"the Koran / that fell / apart / on a journey"
Why this quote matters: Dharker includes a specific, personal image — a Koran used so much it physically fell apart while travelling. The enjambment fractures the phrase the same way the book fractured. This is not a triumphant image of sacred power but of its vulnerability and its human intimacy. The book that guides a life is also a physical object that wears out. Dharker values that wearing.
Use this quote when answering: How Dharker presents religion and culture; the relationship between fragility and value; how personal detail supports the poem's argument; comparison with poems that treat power as permanent and monumental.
This study notes covers 💬 Anchor Quote: The Koran's Pages within Tissue (Dharker) for GCSE English Literature. Revise Tissue (Dharker) in Power and Conflict Poetry for GCSE English Literature with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 7 of 20 in this topic. Use this study notes to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Tissue (Dharker)
In 'Tissue', what is the final image Dharker uses at the end of the poem?
How does Dharker use form in 'Tissue' to enact her argument about power? [2 marks]