English Speech: Amnesty
Muntaqim Chowdhury 9.1
Miss Crofts
Facts, Rhyme, Repetition, Imagery, Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Warm yourself by the fire, son. Morning will come soon. I’ll tell you stories of a better time, in a place that we once
knew. Before we packed our bags and left our lives behind us in the dust, we had a place that we could call home, and a
life no one could touch.
2nd of January, 2016.
Dad is taking us to the shelter. He says it will be safe there. He thinks that we might be able to move to another country
if we’re lucky. He still seems scared after they took Mum away. I want things to get better, but I can’t stop thinking
about Mum. Hopefully the new country will give us a new life.
At the end of 2015, 65.3 million people around the world were forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution,
violence or human rights violations. 21.3 million of these people are refugees. These refugees risk everything they have,
even their lives, just to flee to safety.
5th of February, 2016
Something terrible has happened. We arrived at the shelter, and although stuffy and uncomfortable, we were ok for a
few days. Then a couple of days ago, I woke up and Dad was gone. I don’t know what happened to him. I hope they
didn’t take him away like Mum. I’m scared and lonely, but I feel this uncontrollable sadness which forces tears into my
eyes every day. Someone help me, please.
According to World Vision, more than 12 million people are affected by the Syrian crisis. Out of these 12 million, 4
million are children. Families are separated, children losing hope of their future, parents losing their only form of
happiness. Kids are left to find their own way to another country and are most likely never to see their parents again.
We are the angry and the desperate, the hungry and the cold. We are the ones who kept quiet and always did what we
were told. But we’ve been sweating while you slept so calm in the safety of your homes. We’ve been pulling out the
nails that hold up everything you’ve known.
18th of June, 2016
It’s been awhile since I wrote in here. I arrived in the new country, but they have placed me in something called a
‘detention centre’. There are a lot of people here, their faces lined with hopelessness and resignation. We barely have
enough food to eat. I have to continuously fill out forms that I do not understand. I’m trying my best to stay sane.
They’re killing me slowly, taking a little bit from me, every day. But I have to do this for Mum and Dad. Someone please,
help me.
On the 5th of May 2017, the Manus Island detention centre was sprayed with gunfire. The government claims that the
bullets were fired into the air, although photo evidence shows otherwise. It was a miracle that nobody was hurt. These
are the conditions of a detention centre. This is the form of torture refugees go through.
So open your eyes child, let’s be on our way. Broken windows and ashes are guiding the way. Keep quiet no longer, we’ll
sing through the day. Of lives that we lost and lives we’ve reclaimed.
Amnesty are an organisation designed to defend human rights, abolish the death penalty, combat discrimination and
defend refugee rights. Since July 1961, Amnesty have worked tirelessly to support refugees who are fleeing from war,
genocide, torture and persecution. They have managed to save thousands from war torn countries, but they still need
help. With your help, Amnesty can save those in need. Together we can bring them home to safety.