17.1.11

Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

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Key Quotations From Tissue (1)

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

“Turned Into Your Skin”

“Turned Into Your Skin”

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

“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.
“Paper that is thinned by age or touching”

“Paper that is thinned by age or touching”

  • Language relating to thinness or transparency
  • Emphasises fragility
“Pages smoothed and stroked

“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.
“the back of the Koran, where a hand

“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:

"Maps too. The sun shines through...

"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.
“The daylight shines through capitals and monoliths”

“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.
“If buildings were paper, I might

“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.
"Paper that lets the light

"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.
"what was paid by credit card"

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

“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!

Nature vs human power

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
1

Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

1.1

Ozymandias Analysis

1.1.1Summary1.1.2Key Ideas1.1.3Themes1.1.4Irony & Rhythm1.1.5Key Quotes & Comparisons1.1.6End of Topic Test - Ozymandias1.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Caesura1.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Caesura1.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Analysing Caesura
2

London - William Blake (1757-1827)

2.1

London Analysis

2.1.1Summary2.1.2Themes & Structure2.1.3Themes & Structure 22.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons2.1.5Exam-Style Questions - London2.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Repetition2.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Repetition2.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Analysing Repetition
3

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

3.1

Storm on the Island Analysis

3.1.1Summary & Structure3.1.2Themes3.1.3Themes 23.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons3.1.5End of Topic Test - Blake & Heaney3.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Fear
4

Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

4.1

Exposure Analysis

4.1.1Summary4.1.2Personification4.1.3Themes4.1.4Structure, Key Quotes & Comparisons4.1.5End of Topic Test - Exposure4.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Define Personification4.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ident. Personification
5

War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

5.1

War Photographer Analysis

5.1.1Summary5.1.2Themes5.1.3Imagery5.1.4Comparisons & Key Quotes5.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Similes5.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Similes
6

My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

6.1

My Last Duchess Analysis

6.1.1Summary6.1.2Characterisation & Themes6.1.3Structure, Key Quotes & Comparisons6.1.4End of Topic Test - Duffy & Browning6.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Cheating Wife
7

The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

7.1

Extract from The Prelude Analysis

7.1.1Summary7.1.2Personification & Imagery7.1.3Themes7.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons7.1.5End of Topic Test - The Prelude7.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - "Her"
8

Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

8.1

Charge of the Light Brigade Analysis

8.1.1Summary8.1.2Themes8.1.3Rhetorical Techniques, Key Quotes & Comparisons8.1.4End of Topic Test - Charge of the Light Brigade8.1.5Exam-Style Questions - Charge of the Light Brigade8.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Tennyson a Soldier?
9

Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

9.1

Bayonet Charge Analysis

9.1.1Summary9.1.2Themes9.1.3Themes 29.1.4Structure & Key Comparisons9.1.5End of Topic Test - Bayonet Charge9.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - NOT COTLB9.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Soldier Running Away
10

Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

10.1

Poppies Analysis

10.1.1Summary10.1.2Theme of Motherhood10.1.3Imagery10.1.4Form, Structure & Key Comparisons10.1.5End of Topic Test - Poppies10.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Enjambment
11

Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

11.1

Tissue Analysis

11.1.1Summary11.1.2Themes & Symbolism11.1.3Religion & Conflict11.1.4Form, Structure & Key Comparisons11.1.5End of Topic Test - Tissue
12

The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

12.1

The Emigree Analysis

12.1.1Summary & Structure12.1.2Themes12.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons12.1.4End of Topic Test - The Emigree12.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Emigrant vs Immigrant
13

Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

13.1

Kamikaze Analysis

13.1.1Summary & Structure13.1.2Themes13.1.3Themes 213.1.4Structure, Quotes & Comparisons13.1.5End of Topic Test - Kamikaze13.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining NP13.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying NP
14

Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

14.1

Checking Out Me History Analysis

14.1.1Summary14.1.2Themes14.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons14.1.4End of Topic Test - Checking Out Me History
15

Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

15.1

Remains Analysis

15.1.1Summary15.1.2Themes: Desensitisation &Trauma15.1.3Themes: Guilt15.1.4Themes: Nature of War15.1.5Structure15.1.6Key Quotes & Comparisons15.1.7End of Topic Test - Remains15.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Casual Tone
16

Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1

Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
17

Recap: Main Quotes

17.1

Recap: Main Quotes

17.1.1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)17.1.2London - William Blake (1757-1827)17.1.3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)17.1.4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)17.1.5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)17.1.6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)17.1.7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)17.1.8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson17.1.9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)17.1.10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)17.1.11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)17.1.12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)17.1.13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)17.1.14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)17.1.15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

Practice questions on Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Which of these are quotes showing the fragility of paper?True / false
  2. 2
    Which of these is _not_ a quote somehow showing the fragility of paper?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Which of these quotes emphasises the power of paper to record history?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Quotes using contrasting images in Tissue:Fill in the list
  5. 5
    _“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.”_<br>What does this symbolism suggest about <b>buildings</b>? Multiple choice
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Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)