Context AO 3 Imtiaz Dharker was born in

Context (AO 3) Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan, raised in Glasgow and now lies in Britain and India. ‘Tissue’ is from her 2006 collection called ‘The Terrorist at My Table’. What do you think this means? GO! Condense this information into a short fact file about the author. The collection questions how well we know the people around us. She has written five collections of poetry and often deals with themes of identity, the role of women in contemporary society and the search for meaning. She draws on her multi-cultural experience in her work.

What’s it all about then? The speaker in this poem uses tissue paper as an extended metaphor for life. She considers how paper can 'alter things' and refers to the soft thin paper of religious books, in particular the Qur'an. There also real life references to other lasting uses we have for paper in our lives such as maps, receipts and architect drawings. Each of these items is connected to important aspects of life: journeys, money and home. These examples demonstrate how important but also how fragile paper is. In the final stages of the poem, the poet links the idea of a building being made from paper to human skin, using the words 'living tissue' and then 'your skin'. This is quite a complex idea, and the meaning is open to interpretation. She may be suggesting that the significance of human life will outlast the records we make of it on paper or in buildings. There is also a sense of the fragility of human life, and the fact that not everything can last.

The lines are run on. What is this called? What is the effect? What does the word ‘light’ normally connote? Koran, symbolic of culture and religion and also emphasising a major conflict in modern society and the perceived war on Islam. Rule of three reflects turning of pages Tactile verbs suggest this is not so much a religious book but a treasured heirloom Modal verb revealing message/purpose Symbol and metaphor for global division. Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things. Paper thinned by age or touching, ‘Thinned by age or touching’ – What does this suggest? the kind you find in well-used books, the back of the Koran, where a hand has written in the names and histories, who was born to whom, Symbolic, metaphor for control the height and weight, who died where and how, on which sepia date, pages smoothed and stroked and turned transparent with attention. If buildings were paper, I might feel their drift, see how easily they fall away on a sigh, a shift in the direction of the wind. Maps too. The sun shines through their borderlines, the marks that rivers make, roads, railtracks, mountainfolds, Emphasis on ‘history’ as central to theme & emphasis that this has been handed down. What does this suggest? Sepia meaning faded or yellowed with age. Suggestion of handed down. Symbolic of societies power Evocative reference to modern events e. g. twin towers ‘Sun’ symbol of the poets message and hope for a less divided world. AO 3 CHALLENGE: Find evidence of the INFLUENCE OF THE POET’S CONTEXT

Flying Kites connotes a childlike innocence and freedom. Suggesting that a change in approach to material ownership would regain a childhood peace of mind. Symbolic not just of someone who designs buildings but also anyone who makes anything. Metaphor for us all. Pathetic fallacy , gives the hopeful aspect to the message of the poem through the reuse of light and shining. Metaphor, for people or society. Ominous, can be an allusion to the horrors of war and terrorism e. g. 9/11, Berlin wall? Symbol of capitalism Fine slips from grocery shops that say how much was sold Metaphor: the familiar and everyday image and what was paid by credit card of groceries represent capitalism and our might fly our lives like paper kites. reliance of wealth and material goods. An architect could use all this, place layer over layer, luminous Enjambment, and semantics of written script over numbers over line, script listed here gives a tone of and never wish to build again with brick excitement and exploration. or block, but let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths, Biblical reference, suggestive of the bigger picture and a sense of through the shapes that pride can make, spiritual fulfilment. Suggests that we could be building things that find a way to trace a grand design improve our life, like relationships. with living tissue, raise a structure never meant to last, of paper smoothed and stroked and thinned to be transparent, turned into your skin. Direct address, suggesting that instead of being at conflict with the world around us we should create a sense of ownership and shared identity. AO 3 CHALLENGE: Find evidence of the INFLUENCE OF THE POET’S CONTEXT

KEY THEMES 1 Find quotations which support each key theme (AO 1). Loss Control Freedom Fragility EXT: Explain their effect on the reader (AO 2) Creation

FORM Who’s perspective is the poem from? What is the effect of this? The poet’s voice is very elusive with a focus on humanity. Why? What is the effect of enjambment throughout the poem? What does it create a sense of? The stanzas are short. The poem is built up by many smaller things. What does this sumbolise? Think about the title of the poem!

Structure What is the focus of the first three stanzas? How does the poem end in comparison to how it begins? What is the significance of the final line?