Avaz O‘tar’s poems: “Til”, “Maktab”, “Fidoyi xalqim”
All three poems are written as ghazals. In “Til” the poet calls on young people to know other languages as well as their mother tongue: language is a means that connects people and makes different nations friends. Knowing a foreign language opens the door to knowledge and craft, while one who does not know it regrets it. Our people express this idea in the proverb “Til bilgan el biladi”. The poem “Maktab” glorifies school as a source of knowledge and culture: school makes the land prosper, destroys ignorance, brightens children’s lives, and parents ought to educate their children. In “Fidoyi xalqim” the poet pities the condition of the oppressed people, declares he is ready to sacrifice his life for it and hopes that children studying at school will become future joy. The common idea of the three poems is knowledge and service to the people. (Lines are not quoted here; the content is described in our own words.)
“Debate”: the class splits into two teams on “Why should we learn foreign languages?”; each team gives three arguments.