tissue

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TISSUE BY IMITAZ DHARKER

ABOUT THE POET

main themes of her poetry are geographical and cultural displacement, communal conflict and gender

poem comes from a book of poems about a world struck by fundamentalism

tissue is the first poem of this book

MAIN THEMES

a critique of human power

highlights human fragility

true power of nature

mankind is fragile yet powerful

metaphor for human power

The title 'Tissue' is very ambiguous could be thin paper but could also be human tissue as well [double meaning] could represent how human power is as fragile as a piece tissue

STANZA 1

'paper that lets the light shine through'

nearly see through paper like the Bible?

Jesus said "I am the light of the World" so the light could represent God which presents a religious power, the poem also says 'this is what could alter things' which suggests that God has complete power.

STANZA 2 + 3

power of man - important things are marked down in the koran

act of writing family notes in a holy book could be man disrespecting God

trying to take God's place

enjambment?

structure undermined human control

technique of free verse shows a lack of power

distinct difference between power of god and man

deliberate choice

why forced break?

freedom of the lines shows the lack of organisation mankind has

'transparent' see through paper

honest and clear - those in power need to be honest and clear to succeed

STANZA 4

'see how easily they fall away on a sigh'

in the real world paper is not powerful

you wouldn't make a building from it

STANZA 5

'sun shines through their borderlines'

paper does have power

used to divide, mark out, segregate and control

maps

STANZA 6

paper seems to have power in commerce (receipts)

controls money and finance

but it is an illusion - 'paid by credit card might fly our lives like paper kites'

the paper does not control it but rather you do

STANZA 7 + 8

ambiguous

paper used to design everything around us - 'an architect could use all this'

stanza eight 'capitals and monoliths'

light can shine through governments

STANZA 9 +10

human skin (tissue) is fragile

Throughout the text there are references to things that hold power; which are manmade: maps, buildings and receipts. As humans we give them power but this poet suggests that these things don't actually have any power.

BUILDINGS, CAPITALS AND MONOLITHS

represent human government and power

MAPS

segregate and divide the natural world - man chooses how to divide the natural world and its civilisations

different aspects of which man tries to control the environment

man trying to exert its power over nature which are not naturally there

RECIEPTS

'control' money

man made, power over us

'like paper kites' receipts can fly our lives - simile

SUMMARY

paper is a symbol of human power

control our lives yet easily destroyed

man made power is not permanent

we think we have power but it is really nature that has the power

natures power is permanent - 'shines through' - the sun overpowers the paper

'daylight breaks through...' - daylight (nature) breaks through a man made power

mocks mans attempts at dominance and power

nature has complete power and far outweighs the power of humans

things that aren't meant to last do, and things that are supposed to last don't

compared to 'ozymandias' (all things decay with time) this poem disagrees and implies that skin is the most resilient - it is also cared for so it doesn't wether with time

might mean that the people did not care for their ruler and didn't look after the statue so it became desolate

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