Understanding the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker
I can explain how Dharker presents her attitude towards power and conflict in 'Tissue'.
Understanding the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker
I can explain how Dharker presents her attitude towards power and conflict in 'Tissue'.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- This poem is part of Dharker’s collection 'Terrorist at My Table' written at a time when her partner was terminally ill.
- The speaker in this poem uses tissue as an extended metaphor for life.
- Dharker uses the homonym "tissue" to draw parallels to the fragility of both paper and human life.
- Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan but moved to Glasgow when she was under a year of age.
- Dharker turned down the Poet Laureate role in 2019 in order to maintain the personal nature of her work.
Common misconception
There is a single, clear interpretation of 'Tissue'.
There are varied interpretations of the poem and - as long as they are supported by evidence - they are valid. Students may focus on the comparison of power to paper or on the similar fragility between paper and human life.
Keywords
Poet Laureate - an honorary position given by the monarch; the poet is tasked with writing poems about state occasions
Displacement - a situation where people are forced to leave the place they normally live
Connotations - the ideas and feelings a word evokes in addition to its literal meaning
Extended metaphor - a version of a metaphor that is developed throughout a piece of writing
Homonym - a word that is spelled and sounds the same as another but has a different meaning (e.g. bat)
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker which can be found in the AQA 'Power and Conflict' poetry anthology for GCSE.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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