Tony Harrison's 'Breaking the Chain'

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In ‘Breaking the Chain’ Harrison writes about the ‘gap of his gift acknowledged. How does Tony Harrison present the relationship between sons and parents? In ‘breaking the chain’ Tony Harrison exposes how, although his parents wanted him to succeed, they only wished him to 'go up a rung or two but settle near'; we understand from the poem that this same attitude was borne by the other parents (the ‘others’). Harrison has said he truly enjoyed a 'loving upbringing' where his Mother, comparable to the ‘others’, pushed him as 'bright'. Harrison’s Father (as explained by the poem) gave Tony a pair of dividers which was considered a rite of passage and a symbol of familial pride, which is shown in the simile 'like a medal case'. Yet, Harrison broke the convention (Fathers and sons presumably all followed this tradition) and the 'chain'- an order he felt he could not conform to, through development of his literature. In the line, "The gap his gift acknowledged then’s as wide as /eternity" enjambment creates a gap in sentence emphasizing the gap between his family. This gap is also seen as an exception in their society, as the other Parent/ Son relationships of the poem are presented as healthy and encouraging- their Mothers ‘wished’ the best for them. Harrison also presents the relationship between sons and their parents as unspecific to the individuals concerned, i.e. they all follow the same traditions and ideas. The dividers in the poem could simply be speaking of the tools from his Dad, however they could also symbolize the division driven between them as a result of Harrison's differentiating culture and view on life; his interest in literature rather than sport (in addition, his education lead to his being ostracized). Harrison also makes use of puns with his imagery in 'Breaking the Chain' such as in the line- "polished box wrapped in the Sporting Pink". The
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