Tissue Flashcards
Analyse form in Tissue
Dharker uses form to show the lack of control we have in our lives. She writes her poem in free verse, with the poem entirely lacking rhythm.
Perhaps she does this to emphasise the futility of trying to have power – even this poem that generations after her will read, cannot be bound into regular stanzas, or a fixed rhyme scheme.
Maybe Dharker is trying to show that, the powerful message of her poem has the ability to live on and go down in history – but she can’t control this outcome. Therefore, she shows that the power of history is unpredictable, down to fate rather than action.
Analyse the opening of Tissue
Dharker furthermore shows the power of History through religious connotations and the eternal teachings of God. She describes the ‘’paper’’ that ‘’lets the light shine through’’, that could ‘’alter things’’.
The thin paper she describes connotes that of religious books, that metaphorically bring God’s ‘’light’’, his wisdom, into the world. Dharker wants us to believe in his power, that has the ability to ‘’alter things’’.
Through her metaphor for God, Dharker reminds us of how belief in God has started to fade – and how society has suffered for it. Dharker criticises how powerful of history here, how it even has caused faith in God to decline, negatively impacting society – is time more powerful than God?
Analyse the structure in Tissue
Dharker also uses enjambment to create an ongoing atmosphere – showing how time doesn’t stop for anyone, history shows no mercy. ‘’Build again with brick / Or Block’’. Dharker intentionally uses structure here to emphasise ‘’block’’ – which could have connotations of neglection, perhaps she’s showing how futile our attempts are to ‘’block’’ nature. Alternatively, this ‘’block’’ could represent how history holds us back, prevents us from moving forward – moreso a mental block in society. Furthermore, she uses a two word sentence ‘’maps too’’ to highlight man’s desire to control the environment, and even nature. However, again, landscape changes and maps have to change to accommodate for nature’s power. Perhaps the enjambment also shows the chaos in history.
Analyse the use of language Tissue
Dharker furthermore uses language to show the lack of control we have. She describes how we might ‘’fly our lives like paper kites’’ – this simile suggests that, like kites, our lives are difficult to control. Furthermore, it’s controlled by things that are out of our reach – for example, the wind. Alternatively, ‘’paper’’ suggests light, maybe she is suggesting we live free, light-hearted. This is reinforced by ‘’fly’’, which has connotations of freedom. Perhaps Dharker wants us to break away from history and create ‘’our’’ own world, one of unity and joy.
Analyse the ending of Tissue
Finally, Dharker uses a one word paragraph to complete her poem – ‘’ paper…/ turned into your skin’’. Dharker is saying that we should act like our skin is ‘’thinned’’ and ‘’transparent’’, perhaps we shoud look past skin color as underneath our skin we are one and the same. History has built stereotypes and caused discrimination, Dharker, having grown up as a Pakistani in Scotland may have faced some of this – and wants to use her poem ultimately to challenge history and to urge societal change.
