Guided Analysis Essay – The Tyre Shop By Bob Orr

In the free verse poem, “The Tyre Shop” by Bob Orr, the Orr has utilized various types of
imageries such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic in order to portray the connections between
people around and communicate shared experiences within each other. The author’s fascination
with the aspects of tires and the nature of wheels, as well the idea of a vehicle is depicted as an
analogy interpreting them as a symbolic connection between the writer and the people around him.
Throughout these images, the author invites his readers to interpret every-day objects from a
deeper sense and question their meanings, even the connections they could represent.

The poem evidently depicts auditory and kinesthetic imagery to evoke a sense of connection
with other people, Orr utilizes kinesthetic details to immerse the reader in the poem's atmosphere.
For instance, Orr describes the tyre shop man rolling a cigarette, stating, "when he rolls a cigarette I
might just roll one too." This kinesthetic image not only connects the poet with the tyre shop man
but also indicates that they both have a shared experience, a strong feeling for connection.
Additionally, the visual imagery of the spinning tyres in the wheel-alignment machine becoming "the
dark rings of invisible planets" creates a visual display that conveys contemplation and fascination.
Through these kinesthetic and visual images, the poem establishes a link between the speaker and
the people and objects in their surroundings and atmosphere.

It is apparent that the symbolism and imagery further enhances the theme of human
connection. Orr utilizes the imagery of the sun and the moon to convey nature of beauty and his
fascination with it through his distinctive descriptions from a unique perspective. For instance, Orr
symbolizes the sun as "a wild orb of redness tearing itself apart ripped from its axle breaking open
the branches." This visual imagery implies the immense power and intensity of a shared experience
and moment among people, further emphasizing the possibility of a connection. The moon is
symbolized as a "wheel cut from crystal" rising over the vast stadiums of Eden Park. This image
evokes a sense of grace, inspiration, and natural (the moon) beauty’s connection to human
constructs (The Eden Park), indicating the connection of individuals.

The poem depicts and incorporates imagery to showcase the author’s perspective, because
evidently, Orr's descriptive diction and his observations of the world around him. He portrays the
tyre shop man as a "stranger and neighbor" and an "accomplice" and "mentor," emphasizing a sense
of shared human nature relationship and the potential for growth through connections with others.
The author imagines a conversation with the tyre shop man solely for the purpose to complain to
him and share some of his struggles to feel like he can relate to someone, as it can relieve individual
when others can comprehend your ordinary mundane activities and hardships. His determination
and willingness to reveal his own struggles, as he mentions aligning words and finding “balance and
rhyme”, further underscores the theme of connection by highlighting the common challenges and
experiences.