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Essentially, Tissue is about the strength of weakness; it’s about how strong it is to be mortal and fragile and open to change.
Essentially, Tissue is about the strength of weakness; it’s about how strong it is to be mortal and fragile and open to change.
The first image claims that it’s the paper that “lets the light shine through” that could “alter things.” Here, the light might represent goodness or health or possibly something divine, and she’s arguing that it is thin paper – not the concrete tower blocks, or heavy machinery, or anything produced by the 21st century desire for things that are stronger and more permanent; she argues that it is the thin things, fragile things, like paper, that really let the divine shine through.
The first image claims that it’s the paper that “lets the light shine through” that could “alter things.” Here, the light might represent goodness or health or possibly something divine, and she’s arguing that it is thin paper – not the concrete tower blocks, or heavy machinery, or anything produced by the 21st century desire for things that are stronger and more permanent; she argues that it is the thin things, fragile things, like paper, that really let the divine shine through.
The rest of the poem uses a series of images to highlight the importance of something as simple and fragile as paper to preserve humanity.
The rest of the poem uses a series of images to highlight the importance of something as simple and fragile as paper to preserve humanity.
She talks about the books of the Koran, a religious book that was – like all religious books – originally used to record the names and dates of births and deaths. Here, the paper is worn thin with “attention” – an image she’ll return to later in the poem. The idea is that this fragile paper was capable of preserving the greatness of history – and remember that history too is transitory and forever changing. When I read this line, I often think about the names that were recorded, those who would have been great at the time, and how they had to fade and die in order for the new world to be born.
She talks about the books of the Koran, a religious book that was – like all religious books – originally used to record the names and dates of births and deaths. Here, the paper is worn thin with “attention” – an image she’ll return to later in the poem. The idea is that this fragile paper was capable of preserving the greatness of history – and remember that history too is transitory and forever changing. When I read this line, I often think about the names that were recorded, those who would have been great at the time, and how they had to fade and die in order for the new world to be born.
She then says that “If buildings were paper I might feel their drift.” There’s a nice play on words here, as she suggests that buildings made of paper would drift – they’d shift and be capable of change – but she’d also feel their “drift,” which is a kind of surfer term for understanding their meaning. She’s get their drift. She’d know what they’re about. If they were thinner, and more fragile – more human.
She then says that “If buildings were paper I might feel their drift.” There’s a nice play on words here, as she suggests that buildings made of paper would drift – they’d shift and be capable of change – but she’d also feel their “drift,” which is a kind of surfer term for understanding their meaning. She’s get their drift. She’d know what they’re about. If they were thinner, and more fragile – more human.
Next come maps. She argues that thinner maps would allow the sun to shine through their borderlines. Here, she’s really suggesting that if we were thinner, more open to change, then perhaps we would no longer need wars. We would no longer see borders if our understanding of them was less rigid. Again, she suggests that allowing for our fragility might make us more united and more powerful. Again, light could be seen as representing an enlightenment that creates unity, or a force of the divine shining through.
Next come maps. She argues that thinner maps would allow the sun to shine through their borderlines. Here, she’s really suggesting that if we were thinner, more open to change, then perhaps we would no longer need wars. We would no longer see borders if our understanding of them was less rigid. Again, she suggests that allowing for our fragility might make us more united and more powerful. Again, light could be seen as representing an enlightenment that creates unity, or a force of the divine shining through.
The sixth verse talks about capitalism. The “slips from grocery shops” reference the cash-money dealings we engage in day-to-day – the salaries we slave for. She ridicules them and they seem insignificant: just “slips” from grocery shops (slips perhaps also suggesting mistakes.) She argues that if we understand what is real, those things would fly our lives like paper kites – they’d cease to be important.
The sixth verse talks about capitalism. The “slips from grocery shops” reference the cash-money dealings we engage in day-to-day – the salaries we slave for. She ridicules them and they seem insignificant: just “slips” from grocery shops (slips perhaps also suggesting mistakes.) She argues that if we understand what is real, those things would fly our lives like paper kites – they’d cease to be important.
Towards the end, she returns to the building analogy and suggests that architects should use paper instead of brick so that “daylight” can “break through” – another reference to the divine or an enlightenment. Maybe, she suggests, if humanity didn’t try to build in a way that tried to live forever – in the way Ozymandias tried to do – maybe we could “trace a grand design” – the “grand design” which perhaps references the intelligent design of a creator.
Towards the end, she returns to the building analogy and suggests that architects should use paper instead of brick so that “daylight” can “break through” – another reference to the divine or an enlightenment. Maybe, she suggests, if humanity didn’t try to build in a way that tried to live forever – in the way Ozymandias tried to do – maybe we could “trace a grand design” – the “grand design” which perhaps references the intelligent design of a creator.
Here, the enjambment between the verses focuses our attention on the idea of the “grand design” and the “living tissue” – the cellular structure of man – and takes her into a point where she compares the fragility of paper with the human form. We should “raise a structure never meant to last” – a human – made of “living tissue.” This verse is where the real power of the poem comes out: the human form is not meant to last. We are designed to die. We are designed to pass through time, and not outlast it. By accepting this and allowing ourselves to be weak and fragile – thinned until we are “transparent with attention” – we will let some divine light shine through.
Here, the enjambment between the verses focuses our attention on the idea of the “grand design” and the “living tissue” – the cellular structure of man – and takes her into a point where she compares the fragility of paper with the human form. We should “raise a structure never meant to last” – a human – made of “living tissue.” This verse is where the real power of the poem comes out: the human form is not meant to last. We are designed to die. We are designed to pass through time, and not outlast it. By accepting this and allowing ourselves to be weak and fragile – thinned until we are “transparent with attention” – we will let some divine light shine through.
This image is really at the tragic heart of the poem: fragility means death; it means we will fade away. She wants us to embrace change and allow it. As a result, she is tender when she talks about it. Paper – which here represents our skin – should be “smoothed and stroked.” It should be loved. It is “thinned to be transparent” – like an old person’s skin. Caring and being cared for makes us fragile, but it also makes us great.
This image is really at the tragic heart of the poem: fragility means death; it means we will fade away. She wants us to embrace change and allow it. As a result, she is tender when she talks about it. Paper – which here represents our skin – should be “smoothed and stroked.” It should be loved. It is “thinned to be transparent” – like an old person’s skin. Caring and being cared for makes us fragile, but it also makes us great.
Really, this poem is about the pointlessness of the dream of immortality. We should not try to live forever because it is the “paper that lets the light shine through… that could alter things.”
Really, this poem is about the pointlessness of the dream of immortality. We should not try to live forever because it is the “paper that lets the light shine through… that could alter things.”
What to compare it with?
What to compare it with?
Ozymandias: Perfect fit
Ozymandias: Perfect fit
In Ozymandias humanity tries to live forever, in the form of the great king. However, time will defeat it in the end. Dharker agrees, and goes further, arguing that decay and the change it induces is the greatest and highest form of beauty.
In Ozymandias humanity tries to live forever, in the form of the great king. However, time will defeat it in the end. Dharker agrees, and goes further, arguing that decay and the change it induces is the greatest and highest form of beauty.
Emigree: Stretch – but not better than Ozymandias
Emigree: Stretch – but not better than Ozymandias
Repeated images of light run through both poems, while contrasts come from the fact that Emigree struggles to cling on to what is important while Tissue argues that you should simply let it go.
Repeated images of light run through both poems, while contrasts come from the fact that Emigree struggles to cling on to what is important while Tissue argues that you should simply let it go.
Tissue & Emigree
Tissue & Emigree
Tissue and Emigree are both poems told in first person which focus on the power of recording events and information along with many personal connections. Tissue takes the form of an internal thought monologue, with the writer using vivid descriptive language and switching quickly between focusses, much like a thought process - vivid and sudden. Emigree, on the other hand, is told as a story which continually skips through time, both forwards and backwards, with the narrator telling the story of their escape from their childhood home which is now “sick with tyrants”. Tissue is more about the power of physical recordings on paper, “heights and weights, who died where and how” and the power and effect that that information can have on constructing or changing a society, whereas Emigree is about personal memories and the effects they can have on individuals who are living in a world which tells them that their past is false. However, the poems powerfully contrast in that Tissue puts all its trust in recording events on paper whilst the Emigree suggests that memory is the strongest form of recording as it can not be altered, unlike paper which has been edited and changed throughout history (and even now) to present a fake world.
Tissue and Emigree are both poems told in first person which focus on the power of recording events and information along with many personal connections. Tissue takes the form of an internal thought monologue, with the writer using vivid descriptive language and switching quickly between focusses, much like a thought process - vivid and sudden. Emigree, on the other hand, is told as a story which continually skips through time, both forwards and backwards, with the narrator telling the story of their escape from their childhood home which is now “sick with tyrants”. Tissue is more about the power of physical recordings on paper, “heights and weights, who died where and how” and the power and effect that that information can have on constructing or changing a society, whereas Emigree is about personal memories and the effects they can have on individuals who are living in a world which tells them that their past is false. However, the poems powerfully contrast in that Tissue puts all its trust in recording events on paper whilst the Emigree suggests that memory is the strongest form of recording as it can not be altered, unlike paper which has been edited and changed throughout history (and even now) to present a fake world.
Tissue constantly describes how useful paper is in recording important information, suggesting that “an architect could use all [of the paper” to build something great; however, in the final stanza of Emigree, the narrator describes their memories as “docile as paper”, suggesting that paper is a tool ready to take instruction, perhaps referring to the way that documents can be forged to change the world but memories can not - they are permanent.
Tissue constantly describes how useful paper is in recording important information, suggesting that “an architect could use all [of the paper” to build something great; however, in the final stanza of Emigree, the narrator describes their memories as “docile as paper”, suggesting that paper is a tool ready to take instruction, perhaps referring to the way that documents can be forged to change the world but memories can not - they are permanent.
Both poems address sunlight frequently, with both using the imagery based around light within their first lines. In Tissue, the narrator says “Paper that lets the light shine through, (...) could alter things”, giving the impression that the narrator believes that old texts may be the key to fixing many of society’s ailments; the narrator also references the “Koran” later on, making it seem as if the old texts she is talking about are religious. In Emigree, sunlight is initially used to make the narrator’s memories seem positive, however, after looking at sunlight for too long the observer begins to feel pain, suggesting that continually thinking about her past has caused her great pain. Both old texts and old memories can be used to comfort people but can also cause pain, with many wars being fought over ancient words and many personal issues arising from peoples’ traumatic pasts. Perhaps what both poems are trying to say is that, if used correctly, memories and words can shape a better society - but if left untamed they may lead to something worse.
Both poems address sunlight frequently, with both using the imagery based around light within their first lines. In Tissue, the narrator says “Paper that lets the light shine through, (...) could alter things”, giving the impression that the narrator believes that old texts may be the key to fixing many of society’s ailments; the narrator also references the “Koran” later on, making it seem as if the old texts she is talking about are religious. In Emigree, sunlight is initially used to make the narrator’s memories seem positive, however, after looking at sunlight for too long the observer begins to feel pain, suggesting that continually thinking about her past has caused her great pain. Both old texts and old memories can be used to comfort people but can also cause pain, with many wars being fought over ancient words and many personal issues arising from peoples’ traumatic pasts. Perhaps what both poems are trying to say is that, if used correctly, memories and words can shape a better society - but if left untamed they may lead to something worse.
In Tissue, Rumens says that an architect could “use all [the information] (...) and never wish to build with brick again”. This is beautiful and complex imagery but it does not make sense physically, making it seem as if she is suggesting that a society can and should be built upon knowledge and communication instead of brick. Emigree also refuses to believe that the only world we live in is physical with constant references to the narrator’s city which exists “in its own white plane” in their mind and memories; the writer makes it sound as if we all have our own worlds living inside of us.
In Tissue, Rumens says that an architect could “use all [the information] (...) and never wish to build with brick again”. This is beautiful and complex imagery but it does not make sense physically, making it seem as if she is suggesting that a society can and should be built upon knowledge and communication instead of brick. Emigree also refuses to believe that the only world we live in is physical with constant references to the narrator’s city which exists “in its own white plane” in their mind and memories; the writer makes it sound as if we all have our own worlds living inside of us.
Tissue, as a poem, can also be seen as an extended metaphor for human life. Tissue is not only thin paper but also what we are made of as humans. The relation between the paper tissue and human tissue is mostly about the power that paper has over us, with the line “fine slips from grocery shops (...) might fly our lives like paper kites” suggesting that we are controlled by this tiny, fragile receipts constantly; the use of “paper kites” as opposed to just ‘kites’ is interesting because paper kites would be considered weaker than normal kites by people, making it an almost ironic or sarcastic jab at those who believe paper is weak; however, contrary to this is the use of “fine slips” which makes the paper seem as weak as people see it, which could be taken as a dig at society for being controlled by paper. Much of the poem makes little literal sense and has many contrasting messages as the poem is intended to be a piece of impressionist poetry.
Tissue, as a poem, can also be seen as an extended metaphor for human life. Tissue is not only thin paper but also what we are made of as humans. The relation between the paper tissue and human tissue is mostly about the power that paper has over us, with the line “fine slips from grocery shops (...) might fly our lives like paper kites” suggesting that we are controlled by this tiny, fragile receipts constantly; the use of “paper kites” as opposed to just ‘kites’ is interesting because paper kites would be considered weaker than normal kites by people, making it an almost ironic or sarcastic jab at those who believe paper is weak; however, contrary to this is the use of “fine slips” which makes the paper seem as weak as people see it, which could be taken as a dig at society for being controlled by paper. Much of the poem makes little literal sense and has many contrasting messages as the poem is intended to be a piece of impressionist poetry.
Both poems use imagery linked to darkness or negativity, with Tissue arguing that the knowledge written on paper can dispel darkness from our cities and Emigree showing that those stuck in the dark only hurt those enlightened by the truth. Tissue’s links to darkness are more emotional whilst Emigree’s are more political; with the line “my city hides behind me” potentially referencing how people see all individuals from communities as representatives of all who come from that way of life (eg. Islamophobia and the fear of the Irish because of the IRA).
Both poems use imagery linked to darkness or negativity, with Tissue arguing that the knowledge written on paper can dispel darkness from our cities and Emigree showing that those stuck in the dark only hurt those enlightened by the truth. Tissue’s links to darkness are more emotional whilst Emigree’s are more political; with the line “my city hides behind me” potentially referencing how people see all individuals from communities as representatives of all who come from that way of life (eg. Islamophobia and the fear of the Irish because of the IRA).
Neither of the poems follow a strict rhyme scheme and are, because of this, quite a lot like monologues. Both poems also have final stanzas which stand out from the rest, with Tissue ending on a separated fragment of a sentence and Emigree ending on a stanza which is one line longer than the rest of the poem. In Tissue, the standalone ending “turned into your skin” serves as a final conclusive point saying that the accumulation of everything that has happened so far has led to the creation of you - it is short and punchy to emphasise its point; it is also the first time that a direct address is used towards the reader, creating a more personal and unexpected impact. In Emigree, the last stanza is one line longer than the other two, suggesting that the activity of thinking about her past has led to the writer not being able to stop easily. The tone of the poem very suddenly changes in the final four lines too, switching from being about light and beautiful, vivid memories to the darkness of the present; this switch is interesting because of how sudden it is as the majority of the poem is spent building up these images of beauty whilst the last stanza is more negative and set in the present, with the final lines ‘snapping’ and becoming about the way that the narrator is treated for being who they are. The end of the third stanza of Emigree is also the first time that short sentences are used, with the rest of the poem being made up of two-line sentences, making this more dark section even more dramatic.
Neither of the poems follow a strict rhyme scheme and are, because of this, quite a lot like monologues. Both poems also have final stanzas which stand out from the rest, with Tissue ending on a separated fragment of a sentence and Emigree ending on a stanza which is one line longer than the rest of the poem. In Tissue, the standalone ending “turned into your skin” serves as a final conclusive point saying that the accumulation of everything that has happened so far has led to the creation of you - it is short and punchy to emphasise its point; it is also the first time that a direct address is used towards the reader, creating a more personal and unexpected impact. In Emigree, the last stanza is one line longer than the other two, suggesting that the activity of thinking about her past has led to the writer not being able to stop easily. The tone of the poem very suddenly changes in the final four lines too, switching from being about light and beautiful, vivid memories to the darkness of the present; this switch is interesting because of how sudden it is as the majority of the poem is spent building up these images of beauty whilst the last stanza is more negative and set in the present, with the final lines ‘snapping’ and becoming about the way that the narrator is treated for being who they are. The end of the third stanza of Emigree is also the first time that short sentences are used, with the rest of the poem being made up of two-line sentences, making this more dark section even more dramatic.
Examiner’s Comments: A complex and thought provoking essay. Although, at times, it can lose itself in its complexity, there are enough really interesting points to secure it an eight or nine, depending on the examiner. All the major poetic devices are explored – language, form, imagery – and it contains embedded references to context which is better than including it as a bolt-on. But where this essay really shines is that you get the sense of the student exploring ideas through the poems, rather than simply regurgitating what they’ve been taught. There is clearly a lot of the personal in this, and it reflects an understanding of the complexity of poetic language in a way that can’t easily be faked. A very interesting essay, full of good ideas; though, at times, it would benefit from greater clarity.
Examiner’s Comments: A complex and thought provoking essay. Although, at times, it can lose itself in its complexity, there are enough really interesting points to secure it an eight or nine, depending on the examiner. All the major poetic devices are explored – language, form, imagery – and it contains embedded references to context which is better than including it as a bolt-on. But where this essay really shines is that you get the sense of the student exploring ideas through the poems, rather than simply regurgitating what they’ve been taught. There is clearly a lot of the personal in this, and it reflects an understanding of the complexity of poetic language in a way that can’t easily be faked. A very interesting essay, full of good ideas; though, at times, it would benefit from greater clarity.
Tissue & War Photographer
Tissue & War Photographer
How is POWER presented in War Photographer and one other poem in your collection?
(I chose Tissue)
Both War Photographer and Tissue look at how paper has the power to record the experience of human beings. In War Photographer Carol Ann Duffy writes about how photographs can transport events across time and space, taking the horrors of war into the relaxing life of England. In Tissues, Imtiaz Dharker talks about how paper is so central to the history of humans that she eventually uses paper as a metaphor for life itself.
In War Photographer, Duffy compares the photographer to another powerful position, that of a “priest preparing to intone a mass.” The simile offers a number of clear connotations: the light shining through the negatives could be compare to light shining through a stained glass window; also, as he is preparing his pictures for printing in newspaper you could argue that the pictures will work like a sermon with the power to educate. Furthermore, if the dark room is his church, and he is the priest, then his pictures could be seen as his religious book. The same connection is made in Tissue, where Dkarker reminds us that paper was used to make up the pages of the Koran. Here, she calls it a “well-used” book; the adjective phrase reminds us how powerful it has been to so many people; she creates the image of a hand that has written “names and histories.” In both these images, we are reminded that paper has a religious power and that it preserves ideas across time.
Since War Photographer focuses specifically on conflict situations, the language is far more active – verbs like “slop, tremble, explode” from verse two – help bring to life, even momentarily, the experiences of the photographer. By contrasting this action with the photographer’s life in “rural England” – which creates an image of a still countryside scene – we are reminded that photographs can offer us a window into a world far removed from our own. Dharker’s Tissues, however, seems calmer. Verbs like “smoothed, stroked and turned” from verse 3, or the image of a building falling “away on a sigh” from verse 4 all serve to lull to the reader into a calm space where we can reflect on the ideas the poem is presenting. In this respect Dharker and Duffy seem to have opposing aims with their poems: one reminds us to wake up or we’ll miss what is happening; the other encourages us to relax or we’ll miss what is real.
Structurally, neither poems look to establish a strong rhythm, preferring a more serious almost prose-like tone. In fact, although War Photographer sticks to a common ABBCDD rhyme scheme throughout it, some of the strongest rhymes appear outside of this: the “again / pain” rhyme in verse 2 for example, or the “tears / beers” rhyme in the final verse. In doing this, Duffy seems to be showing some kind of conflict within an order; as though she is establishing a rhyme scheme but deliberately breaking it, in order to show how fragile our order is. In Tissue, however, Dharker avoids a structured rhyme scheme, perhaps as a way of reflecting the chaotic nature of the life she is exploring, or reflecting the tissue paper she writes about blowing in the wind, like humans passing through time.
Most importantly, though, both poets write about the conflict that comes from how paper tries to preserve moments. In War Photographer, Duffy writes about how the deaths of the subjects will – or won’t – affect the readers as their “eyeballs prick / with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.” Here the rhyme is so strong it almost mocks the readers’ sadness. As readers we smile and feel warmth and reassurance from this child like rhyme, before we are reminded that the photographer must return to his war to collect and preserve another “hundred agonies in black and white.” In Tissue, however, humans actually become the paper – it is “turned into your skin.” Dharker reminds us that we are “never meant to last” anyway. She reminds us that the best of us are “smoothed and stroked” and “thinned by touching” until we are “transparent” – like a photographic negative.
And this brings out the most telling comparison. In Tissue, Dharker says that “Paper that lets light / shine through, this / is what could alter things.” However, in War Photographer, Duffy argues that the photographer, who uses the most transparent paper of all – a photographic negative – doesn’t really have the power to change anything, since the majority of us – perhaps aware of how short our lives really are – will always return to the beers and baths we enjoy.
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