Form, Structure & Key Comparisons
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 11.1.4
Form and Structure of Tissue
The poem lacks any kind of rigid form, which could reflect the poet’s own desire for an interest in freedom. Dharker uses these techniques to achieve this:
Free verse
- Free verse doesn't follow a rhyming scheme or meter.
- The poem is written in free verse to represent humans' inability to control nature or even their own lives.
Enjambment
- The enjambment (sentences flowing over the end of lines) between stanzas could reflect the poet’s desire for freedom.
- Or, it could reflect the lack of control humans have compared to nature.
Key Comparisons: Tissue
Here are some themes that come up in Tissue and other texts:
Nature vs human power
- You may want to compare the theme of nature vs human power in Tissue to the following texts:
- Ozymandias.
- Exposure.
- The Prelude.
- Storm on the Island.
Test yourself on Form, Structure & Key Comparisons
What techniques does Dharker use to give the poem its non-rigid form?
Which poems could you compare Tissue to about nature and human power?
Think of four poems that you could compare with the poem 'Tissue' on the theme of nature versus human power.