Post by: dinosaur93 on December 19, 2011, 11:13:00 am
Do I just lay out a particular scenes or quote them? if so, which ones?
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 05, 2012, 10:44:28 am
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 08, 2012, 09:28:50 pm
Post by: eeps on January 08, 2012, 09:40:22 pm
Post by: paulsterio on January 08, 2012, 11:42:12 pm
International Conflict
- Afghanistan has endured a conflict-ridden history
- Continually subjugated by invading forces
- After independence from Britain, following the second world war, saw a number of military coups in the 1970s
- 1979 – Russians supported Karmal, a Marxist, took control of the country for 9 years – the Russians remained in the country.
- The mujahidin, anti-Marxist militias, opposed their presence.
- Afghanistan’s proximity to the Persian Gulf, which contains 66% of the world’s oil reserves coupled with a revolution in Iran hostile to the US, the US took an interest in Afghanistan.
- This was partially due to their desire to protect Pakistan and prevent the spread of the Cold War.
- Conflict between Russian backed Afghani government
- Conflict occurred under the Taliban government
- 1995 – under the Russian supported Afghan government and Mujahidin, a rocket hits his home killing his brother, another brother had been killed by the sniper
- Russians retreat – under Taliban – the civil factions fought for control of the country
- The Taliban persecuted those people they felt attempted to suppress their rise.
- Consider how conflict tests people’s characters and the way in which people’s choices in conflict situations reveal aspects of their character that might not otherwise be revealed.
- Najaf does not surprise himself or his family so much as he surprises the reader with regards to his qualities. It is surprising to read of an individual whose overriding response to conflict is one of compassion and whose faith in God never falters.
- Najaf reflects on the reason for tension and potential fights in the detention centre. He is aware of the need for fairness if conflict is to be avoided. He also reflects on the role of truth and the possibility of justice as detainees are processed by immigration officers, fair outcomes will bring peace to the heart, minds and souls of those seeking asylum. This leads to further exploration of the roles that officials and leaders play in resolving conflicts.
- How are some of the qualities identified in the previous paragraph tested by conditions in Shar Shar or Mazar-e-Sharif? How are they tested in Woomera detention centre? Reflect on Najaf’s moment of despair and the strategy he uses to regain hope. Najaf’s compassion for other detainees, despite his own fear and feeling may well have been born and nurtured in the suffering, loss, and conflict he has experienced since the moment of his birth.
Cultural and Civil War
- Afghanistan has been a battleground, a place that colonising powers sought to control for strategic reasons. As a country of diverse ethnic groups, Afghanistan has endured years of civil war and tribal battles. Traditionally, the Hazara, a minority group has fought for their survival and been repressed by the ruling ethnic majority, that Pashtuns. Najaf writes, during the fighting between the communists and the mujahedin, neither side seemed like “people who have a grand plan for the salvation of Afghanistan”, it was simply a struggle for power.
- It also explores the conflict between cultures not in the violent sense, but in the sense when the two civilisations clash, the third world, Afghanistan, and the developed world, Australia, when Najaf settles in Australia, there are many cultural differences he encounters that require him to adapt and cause him some difficulties. While he is overjoyed at escaping the terror of the Taliban, there is sadness at the loss of the culture he has left behind.
Conflict between Border Protection versus Asylum to Refugees
- Najaf describes his and other refugee’s desperate plight and risks they took when they fled their countries. He recounts the harrowing escape the refugees had over land and sea, each step of the way, risking capture or death.
- The concern for the Australian Government is to attempt to confirm the identities of Asylum Seekers and assess their character. This is one of the frustrations for Najaf, that people who have no understanding of the qualities of his character can “decide if I am a fit person to take my place in the community of Australia.”
Internal Conflict
- As Najaf flees across the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan, he becomes sentimental about the loss of his homeland. While he discovers freedom, he is torn between what he has left behind and his hope of what is to come. When Najaf reaches Australia, this conflict of emotion is a constant throughout his time in Woomera. There is a battle in the heart and mind of the Woomera detainees between feelings of hope and despair.
- Conflict feelings are amplified by the trauma of being incarcerated and the anxiety of waiting for the news of either acceptance or rejection into Australia. While he is often sorrowful, he endures by striving to remain optimistic. He recalls the hazardous journey he took to arrive in Australia and cling to the hope that maybe these Australians will let me become a complete man again.
- However, the internal conflict driven by fear of rejection and the hope of acceptance persists.
- In Australia, Najaf is lonely and feels incomplete.
- Certainly, there is joy at his new beginning, but the memories and homesickness still cause anguish “I cannot forget the Afghans who have not met with the good fortune, and I never will. But I will never forget the sunshine of Maria’s smile on the day of the party either.”
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 09, 2012, 11:46:32 am
1. What is Anger, Is it the CAUSE of conflict or the outcome of it?
2. Personally, Do you think that Australia is a place where some individuals exercises equality more than others or some belongs in ways that others do not?
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 11, 2012, 11:51:39 am
Furthermore, Can Civil conflict and International conflict be classfied as Physical Conflict...if so, which parts of the civil and international conflict would they be? + What are the causes of this conflict? :\
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 16, 2012, 10:13:27 am
Could someone give me like a specific incident that happened in the book for international conflict as well?
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 19, 2012, 12:33:13 pm
Post by: dinosaur93 on January 23, 2012, 10:29:15 am
CONFLICTS "THE RUGMAKER OF MAZAR-E-SHARIF"