1. GO! Condense this information into a short fact file about the author.
Context (AO3)
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?
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.

2. 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 are 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.

3. the kind you find in well-used books,
The lines are run on. What is this called? What is the effect?
Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things. 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,
who was born to whom,
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,
What does the word ‘light’ normally connote?
‘Thinned by age or touching’ – What does this suggest?
Koran, symbolic of culture and religion and also emphasising a major conflict in modern society and the perceived war on Islam.
Symbolic, metaphor for control
Emphasis on ‘history’ as central to the theme & emphasis that this has been handed down. What does this suggest?
Rule of three reflects turning of pages
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
Symbolic of societies power
Modal verb revealing message/purpose
Evocative reference to modern events e.g. twin towers
Symbol and metaphor for global division.
‘Sun’ symbol of the poets message and hope for a less divided world.
AO3 CHALLENGE: Find evidence of the INFLUENCE OF THE POET’S CONTEXT

4. might fly our lives like paper kites.
Fine slips from grocery shops that say how much was sold and what was paid by credit card
might fly our lives like paper kites.
An architect could use all this, place layer over layer, luminous script over numbers over line, and never wish to build again with brick
or block, but let the daylight break
through capitals and monoliths, through the shapes that pride can make,
find a way to trace a grand design
with living tissue, raise a structure
never meant to last, of paper smoothed and stroked and thinned
to be transparent,
turned into your skin.
Symbol of capitalism
Flying Kites connotes a childlike innocence and freedom. Suggesting that a change in approach to material ownership would regain a childhood peace of mind.
Metaphor: the familiar and everyday image of groceries represent capitalism and our reliance of wealth and material goods.
Symbolic not just of someone who designs buildings but also anyone who makes anything. Metaphor for us all.
Enjambment, and semantics of written script listed here gives a tone of excitement and exploration.
Pathetic fallacy , gives the hopeful aspect to the message of the poem through the reuse of light and shining.
Biblical reference, suggestive of the bigger picture and a sense of spiritual fulfilment. Suggests that we could be building things that improve our life, like relationships.
Metaphor, for people or society.
Ominous, can be an allusion to the horrors of war and terrorism e.g. 9/11, Berlin wall?
Direct address, suggesting that instead of being at conflict with the world around us we should create a sense of ownership and shared identity.
AO3 CHALLENGE: Find evidence of the INFLUENCE OF THE POET’S CONTEXT

5. 1 KEY THEMES Find quotations which support each key theme (AO1). Loss
Control
Freedom
Fragility
Creation
EXT: Explain their effect on the reader (AO2)

6. 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!

7. 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?

8. Language about light What does light suggest?
How is it shown as a positive source throughout the poem?

9. Language about Creation
Highlight anything being created.
How does the writer compare the construction of buildings to the creation of mankind?