Tissue

Struggling to Analyse Tissue by Imtiaz Dharker? This guide breaks down Dharker’s abstract, metaphor-rich poem and shows how she uses fragile paper as a symbol for power, identity, and human connection. Want full poem breakdowns, 50+ top quotes, and Grade 9 comparisons? Grab our Power & Conflict Poetry Cheat Sheet — available now on the Products Page!

 

What’s Tissue Really About?

Tissue uses the extended metaphor of paper to explore how fragile yet powerful human life, history, and structures are. Dharker draws attention to how society puts faith in things like money, maps, and buildings — but forgets the deeper human truths behind them.

It’s a meditative poem about the ephemeral (short-lived) nature of power and existence, and a subtle critique of how we try to control things that are ultimately uncontrollable.

 

Why Is This Poem So Unique?

Unlike other poems in the Power & Conflict anthology, Tissue is less about war or physical conflict — and more about internal, philosophical conflict:

• Between control and freedom
• Between permanence and fragility
• Between man-made structures and natural life

Dharker suggests that real power lies in things that appear weak — like tissue paper or human emotion.

 

Key Themes in Tissue

• Power and Fragility – how delicate things can have influence
• Human Control vs Nature – and how nature always wins
• Impermanence – everything man-made is temporary
• Identity and Legacy – what we leave behind matters more than buildings or money

 

Form and Structure: What to Know

• Free verse & irregular stanzas – reflects the unpredictability of life
• Lack of rhyme – mirrors the fluid, unstructured message of the poem
• Enjambment – lines flow over like paper blown by wind, creating a sense of movement
• Final line is a single word: “transparent.” – ends with clarity and openness, reinforcing the poem’s central idea

 

Context: Why It Matters

• Imtiaz Dharker is a contemporary poet with roots in Pakistan and the UK
• Her work often explores cultural identity, conflict, and human connection
• Tissue reflects on how societies are built and unbuilt — and how human lives matter more than the structures we create

 

High-Level Vocabulary for Essays

Use these to boost your analysis:

• Ephemeral – short-lived or temporary
• Transience – passing nature of things
• Symbolism – paper as a metaphor for life, power, and fragility
• Spirituality – references to “the light” suggest deeper truths
• Immaterial strength – power that comes from emotion, truth, or humanity

 

3 Key Quotes + Analysis

1. “Paper that lets the light shine through.”

• Analysis: A recurring image. Light symbolises truth, hope, and perhaps divine presence. Paper becomes a metaphor for transparency and openness — qualities Dharker seems to admire.

 

2. “Maps too. The sun shines through / their borderlines.”

• Analysis: Maps represent man-made attempts to control and divide. But nature — symbolised by the sun — ignores these boundaries. Suggests human power is an illusion.

 

3. “Might fly our lives like paper kites.”

• Analysis: A beautiful image of fragility. Our lives are delicate and easily directed or pulled by forces beyond our control (e.g. money, politics, fate). But there’s also a sense of freedom in the kite imagery — we can rise, float, dance.

 

Want Full Notes, Grade 9 Essays & More Quotes?

This is just one part of our Power and Conflict Poetry Cheat Sheet, which includes:

✅ Full poem breakdowns for Ozymandias, Kamikaze, My Last Duchess, and more
✅ Side-by-side comparisons (e.g. Ozymandias vs My Last Duchess)
✅ Grade 9 model answers with examiner-style annotations
✅ 50+ high-level quotes with advanced analysis
✅ Context, structure, and language tips for every poem

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