108 ///
14
War and peace
Words in action
Internet research: The Invictus Games
First held in 2014, this international Paralympic-style sporting event was designed for wounded soldiers.
It was inspired by the Warrior Games in the US and was initiatied by The Royal Foundation of the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence. The About section of
the website provides background information: http://invictusgames.org/about-invictus/
Information about the US Warrior Games can be found here:
http://www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/Military/Warrior-Games-presented-by-Deloitte/About
Prince Harry’s three-minute opening speech can be watched here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im-5ey1-siY
Note down the similarities and differences between the US and the UK sporting events. Consider the
meaning behind the two names and say which you find more convincing, and why.
Mandela and the poem “Invictus”
The poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) was also cited by Nelson Mandela as being the
poem that inspired him during his incarceration. It is also the title of the 2009 film directed by Clint Eastwood
about the events before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup that South Africa hosted following the end of
apartheid.
There is a seven-minute interview with Morgan Freeman, the actor who played Mandela in ”Invictus“, in which
he talks about his meetings with Mandela while he was researching the film. He also recites the poem and
talks about the its importance for Mandela. It can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3dZngCraqs
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
14 War and peace /// 108
Aung San Suu Kyi – background information
Additional biographical information about Aung San Suu Kyi can be found on the BBC website:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11685977
She gives a very short talk advocating the rights of women and girls in Burma.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p979sVsvKys
She was unable to accept her Noble Peace Prize in person as she was under house arrest.
However, on 16 June 2012 she delivered a Noble Lecture in Oslo, which can be viewed here.
Although she speaks for almost thirty minutes, she speaks very clearly and it is not difficult
to follow. It provides a wealth of excellent phrases and structures and could be used for
speech analysis, especially for better pupils.
For the video and transcript of the lecture use the QR and Klett code.
http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1809
Transcript of the lecture:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-lecture_en.html