17.1.11

Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

Test yourself

Key Quotations From Tissue (1)

Here are the main quotations you need to remember for your exams:

Illustrative background for “Turned Into Your Skin”Illustrative background for “Turned Into Your Skin” ?? "content

“Turned Into Your Skin”

  • Paper symbolism
  • Paper acting as a metaphor for human life is crystallised here.
Illustrative background for “Paper that lets the light shine through”Illustrative background for “Paper that lets the light shine through” ?? "content

“Paper that lets the light shine through”

  • This line has religious connotations.
  • The line also alludes to how thin and fragile paper (/human power) is.
Illustrative background for “Paper that is thinned by age or touching”Illustrative background for “Paper that is thinned by age or touching” ?? "content

“Paper that is thinned by age or touching”

  • Language relating to thinness or transparency
  • Emphasises fragility
Illustrative background for “Pages smoothed and strokedIllustrative background for “Pages smoothed and stroked ?? "content

“Pages smoothed and stroked

  • “Pages smoothed and stroked and turned / transparent with attention”.
  • As paper, or tissue, acts a symbol for human life, the references to the fragility of paper could also be references to the fragility of human life.
Illustrative background for “the back of the Koran, where a handIllustrative background for “the back of the Koran, where a hand ?? "content

“the back of the Koran, where a hand

  • “the back of the Koran, where a hand / has written in the names and histories, / who was born to whom, / the height and weight, who / died where and how, on which sepia date.”
  • This line emphasises the power of paper in recording history.

Key Quotations From Tissue (2)

Here are some more quotations important for your exams:

Illustrative background for "Maps too. The sun shines through...Illustrative background for "Maps too. The sun shines through... ?? "content

"Maps too. The sun shines through...

  • "Maps too. The sun shines through / their borderlines".
  • There is a contrast between “maps” - man’s attempt to make sense of nature - and the far more permanent, natural power of the “sun”.
  • This could also be a reference to conflict, because conflict often arises over land/territory disputes.
Illustrative background for “The daylight shines through capitals and monoliths”Illustrative background for “The daylight shines through capitals and monoliths” ?? "content

“The daylight shines through capitals and monoliths”

  • This natural imagery is contrasted with a description of a manmade structure to highlight how nature will always be more potent than human creations.
  • “capitals and monoliths” are symbolic of government and human power.
Illustrative background for “If buildings were paper, I mightIllustrative background for “If buildings were paper, I might ?? "content

“If buildings were paper, I might

  • “If buildings were paper, I might / feel their drift, see how easily / they fall away on a sigh, a shift / in the direction of the wind.”
  • The poet invites us to see how temporary and ephemeral (short-lasting) human structures are through asking us to imagine they were made of paper.
Illustrative background for "Paper that lets the lightIllustrative background for "Paper that lets the light ?? "content

"Paper that lets the light

  • "Paper that lets the light / shine through, this / is what could alter things."
  • Dharker uses light imagery to comment on the power of God and religion.
  • If the “light” is a metaphor for God, this could be read as a comment on the power of religion to change things.
Illustrative background for "what was paid by credit card"Illustrative background for "what was paid by credit card" ?? "content

"what was paid by credit card"

  • "what was paid by credit card / might fly our lives like paper kites”.
  • This simile could suggest how humans are dominated and controlled by money.
  • The poet could be suggesting that humans have caused conflict by assigning significance to such things.
Illustrative background for “the marks / that rivers make, roads, / railtracks, mountainfolds”Illustrative background for “the marks / that rivers make, roads, / railtracks, mountainfolds” ?? "content

“the marks / that rivers make, roads, / railtracks, mountainfolds”

  • Dharker uses these techniques to comment on human greed for control and power.
  • This list highlights the idea that man is determined to control, dominate and make sense of nature.

Key Comparisons: Tissue

Here are some suggestions for texts you could compare in your exam. Of course, the list of possibilities is endless!

Illustrative background for Nature vs human powerIllustrative background for Nature vs human power ?? "content

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.

Jump to other topics

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

17Recap: Main Quotes

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