Themes & Symbolism
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 11.1.2
Fragility of Paper/Human Life
As paper, or tissue, acts a symbol for human life, the references to the fragility of paper could also be references to the fragility of human life. Here are the ways in which Dharker emphasises fragility:
Light imagery
- “Paper that lets the light shine through”.
- This line has religious connotations.
- The line also alludes to how thin and fragile paper (/human power) is.
Language relating to thinness or transparency
- “Paper that is thinned by age or touching”.
Images of touching
- “Pages smoothed and stroked and turned / transparent with attention”.
Language related to transience
- Language associated with transience - like “shift” and “drift” -remind the reader of the fragility of paper.
Repetition
- Repetition of the line “paper smoothed and stroked and thinned to be transparent” cements the idea that paper is fragile.
Importance of Paper
Here's a few ways in which Dharker emphasises the importance of paper and her respect for paper:
Recording history
- “the back of the Koran, where a hand / has written in the names and histories, / who was born to whom, / the height and weight, who / died where and how on which sepia date.”
- This line emphasises the power of paper in recording history.
Images of touching
- Gentle, tactile (relating to touch) language reflects the respect shown towards books, particularly religious ones.
- "pages smoothed and stroked".
- "paper smoothed and stroked".
Nature vs Man
Dharker contrasts images of nature and man to show the power of nature. Dharker also contrasts manmade structures with paper to show the ephemeral (short-lasting) nature of human life.
Maps vs the sun
- "Maps too. The sun shines through / their borderlines".
- There is a contrast between “maps” - man’s attempt to make sense of nature - and the far more permanent, natural power of the “sun”.
- This could also be a reference to conflict because conflict often arises over land/territory disputes.
Daylight vs capitals and monoliths
- “let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths”.
- This natural imagery is contrasted with a description of a manmade structure to highlight how nature will always be more potent than human creations.
- “capitals and monoliths” are symbolic of government and human power.
Symbolism
- “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 poet invites us to see how temporary and ephemeral (short-lasting) human structures are through asking us to imagine they were made of paper.
Test yourself on Themes & Symbolism
Which of these are quotes showing the fragility of paper?
Which of these is not a quote somehow showing the fragility of paper?
Which of these quotes emphasises the power of paper to record history?
Which of these is an example of a tactile (relating to touch) verb, reflecting respect shown towards books?
“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.”
What does this symbolism suggest about buildings?