The Right Word Lyrics
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 more
than 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.
About
After the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on 11th September 2001 Imtiaz Dharker wrote this poem. In it she explores issues of language and identity; how we see and label other people, and how those people may see and label themselves.
Dharker, growing up within the two contrasting cultures of Scotland and Pakistan, is particularly sensitive to these issues. After the Twin Towers attack, the profile of a typical ‘terrorist’ was much discussed. For some people the person was a powerless figure sucked into an extremist and oppressive organisation as a response to alienation from Western values. For others a terrorist was simply a murderer.
Dharker seems to be saying that in a world of different opinions and perspectives, nothing can be clearly defined or described.
Structure – Nine stanzas of varying length; three four and five lines in free verse. The rhythm is choppy and uneven, perhaps to reflect confusion and bafflement.
Rhyme -There is no rhyme scheme.
Voice – The voice is conversational and colloquial, the poet having an internal debate with herself. Its effectiveness derives from the imagery, extended metaphors and symbolism. It is about the definition of terrorism and freedom and fighting, and about fear and perception of threat. But is also about language and how we use it, for good or ill, to enhance or distort meaning. Using different words for the same thing, sometimes known as a semantic field, with different emotive connotations is powerful and can change perceptions.
Conclusion
The poem is very much of its time. This internal debate about the terrorist/fighter/martyr outside the door was a response to the self-searching that followed the first horrific terrorist attack. As one American said, ‘we need to think how we are viewed when we walk through the world.“ In other words, "we may be provoking resentment and hatred”. This soul-searching has changed. Terrorist attacks are now frequent and seem to be motiveless, random, inhumane and vicious. Violent videos of beheadings posted on the internet have provoked disgust and all but obliterated the desire for self-analysis and understanding. The feelings expressed in this poem seem now less relevant, though we can ask ourselves if this should be the case.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning