Tissues. Flashcards
What is tissue paper used as in the poem?
An extended metaphor for life.
What are examples of real-life references of lasting uses for paper Dharker uses in the poem?
Maps, receipts and architect drawings.
What is the purpose of using life aspects with their paper references in the poem?
It demonstrates how important but also fragile paper is.
In the final stages of the poem, what also is there a sense of?
The fragility of human life and the fact that not everything can last.
What themes are explored in the poem?
Power, instability and human essence.
What is evidence of the theme of POWER in the poem?
‘this/ is what could alter things.’
What is the poem mainly constructed in?
Unrhymed, irregular quatrains.
What could the FORM of the poem represent?
This form can be seen to represent the irregularity of life and the flimsy nature of the tissue paper the poem refers to.
How many stanzas does the poem consist of?
10.
True or false?
Each stanza in the poem consists of four lines.
False.
All stanzas consist of four lines APART from the last stanza, which is a single line long.
Fine slips from grocery shops
Metaphor the familiar and everyday image of
groceries representing larger-scale socio-economics. Our reliance on money and material wealth.
place layer over layer, luminous
Enjambment, and semantics of written script listed here gives a tone of excitement and exploration.
or block, but let the daylight break
Pathetic fallacy , gives the hopeful aspect to the message of the poem through the reuse of light and shining.
turned into your skin
Direct address, suggesting that instead
of being at conflict with the world around
us we create a sense of ownership and
shared identity.
Context:
Imtiaz Dharker is a poet and film maker, she has Pakistani origins and was raised in
Glasgow. A great number of her poems look at issues such as religion, terrorism
and global politics/identity. As a result her work can be difficult to grasp.
