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Year 11 - English

Understanding the Poem 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker

Power and conflict poetry continued

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupis read and analyse three more poems from the 'Power and Conflict' anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis. At the end of the unit, pupils analyse themes from across the anthology and write a sophisticated comparative essay,

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how Dharker presents her attitude towards power and conflict in 'Tissue'.

Key Notes

  • 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.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 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)

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • There is a single, clear interpretation of 'Tissue'.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key 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.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Poet Laureate'

an honorary position given by the monarch; the poet is tasked with writing poems about state occasions.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: There is a single, clear interpretation of 'Tissue'. Correction: 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.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 English guide library.