What does this word mean to you? What emotions do you associate with it?

1. INVASION • What does this word mean to you? • What emotions do you associate with it?

2. Lesson Aim: • To understand what the poem ‘Invasion’ by Choman Hardi is about. • To analyse how the poet has used language and structure to convey thoughts, feelings and ideas.

3. Where is Kurdistan? • Kurdistan is an area in the Middle East, inhabited mainly by the Kurds. Kurdistan covers parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Georgia and Syria. The borders of Kurdistan are hard to define, as none of the states in question acknowledge Kurdistan as a demographic or geographical region.

4. Before World War I, most Kurds lived within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies created several countries within its former boundaries. Originally Kurdistan, along with Armenia was to be one of them. However, the territory was returned to Turkey. • Since then, Kurds have been divided between several states, in each of which they are minorities. Many Kurds have campaigned for independence or autonomy since then, but there has been no support by any of the regional governments or by outside powers for changes in regional boundaries.

5. Choman Hardi • Born in Iraqi-controlled Kurdistan in 1974 – the year negotiations broke down with the Baath government. • The Kurds had long been fighting for independence but when the revolution was crushed many people fled to neighbouring Iran. • Handi has said • “My childhood, like many of my generation, is full of the sound of sirens and planes and guns. Our days were dominated by the Iraq-Iran war and our nights by Iraq’s war against the Kurdish peshmarga (fighters for independence).”

6. Invasion, Choman Hardi Soon they will come. First we will hear the sound of their boots approaching at dawn then they’ll appear through the mist. In their death-bringing uniforms they will march towards our homes their guns and tanks pointing forward. They will be confronted by young men with rusty guns and boiling blood. These are our young men who took their short-lived freedom for granted.

7. We will lose this war, and blood will cover our roads, mix with our drinking water, it will creep into our dreams. Keep your head down and stay in doors- We’ve lost this war before it has begun.

8. Questions about the poem • Who are ‘they’ and ‘we’? • Why are pronouns used so often? • Which images are the most striking? • Where are the past, present and future tenses used? Why?

9. Plenary • Our lesson objectives were: • To understand what the poem ‘Invasion’ by ChomanHardi is about. • To analyse how the poet has used language and structure to convey thoughts, feelings and ideas. • In your own words, answer the following questions: • What is ‘Invasion’ about? • How do language and structure contribute to meaning?