Tissue - imtiaz dhaker

• Context

  • dhaker was born in Pakistan but grew up In Glasgow
  • Describes herself as ”Scottish Muslim Calvinist“
  • Adopted and married into wales
  • Poem focuses of balancing conflicting identities
  • From a 2006 anthology - ”terrorist at my table” - focuses on politics, terrorism and fundamentalism
  • First poem in collection, tissue acts as a preface of sorts, commenting on what dhaker believes to be the root of these problems; anise and misuse of power
  • Pessimistic viewpoint on fickleness of human life may stem from heart wrenching experience - husband passes away after 11 year battle with cancer
• power of paper/human power - topic sentence

  tissue explores the futility of power and how it is “not meant to last” through a variety of metaphors, by comparing human power to tissue dhaker creates an effect of temporariness thus criticises human attempt to hold onto power, showing no matter the grandiose humanities “capitals and monoliths are“ they aren’t meant to last
• Power of paper/ human power- “fly our lives ike paper kites”


  • illustrates paper and thus humans to have The ability to change the world
  • Illustrating how despite the insignificance and frail nature of paper it can still impact lives
• power of paper - “paper slips”


  • exploration of money
  • telling us ow it controls our lives as well through exploration of books
  • telling us paper has the ability to record “who was born to whom” showing us that paper has the power to encapsulate and record something as tumultuous as human lives
• power of paper - “borders”/”paper slips”/“maps”/“koran”


  • illustrate what humans are passionate about and as resuly cause divide
  • showing how things that humans use to illustrate power are the same things that lead to disunity and division
• religion - “Koran”


  • contrasts temporariness of human power with the ability to create an ideology that lasts
  • “Koran” is a “well used book”
  • shows prevalence in modern society
  • paper has the ability to communicate something so widespread in modern society showing how the idea that paper creates and spreads how the power of to last long after
  • Human power is immortalised through religion
  • Religion is a potential cause for conflict
• religion - “paper that lets the light shine through“


  • ”light” must be Dhaker referring to enlightenment and truth showing how the world should be viewed through this lens and not avariciousness
  • if paper is a conceit for human power it depicts ow despite mankind’s infatuation with power, compassion benevolence and love is able to shine through
  • through ambiguity of Dhaker referring to religion but not a specific food, shows Calvinist and Muslim backround
• society - topic sentence

  tissue also presents a poignant commentary on society illustrating how the items that are prescribed value by humans are often the causes for division and conflict, a preface to her anthology. social commentator Dhaker provides a solution of sorts for this, by showing how society should adapt
• society - “fall away on a sigh”


  • metaphor to describe buildings
  • shows how she feels even the most ironclad beliefs mankind holds should be adaptable and evolve with time
  • alternately could be Dhaker showing that she feels humanities powe to be short lived and transient - alike to paper
  • elaborates on her social commentary
  • society should be honest and truthful
  • alliteration ”turned transparent“
• form - lack of rhyme

  • creates a more free flowing text with fewer steadfast rules
  • Creates an impression of freedom
  • Perhaps shows human attempts to exert control are futile
  • Explores idea free from constraints of a singular expirience or historical event
  • Analyses sentiment of freedom on a level above time and humanity
• form regular stanzas

  • compromises of restricted quatrains which may be dhaker showinf how suffocating and stifling human power is
  • regularity of quatrains is contrasted with the final one line stanza which shows how imperative it is that people break free from human power in order to live freely and embrace the wonder and magnificence provided by nature
• structure - enjambment 


  • allows poem to flow more freely creating an impression of a lack of rules and constraints
  • contrasts with regular quatrains to show how freedom can be found even in restrictive places
  • even the strongest and most stifling human institutions are still victimised to chaos. and freedom
  • mockery of those in power
• structure - caesura

  • “fine slips” speaks about the emphasis humans place on money and finance
  • criticism that humanity allows money and materialism to mindlessly engulf them
  • lack of punctuation emulates continuousness of humanities infatuation with money