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Gaddafi Death a "Lesson to Tyrants" (22nd October, 2011)

The death of Muammar Gaddafi on a street of his hometown Sirte is a lesson to tyrants around the world that any dictator can be overthrown. The humiliating nature of Gaddafi’s death, being found hiding in a hole next to a roadside and then set upon by a mob, serves as a stark contrast to the lavish lifestyle he led in his 42-year rule. U.S. President Barack Obama led those warning other autocrats that their days might be numbered. He warned that “iron-fisted rule inevitably comes to an end.” He said Gaddafi’s death “marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya".

Gaddafi is the third and longest-serving Arab leader to fall from power this year, following Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later. Ongoing unrest in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen threaten to topple leaders in those countries. Many Arabs believe Gaddafi’s end will scare other leaders clinging to power. Ziad Khalil, a Beirut shopkeeper, said of Gaddafi: "The world now has one less dictator. This is the end he deserves". In the Omani capital Muscat, banker Haji Ismail said Gaddafi's death was a lesson to other Arab rulers. "They will face such a fate if they keep oppressing their people," he said. Meanwhile, reports are emerging that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s second son, has been captured in the Libyan city of Zeltin.

WARM-UPS

1. GADDAFI: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Gaddafi. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

 

death / hometown / dictator / humiliating / stark contrast / lavish lifestyle / destiny / Arab leader / unrest / topple / clinging to power / deserves / oppressing / captured

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. DICTATORS: What do you know about them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

 

I know that…

I want to know…

Julius Caesar

 

 

Adolf Hitler

 

 

Idi Amin

 

 

Augusto Pinochet

 

 

Muammar Gaddafi

 

 

Kim Jong Il

 

 

4. LIBYA: Students A strongly believe Libya has a very bright future; Students B strongly believe it faces many problems.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. IMPORTANT: What’s important to you? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the most important at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

  • trust in leaders
  • the right to vote
  • freedom to travel
  • job opportunities
  • safety
  • plenty of food
  • freedom to worship
  • uncensored Internet access

6. TYRANT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘tyrant’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.

Gaddafi write a “how-to-be-a dictator” book for other tyrants.

T / F

b.

The article compared Gaddafi’s brutal end to his luxurious lifestyle.

T / F

c.

President Obama counted the number of days other tyrants have left.

T / F

d.

President Obama said the new Libya should have a new name.

T / F

e.

Gaddafi was the longest-reigning leader to fall from power this year.

T / F

f.

Arabs belief Gaddafi’s death will not frighten other leaders.

T / F

g.

A banker in Oman said Gaddafi’s death is a lesson to other Arab rulers.

T / F

h.

Said al-Islam is Gaddafi’s second oldest son.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.

tyrants

a.

decide

2

overthrown

b.

unavoidably

3.

humiliating

c.

holding on

4.

inevitably

d.

toppled

5.

determine

e.

frighten

6.

following

f.

dictators

7.

unrest

g.

destiny

8.

scare

h.

embarrassing

9.

clinging

i.

disorder

10.

fate

j.

after

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

any dictator can be

a.

unrest

2

set upon

b.

overthrown

3.

a stark contrast to the lavish

c.

emerging

4.

iron-fisted rule inevitably

d.

their own destiny

5.

the opportunity to determine

e.

to power

6.

the third and longest-

f.

by a mob

7.

Ongoing

g.

lifestyle he led

8.

scare other leaders clinging

h.

their people

9.

they keep oppressing

i.

comes to an end

10.

reports are

j.

serving Arab leader

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The death of Muammar Gaddafi on a street of his hometown Sirte is a lesson to tyrants around the world that any (1) ____________ can be overthrown. The humiliating (2) ____________ of Gaddafi’s death, being found hiding in a hole next to a roadside and then set (3) ____________ by a mob, serves as a stark (4) ____________ to the lavish lifestyle he led in his 42-year rule. U.S. President Barack Obama led those warning other autocrats that their days might be (5) ____________. He warned that “iron-fisted rule inevitably (6) ____________ to an end.” He said Gaddafi’s death “marks the end of a long and painful (7) ____________ for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own (8) ____________ in a new and democratic Libya".

 

 

 

upon
numbered
nature
chapter
dictator
destiny
contrast
comes

Gaddafi is the third and longest-(9) ____________ Arab leader to fall from power this year, following Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later. Ongoing (10) ____________ in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen threaten to (11) ____________ leaders in those countries. Many Arabs believe Gaddafi’s end will scare other leaders (12) ____________ to power. Ziad Khalil, a Beirut shopkeeper, said of Gaddafi: "The world now has one (13) ____________ dictator. This is the end he deserves". In the Omani capital Muscat, banker Haji Ismail said Gaddafi's death was a lesson to other Arab (14) ____________. "They will face such a (15) ____________ if they keep oppressing their people," he said. Meanwhile, reports are (16) ____________ that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s second son, has been captured in the Libyan city of Zeltin.

 

 

less
unrest
fate
emerging
topple
serving
rulers
clinging

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The death of Muammar Gaddafi on a street of his hometown Sirte is a lesson to tyrants around the world that any dictator __________________. The humiliating nature of Gaddafi’s death, being found hiding in a hole next to a roadside and then set upon by a mob, __________________ contrast to the ____________________ in his 42-year rule. U.S. President Barack Obama led those warning other autocrats that their days ____________________. He warned that “iron-fisted rule inevitably comes to an end.” He said Gaddafi’s death “marks the end of a ____________________ for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to ____________________ destiny in a new and democratic Libya".

Gaddafi is the third ____________________ Arab leader to fall from power this year, following Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later. ____________________ Bahrain, Syria and Yemen threaten ____________________ in those countries. Many Arabs believe Gaddafi’s end will scare other leaders ____________________. Ziad Khalil, a Beirut shopkeeper, said of Gaddafi: "The world now has one less dictator. This is ____________________". In the Omani capital Muscat, banker Haji Ismail said Gaddafi's death was a lesson to other Arab rulers. "They will face such a fate if they keep ____________________," he said. Meanwhile, reports are emerging that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s second son, has been captured in the Libyan city of Zeltin.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘death’ and ‘lesson’.

death

lesson

 

 

 

  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

  • street
  • hole
  • lifestyle
  • numbered
  • end
  • opportunity
  • longest
  • unrest
  • scare
  • less
  • banker
  • son

STUDENT GADDAFI SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Gaddafi in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

GADDAFI DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the name ‘Gaddafi’?

c)

Where were you when you heard of Gaddafi’s death?

d)

How did you feel about Gaddafi’s death?

e)

What does the death of Gaddafi mean for Libya?

f)

How much of a lesson is his death for other autocratic leaders?

g)

Would it have been better for Gaddafi to have lived and gone on trial?

h)

Was / Is NATO’s mission in Libya a success, or was it an example of Western aggression, imperialism, etc.?

i)

Are all tyrants’ days be “numbered,” their rule to inevitably come to an end?

j)

What is Libya’s destiny now?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

What will Libya look like 20 years from now?

c)

Which Arab leader will fall next?

d)

Will the Arab Spring gain momentum from the fall of Gaddafi?

e)

What do you think the world’s dictators think of Gaddafi’s death?

f)

How will Gaddafi be remembered in history?

g)

What images can you recall of Gaddafi since the uprising in Libya began?

h)

What three adjectives describe this story (and why)?

i)

What should happen to Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The (1) ____ of Muammar Gaddafi on a street of his hometown Sirte is a lesson to tyrants around the world that any dictator can be (2) ____. The humiliating nature of Gaddafi’s death, being found hiding in a hole next to a roadside and then set upon by a mob, serves as a stark contrast to the (3) ____ lifestyle he led in his 42-year rule. U.S. President Barack Obama led those warning other autocrats that their days might be (4) ____. He warned that “iron-fisted rule inevitably comes to an end.” He said Gaddafi’s death “(5) ____ the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to (6) ____ their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya".

Gaddafi is the third and longest-serving Arab leader to fall (7) ____ power this year, (8) ____ Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later. Ongoing unrest in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen threaten to topple leaders in those countries. Many Arabs believe Gaddafi’s end will (9) ____ other leaders clinging to power. Ziad Khalil, a Beirut shopkeeper, said (10) ____ Gaddafi: "The world now has one less dictator. This is the end he deserves". In the Omani capital Muscat, banker Haji Ismail said Gaddafi's death was a lesson to other Arab rulers. "They will face (11) ____ a fate if they keep oppressing their people," he said. Meanwhile, reports are (12) ____ that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s second son, has been captured in the Libyan city of Zeltin.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

dead

(b)

died

(c)

dies

(d)

death

2.

(a)

overlooked

(b)

overdone

(c)

overthrown

(d)

overworked

3.

(a)

slavish

(b)

lavish

(c)

relish

(d)

polish

4.

(a)

numbered

(b)

calculated

(c)

counted

(d)

added

5.

(a)

makes

(b)

remarks

(c)

marks

(d)

markets

6.

(a)

deterrent

(b)

detrimental

(c)

deter

(d)

determine

7.

(a)

for

(b)

from

(c)

in

(d)

by

8.

(a)

following

(b)

follows

(c)

follower

(d)

follow

9.

(a)

scared

(b)

scare

(c)

scary

(d)

scar

10.

(a)

from

(b)

by

(c)

of

(d)

as

11.

(a)

such

(b)

much

(c)

so

(d)

most

12.

(a)

emerges

(b)

emergent

(c)

emerged

(d)

emerging


 
 

WRITING

Write about Gaddafi for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Muammar Gaddafi. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. LIBYA: Make a poster about Libya’s recent history. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. NTC: Write a magazine article about Libya’s National Transitional Council. Include imaginary interviews with one of its leaders and a Libyan talking about the future of Libya.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Gaddafi. Ask him/her three questions about the man. Give him/her three of your opinions on him. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.


 


 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

T

c.

F

d.

F

e.

T

f.

F

g.

T

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

tyrants

a.

dictators

2

overthrown

b.

toppled

3.

humiliating

c.

embarrassing

4.

inevitably

d.

unavoidably

5.

determine

e.

decide

6.

following

f.

after

7.

unrest

g.

disorder

8.

scare

h.

frighten

9.

clinging

i.

holding on

10.

fate

j.

destiny

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

any dictator can be

a.

overthrown

2

set upon

b.

by a mob

3.

a stark contrast to the lavish

c.

lifestyle he led

4.

iron-fisted rule inevitably

d.

comes to an end

5.

the opportunity to determine

e.

their own destiny

6.

the third and longest-

f.

serving Arab leader

7.

Ongoing

g.

unrest

8.

scare other leaders clinging

h.

to power

9.

they keep oppressing

i.

their people

10.

reports are

j.

emerging

GAP FILL:

Gaddafi death a “lesson to tyrants”

The death of Muammar Gaddafi on a street of his hometown Sirte is a lesson to tyrants around the world that any (1) dictator can be overthrown. The humiliating (2) nature of Gaddafi’s death, being found hiding in a hole next to a roadside and then set (3) upon by a mob, serves as a stark (4) contrast to the lavish lifestyle he led in his 42-year rule. U.S. President Barack Obama led those warning other autocrats that their days might be (5) numbered. He warned that “iron-fisted rule inevitably (6) comes to an end.” He said Gaddafi’s death “marks the end of a long and painful (7) chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own (8) destiny in a new and democratic Libya".

Gaddafi is the third and longest-(9) serving Arab leader to fall from power this year, following Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak a month later. Ongoing (10) unrest in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen threaten to (11) topple leaders in those countries. Many Arabs believe Gaddafi’s end will scare other leaders (12) clinging to power. Ziad Khalil, a Beirut shopkeeper, said of Gaddafi: "The world now has one (13) less dictator. This is the end he deserves". In the Omani capital Muscat, banker Haji Ismail said Gaddafi's death was a lesson to other Arab (14) rulers. "They will face such a (15) fate if they keep oppressing their people," he said. Meanwhile, reports are (16) emerging that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi’s second son, has been captured in the Libyan city of Zeltin.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - b

4 - a

5 - c

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 -c

11 - a

12 - d

 

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