(due as a comment to this post by the end of class; worth a quiz grade; 0 to + holistic scale)
First, check this out!
Part A: Click here to visit the CIA's World Fact Book. Peruse the Afghanistan page on this site and respond to the following questions:
1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1?
2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?
3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?
4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces.
5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges).
Part C: Article: "Hazaras: Afghanistan's Outsiders" (9 pages). Produce a thesis statement that encapsulates the author's message and illuminates the deeper meaning of the text.
Part D: FOR EXTRA CREDIT (QUIZ): Click here to view the Frontline Program: "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan". Take notes and prepare to participate in a Discussion Facilitation that will include this topic.
If you happen to finish early, please proofread your work carefully. Then, spend the remainder of your time studying the rough draft of the Poetic Forms presentation.
If you happen to finish early, please proofread your work carefully. Then, spend the remainder of your time studying the rough draft of the Poetic Forms presentation.
31 comments:
PART 1.
1. Their #1 Product/Export is Opium.
2. The average life expectancy is 50 with the 23 highest infant mortality rate, this is likely due to the high levels of poverty and lack of health care facilities.
3.They are landlocked making them isolated to other nations and providing no trading ports.
4.Human Trafficking, Terrorism
5. Attempting it's transition to a democratic egalitarian nation the nation of Afghanistan is a land deeply routed in tradition and stands as a grave marker for the many empires that have tried to conquer it, despite the crippled infrastructure, remaining terrorist threats, and an untested democratic government the people of Afghanistan continue to hold on and build up their nation into the 21st century.
1. Opium is Afghanistan's #1 product, followed by wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins.
2. The life expectancy is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths per 1,000 live births. This shows that the country is very far behind with medicine and health care. Diseases and medical conditions are common throughout the country and are not treated.
3. Afghanistan possesses no coastline. Being a landlocked country forces the country to be under the power of its surrounding countries because they can expand over the ocean. Their lack of access to the sea limits their imports and exports through the use of ports.
4. Afghanistan, Coalition and Pakistan militaries meet to discuss and dispute current borders for the ground and on maps on a regular basis. Other countries such as Russia are concerned that Afghanistan is smuggling their opium over to other Asian countries. The Taliban has tried to involve themselves to profit from opiate sales. Most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia comes from Afghanistan’s opium. Afghanistan is a transitional country for human trafficking and is a pause for many routes transporting laborers, children, and sex victims throughout the region. There have been convictions made against traffickers who have violated the anti-trafficking law put in place in 2008. They are on a Watch List because of this trafficking threat.
5. Trafficking drugs and humans, Afghanistan has been suffering through desperate measures in order to find any source of economic dependency to survive the difficult life of balancing between controlling powers due to its landlocked geography.
Sara Silva
1) The eight major agricultural products in Afghanistan in order is opium, wheat, fruits, wool, mutton, sheepskin and lambskins.
2) The average life expectancy rate in Afghanistan is 50.11 years. For Infant mortality rate is a total of 119.41deaths/ 1,000 births. The living conditions affect the life expectancy and how there are a multitude of diseases that there are no known cure for in that country.
3) Afghanistan is a land locked country and obviously has 0 km of the coast line. This may be contributing to the country history due to the fact that they are in a lack of fresh water, water is a necessity to contribute to a country’s health and affects the life expectancy.
4) Some transnational issues that are common in Afghanistan is the fight that they are involved in with Pakistan. Also the trouble that they are obtaining with the United Nations with the terrorist groups. Trafficking implies a large impact, also illicit drugs and refugees.
5) Undertaking the various struggles such as deadly diseases, life threatening transnational issues and the lack of natural sources applying that the country is land locked, utilizes for citizens all over the world that Afghanistan is the type country that is known for the lowest life expectancy.
1. The number one product of Afghanistan is Opium. Others include wool, fruit, wheat, nuts, mutton, sheepskin, and lambskin.
2. The life expectancy rate in Afghanistan is 50.11 years. Infant mortality is 119.41 death/1,000 live births. The lower life expectancy rate and the high infant mortality rate is the product of poverty and lack of resources.
3. Afghanistan does not have a coastline because it is completely landlocked. This makes is hard for the country to fight wars because it does not have the water as a resource, and it also affects their trade for the same reason.
4. Issues that Afghanistan faces include sex trafficking, refugees, and drug addiction.
5. Through the history of Afghanistan we have seen them face many challenges, dealing with poverty and social issues while always standing their ground with a democratic government.
1. The number one product of Afghanistan is Opium. Others include wool, fruit, wheat, nuts, mutton, sheepskin, and lambskin.
2. The life expectancy rate in Afghanistan is 50.11 years. Infant mortality is 119.41 death/1,000 live births. The lower life expectancy rate and the high infant mortality rate is the product of poverty and lack of resources.
3. Afghanistan does not have a coastline because it is completely landlocked. This makes is hard for the country to fight wars because it does not have the water as a resource, and it also affects their trade for the same reason.
4. Issues that Afghanistan faces include sex trafficking, refugees, and drug addiction.
5. Through the history of Afghanistan we have seen them face many challenges, dealing with poverty and social issues while always standing their ground with a democratic government.
1. The top eight agricultural products of Afghanistan are opium, wheat, fruit, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins with the #1 product being opium.
2. The life expectancy of Afghans is 50.11 years old with women typically living slightly longer. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is the highest infant mortality rate in the world. These statistics may reveal how bad the conditions are in Afghanistan overall. Disease, poor value for health and well-being, and war all contributing to these young ages and deaths.
3. Afghanistan is a landlocked country, having no coastline. This means trade, defense, travel, and accessibility are all hindered due to the lack of ports. All travel, whether of people or goods, must be on land, making it slower. Also, Afghanistan must work harder because of the constant pressure of surrounding countries.
4. International disputes, refugees and internally displaced persons, people trafficking, and illicit drugs are the main transnational issues that Afghanistan faces. Many of these international disputes are on the topic of borders and smuggling. The Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military are often involved in the boundary discussions. Iran and Pakistan are both involved in Afghan disputes over things such as borders and boundaries while Russia concerns themselves with the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries.
Afghanistan holds about 16,147 refugees from Pakistan and has about 630,000 internally displaced persons. Men, women, and children are all forced into human trafficking, doing every task from forced labor to prostitution. The country is also the world’s largest producer of opium. Most of Europe and Eurasia’s heroin is derived from this opium.
5. With its economy dependent on its export of opium, Afghanistan is a struggling country that faces adversity due to its landlocked accessibility issues and tough human relations, both internal and external.
PART 2. (IMG 47)
He struts through the neglected trees, along the ashen ground where the collapsed fruit lay, mixing the ashes and blotting the ground red it's seeds crushed. His load bears on him, the body armor, the weapon he bears, the packs and pockets that cover his body containing ammo, keepsakes, rations. Now he stops, the sun peeking through the orchard canopy illuminating a pristine pomegranate fresh and ripe, miraculously free from ash. He picks it up, examines it, and contemplates reaching for his knife. To spill it's juices on the ground and take it's seeds for himself. With a shrug he carefully places it in his pack and continues on his way.
Tyler McNeill
Part A:
1. The top eight agriculture products from Afghanistan are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. Overall, the #1 agriculture product from Afghanistan is opium.
2. The life expectancy rate in Afghanistan is 50.11 years amongst the total population. Amongst males, the life expectancy 48.81 years; additionally, the female life expectancy is 51.47 years. The infant mortality rate is approximately 119.41 deaths among a sample of 1,000 live births. Males have a mortality rate around 127.18 deaths within every 1,000 live births while females have a mortality rate of 111.25 deaths in every 1,000 live births. The high mortality rate, in combination with a lowered life expectancy, suggests an underdeveloped society in which individuals are forced to socially develop before typified norms.
3. Afghanistan possesses zero kilometers of coastline. This causes a culture that was developed in a semi-isolated manner, in which there were little international experiences. Additionally, Afghanistan was forced to forge a strengthened sense of domestic ideals since there were little foreign experiences during developmental stages.
4. Currently, the major transnational issues that plague Afghanistan are associated with international boundary disputes, smuggling of poppy derivatives, and human trafficking.
5. Encompassed by its prolonged history of awe-inspiring feats punctuated by various socio-cultural challenges, Afghanistan currently remains burdened by copious militaristic regimes, heightened exportation of illicit substances, and civil deterioration which have resulted in a finalized presentation of many “serious challenges for the Afghan Government”.
Part B:
Effortlessly, the words of gratitude seemed to flow from Amal’s throat, through his dry mouth, and between his trembling. Feeling the withered yellow paper’s pebbled coating beneath his cold fingertips, Amal felt inundated by his seemingly infinite curiosity staggered with concern centered upon what may lay dormant within. Turning seven years old created a sense of superiority – as if a feeling of true belonging – within the young boy; however, at an age of both eagerness and engagement, Amal paralyzed himself – his body, his emotions, his mentality – as he made the first tear in the wrapping. He could feel the stares of his parents enveloped by his father’s distinctive pride and his mother’s caution. Seeing the torn cardboard box, Amal carefully lifted the top slowly revealing his present: his future. Relieved at the sight within, Amal excitedly gripped his new toy pistol, grateful for his parent’s recognition of another year remaining a child within a society plagued by a craving for early maturity. Letting out a squeal of excitement, Amal and his friends ran from the forged sanctity of the small front room of his home into the yard, stung by the cool, dry wind. He sprinted across the sandy ground pointing his toy in every direction, mimicking the sounds of gunfire that had become all too common. Yet, as he perpetually mocked the guards that had both protected and harmed his family, Amal soon realized that the plastic gun would soon harden into a cold, unwelcoming metal similar to the heart of national empathy.
Part C:
Depicting a culturally accurate representation of the inequalities within Afghan society, Phil Zabriskie employs fictional references, historical tendencies and actualities, and emotive convention in order to portray the sufferings and persecutions of the Hazara people amongst the Afghanistan’s “mosaic of ethnicities”.
A.
1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1?
The top eight agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. The number one agricultural product in Afghanistan is opium.
2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?
The life expectancy rate is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths/1,000 live births. The high mortality rate and low life expectancy shows that Afghanistan has deeper rooted issues and is unsafe.
3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?
Afghanistan is landlocked, so it has 0 km of coastline. The lack of coastline and mountainous terrain have isolated Afghanistan and their people.
4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces.
Afghanistan international disputes with Iran, Russia and Pakistan over national borders and smuggling. Afghanistan also is home to extremist groups. Human trafficking is a problem in Afghanistan where people are subjected into forced labor and sex trafficking. Also, Afghanistan is the number one producer of opium, and many of their citizens have an opiate addiction.
5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges).
The Afghan nation is challenged by provincial instability brought on by the Taliban, threats to democracy, and drug problems which cause an overwhelmingly depressing atmosphere for the Afghan people.
B. We had been trekking though the arid, grey destruction for days on patrol in Kabul. We came to a crumbling village, a village filled with rock, stone, and a discolored withering landscape. Suited in camouflage, equipped with large guns, exploding weapons and ammunition, we stood. My men have become used to the grey colored depression of Kabul, it has a certain dryness that chokes your soul. When we saw the bright blue door and fuchsia colored scarf, the flowery cave paintings, we were reminded of the reason why we are stationed here with suffocating souls: to bring beauty back to the streets and the hearts of the Afghani people. We are here to allow them to breathe again.
C. Journeying through the geographic and personal beliefs of the Afghani people, Phil Zabriski recounts the experiences of the Hazara people, oppressed by the Taliban, and their new opportunity to grow as a culture.
I need to get out of here. I need more. I need more. I’m going crazy. This flash is burning my eyes. I need more. I need to get high again. I can’t let myself get low. I need more. I need to go find some. I need my fix. I need my fix NOW. I can’t answer these questions. I don’t understand their language. No matter how slow they speak I don’t know what their saying. I don’t care. I don’t care. I need some dope. I need it now. Allah I pray they give me my bag back. That bag is my life. All my Afghanis are in there. My livelihood is in there. I can’t afford my doses without them. I need more. I’m going crazy. I have no job, I have no family. They shot my wife and my child. He wasn’t even born yet. They shot her right in the belly. Down, done, all gone. All I have is the high. The high of my fix. I need more. Just let me go, I need more.
Part A
1)The top eight agricultural products of Afghanistan are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins.
2)The life expectancy rate for men is 48.81 years and for females it is 51.47 years. The infant mortality rate for males is 127.18 deaths/1000 live births, and for females it is111.25 deaths/1,000 live births.
3)The length of the coastline is 0km because it is landlocked.
4)The transnational issues Afghanistan faces are trafficking in persons which includes sexual labor, manual labor, and domestic servitude. Women and children are sold for these acts and men are more likely to be forced into manual labor. Afghanistan is the worlds largest producer of opium; however the poor weather effects the production of the potential growth of the flowers to create the opium.
5)Thesis: This communist based country located in the south of Asia has had a unique journey of struggle with government and political reconstruction as they are controlled by terrorist groups, some may try for a reformed nation.
Part B
The image of the Afghans riding their bicycles on a dusty road in Kabul, Afghanistan spoke the most strongly to me. The image itself provokes a calm scenery and a most likely pleasant ride through the town. However the entire country itself is poor and oppressed which would explain to any viewer of the photo why cars are not the most common source of transportation. The Afghanistan government oppresses its people and therefore creating a communist controlling party. Communism is a form of oppression that allows the government to consume all parts of its peoples lives, and that includes financially. Depending on what parts of the country you live in, it can be more modernized or old fashioned.
Part C
Thesis: Depicting the struggle of the Hazara people, Phil Zabriskie utilizes personal feelings as a way to show the stereotyping placed on these people as they are judged for their looks, customs, and beliefs, and that now these people accept the judgments put upon them as inevitable.
PART A:
-The top eight agricultural products in Afghanistan are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. The most lucrative is opium.
-Average life expectancy is 50 years. Infant mortality rate is 119.4/1000 children. Poor medical supplies and living conditions are a major reason for this.
-Afghanistan is landlocked, having no coastline. The country's development can be reflected by this amount of coastline, since it makes it much harder to import and export goods.
-Some disputes, including boundaries between Pakistan and other bordering countries are discussed periodically. Other issues include drug trafficking of opium as well as trafficking of humans.
-THESIS: Being a place of poverty and lower living standards than many others, Afghanistan's opium production, landlockedness, and poor conditions cause others to find that they are lucky to have been born into a safer country.
PART B: Short Story
Roger woke up one day away from home in an unfamiliar place. Born in Oregon, his parents were both from afghanistan. He was so used to life in Oregon with his milk and cookies for dessert every night, and hot breakfast in the morning. One day his parents were in trouble, forced to move back to Afghanistan. The air here is warm, dry. Hunger consumes him daily here. He used to live more comfortably before the move, but he hardly gets food now. War and crime rule the area surrounding his home, and he has no choice but to hide. Gunfire and bombs crack and zoom through the air over his head. Why did he have to go here? How could his parents do this? About a month into his stay, he woke up in another unfamiliar place. The dank room was very clearly poorly kempt and had little provisions to offer. He became angry, surrounded by criminalistic looking people. He felt that he did not belong. Prison. Why was he here? So many thoughts rushed through his head. Soon he decided enough was enough. He rushed outside with his toy pistol and aimed it at one of the guards. He knew if he thought hard enough, then his problems would go away. Guns are how all of the other bad people go away, anyhow. He focused hard, but never accomplished what he wanted. He was stuck there for weeks to come, and soon found his life would not change anytime soon.
PART C:
Depicting inequalities in Afghan Society, Phil Zabriskie uses historical references, emotional connection, and references to fiction to show how the Hazara people are falsely persecuted in Afghanistan’s unfair society.
Sara Silva
2nd Part of the assignment. The short story and the thesis statement.
Dear Journal,
April 10, 2000 in the main city of Kabul I have witnessed these young children threatening to shoot me if I do not surrender my ammunition. These young boys are located in there school and went outside for a break. The one holding the gun is 6 years old and started screaming at me in their native language. It is such a shame, knowing I have a 6 year old son waiting for me when I get home and grasping that idea of him obtaining a gun and bringing it to school with him. Worst of all he kept threatening to shoot me. The little boy towards the back is his older brother, earlier in the day I saw him holding that same gun, unfortunately I believe that he is the one that told him to do that based upon the huge grin on his face. The other boy in the back seemed more concern, I felt like he knew his friends where doing something wrong but then quickly realized that his friend is holding a gun and you never know what could go through a 6 year old head. Overall towards the end he ended up just trying to impress his friends and his older brother. As soon as he had to go back in class he put his gun up against the 5 year old little boy in back and they started laughing, that is where I stepped in. I unfortunately had to aim my gun at the little boy and thankfully I ended up getting his gun away from him. The little boy started yelling and screaming and as he left he spit on me. He and his brother than left and the little 5 year old boy was crying, I gave him one of my medal I had earned and he put on the largest grin I had ever saw.
Thesis Statement
Struggling to build its self-up from decades of civil war and trying to make Afghanistan an invulnerable country for all citizens, the Hazaras empowered all access to the universities, civil service jobs and other avenues to utilize and empower there treacherous country.
Part A
1. The top eight agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins. Opium is number one.
2. The life expectancy rate is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths per 1000 live births. The low life expectancy and high mortality rate show flaws in the lifestyle of Afghans that may affect their lives, such as underdeveloped modes of medication and health facilities..
3. Afghanistan possesses 0 km of coastline. This may indicate that their trade was not controlled by modes of water transportation but instead, Afghanistan may have depended upon land transportation.
4. Afghanistan faces issues such as; meeting periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps; Iran protests against Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; also Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas setting up place for terrorist activities; and Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries.
5. Surviving decades of political and social oppression, Afghanistan has molded into a nation filled with unsustainable ways of life, extremist group threats, and an underdeveloped economy promoting the Afghan’s unique culture thriving with “widespread corruption and instability”.
Part B
Being a soldier or even a citizen here on the streets of Afghanistan, we are used to common explosions and signs of danger. Our country does not host the safest environment because of extremists groups. As a soldier, I have been stationed here to keep this area protected. Every so often I am instructed to set off an explosion with my cannon. The sound is so loud and I am so close. I don’t understand how the families around me can deal with the constant hostility.
Part C
After a long past filled with persecution, in his article "The Outsider", Phil Zabriskie introduces the Hazara people of Afghanistan as finding new identities through achieved political positions, advanced education, and cultural rebuilding in order to shape their society in a way that is free from oppression making them “the future of the country”.
Part A
1) The top eight products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. Opium is the number one product.
2) Life expectancy rate= 50.11 years
Infant mortality rate= 119.41/1,000 live births
The issues typically reflected in these statistics is there are a lot of food/waterborne diseases, sanitation is low as well as physicians.
3) There is 0 km of coastline and this number might have contributed to the country’s history because it’s landlocked; surrounding countries will want to invade it to gain more land and resources. The o km of coastline will result in minimal water resources, cannot trade by sea.
4) Some of the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces are a lot of refugees, smuggling of poppy, issues with line borders, terrorists, trafficking in people, and illicit drugs.
5) Dealing with being a landlocked country, in Afghanistan the people have a prosperous agriculture, growing transnational issues, and low statistic rates that show off their assets and their many challenges that they face.
Part B
The background is where the focus of the image wants the looker’s eye to go; as the three little boys standing behind a barbed wire fence are clearer to look at. The boy in the middle is the one most shocking to see. Being a young child, probably not more than 5 years of age, is holding and aiming a toy gun, which looks real at first glance, in the direction of the soldier in the foreground. The look on the face of the little boy is not a playful one, but one of seriousness. Next to the Afghan boy on the left is a boy who is a little bit older smiling with joy, while looking at the boy with the toy gun. The third boy just stands behind the other two leaning against a wall, a prison. Although there is an Italian soldier from NATO holding a gun, in the foreground, he is blurry so the looker focuses on the three boys in the back.
Part C
Showing many challenges in Afghanistan in “The Outsiders” Phil Zabriskie conveys the everlasting scars of the past, the bright future, and different physical features of the Hazara people to show the challenges, the safety and hope these people can actually bring to Afghanistan.
Meghan B
Part 1
1. The top eight agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. The top product is opium because it is their largest export.
2. The life expectancy rate at birth is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths for every 1,000 live births. Some deeper issues that could generally lead to these statistics are sickness, not enough or not good resources, and lack of clean food or water.
3. Afghanistan has no coastline because they are landlocked. This could have impacted their country in many ways, such as less means for importing and exporting and less resources.
4. Many transitional issues that has had are international disputes, especially with Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and other Central Asian countries; refugees and internationally displaced persons, mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis due to drought and instability; it is a destination country and source transit for men, women, and children from Iran, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, Philippines, Tajikistan, China, and the Gulf states to be subjected to labor and sex trafficking; and it struggles with illicit drugs because it is the world’s largest producer of opium.
5. Both in its thriving agricultural products and struggle for a more stable society and government, Afghanistan has caught the world’s attention through its always-changing government, insecure economy, and suffering of its people to be viewed as a war-torn nation.
Part 2
The majority of the photo is taken up by a soldier, standing in the front right of the picture. He is holding a weapon, and appears to be very calm and relaxed. Separated by a fence of barbed wire, three boys stand behind the soldier. The smallest boy, standing in front of and to the right of the other two, is holding a gun, which, at first, appears to be real, although it is not. He is pointing the gun at the soldier, mimicking an action that he had previously seen done. There is a smile across the boy’s face. Behind him stands the second boy, he is only slightly bigger than the one holding the gun. He also is smiling, but more of a nervous smile. The two small boys are wearing similar clothing. The third boy, standing sideways and slightly to the left, is wearing different clothing. He has a very big smile on his face, as if he was encouraging the boy holding the gun. The background is a dull tan color. They must be standing in front of a wall of some sort. Only the tip of the boy’s gun and the barbed wire separate the boys from the soldier.
Part 3
Revealing the struggles of the Hazara people in “The Outsiders,” Phil Zabriskie emphasizes their oppression in the government, difference and discrimination in facial features, and political and societal achievements that the Hazara people have dealt with in all of their years of oppression.
Natalie Connors
Part A:
1. Afghanistan’s top agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins. Opium is the top agricultural product.
2. The life expectancy rate for Afghani people is 50.11 years. For females the life expectancy rate is 51.47 years, whereas for males it is only 48.81 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths/1,000 live births. For males the rate is 127.18 deaths/1,000 live births and for females this rate is 111.25 deaths/1,000 live births. These statistics reflect poor living conditions and the many diseases that plague Afghanistan, as well as the stark inability (economically, resourcefully, etc.) to help fix these problems.
3. Afghanistan possesses 0 kilometers of coastline since it is a landlocked nation. This may have impaired the nation’s ability to trade and build a strong economy, defend itself from foreign attacks, and minimized accessibility.
4. Afghanistan quarrels frequently with Pakistan and Iran in border disputes. Also, the extremist government/groups within Afghanistan are offending the United Nations with their major violations of human rights (i.e. labor and sex trafficking). Also, illegal drugs are frequently causing issues with Afghanistan and other nations.
5. Struggling with various issues from extremist groups to extremely limited resources, Afghanistan exerts tumultuous restraint on neighboring nations, liberal governments, and impoverished citizens in order to maintain an organized, strict state that can compete with much bigger, resourceful countries.
Natalie Connors
Part B:
I woke up in a hot, moist sweat. The kind that left my tattered beige linens sticky and spotted with dampness. The small box of a window to my right illuminated the dreary, desolate fortress marked by grey chained fences and gigantic, black tanks that patrolled the narrow dirt roads, much like the way the planets swarm the sun. This scene no longer shocked any of us- me, my friends, our parents, their parents- as it was the norm in most of Afghanistan. My childhood, abruptly ended by the disordinance, had adapted to the volatile, fatal atmosphere that was once called home. As I changed from my gray, worn robe, a loud, piercing gunshot rang from somewhere in the distance. Perhaps it would be expected for me to at least flinch, but by now this noise no longer startled me, even in my morning bewilderment. From downstairs, I could hear my mother’s smashing of small pots of gray, filthy pans, probably still reeking of last night’s lamb seasoned with sweet herbs, a treat for my father’s birthday, as she was preparing breakfast- most likely cold, hard and chunky oatmeal with soiled milk, turned gray as the enemies uniforms. Reaching into my small, chipped wooden drawers, my hands found the intricately laced black robe with elaborate gold designs that I was given on my fifth birthday. In the midst of my party festivities filled with radiantly steaming food, my father sat me down and explained how I was now a man with a purpose: to defend my beloved nation of Afghanistan at all costs. Now just two years later, although it felt like a lifetime, I put it on, knowing that when I meet up with Kamun he would also be wearing his, also a gift depicting manhood from his father.
After eating my breakfast, I quickly marched out the door to meet with my friends Kamun and Bajan. As was routine, we all waited for each other by an old pear tree with a narrow trunk with carvings of love lost long ago and branches extending widely to the heavens with the sweetest gifts for Allah. By the time I had arrived, they were both already there waiting, and sure enough Kamun had his matching black and gold robe on, too. Being three years our senior, Bajan towered over me and Kamun. In direct contrast with our black robes, Kamun wore a thickly embroidered white robe, matching the roaming clouds in the sky. Miraculously, he almost never seemed to stain this robe, as many Afghans would have in the midst of all the warfare and debris in the atmosphere. Kamun was unlike most people, he represented a rare hope for a past that once was.
We gave a quick greeting-there was very little time for such moments of disengagement- then proceeded to our end of the neighborhood for our patrol. Passing the houses covered with boarded up windows and slouching gray roofs that could hardly protect its inhabitants, I thought back to the photos, bent at the frayed edges from age and tear, which my grandfather had shown to me of our former, vibrant village. Shops lined the alleyways and men with richly designed robes colored like the flowers that hung from the windows flowed breathlessly from building to building, mingling with neighbors and gossiping on a wide range of topics in the process. Now it was rare to see men speak above a hushed whisper, and the streets appeared abandoned and littered with the trivial possessions separated from their owners. The coveted sights of women bouncing joyously from room to room were impeded by plywood graffitied by Afghan political slogans. Intricately enlaced fences higher than our beloved peach tree surrounded the neighborhood, and upon rounding the corner near the old postal office, now a beaten ammunition shop bearing the simple band of colors that formed the Afghan flag, the three of us stopped and took our positions. Looking left and right and back again, we stood guard as we watched the soldiers outside of the fence carry on their own duties of defending Afghanistan from enemies.
Natalie Connors
Part B (cont.)
Off in the distance, I heard a rustic engine roar to life, and faintly saw the dust and sand fly up, as smoke that rises from the incense in church, a sight that has become so rare for me as well as many Afghans. Without hesitating, I raised my gun- black as the robe I wore and heavy like the pears on the tree’s narrow branches. The sharp trigger pressed my sweaty hands, as if pulling the trigger would hurt me just as much as its victim.
I knew what I had to do. I just prayed I would never have to actually do it.
Part C:
Transitioning from an adverse to pleasant atmospheric depiction for the Hazara people of Afghanistan in his article “The Outsiders”, Phil Zabriskie employs affirmative diction, poignant references, and cultural contrasts in order to convey the drastic changes in Afghan society that have left “scars…in the highlands of the Hazara homeland”.
Part B
It’s brutal. Everything that is happening here in Afghanistan is brutal. Here, keeping watch at Herat’s prison we get taunted by many. These children do not know the full extent of what is happening, yet they pretend to. They do not understand. No one understands. My family back home is all I can think about. Right now, my little boy is going to school while these children mock me with their toy gun. They think this is funny. This is all these kids know; taunting a soldier through the barbed wire that separates us. I could never imagine a childhood like this. It just makes me happier about what I can provide for my own family and my son. I am glad my son does not have to live like this. I am glad he does not have to live with such devastation.
Part C
Depicting the cultural, social, and political struggles faced by the people of Afghanistan, Phil Zabriskie exploits historical events, cultural stereotypes, and personal accounts in order to impart how the oppression brought on by Afghan society has long branded the Hazara people as “outsiders” to their lifestyle.
Part A:
1. What are the top eight agricultural products? What product is #1?
Opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins. Opium is the number one product.
2. What is the life expectancy rate? What is the infant mortality rate? What deeper issues are typically reflected in these statistics?
Life expectancy is about 50.11 years, infant mortality rate is 119.41/1000 births. These statistics suggests that the Afghans receive very little health care and what they do receive is obviously subpar.
3. How many kilometers of coastline does Afghanistan possess? How might this number have contributed to the country's history?
Zero, which makes it more difficult for them to import and export products which would negatively affect the economy.
4. Identify the transnational issues that Afghanistan faces.
country boundaries, terrorist bases, smuggling of poppy derivatives, refugees, human trafficking, illegal drug deals.
5. Construct a thesis statement that encapsulates the essence of the Afghan nation (both its assets and its challenges).
Struggling through the effects of decade’s worth of fighting, Afghanistan works hard to rebuild its growing agricultural business, low ranking healthcare, and implementing actions to lessen the amount of illegal activities to prove to the world how amazing Afghanistan and all her inhabitants are.
Part B:
Most days I wake with fear, discomfort, anxiousness, and worry all rolled together and sitting unpleasantly in my stomach like rocks. But today’s different. The rocks have shrunk to pebbles, being overtaken by feelings of happiness, excitement, joy, eagerness; things that have evaded me all year. It’s September 21 and all have Kabul has come together to help plan an International Peace Day ceremony. I run outside and see the beginnings of a parade. I quickly make my way through the crowd and meet up with my friends. What feels like hours, but is really only minutes, later we are given the go ahead and we all eagerly begin to release the blue and white balloons in the street. All day the balloons can be seen floating lazily through the sky. We may be forced to spend our time in despair but for these glorious 24 hours we can finally be happy.
Part C:
Depicting the atmosphere in which the Hazara’s must live in “The Outsiders”, Phil Zabriskie emphasizes the phenotypic differences and lower social status the Hazara’s must live with in order to portray to his audience the achievements these people have accomplished despite the oppression they face on a daily basis.
Corina
1. Afghanistan's top agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins. Opium is the #1 product.
2. The total population's life expectancy is 50.11 years. Males are expected to live 48.81 years while females are expected to live 51.47 years. There are 119.41 infant deaths for every 1000 live births. Afghanistan is #1 for infant mortality. This information shows how health care is harder to come by, and sanitation is not a high priority in the nation. Diseases are left untreated, and injuries are not properly cared for or fixed.
3. Afghanistan has no coastline and are completely surrounded by other countries. This means they cannot trade products overseas, which is the most common form of export traffic. Wars are more difficult due to lack of water access.
4. Forced labor and sex trafficking is a transnational concern of Afghanistan, although this is mainly domestic. There are border disputes with Pakistan and Coalition militaries periodically. Drugs are also a problem.
5 Although producing a large variety of products, the landlocked country of Afghanistan deals with high infancy mortality, human trafficking, and low life expectancy rates daily while continually facing adversity from outside nations.
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Photo #11:
The creases of his face could never match the profundity of his struggle. In his tea shop, his only source of security and tranquility, he watches the day come to its end reminiscing the past he has endured. Before his beard had greyed, Rasheed had seen leaders rise and fall, death of nearly every Afghan he held dear, and war after war after war. The richness of his eyes deceive those with whom he converses. They could not believe this elderly man, so at peace with a slight smile curling his lips, had survived through the most terrifying times of Afghanistan. His wrinkled hands clasping his cup of steaming tea were but a reminder of the night he fought off a Russian soldier who had tried to steal his wife, Farah. The bags under his tired eyes told of the hundreds of sleepless nights filled with explosions and worry. He sits at an angle while listening to make sure he hears every word in his good ear, eyes staring intently. He understands the anger, the love, and the sadness of his customers after dealing with the government and lackthereof, his marriage, and its end when the birth of Ali did not go without complications. His sadness is muted by his present life. "Live today," he says. "Let the past to worry itself and the future be left a mystery."
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Including personal stories of Afghan Hazaras, Phil Zabinski utilizes a struggling tone, historical metaphors, and emphasis on social and economic issues in order to portray the story of optimism "tempered by past memories and present frustrations", a story not only of the discriminated Hazaras but "of the whole country."
Angelina Varela
Part A:
1. Afghanistan's #1 agricultural product is opium followed by wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins.
2. The life expectancy rate is 50.11 years and the infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths/1000 live births. This reveals that many people live in poverty and have no means of taking care of themselves, allowing them to be very prone to disease and starvation.
3. Afghanistan has no coastline making it completely landlocked. This makes it harder to move in and out of the country and does not allow many trade opportunities.
4. Some transnational issues Afghanistan faces include border disputes, the many refugees, human trafficking, and being the world's largest producer of opium.
5. Struggling to become a developed country, Afghanistan has to face hardships of low life expectancy rates, numerous transnational issues, and lack of coastline all the while never giving up hope for a stable central government yet to come.
Part B:
I looked up into the vast sky as I realized what day it was, September 10th, 2010, an important day for my country as well as theirs. For the Afghan Muslims and really Muslims anywhere it was a day of celebration a mark that the fast was now over. I could tell by walking around in the streets earlier today and the bright lights coming from the city it means even more now that Afghanistan is slowly starting to rebuild itself. For America it's also a time to reconstruct, but rather than celebrating my country remembers with heavy hearts the last day we saw the Twin Towers. That's the main reason I volunteered to go to Afghanistan not only to help fight the common enemy but also to help these people rebuild and piece their lives back together. I looked towards the sky again and wondered why everything could seem so familiar, and it is only now that I fully understand that the starry lit sky is not the only thing that our two countries have in common.
Part C:
Depicting the past struggles along with the present hopes of the Hazaras, Phil Zabriskie documents the experiences of others, connections to the rebuilding of the Buddahs, and other important observations in his article.
Part A)
1. The top eight agricultural products in Afghanistan are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, sheepskins, and lambskins. Their number one product is opium.
2. The life expectancy rate in Afghanistan is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The deeper conditions lying in these statistics are that Afghanistan is not a safe living environment and lacks adequate medical facilities. Dangers in the country, from violence and illness, have caused the life expectancy rate to be very low. Inadequate medical centers or medical training has also caused there to be a high chance of infant death during childbirth.
3. Afghanistan has 0km of coastline. This number means that the country has had to rely on importing and exporting goods through other countries throughout history, which can be hard for trade. They also do not have a large water source as a resource, for things like navies, trade, or health.
4. Some transnational issues that Afghanistan deals with are boundary disputes with Iran and Pakistan, transnational sex and working trafficking, and the growth and export of illicit drugs.
5. Despite facing geographical, transnational, and domestic hardships, the nation of Afghanistan continuously strives towards becoming a leading, successful country that is a better place for its citizens and is independent of domineering world powers.
Part B)
Afghanistan has been in such a bad state for so long. Radical governments have put down our people, making us miserable and fearful. Even the solace of music was taken from us when it was banned. But now Afghanistan is restoring itself; it is becoming a better place. The music is back, and songs will once again fill the air. Children are being taught to help build a new generation. And females are finally included, for music to come from the boys and girls of Afghanistan who have been orphaned, starved, and grown up in a time of terror.
Part A.
1. The top eight agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, and lambskins, with opium being #1.
2. Life expectancy is 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths/1,000 live births. These reflect poor health care.
3. Afghanistan has 0 meters of coastline. This probably contributes to Afghanistan’s lack of a naval history.
4. Afghanistan has trouble with borders, trafficking, and refugees, and is the world’s largest producer of opium.
5. As it bears the transition into the modern world, Afghanistan’s border and trafficking troubles, high death rate, and isolation struggle against the flow of progression.
Part B.
The soldiers slowly marched through the trench, their complete contempt for their surroundings clear on their faces. They thought themselves above it all, and it showed in their complete lack of order or conduct. They laughed at their pitiable surroundings, pointing guns at bystanders for fun. The lead soldier kicked a passing chicken, grinning at the loud crack he heard when the kick connected. He then heard a thud at his feet. He looked down and saw a grenade.
Part C.
As the Hazara suffer through lifetimes of mistreatment, Phil Zabriskie uses fictional allusions, emotional diction, and desolate imagery to show the Hazara as outsiders within Afghanistan, the home of many outsiders to begin with.
A)
1. The top eight agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins. The number one product is opium.
2. The life expectancy at birth: 50.11 years. The infant mortality rate is 119.41 deaths/1,000 live births. Had close to 12% of children not died in infancy, I’m guessing life expectancy would be higher. Sadly, a very large amount of children die before they have a chance to experience life.
3. The nation doesn’t border the ocean- it has 0 km of coastline. Ultimately, this is detrimental to the growth of a country. The country’s history reflects this, as they have no experience building boats or embarking on aquatic adventures.
4. Transnational issues Afghanistan faces include human trafficking, arguments over borders, and exports of opium.
5. Having a history of tumultuous political turmoil, Afghanistan still faces a great variety of problems in the nation, both domestic and foreign, resultant in the commonplace of drug and human trafficking, and violence as a day-to-day affair as a consequence of the bloody past, “the blood shed for independence” still fresh today.
B)
The eyes. They stared into me. Kind, benevolent. The old man had seen what I’d done, the atrocities of the others. And still his gaze was compassionate, humane. The warmth, the wisdom of the look was overwhelming. His eyes melting into me like the candlelight that filled the room. The only compassion in the jail, the one place he didn’t belong. The one thing I want to retain from that experience, the one memory I want to keep and lock away. He didn’t need to say anything, I could see it all. I owe the man my life, and I, I didn’t even know his name.
C)
Portraying the struggle of the Hazara in the Afghan community, Phil Zabriskie utilises historical testimonies, evaluates gradual and dramatic cultural shifts, and employs poignant narrative in order to illustrate the shortcomings in treatment of the Hazara people in a world where they “have long been branded outsiders”.
Part A:
1) Afghanistan’s number one export is opium along with wheat wool and lambskin.
2) The average life expectancy is 50 years old with an infant mortality rate of about 120 per every 1,000 births; most likely a result of poor health conditions and a lack of medical assistance during childbirth.
3) Afghanistan is a land-locked country with very little means to fresh water and ability to trade overseas which may contribute to the constant changing hands of power by those who want to fight for control over these small but important means.
4) Afghanistan is a conflict with Pakistan and has been for decades. Also drug and human trafficking are a massive issue morally.
5) Suffering from the various implications of power struggles, disease, and death, Afghan and its people live in one of the harshest environments in the world.
Part B:
Image 3:
Once again the sun sets over the vast lands of Afghanistan as sgt. Mayer refuels his F-16 for the last time in his rotation. At three-hundred miles an hour the slightest slip of the controls could lead to a headlining catastrophe in newspapers and news reports back home, even more fuel to add to the fire that is anti-war movements. He focuses more than he had all day flying another pointless patrol over sector Z-7, mid Afghan, in which there was never anything to report back to base with besides a bored yawn and a tired sigh. He hears a click and the Fighter jolts ever so slightly as the locking mechanism slides into place, and opens the seal to let fresh fuel back into Mayer’s worked jet. For a moment, the c-130 and f-16 are one, two massive hunks of metal flying through the air combined by a thin nozzle that pumps gallons upon gallons of dangerously flammable fuel form one plane to another. As the fuel settles in the tanks and the two aircraft unhook and depart from one another the sun submits to dark and the moon rises over the afghan deserts as night takes over. A serene peace over a tumultuous land where, for once, the only thing to be heard was the roaring of two jet engines as they pass over head.
Part C:
Exploring the tumultuous land of Afghanistan, Phil Zabriski depicts the experiences of the Hazara people that suffered under the rule of the Taliban’s iron fist.
Part A:
1) Afghanistan’s number one export is opium along with wheat wool and lambskin.
2) The average life expectancy is 50 years old with an infant mortality rate of about 120 per every 1,000 births; most likely a result of poor health conditions and a lack of medical assistance during childbirth.
3) Afghanistan is a land-locked country with very little means to fresh water and ability to trade overseas which may contribute to the constant changing hands of power by those who want to fight for control over these small but important means.
4) Afghanistan is a conflict with Pakistan and has been for decades. Also drug and human trafficking are a massive issue morally.
5) Suffering from the various implications of power struggles, disease, and death, Afghan and its people live in one of the harshest environments in the world.
Part B:
Image 3:
Once again the sun sets over the vast lands of Afghanistan as sgt. Mayer refuels his F-16 for the last time in his rotation. At three-hundred miles an hour the slightest slip of the controls could lead to a headlining catastrophe in newspapers and news reports back home, even more fuel to add to the fire that is anti-war movements. He focuses more than he had all day flying another pointless patrol over sector Z-7, mid Afghan, in which there was never anything to report back to base with besides a bored yawn and a tired sigh. He hears a click and the Fighter jolts ever so slightly as the locking mechanism slides into place, and opens the seal to let fresh fuel back into Mayer’s worked jet. For a moment, the c-130 and f-16 are one, two massive hunks of metal flying through the air combined by a thin nozzle that pumps gallons upon gallons of dangerously flammable fuel form one plane to another. As the fuel settles in the tanks and the two aircraft unhook and depart from one another the sun submits to dark and the moon rises over the afghan deserts as night takes over. A serene peace over a tumultuous land where, for once, the only thing to be heard was the roaring of two jet engines as they pass over head.
Part C:
Exploring the tumultuous land of Afghanistan, Phil Zabriski depicts the experiences of the Hazara people that suffered under the rule of the Taliban’s iron fist.
PART A
1. The top eight agricultural products of Afghanistan are: wheat, fruits, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins, and (#1) opium.
2. Life expectancy rate: 50.11 years. Infant mortality rate: About 119 deaths for every 1,000 births. These combined statistics demonstrate that Afghanistan is currently lacking the proper technology and health aid that is needed to birth a healthy child and have him/her live a long life.
3. Afghanistan does not have any coastline. Therefore, Afghanistan is limited to imports only from its surrounding countries. The surrounding countries can thus raise prices on some of their exports since Afghanistan has no access to alternative trading with other countries via boats.
4. There is continual conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan regarding their country borders, and they often meet to discuss this issue. Afghanistan also has a prominent human trafficking problem; men are transported to Iran, Pakistan, Greece, Turkey, etc. for forced labor and women from other countries such as the Philippines, Iran, and Pakistan are often brought to Afghanistan and are sexually abused by Afghan men. Although opium is their number one agricultural product, its production has not dangerously increased due to persistent weather conditions.
5. While burdened with the heavy problems of violence, drugs, and human trafficking, Afghanistan continues to struggle through the 21st century without the proper supplies, technology, economy, and government needed to turn their country away from being notoriously unsuccessful.
PART B (Photograph #2)
It had to be our blue door. I know it. I told Papa that painting the door bright blue would only attract unwanted attention. There's no other reason that they should take my family. But Papa insisted that it be blue, "the color of the boundless sky which you can through yourself into, and reach for your dreams that you've always had". He's a hardworking cobbler who walks eight miles to the market everyday, toting his heavy carts behind him, sometimes returning home without even selling half of his merchandise. Mama takes care of the house and the other children, putting her love and passion into her duties and her kids. Me? Well, I'm just a boy. What could they want from me? So it has to be the blue door. What do they have against the color blue? They don't try and shoot down the sky...
PART C
Revealing the persistent hardships that shadow many of the Afghan people, Phil Zabriskie utilizes his own personal experiences to demonstrate that people living in this Afghanistan society are labeled merely based on the notorious controversies that surround them, and that many of the Afghan people have crumpled under these labels and grown to accept them.
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