Tissue

Question 1

Who was the poet that tissue and what are some contextual points on them ?

Answer 1

Imtiaz Dharker
- Pakistani Scottish

Question 2

What are the 11 quotes you should know for this poem ?

Answer 2

‘Paper that lets the light shine through’
‘Back of Koran’+’alter things’
‘Transparent’
‘Capitals and monoliths’ +’daylight break through’
‘Maps too’
‘Sun shine through’+’ roads, rail tracks, mountain folds’
‘Credit cards might fly our lives like paper kites’
‘Turned into your skin’

Question 3

What is a good quote showing the poets criticism of the power religion holds ?

Answer 3

‘Paper that lets the light shine through’
- religious critism sati on as it’s a reference to the paper used within a holy book that is very thin
- ‘back of Koran’ +’Alter things’
- the poet suggests religion which is based on a book holds too much power and she questions the legitimacy of these books holding such extreme power

Question 4

How does the poet use one structural point ?

Answer 4

Enjambment
- by braking the stanzas in 1,2 and 3 she undermines the idea of control
- they defy the pre assumed control and restraints within a poem of regular quatrains
- reflects the lack of control man has over the natural world yet it’s constant unwavering want for order and structure

Question 5

What is the only example of repetition ? What and why

Answer 5

‘Transparent’
- the repetition draws our attention to this notion of transparency
- the port seemingly invites us to question wether those in power are honest

Question 6

What is a good quote showing the symbolism of man’s power ? What and why

Answer 6

‘Capitals and monoliths’
- symbolic of human power as the poet suggest human structures are stopping change in the natural world
- ‘daylight break through’
- nature has more power and consistently mocks man’s attempts to control the uncontrollable natural world

Question 7

What is a fairly easy and simple quote showing man trying to control nature ? What and why

Answer 7

‘Maps too’
- symbolic of man’s ambition to order and control the natural world however it is juxtaposed by the next line
- ‘ sun shines through ‘
- nature again is symbolically seen overpowering man’s attempts to control it however the next line acts as a repeated bombardment of man’s structures that aim to dominate nature
- ‘roads, rail tracks, mountainfols’
- nature is trapped within the structure of the poem however it still manages to shine through

Question 8

What is a decent quote showing the poets criticism of money ?

Answer 8

‘Credit cards might fly our lives like paper kites’
- metaphoric comparison to paper kites as it personified to control us however it is paper which is a deliberate comparison as the poet suggests it is easily destroyed and the power it holds is not permanent
- the poet is seen to directly critics the capitalist life style
- money controls our lives and ‘flies’ our future

Question 9

How can we analyze the final line ?

Answer 9

‘Turned into your skin’
- we cause our own conflict and it’s a direct address to us and stands as a warning to the reader