Compare how the poems ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Tissue’ present ideas
about the power of nature (30)
Both Dharker and Shelley's work envisage nature as the bedrock of power within our world, depicting
the actions of mankind crafted with intent to manipulate, sculpt or overpower nature; however, these
attempts prove futile, with nature being infinite and mankind being finite. Shelley’s work is centred
around the revered pharaoh, Ramesses II, centralising the fragility of ego and robustness of nature,
whereas Dharkers’ work concentrates on the power of “paper,” its fragility and the memorable
imprint it inflicts on human life, forming ‘Quarans’ and structures we inherently rely on in everyday
life.
Both works fluently communicate the idea that power has the ability to manipulate mankind and our
actions, collectively; even those in positions of authority. Shelley’s immediate plethora of pejorative
language, highlighting the ‘frown’ and ‘wrinkled lip’ followed by the harsh alliterative consonant “c”
sound of his “cold command,” serve to mimic the sculpting of this ‘visage,’ almost chipping away at
nature. Perhaps, these consonants reiterate his position of authority: the imperative ‘command’
effectively outlaws any degree of democracy. Ozymandias not only neglects nature itself, but the
nature of mankind and the ideas of democracy, human cooperation and social interaction, cementing
his position of authority, displaying Shelley’s multifaceted exploration of nature in all respects. The
idea of ‘cold’ plays with Egyptian conventions, conflicting with ideas of African heat; this
juxtaposition of ‘cold’ and ‘heat’ highlights Ozymandias abuse of authority, suggesting he does not
suit his environment and his decay is inevitable. Ironically, a ‘shattered visage lies,’ where sibilance
mimics the ‘whistle’ of the winds, and irreplaceable nature of the ‘visage,’ where his power is faceless,
and only recorded on this sunken ‘pedestal,’ beneath the sand. Ultimately, his autonomy lies beneath
nature, and Ozymandias’ ego which had once been crucial to his image now ceases to exist due to the
cyclical aspect of nature, and perpetuating life and death.
Whereas, Dharker emphasises that positivity can prosper from power; the antithesis of Shelley's
approach. Dharker employs ‘tissue’ as an extended metaphor for human life, articulating how the
power of humans can translate to “living tissue” and things of high significance and stature like the
‘Koran’ - this historic, more-so influential scripture is crafted from ‘tissue’ paper, documenting the
power and word of God, ultimately a guidance for mankind. Perhaps, the fragility of this ‘tissue’
draws mankind parallel to something malleable, to the extent we allow material to ‘fly our lives,’ but
juxtaposes the fragility of ego. Dharker’s work refers to ‘documents’ to illustrate the importance that
mankind assigns to ‘paper,’ whether formal or informal, they evoke an array of feelings from stress to
fulfilment, perhaps giving credit to the impulsive nature of mankind. The ‘grocery slip’ resonates so
heavily with money, arguably, exercising more power than any other position of authority. This
conflicts with Shelley’s work which implies that Ozymandias is immune to any form of overarching
about the power of nature (30)
Both Dharker and Shelley's work envisage nature as the bedrock of power within our world, depicting
the actions of mankind crafted with intent to manipulate, sculpt or overpower nature; however, these
attempts prove futile, with nature being infinite and mankind being finite. Shelley’s work is centred
around the revered pharaoh, Ramesses II, centralising the fragility of ego and robustness of nature,
whereas Dharkers’ work concentrates on the power of “paper,” its fragility and the memorable
imprint it inflicts on human life, forming ‘Quarans’ and structures we inherently rely on in everyday
life.
Both works fluently communicate the idea that power has the ability to manipulate mankind and our
actions, collectively; even those in positions of authority. Shelley’s immediate plethora of pejorative
language, highlighting the ‘frown’ and ‘wrinkled lip’ followed by the harsh alliterative consonant “c”
sound of his “cold command,” serve to mimic the sculpting of this ‘visage,’ almost chipping away at
nature. Perhaps, these consonants reiterate his position of authority: the imperative ‘command’
effectively outlaws any degree of democracy. Ozymandias not only neglects nature itself, but the
nature of mankind and the ideas of democracy, human cooperation and social interaction, cementing
his position of authority, displaying Shelley’s multifaceted exploration of nature in all respects. The
idea of ‘cold’ plays with Egyptian conventions, conflicting with ideas of African heat; this
juxtaposition of ‘cold’ and ‘heat’ highlights Ozymandias abuse of authority, suggesting he does not
suit his environment and his decay is inevitable. Ironically, a ‘shattered visage lies,’ where sibilance
mimics the ‘whistle’ of the winds, and irreplaceable nature of the ‘visage,’ where his power is faceless,
and only recorded on this sunken ‘pedestal,’ beneath the sand. Ultimately, his autonomy lies beneath
nature, and Ozymandias’ ego which had once been crucial to his image now ceases to exist due to the
cyclical aspect of nature, and perpetuating life and death.
Whereas, Dharker emphasises that positivity can prosper from power; the antithesis of Shelley's
approach. Dharker employs ‘tissue’ as an extended metaphor for human life, articulating how the
power of humans can translate to “living tissue” and things of high significance and stature like the
‘Koran’ - this historic, more-so influential scripture is crafted from ‘tissue’ paper, documenting the
power and word of God, ultimately a guidance for mankind. Perhaps, the fragility of this ‘tissue’
draws mankind parallel to something malleable, to the extent we allow material to ‘fly our lives,’ but
juxtaposes the fragility of ego. Dharker’s work refers to ‘documents’ to illustrate the importance that
mankind assigns to ‘paper,’ whether formal or informal, they evoke an array of feelings from stress to
fulfilment, perhaps giving credit to the impulsive nature of mankind. The ‘grocery slip’ resonates so
heavily with money, arguably, exercising more power than any other position of authority. This
conflicts with Shelley’s work which implies that Ozymandias is immune to any form of overarching
