tissue

• The title could be referring to thin paper which is easy to destroy or a human tissue which ages and eventually dies. Society can be viewed as tissue as it made is from a collection of cells and is intrinsically fragile but it could also become more like tissue by becoming more flexible.

  The line "Paper that lets the light shine through" is ironic as despite it being translucent, it is able to exert great influence. Religious books are an example of paper with power which have a large influence on the way people act.
• The poem takes the form of an allegory which has the hidden meaning of revealing the transience of life. This could cause the reader to let go of a materialistic life and instead focus on the people around them and God. It ends with the direct address "your skin" to cement this message in the readers' mind that they should consider their own actions.
• Stanza lengths

  • The whole poem is written in quatrains which provides a consistent structure to show how restrictive human power and control can be.
  • The final line is only a single line to emphasise and isolate its meaning. This shows it breaking free from the controlling structure and implies that there is a need to break free from the control of human power.
• Free verse and enjambment

  • The regularity of a fixed stanza length is undermined by the use of free verse and enjambment. These loose structural forms show that freedom can be found even within a restrictive institution.
  • The structure also implies that even the most powerful presentations of power (buildings and governments) are underpinned by chaos and insignificance. Dharker's use of enjambment unifies lines showing her view that humans should become united. The combined effect of these devices is to show that humanity is not in control as much as it would like to imagine and the poem may be mocking those who believe they have a lot of power.
• Extended metaphor

  • Tissue paper is used to liken surrounding objects to human life. "Maps too" shows how a person can be like a map with many different countries and cultures contained within them and no borders.
  • Whilst the Koran is paper it is also a collection of lives, the power it contains does not come from it being made of physical paper but from the influence it has on people's lives. The power of paper is also seen in "might fly our lives like paper kites" which shows that if money is given too much power, it will be able to govern our lives ("fly them").
• Religion

  • The symbol of light is a recurring theme throughout the poem which begins with "Paper that lets the light shine through". Light is used as a symbol of truth and enlightenment to show how the world should be viewed. This has religious ties as God is described in terms of light in both the Muslim and Christian holy books (this links to Dharker's upbringing).
  • The poem could be interpreted to also be a source of enlightenment to the listener of a new way of living in which God is able to permeate through life and materialism. There is no reference to a specific God in this poem which reflects Dharker's exploration and criticism of fundamentalism in the collection.
• Society

  Within the poem, Dharker sets out what she believes would make an ideal society. The metaphor of buildings being able to "fall away on a sigh" implies that buildings should be able to change and adapt easily. Here, buildings are a symbol of permanence that should be abolished. Dharker explicitly states that society should become more transparent and this is emphasised by the harsh alliterative consonants in "turned transparent".
• Human power

  Dharker explores what humans deem to be truly important by what they put on paper. Religious truths, buildings (compared to paper), borders, money are all referenced, leading the leader to question whether or not these are the right things to be vesting interest in. Her use of symbolism in "Koran", "borderlines", "mountain folds", "fine slips", "what was paid by the credit card" and "capitals and monoliths" demonstrates all the symbols of human power are also causes of division between people.
• • 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.
  • The poem is written from the point of view of someone today looking out at the conflict and troubles of the modern world; destruction, war and politics, money and wealth as well as issues like terrorism and identity. The poem remarks how nothing is meant to last, that it would be better not to hold too tightly to that and instead we should be willing to let go and pass things on in their time to be remade.
  • In short, that the world would be better if it shared more qualities with ‘tissue’.
• The poem looks at conflict in terms of destruction and politics particularly, it hints that we make our own conflict by holding on too tight to power and control and actually the need to relax and remember we are all human.
• • The poet explores the characteristics of tissue and applies it to a world at conflict with the people who have made it.
  • The poet addresses some of the larger issues; greed, pride etc and how we have built our world around them, at odds with our own existence.
  • The poem is a parable in nature as it suggests there is a spiritual fulfilment in passing on ownership and letting things pass when they have filled their purpose
• Synopsis

  • Tissue paper is described to be fragile and easily affected by aging and handling
  • Paper is then attributed to the significance of the Koran
  • Maps and buildings are then included in the extended metaphor
  • Dharker claims that an architect could use tissue to build with and never need to use brick again
  • Tissue is then finally likened to skin
• "the height and weight, who died where and how, on which sepia date, pages smoothed and stroked and turned"


  Asyndetic listing is used here to emphasise the significance of the Koran on humanity. Sepia meaning faded or yellowed with age. Suggestion of handed down. Tactile verbs suggest this is not so much a religious book but a treasured heirloom and connection to family.
• "The sun shines through their borderlines"


  Borderlines are just temporary, nature will last forever and is not divided. Could be related to Gods, they do not wish for division but unity.
• "turned into your skin"


  The final line is left separate to make it clear to the listener that they are meant to consider the meaning of the poem in relation to their life.
• "Let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths"


  Represents human governments and buildings, they are just temporary when compared to nature. This metaphor demonstrates the overwhelming power of daylight - something people can't control.
• What is the effect of the use of enjambment, especially between the first and second stanzas, "Paper thinned by age or touching,/ the kind you find in well-used books, the back of the Koran, where a hand has written in the names and histories"?


  This reflects the lack of control/power that mankind truly has: it could represent how we are slaves to paper once we have documented our lives with permanent ink and our details are open to manipulation. The forced break between stanzas 1 and 2 symbolises the distinct difference between the power of god and the power of man: the act of writing notes in a holy book is an attempt to take over the importance of god and is destroying his property
• The poem is written as an on-going monologue with some internal rhyme through the poem (though with no real pattern to it). It uses enjambment to create a very human and calm tone. The poem starts looking at the joy of simple things like well used paper and wonders what the world would be like if it had the same qualities. The final part of the poem is both hopeful and a warning. Against pride but in favour of growth and acceptance