It conveys irony compared to the end of the poem, "We" also communicates this idea of a communal spirit.
Caesura is used with the colon, suggesting a hubris with their statement. The shortness of this statement creates a profound effect.
the solidity of the iambic pentameter connotes that the buildings are structurally sound.
"squat" has connotations that the houses don't belong to the community, as if they are squatters invading property of the storm. Historically it could refer to the integration of the British in Ireland.

"We are prepared" "It is a huge nothing that we fear"

The first line gives us an impression of safety but we find out that at the end the humans can't compete with nature.

There is nothing the islanders can do to stop the storms, the thing they fear is nothing solid that they can change, they just have to withstand the storms.

"Exploding comfortably"

Oxymoron

Juxtaposes ideas of fear and safety, presents the idea that humans can't combat the storm but can hide from it in their houses.

Reinstates ideas that the power of humans is insignificant when compared to nature.

Oxymoron, "Exploding" is a usage of visceral imagery contrasting with "comfortably", the poet is suggesting that because the violence is far off you feel more secure. Possibly used ironically to express to show how the rough waves are comfortable in this time of need.

The repetitive "c" sound creates a rhythmic tone that is broken by the plosive sounding "exploding", portraying the power of nature.

"Blast" "Pummels"

Plosive, forceful sounds emphasise the power of nature.

"Bombarded by the empty air"

Words from the lexical field of war makes the island seem like a battlefield. Emphasises the danger of the storm.

the verb "bombarded" links to the military semantic field, referring to air-strikes. Could be the overwhelming emotions that the people suffer from the political conflict.

being hit with "empty air" is a metaphor and reinforces this theme of numb nothingness

"The very windows, spits like a tame cat / turned savage"

Shows that even familiar things can turn violent and scary during these storms.

"turned savage" conveys the idea that something seemingly innocent could turn into something deadly, a metaphor for the power of nature.

The simile uses the noun "cat". Cats are presenting in media as creatures of suspicion, viciousness, 9 lives representing the continuity of the storm.

"The very windows" could be a political metaphor that politicians can block out the views of the public.

alliteration of the "t" sound replicates a spitting sound.

"Space is a salvo"

2 semantic fields are used.
"Space", "empty air", "nothing" hint at the conflict being unfathomable and unnecessary

"Salvo" is a rapid fire of artillery and is used as a metaphor for the violence of Ireland. It is used in the semantic field of military terminology.

Not to mention the sibilant letter "s" imitating the hissing artillery or the sound of lightning about to strike.
The phrase is also oxymoronic, "Space" suggests a sense of nothingness whilst a "Salvo" is constant barrage of fire.

"Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear."

The oxymoronic phrase "huge nothing" after the caesural comma is a powerful incomprehensible thought to be left with. Suggests a power that cannot be spotted and sorted out.
The phrase is also made ambiguous. What is the huge nothing? Could it refer to the mutual suspicion and nebulous ideals of historical identity and loyalty, or the groundless hostility between the two communities.
The adjective "Strange" is the thought that we are left to ponder after the caesura. It allows Heaney to highlight the significance of nature and human conflict.

"you know what I mean - leaves and branches / Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale"

The colloquial tag of "you know what I mean" reinforces the relationship between the reader and the poet. It is used after the dramatic climax of the poem being separated by a semi-colon

Choruses in songs often repeat, symbolising the repetition of the storm to the community, could be perceived as a warning or a distraction. The "tragic chorus" can be linked to ancient Greek tragedies where they would comment on the plot.

"So you can listen to the thing you fear / Forgetting it pummels your house too."

Heaney could be criticising the people of Northern Ireland for being politically ignorant and not helping improve the national situation. Heaney switches from "we" to "you" and "your", suggesting he is separating himself, isolating you, directly addressing your situation.

The quote is on line 10, which could be a subliminal message to No. 10 Downing Street to treat the people of Northern Ireland better.

"pummels" could be a metaphor for the political violence in Northern Ireland.

"Nor are there trees / Which might prove company"

The noun "company" is part of the collective language that Heaney used. This poem however centres around one person's peace of mind, suggesting that everyone's struggle is different and there is clear solidarity.

This collective nature is conveyed through the personification of the "trees". The word "might" conveys insecurity in the concept of nature. "trees" are connoted to provide shelter.

We just sit tight while wind dives / And strafes invisibly.

When a plane "strafes" it is shooting downwards at a high speed, meaning that it is indiscriminate whoever you are shooting. The adverb "invisibly" conveys that the victims of the strafe are unaware and aren't able to escape. The wind is personified
The verb "sit" conveys an unbothered attitude to the weather, representing how normalised conflict is in Ireland.

What is the Form/Structure of Storm on the Island?

Iambic pentameter is used to reflect a conversational tone,
Rhyme scheme is inconsistent, reflecting how order can't be enforced on nature, accentuating its omnipotence.
The poem takes a shift (volta) from a tone of optimism to a tone of fear.
First person plural creates a feeling of collectiveness and second person directly addresses the reader
The poem is written in blank verse using enjambment, creating a barrage of information that is difficult to digest, or it could be representing the constant barrage of the storm.

Remains

The poem is about a soldier who is haunted by his involvement in a shooting of a bank looter. It also explores the repercussions of war for individuals who come out of conflict zones and raises awareness of conditions such as ​PTSD​.

(Stanza 1)

1) “another occasion“

2) “tackle“

3) “legs it“

4) “probably…possibly“

In stanza 1 it is like we are listening to the soldier, mid-way through an anecdote. He is telling us about the time they had to deal with some looters, who were raiding a bank, and one ran off.

1) This is the type of situation soldiers faced all the time.

2) Verb - the job of a soldier involves difficult and violent situations; it is very physical.

3) Adds to the feeling of this being a story, normal, everyday colloquial language shows it is a normal everyday situation for them.

4) Alliteration - emphasises the uncertainty of their situation, have to act in the moment. Hints at the guilt to come later.

(Stanza 2)

1) “Well myself…somebody else“

2) “are all of the same mind“

3) “so…open fire“

4) “letting fly“

In stanza 2 He is saying how there was three of them there to deal with the looters and how they all went after (shoot) the looter that ran off.

1) Hazy memories as a result of the traumatic event.

2) all there to do the same job, shared mentality among the soldiers. Shared burden of the traumatic experiences of conflict.

3) says it quite casually. something he's used to.

4) reflects the intense and visceral nature of the soldiers.

(Stanza 3)

1) “rips through his life“

2) “I see…on the other side“

3) “hit this looter a dozen times“

4) “he’s there…inside out“

In stanza 3 The speaker recounts the aftermath of the shooting, describing the impact it had on the looter’s body.

1) conveys the violent and life-altering consequences of war. Emphasises that the shooting not only tore apart the looters body but also the entirety of the person's existence (life), shows the irreversible effects of conflict on both the victims and the soldiers involved.

2) contrast to the violence.

3) brutal and excessive use of force by the soldiers, portrays a disturbing aspect of the soldiers' experience in conflict. highlights the dehumanising effects and the potential for excessive violence that can occur in the heat of the moment. shows the harsh reality and moral complexity faced by soldiers in war.

4) graphic and disturbing scene where the looter's body is severely damaged, conveying the physical and psychological toll of conflict. shows the emotional weight carried by those who have participated in violent acts during conflict.

(Stanza 4)

1) “pain itself, the image of agony“

2) “One…mates goes by“

3) ”tosses his…his body”

Stanza 4 Fully describes the gruesome state of the looters body and how the soldiers have to put his guts back into the looters body. He's then put in a lorry.

1) very clearly describes the scene as it was (not trying to make it seem better than it was but just pure agony and pain), vivid and haunting mental imagery emphasising the last trauma experienced by the soldiers. highlights the deep resonance of pain in the aftermath of war.

2) causal language shows that these situations happen daily

3) Casual action which juxtaposes the horror that's being described.

(Stanza 5)

1) “End of…not really“

2) “His blood-…on patrol“

3) “I walk…after week“

4) “Then I’m…But I blink“

In stanza 5 The solider is saying how that was the end of story but then goes onto talking about the flashbacks he gets of the event and how he has to deal with that traumatic event and reliving it week after week.

1) Shows how technically that was the end of that event but the solider can't get over the trauma he experienced and for him that event never really ended

2) Shows the lingering impact of the violent incident, the use of 'blood-shadow' conveys a haunting and enduring presence, symbolising the lasting trauma and guilt carried but the soldiers, 'out on patrol' emphasises the inescapable nature of the emotional and psychological aftermath of conflict.

3) Highlights the never- ending cycle of trauma and how soldier have to constantly relive those memories that they wish they could forget. However, the casual tone of “right over it“ indicates a sense of desensitisation to it after going through it so many times they’re almost numb to it.

4) Flashbacks becoming impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is a memory, merging of reality and memory. suggests a clashing contrast between the soldier's experiences in conflict and the attempt to return to normalcy during leave. difficultly in fully transitioning back to civilian life. highlights the challenges faced by soldiers as the navigate the divide between the intensity of the battlefield and the attempt to reconnect with everyday life.

(Stanza 6)

1) “he bursts again…doors of the bank“

2) “probably armed, and possibly not“

3) “torn apart by a dozen rounds“

4) “the drink…him out“

In stanza 6 The solider is reflecting on the impact of the traumatic event and describes the disturbing memories that continue to haunt him, even when he is back home trying to return to his normal life.

1) reliving the same memory non-stop

2) repetition of the phrase highlights his doubt killing that he had back then and still has now. also emphasises the severity of the memory. memory of the event is causing inner conflict.

3) repetition of the phrase 'a dozen time' emphasises the intensity and overkill of the attack on the looter.

4) severely struggling to escape/ supress the haunting memories of the experience, the use of 'drink and drugs' implies attempts at self-medication/ numbing the emotional pain however the coping mechanisms are unsuccessful at erasing the vivid and persistent recollections of the past. highlights how hard it is for soldiers to escape the impact war has on their emotional and mental well-being and how a lot of them resort to the use of substances as a way to control the traumatic memories.

(Stanza 7)

1) “he’s here…my eyes“

2) “not left…sand-smothered land“

In stanza 7 The solider continues to grapple with the traumatic memories of the conflict, depicting the persistence of disturbing images even in mundane moments.

1) the memories of the traumatic event persistently intrude into the soldier's thoughts. the mention of closing eyes implies an attempt to escape or find respite, but the presence of the memories remains clear and haunting. It shows the lasting and intrusive effects war experience can have on a soldier's well-beings.

2) the person that the solider killed wasn't just left where he died but also came with t the solider t to follow him in his memories.

(Stanza 8)

1) “but near… bloody hands“

In stanza 8 The solider is still reflecting on the vivid memories of the event and emphasises on the guilt he feels.

1) intense and personal confrontation with the consequences of the soldier's actions. The Use of ‘near to the knuckle' can imply a close and risky situation, emphasising the immediacy of the moment. The repetition of ‘bloody' adds emphasis and a visceral quality highlights the bloodshed and the responsibility the soldier feels for another person's life. Shows the impact and moral weight of the soldier's experiences in conflict, highlighting the direct and personal connection to the life and death decisions made in the heat of battle.

"darkroom"

Word Choice
Literally a room for developing photographes. Connotations of a serious, brooding, bleak, scary place : perhaps suggesting the job takes the photographer to a dark place mentally: and to a place filled with stress and horror.

"finally alone"

Word Choice and Inversion
Inversion places these words at the end of the sentence for emphasis. 'finally' suggests he has been looking for solitude, desparate to escape someone or something. The emphasis on being 'alone' recreates the loneliness of his job: separated from his subject, editor and his readers.

"spools of suffering set out in ordered rows"

Alliteration, Assonance, Word Choice / Image
Repetition of the constant sound 's' and the sound 'o' mirrors the repetition of the spools laid out on the photographer's table: each spool clearly and methodically marked out: repetitive, meticulous arrangement of the film.
The 'ordered' rows brings to mind the image of tombstones or ranks of soldiers created to the horrors of war which are depicted on themselves.
Including the adjective 'ordered' emphasises the photographer's methodical, almost robotic ways of working.

"the only light is red and softly glows"

Colour symbolism and Word Choice
"only" builds on the idea of loneliness and so "red" can symblise danger or blood - which the photographer deals in photos of. It also suggests a 'Sanctuary lamp' contributing to the stanza's extended religious image.
"softly glows" adds to the gentle atmosphere of a safe, quiet, lonely room back home

"as though this were a church and he / a priest preparing to intone a mass"

Extended image
The developing room is compared to a church, the photographer to a priest and his work is contibutingto preparations for a Mass.
This perhaps suggests that the work the photographer does is comparable to spreading the word/truth of God: serious, worthy, life-changing work. The image is extended by the biblical quotation which ends the stanza.

"Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh."

List and Single word sentences.
The punctuation/list is blunt and functional (like the photographer's work). Sounds like a roll-call suggesting they are simply examples from a longer list.
These are places which have suffered from the ravages of civil war or genocide.

"All flesh is grass"

This is biblical quotation. In it's full context, the phase is used to illustrate that the word of God is eternal and consistent compared to human life which is transient and brief.
In this context in the poem, this ties in with the religious imagery. It has already been suggested that the photographer is spreading an important message through his photos (as a priest spreads his messgae through the word of God). This quotation develops that highlighting how the suffering the photographer shoots is constantly changing and on-going because photos succeed in capturing it and making it permanent.
The rhyming of 'mass' and grass' as well as the mention of Phnom Penh might also invoke the mass graves or burial sites, where the bodies/victims of genocide/war decompose and literally turn to grass in the soil.
The juxtaposition of this phrase with the list of which is perhaps an ironic comment: yes, all human life ends eventually, but in such places as these it ended much sooner.

"Alone...ordered rows...only...softly glows...as though...intone... Phnom Penh"

Assonance
The vowel sound 'o (oh)' is repeated throughout the first stanza. This recurring sound reflects the priest intoning a Mass - solemn, low and the sound adds to the serious atmosphere.

"He has a job to do"

Simple sentence and Ambiguity
Literally refers to the job of developing the photographs but also refers to his overall job of war photography.
Short, simple and blunt: reflecting the blunt, matter of fact approach the photographer has to work with. Perhaps this is a justification or an excuse for a job?

"solutions slop"

Ambiguity, Alliteration and Word Choice
The word solutions means literally the liquid used to develop the pictures. It also suggests 'the solutions for a problem'. In this case, the answer/solution to the problem of war is sloppy.
The word 'slop' and the alliteration of the 's' sound suggests the sloshing of the liquid. This emphasises how the 'solutions' (literal and figurative) are volatile or difficult to deal with. The contrast between the messiness of war and the order of home is a running theme in the poem.

"hands which did not tremble then / though seem to now"

Contrast and Enjambment
The photographer's hands are steady when taking the photos - they have to be, otherwise the pictures would be blurry and unsellable, In contrast, when he gets home and he does not need to suppress his emotions, his hands tremble with fear/anxiety, the use of enjambment emphasises the contrast by putting "though seem to now" on a new line.

"Rural England"

Word Choice and Minor Sentence
This minor sentence shifts the poem to the photographer's home. The word 'rural' connotations of perfect, countryside life: leafy, green, peaceful, natural and calm. This contrasts with the other names in stanza one which were exactly the opposite: urban, harsh, volatile and dangerous.

"Ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel"

Oxymoron and Word Choice
Pain, by definition, is something unexpected, a reaction to something unusual and unpleasant, never ordinary. The oxymoron 'ordinnary pain' makes the reader consider what is meant. The kind of pain experienced in 'rural England' isn't really pain at all, but unhappiness which can be solved by mere sunshine. This makes us wonder what kind of pain is being experienced abroad: it must be terrible, agonising, serious and real pain.

"Fields which don't explode beneath the feet / of running children in a nightmare heat"

Word Choice
This seems a peculiar sentence: of course we don't expect fields to explode. In England, fields are part of a comfortable, rural life. These lines emphasise the terrible contrast between this life, and the ' nightmare' life in a war zone (which might contain minefields).
The reader is reminded of the famous picture of a naked child Kim Phuc running from a napalm army during the Vietnam War.

"something is happening"

Ambiguity and Simple sentence
Just like the second stanza, the third starts with a vague, simpe sentence. The 'something' is literally about a photograph developing, but something else is happening too - the photographer is experiencing all the associated feelings and memories that the photo holds for him. He is transported back to the moment of taking the picture.

"a stranger's features / faintly start to twist before his eyes"

Word Choice
The photograph begins to develop. The word 'twist' is a verb with connotations of pain, anguish and shock. This may be because the man in the photo was dying or in pain, or it may reflect the anguish of the photographer himself.

"a half-formed ghost"

Metaphor
The man in the photo has become a ghost. This suggests his death. Perhaps too, the photographer is 'haunted' by memories of it.

"he remembers the cries / of this man's wife, how he sought approval / without words to do what someone must and how the blood stained into foreign dust"

Word Choice
As the photograph begins to come to life, so does the photographer's memories of the incident. The senses are described: the sound of the wife's cries and the colour/texture of his blood soaking into the earth.
The incident highlights the moral dilemma facing war photographers. They have a job to do ("to do what someone must") but they are intruding people's misery. The photographer obviously feels awkward about this as he seeks the wife's permission.

"a hundred agonies in black-and-white"

Metaphor and Ambiguity
In this metaphor the photographs have become physical manifestations of pain and suffering, as each one tells a story.
The pictures are literally monochrome. Alternatively there is no doubt or uncertainty about the agony in the pictures: the suffering is there to see 'in black and white'.

"from which his editor will pick out five or six"

Word Choice
In contrast to the 'hundreds' of pictures of suffering available, the editor has only room for a few of them. The word 'pick' and the vagueness of 'five or six' perhaps suggest a criticism of the editor for being casual/off-hand when dealing with these pictures.

"for sunday's supplement"

Word Choice (alliteration)
Supplements are the magazines and extra information contained in Sunday newspapers which include varied news (often about culture, money, businesses, sport, fashion etc...).
There is perhaps an implicit critisism here: the photographer's pictures aren't considered good or interesting enough to be part of the main news section, therefore the pictures are relegated to the 'extra bits'.

"the reader's eyeballs prick / with tears between bath and pre-lunch beers"

Word Choice
The phrase 'prick with tears' suggests the seriousness of the photographs leaving readers almost crying; considering alongside the short duration of the readers' distress, this is a clear criticism of their shallow response to the horrific pictures. The words 'bath' and 'pre-lunch beers' suggest luxury and indulgence which is in strong contrast to the lives of those captured on film by the photographer.

"from the aeroplane he stares impassively at where / he earns a living and they do not care."

Word Choice, Assonance and Tone
By the end of the poem, there is a suggestion the photographer has become numb to his job, a little like the editor and readers. He stares with emotion ('impassively'). The idea from earlier on in the poem that he must be cold and unflinching to do his job ('he has a job to do' & 'to do what someone must') is repeated in the phrase 'he earns a living'. The critical tone of 'they' condemns the news, readers/citizens for their selfishness.
The repetitive assonance of the 'ay' sound ('aeroplane...stares...where...a...they...care') creates a monotonous feeling of drudgery: the photographer is resigned to the way things work and the poem definitely concludes on a negative note.

Tissue

Brief Summary Tissue paper is used as an extended metaphor for life to show that although fragile, humans have a large amount of power to change things

Synopsis ● Tissue paper is described to be fragile and easily affected by aging and handling ● Paper is then attributed to the significance of the Koran ● Maps and buildings are then included in the extended metaphor ● Dharker claims that an architect could use tissue to build with and never need to use brick again ● Tissue is then finally likened to skin

Imitaz herself was born in Pakistan and moved to Glasgow, in her works she brings up issue of religion and identity . She symbolises the layers of tissue to reflect her layered identity.

“Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things.“

The first three lines suggest that paper has the power to change things. Enjambement after 'light' emphasises it shining through. Light could be associated with religion, or the ageing of paper. Religion has the power to change things maybe.

“If buildings were paper, I might feel their drift, see how easily they fall away on a sigh, a shift in the direction of the wind.“

The whole of stanza 4 is about the fragility of paper. The stuff about a wind and a sigh could be a metaphor for people changing or dismissing ideas on paper.

“Pages smoothed and stroked and turned transparent with attention“

The sibilance in the quote emphasises the turning of pages, as does enjambement after turned. The quote is also repeated at the end of the poem. The quote suggests that things become meaningless over time, and well as physically fading.

“With living tissue, raise a structure never meant to last.“

This quote about structures suggests that we are all structures made by something greater, suggesting something almost religious. It makes the reader question if humans only have a limited time, making us feel uneasy. Maybe we are trying to defy god by building own own structures, but they will not last.

“Might fly our lives like paper kites.“

Stanza 6 line 4. This is about paper being money, and how much control and power it has over people's lives. Kites are pulled in the direction of the wind, and reach a limit eventually. They are restricted. Simile suggests that money has power to control us. Alternatively, money seems hard to control, and is fragile like paper.

“Turned into your skin.“

The last line of the poem has its own paragraph. I think it is saying that all things on paper such as names, history, race, height, weight, gender and what you buy can be read by looking at who you are.

Form and Structure

Extended metaphor of the tissue as human skin. The form is free verse to act as natural speech. The structure is formal as it is 4 lines long but in the last line she has one line on its own to give emphasis to her message.

'The back of the Koran, where a hand has written in the names and histories'

The tissue paper in the Koran and the bible which acts as a transparent protection. The Koran here is used to show that we are apart of the same history and focuses on generations. It changes tissue from paper to skin. She focuses on the persons hand which is something which we can all identify.

'Maps too. The sun shines through their borderlines,'

She focuses on the idea of a map to represent different cultures and countries. The idea of the 'sun' could show that these borders are just an illusion to separate us, and without them we are all the same. The sun is also part of religious imagery to symbolise God and his power,by referring to the maps as tissues she is suggesting that we need to look at them with the right light to see equality.

'Find a way to trace a grand design with living tissue'

She uses language to represent buildings but instead the architect is going to design something with people, the image suggests many types of people. She uses the verb 'find' as it will be difficult also the use of the noun 'trace' could relate to history that we all go back to the same place by seeing we are all the same people and equal.

'Thinned to be transparent turned into your skin'

The metaphor suggests that the paper is thin to show that our differences are easy to break through. The adjective 'transparent' suggests that we are the same. She doesn't see people as threatening. The poet is saying that she wants everyone to see colour as irrelevant as if we can break down our barriers we will see that we are all the same. She is asking for acceptance and showing that underneath skin we are all the same. The alliteration of 'transparent' and 'turned' is to emphasise the Volta and demanding acceptance.