Tissue Flashcards
Who wrote tissue?
Imtiaz Dharker
What is the poem about?
It’s about the creation of things and the importance of paper for multiple reasons
What’s the context?
- Tissues is from her collection The terrorist at my table, which questions how well we know people
- Parable in nature, suggests there is a spiritual fulfilment in passing an ownership and letting things pass when they’ve filled their purpose
- Pakistani origins.
What’s the structure?
- Elusive poetic voice
- lack of regular rhythm and rhyme and the enjambment gives the poem freedom, reflecting the narrators desire
- Short stanza, poem built in layers, like a human life
- final personal stanza
What does repetition of “paper” in the first stanza show?
Suggests that its important and can perhaps drive the change that the third line alludes to
What does “light shine through” suggest?
Light allows things to be seen rather than hidden. This may be what needs to be changed. Positivity contrasts with negativity
What does the “Koran” suggest?
It broadens the importance of paper as it can be used to record beliefs
What quotations shows that paper is used to record family history?
“written in the names and histories who was born to whom”
What quotation uses gentle verbs and the repetition of and to show that pages are treated with respect and affection?
“pages smoothed and stroked and turned”
What quotation shows a shift in tone, which suggests that if buildings were made out of paper, people would notice that they’re temporary?
“if buildings were paper”
What two verbs rhyme which play on the idea of movement - they are on different lines suggesting that they’ve been blown by the wind?
” drift” and “shift”
What quotation reflects the fixed nature of maps and borders and shows they create division rather than freedom?
“maps too.”
What quotation shows that the sun is a powerful, permanent force, whereas borders are just temporary marks on paper?
“the sun shines through their borderlines”
What effect does “rivers/roads/railtracks” have?
The alliteration creates a flowing effect and a sense of freedom
What phrases show that receipts record our day to day lives and that they can tell a story about our whole existence?
“fine slips/that say”
What simile hints at how our lives can be controlled by money?
“might fly our lives like paper kites”
What does “layer over layer, luminous script over numbers over line” suggest?
The work of the poet mirrors the work of the architect, the poem builds layers of words and meaning where an architect designed physical structures
What do “brick” and “block” imply?
The solidity of objects
What quotations show that light is enduring and powerful and that it will continue to shine even when man made structures break?
“daylight break through capitals and monoliths”
What quotation seems to be a criticism of human pride?
“the shapes that pride can make”
What quotations show a shift from talking about paper to talking about humans?
“a grand design/with living tissue”
What quotations show that human life is temporary ?
“a structure never meant to last”
What is the last line, that suggests that we’re all influenced by our heritage?
“turned into your skin”
