Tissue

Question 1

Imtiaz Dharker

Answer 1

Was born in Pakistan , raised in Glasgow and now lives in India and Britain . ‘Tissue’ is from her 2006 collection

Question 2

Form

Answer 2

The poetic voice is elusive, with the focus on humanity in general rather than a specific person or speaker. The a a of regular rhythm or thyme and the enjamment across hine apestanzas gives the poem a freedom and pennes, reflecting the narrators desire for freedom ane claris.
The short stanzas mean that the poem is built up in layers, just as it suggests human life is.

Question 3

Structure

Answer 3

There are three main parts to the poem, moving through ideas about history,
human experience and the creation of human life. The final, single line stands out and focuses the reader on their own identity and how it’s created.

Question 4

Language about light

Answer 4

Light is presented as a positive force - it enables people to see and understand it , it can move through and beyond boundaries and can break through objects

“Light shine through … could alter things “ light allows us to see through showing us things we may not want to see showing what needs to change

“The sun shines through their borderlines “ - the sun us powerful and permenant whereas borders are temporary and Marks on a paper

Question 6

Language about creation

Answer 6

There are lots of references to things being created, man -made constructions like buildings and borderlines are compared with the creation of humans

“The shapes that pride can make “ - sounds like criticism of buildings that are ultimately unimportant

Question 7

Different types of tissues

Answer 7

The homonyms of ‘tissue’ create a link between paper and humans
- both tissue paper and human tissue are fragile, but powerful. The word tissue’ originally meant something that had been woven, which reinforces the idea that human lives are built up in layers.

“Structure never meant to last “ - human life is only temporary we are all part of a complex part of history layers

Question 8

Control

Answer 8

The poem mentions different things that control human life — there are references to money, religion, nature, pride and governments (“capitals”).

Question 9

Freedom

Answer 9

The speaker imagines a world that breaks free of some of these restrictions, where human constructions are less permanent and important.