AQA Power and Conflict

Tissue Quotes3 key quotes with full analysis.

An extended meditation on paper — maps, holy books, receipts — that argues true power lies in fragility, openness and transience.

by Imtiaz Dharker

Context

Published in 2006 by Dharker, a poet of Pakistani-British-Indian heritage. The poem reflects on borders, control and what truly endures.

All Tissue Quotes

“Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things”
PowerPower of Nature

Context: The opening lines introduce the central metaphor of paper as a fragile, transformative force.

Analysis

Dharker presents fragile "paper" as paradoxically powerful — that which "lets the light shine through" can "alter things". Light symbolises knowledge, truth or the divine, suggesting power lies in openness and impermanence, not in solid monuments. The tentative "could" frames this as possibility, an alternative to controlling power.

Language Techniques:

Central metaphorSymbolism of lightModal verb

Exam Tip

Use for an unusual take on power — fragility and transparency as strength. Contrast with the brittle "monuments" of human power that fall.

“The sun shines through their borderlines”
PowerIdentity

Context: The speaker considers maps and the human-drawn borders printed on paper.

Analysis

The sun shining "through" the "borderlines" suggests that nature's power transcends the artificial divisions humans impose to claim land and control. Dharker critiques how maps and borders — mere marks on fragile paper — cause real conflict. Natural light renders these divisions insignificant.

Language Techniques:

SymbolismEnjambmentPolitical undertone

Exam Tip

Use for power, control and the artificiality of human-made divisions. Strong link to conflict over land and borders.

“turned into your skin”
Power of NatureIdentity

Context: The final lines connect paper to human life and the body ("tissue" as living tissue).

Analysis

The pun on "tissue" — paper and living human tissue — fuses the fragile material with the human body, suggesting life itself is delicate and transient. Ending on "your skin" makes the message personal and universal: human beings, like paper, are fragile and impermanent. True power lies in this shared vulnerability.

Language Techniques:

PunDirect addressVolta

Exam Tip

Use for the link between fragility and humanity. The "tissue" pun is exam gold — paper and flesh are equally delicate.

Compare Tissue With…

In the exam you compare two poems on a shared theme. These poems share themes with Tissue:

OzymandiasPercy Bysshe ShelleyLondonWilliam BlakeExtract from The PreludeWilliam WordsworthMy Last DuchessRobert Browning

Explore More Power and Conflict Poems

View key quotes and analysis for all 15 poems in the AQA anthology.

All Power and Conflict QuotesPractice with English Genie