Question 1: Briefly explain what is meant by the term 'structure' in poetry. Why is it important to analyze the structure of 'Tissue'?

Answer: Structure refers to how a poem is organized, including its stanza form, line length, and rhyme scheme. Analyzing it helps understand how the poet shapes meaning and influences the reader.

Question 1: Describe the stanza structure of 'Tissue' (e.g., number of stanzas, line length). How does this structure affect the poem’s rhythm and tone?

Answer: The poem has multiple free verse stanzas with irregular line lengths, creating a flowing, organic rhythm that reflects the fragility and flexibility of tissue.

Question 2: Analyze the significance of the poem's lack of a fixed rhyme scheme. How does this choice support the poem's themes?

Answer: The absence of rhyme gives the poem a natural, unstructured feel, emphasizing the idea of impermanence and the fluidity of memory and history.

Question 1: Choose a line where the poet uses enjambment. How does this technique influence the reading of the poem?

Answer: Enjambment allows ideas to flow across lines smoothly, reflecting the theme of continuity and the interconnectedness of life and memory.

Question 2: Identify a line where the structure breaks or shifts. What is the effect of this shift on the reader?

Answer: A shift in structure highlights a change in tone or idea, drawing attention to the poem’s core message about the fragility of human creations.

Question 1: How does the structure of 'Tissue' mirror its central metaphor about fragility and strength?

Answer: The free, flowing structure reflects the fragility of tissue, while the gradual development suggests resilience and the layered complexity of human life.

Question 2: Identify and analyze a metaphor related to structure or form within the poem.

Answer: The metaphor of 'paper that lets the light shine through' symbolizes transparency and vulnerability, structured like delicate tissue but capable of allowing insight.

Question 1: In what ways does the poem’s structure reinforce the theme of impermanence?

Answer: The unpredictable, flowing structure mimics the fleeting nature of memory and life, emphasizing that both are fragile and transient.

Question 2: How does the structure of 'Tissue' compare to that of another poem in the Power and Conflict anthology, such as 'Ozymandias'? Consider themes of power and decay.

Answer: While 'Ozymandias' uses a sonnet with a fixed rhyme scheme to emphasize the permanence of power and its inevitable decay, 'Tissue' employs free verse to highlight the fragility of human creations and the transient nature of life, contrasting the permanence of monuments with the ephemerality of tissue.

Question 1: Draft a plan for an analytical paragraph discussing the structural features of 'Tissue' and their effect on the reader.

Answer: Introduction sentence on free verse reflecting fragility. Include analysis of enjambment and line breaks emphasizing flow and impermanence. Conclude with how the structure invites reflection on the transient nature of life and human achievements.