Page 1: Introduction to "Tissue" by Imtiaz Dharker

The first page introduces Imtiaz Dharker's poem "Tissue", providing context and an overview of its themes and structure. The poem is described as impressionistic, commenting on modern world conflicts and troubles through comparisons with tissue paper.

Context: Imtiaz Dharker, born in Pakistan and raised in Glasgow, writes about issues such as terrorism, identity, freedom, and religion. "Tissue" is from her collection "The Terrorist at my Table", which explores the roots of terrorism and fundamentalism.

The poem's structure is analyzed, noting its use of free verse and enjambment. These structural choices are interpreted as reflections of human inability to control nature or their own lives, and the poet's desire for freedom.

Highlight: The free verse structure represents humans' inability to control nature or their own lives, while enjambment reflects the poet's desire for freedom or the lack of control humans have compared to nature.

Key concepts explored in the poem include:

1. Causes of conflict, suggesting that humans create their own conflicts by assigning unwarranted power to certain things.
2. The importance of paper in our lives, from maps to money to history books, while noting its inherent fragility.
3. The nature of human power, exploring its insignificance and ephemeral quality when compared to the power of nature.

Quote: "Paper that lets the light shine through / this is what could alter things"

This quote introduces the metaphor of light, possibly representing divine or transformative power, and suggests the potential for change through fragile mediums like paper.

Page 2: Key Quotations and Comparisons in "Tissue"

The second page delves deeper into the analysis of "Tissue" by Imtiaz Dharker, focusing on key quotations and comparisons that illuminate the poem's themes and literary devices.

Several important quotations are highlighted and analyzed:

Quote: "What was paid by credit card / might fly our lives like paper kites."

This simile suggests how humans are dominated and controlled by money, implying that humans have caused conflict by assigning significance to such things.

Quote: "The marks / that rivers make, roads / rail tracks, mountain folds"

The use of listing in this quote highlights the idea that humans are determined to control, dominate, and make sense of nature.

Quote: "Shift" and "drift"

These words, related to transience, remind the reader of the fragility of paper, reinforcing the poem's central metaphor.

The poem's themes are compared to other works, including "Ozymandias," "Exposure," "The Prelude," and "Storm on the Island," suggesting a connection to broader literary explorations of nature versus human power.

Highlight: The poem repeatedly emphasizes the delicacy and importance of paper through images of touching and thinning, reinforcing its central metaphor.

Quote: "Paper smoothed and stroked and thinned to be transparent"

The repetition of this line reinforces the idea that paper, and by extension human constructs, are fragile and transient.

This page provides a deeper understanding of the themes in "Tissue", particularly the contrast between human attempts at control and the enduring power of nature, as well as the fragility of human constructs represented by paper.