The Right Word The poem is about a suspicious and divided community, where different viewpoints lead to violence. The narrator tries to find an accurate way to describe a young stranger who at first seems threatening. At the end, the stranger seems to be just a harmless child. This scenario represents how society has become fearful of those who they mistake for terrorists.
Outside your door is: a terrorist, freedom-fighter, hostile militant, guerilla warrior, child who looks like mine, a boy who looks like your son too
The Right Word: structure Techniques Possible meaning Written in first person – creates a conversational style Stanzas have no regular rhythm or rhyme & are of different lengths Repetition with small changes Shows uncertainty of the situation Why? Is the speaker correcting himself?
The Right Word: language and meaning Emotive language Explore the poem’s use of emotive language: what are the connotations of ‘terrorist’, ‘freedom fighter’ and ‘child’? Rhetorical questions These show that the speaker is struggling with what? The significance of the speaker Who does the speaker represent?
Metaphor: Belfast confetti = bomb blast The narrator is caught up in a bomb incident in Belfast. He describes his actions as he tries to get away from the bomb to safety. Every time her tries to escape, he is stopped by security forces and confusion. Metaphor: Belfast confetti = bomb blast
Belfast Confetti: structure Techniques Possible meaning Uneven line lengths, incomplete sentences, ellipsis (missing text) and enjambment Long lines are followed by short lines, as if the poet Poem seems to start in the middle of the event and there’s no clear ending. The language changes from past to present tense between the 1st and 2nd stanza. Give an uneven feel to the poem & a strong sense of disorientation. As if the narrator keeps reaching dead ends in his struggle to flee from the bomb blast – link to language the reference to ‘labyrinth’. This shows that the narrator is still trapped in the ‘labyrinth’ of streets
Language & violence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The poem contains many metaphors, which describe violence and language as having similar damaging effects. It also suggests poor communication. How could you link how language is used in Belfast Confetti to how labels are used in The Right Word to damaging effect? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ‘This hyphenated line, a burst of rapid fire’ ‘I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept stuttering’
Language & chaos In Belfast Confetti questions show the confusion the character is feeling. There are lots of lists that suggest noise and chaos. ‘fusillade of question marks’
Points of comparison: The Right Word and Belfast Confetti In both poems the speakers are feeling confusion. Compare the types of confusion expressed in each poem In The Right Word the confusion is resolved. There is a moral message to this poem – what is it? In Belfast Confetti the poet offers no resolution at the end of the poem. Look at the second to last line – what is the poet in fact emphasising?