Question 1: What is the main theme of 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker? Briefly explain.

Answer: The main themes include the fragility of human life, the impermanence of power, and the idea that human creations are temporary.

Question 2: How does Dharker use the metaphor of tissue to represent life and human structures?

Answer: Dharker uses tissue as a metaphor for the fragile, flexible, and transient nature of human life and societal constructs.

Question 1: Read the lines: 'Paper thinned by age or touching, / by sunlight.' What do these lines suggest about the material and its symbolism?

Answer: They suggest that paper becomes fragile over time or with light, symbolizing the vulnerability and transient nature of human creations and memories.

Question 2: Analyze the stanza that begins 'Structure never meant to last.' What message is Dharker conveying about human achievements?

Answer: Dharker emphasizes that human structures and achievements are temporary, highlighting the impermanence of power and the natural cycle of decay, which challenges the idea of permanence.

Question 1: Quote: 'Paper that lets the light shine through.' How does this metaphor contribute to the poem's message?

Answer: It suggests transparency and vulnerability, symbolizing how human life and structures are fragile and easily affected by outside forces, emphasizing impermanence.

Question 2: Find an example of personification in the poem. How does it enhance the themes?

Answer: An example is 'tissue / that was handed down.' Personification makes tissue seem like a living thing, reinforcing its fragility and the passing of cultural or personal history.

Question 1: How does Dharker portray the relationship between power and fragility in the poem?

Answer: She suggests that power is fragile and temporary, like tissue that can easily be torn or damaged, highlighting the transient nature of human authority.

Question 2: Discuss how the poem reflects on memory and history through its imagery.

Answer: The imagery of delicate tissue and light reflects how memories and history are fragile, easily altered or lost over time, emphasizing the importance of preserving them.

Question 1: Identify similarities and differences in how both poems depict the concept of power.

Answer: Both poems depict power as temporary; Ozymandias shows the decay of a mighty statue symbolizing hubris, while Tissue suggests human achievements are fragile like paper. However, Ozymandias emphasizes the arrogance of power, whereas Tissue focuses on its impermanence and vulnerability.

Question 1: Quote: 'Every tree, / Leaning dangerously.' How does this imagery reflect the poem's themes?

Answer: The image of leaning trees signifies imbalance and fragility, symbolizing how natural and human structures are vulnerable and subject to change.

Question 2: Quote: 'Turned into your skin.' What does this metaphor suggest about identity and memory?

Answer: It suggests that personal and cultural identities are as delicate and essential as skin, emphasizing the vulnerability and intimacy of memory.

Question 1: Outline your points for an analytical paragraph on how language in 'Tissue' conveys the fleeting nature of human creations.

Answer: Points should include analysis of metaphors like tissue and light, imagery of fragility, and the use of personification to highlight the transient and delicate nature of life and human achievements.