Establish

The Right WordBy Imtiaz Dharker

Establish

A sense of perspective...

History will be

kind to me for I

intend to write it!

Establish/Discuss

Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered statesmen, who led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy.

In 1961, Mandela became leader of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He launched a campaign of economic sabotage against the military and government, making plans for a possible guerilla war if the sabotage failed. He was arrested and jailed for 27 years for attempting to violently overthrow the government.

Terrorist?

Freedom Fighter?

Establish/Discuss

Terrorist? Freedom Fighter?

Che Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban revolution and a Marxist revolutionary. Trained as a doctor, he was critical of the expanding economic influence of America and capitalism. He radicalised, convinced that the only way to bring about change was by violent revolution, and wrote a manual on guerilla warfare.

He was shot in a schoolhouse in La Higuera on October 9, 1967 on the order of the Bolivian President and his image is now a popular icon representing youthful rebellion. Times Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Skill: Establish definition

1. Does it matter if the victims are soldiers or civilians?

2. Does it matter if the act takes place on military or public areas?

3. Does it matter if it takes place during war or peacetime?4. Does it matter if the act is performed for a good cause?5. How do you define a good cause?6. Does it matter if those responsible for the attacks are

oppressed and are prevented from enjoying their basic human rights?

7. Can governments perform acts of terror or only non-government groups?

8. Does the threat of attack qualify as 'terrorism' or must the attack actually take place?

9. What are the differences between acts of war and acts of terrorism?

Defining 'Terrorism'...

Poet's Background and ideas

The Right WordBy Imtiaz Dharker

Imtiaz Dharker calls herself a Scottish Muslim Calvinist, but dislikes such limiting definitions. Recurring themes in her poetry include cultural identity, freedom, displacement, communal conflict, gender politics and freedom. Critics suggest that her poems "unveil the delicate skin of love, trust and sudden recognition" and that they "offer hope in the face of violence". She makes use of the first person in many of her poems; however, her poems are often about speaking up rather than herself.

"I work with film, and I know that I can take one image and edit it ten different ways, write ten different sets of words, and make it into ten different stories. That's one of the things that I'm trying to do in the poem 'The Right

Word'.

There is just one image, but it's an image that is interpreted in different ways depending on the

preconceptions that fit into each verse."

Skill: Connotations of Noun/verb choice

Exploring the Text

Think about the connotations of each word. What happens as the poem progresses?

Nouns Verbs

terrorist lurking

Poem

The Right Word

Outside the door,lurking in the shadows,is a terrorist.

Is that the wrong description?Outside that door,taking shelter in the shadows,is a freedom-fighter.

I haven’t got this right.Outside, waiting in the shadows,is a hostile militant.

Are words no morethan waving, wavering flags?Outside your door,watchful in the shadows,is a guerrilla warrior.

God help me.Outside, defying every shadow,stands a martyr.I saw his face.

No words can help me now.Just outside the door,lost in shadows,is a child who looks like mine.

One word for you.Outside my door,his hand too steady,his eyes too hardis a boy who looks like your son, too.

I open the door.Come in, I say.Come in and eat with us.

The child steps inand carefully, at my door,takes off his shoes.

Imtiaz Dharker.

Task: Exploring the text

1Heart of poem

* Find the first word of the middle stanza.

* How does this word link to the ideas

before/after and what the poet feels/does?

Use of questions

* What questions are asked?

* Why?

Exploring the text:

Placement

* Track the references to inside/outside

* What do you notice?

Quick Questions

1. Why is the speaker scared of the person outside their door?

2. What does the speaker originally think is at their door?

3. What is significant about the title?What does the poet suggest about language?

4. When does the tone change in the poem and why?5. Did the speaker eventually find the right word?

Question Time!

Agree/Disagree

1. The poet suggests that the only way to put a stop to fear and violence is to treat people with loveand friendship.

2. The poem shows that conflict and violence are based on fear and prejudice.

3. The poem suggests that faith in God can lead us towards peace.

4. An important message that the poem gives us is that when we respect our enemies they will treat us with respect too.

5. A key idea in the poem is that the word we use to label a person can blind us to the truth about them.

Agree or Disagree?

Links and References

Article about the poet:

http://india.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/

cms_module/index.php?obj_id=2720

The poet's website:

http://www.imtiazdharker.com/

Poet reads the poem:

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/

singlePoem.do?poemId=14258

Poet talks about being labelled a 'spiritual writer':

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p0062ygx/

Heart_And_Soul_Spiritual_Journeys_Episode_3

Article about the definition of terrorism:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/may/07/

terrorism

Article about resistance movements:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_movement

Guardian advert about points of view:

http://adland.tv/commercials/guardian-points-

view-1986-030-uk

Links: