On January 6 of 2014, a suicide bomber planned to blow up a Government High School in Hangu, Pakistan that contained 2,000 students. However, the plan was foiled by a fifteen-year-old boy named Aitzaz Hasan. As the man approached the school, Aitzaz ran into him. There are many accounts as to how Aitzaz Hasan stopped the bomber but we do know that before he could reach the school Aitzaz confronted him and by doing so the bomb blew up. The bomber was killed and Aitzaz was severely injured causing him to die the next day. If he had not confronted the man, hundreds of innocence kids would have died. His actions may have made him a cultural hero, and though he falls short on being a mythic hero, he definitely is a modern day one. Aitzaz demonstrated many characteristics of a cultural hero. He influenced the Pakistani people by serving as a role model who would sacrifice his own life that others may live. Many people looked up to and want to be like Aitzaz and he soon became a legend. There are multiple stories of how Aitzaz dealt with the suicide bomber. One account is he was late to school and was waiting outside the gate with his friends when a man walked up. Aitzaz saw the man had a detonator and confronted him causing the man to the bomb to …show more content…
Aitzaz actions were done purely out of the need to help others. He had no other goal than to save the lives of hundreds of others. And as well as saving the lives of others, Aitzaz was just an ordinary Pakistani boy. He went to school every day in his hometown Hangu, Pakistan, he had good grades, and he was very much against armed groups. Had he not been involved in this scenario that played out he could have gone off to live a normal life. Lastly, Aitzaz’s defining moment was only situational. The bomber could not have decided to try to blow up Aitzaz school Aitzaz would not have died. Because of these reasons, Aitzaz is definitely a modern day
On September 11, 2001, the Islamic extremist group, al-Qaeda hijacked four american airlines. “Two of the airlines crashed into the world trade center in New York The third plane crashed into the Pentagon outside the world trade center, and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania” (9/11 Attacks). They called it a suicide attack against United States, but there are conspiracy theories the the terrorist are still alive. That they stole
Davis, Jayna. The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Nashville: WND, 2004. Print.
Major newspapers around the world wrote about Masih’s story, even though it was often demoted towards the end of the newspaper. It was not long before both the media and the public disregarded it. A little less than seven thousand miles away from Pakistan, however, another 12-year-old boy in Thornhill, Canada devoted Masih’s story to memory, an undertaking that signified the beginning ...
Terrorism – This is a word that many people are terrified of. When a terrorist attack occurs, people’s daily routines are shattered. Things change instantaneously the moment the bomb goes of. When we think about a terrorist attack that really impacted the world, we immediately think about 9/11. On that day many people were hurt directly and indirectly. People were disorientated and scared. The moment there is change, the world panics. Unfortunately, 9/11 was not the only day where people panicked. On 1988, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 occurred. This terrorist attack was not as massive as 9/11; but, it did leave scares especially to the Syracuse University community.
April 19, 1995 at 9:02, in Oklahoma City a bomb exploded; destroying buildings, injuring and killing innocent citizens. Many questions of the city would go unanswered; including who made it, who didn’t, along with who did it and why. All of these citizens deserve answers to the simple questions. The world was in shock and worried about what was going to happen next. This terrorist attack would then be noted as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
A Taliban leader said that if girls did not stop going to school within a month, there would be repercussions. Instead of capitulating, this proclamation only made Yousafzai more passionate and courageous. She continued to attend school, despite the numerous threats and causes for fear. As an education activist, she was in more danger than most of her classmates, so it was not safe for her to walk anywhere, instead she had to take a car or bus. One day, while aboard a school bus with her classmates and friends, two men entered asking which girl was named Malala. The other girls looked at Yousafzai which unintentionally gave away her location. The men shot 15 year old Yousafzai in a defining moment in history. This not only had consequences for her and her family, but it also had consequences for the citizens of Pakistan and people living around the world. This was a turning point because people began to realize that the Taliban would target anyone with opposing views, even teenage girls.
On September 11, 2001, many people’s lives were changed. Not only Americans, but Muslims and Islamist alike, were affected. (A Nation Challenged 80). Family members and friends were lost, lives were taken away, and New York City was torn to pieces. Two planes hit the Twin Towers, otherwise known as the World Trade Center. One plane was flown into the Pentagon located in Virginia. One last plane was flown into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after being taken over by the passengers. The nineteen men who hijacked these planes were from the Islamist militant group known as al-Qaeda. (The 9/11 Commission Report). An editorial in the New York Times said, “It was one of those moments in which history splits, and we define the world as ‘before’ and ‘after’.”
Historical Significance: The September 11th, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, were the events that launched the U.S. War on Terrorism. Al-Qaeda’s attack on the United States was carried out by members of radicalized Islamic groups, whose objective was to spread jihad against the secular influence of the West. This tragic event provided the historical b...
On April 20, 1999, within the tiny, suburban city of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted a full-scale assault on columbine high school throughout the middle of the school day. The boys' idea was to kill many of their colleagues. With guns, knives, and a large number of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. Once the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, as well as the two murderers were dead; and 21 of them were wounded. The haunting question remains: why did they decide to do this?
At the beginning he did not posses any heroic qualities, but by taking and accepting the first step of the passage he was able to rediscover his true potential. I believe that Amir came looking to redeem his past mistakes belated, however, he found an alternative way to put himself to peace with his past. I learned that we should stand up for who we are and what we believe to be true. It also learned that the past is unforgettable and immutable. It made me realize that we are all capable of becoming our own hero’s, by simply accepting the call to action and transforming ourselves to return as the best version of who we are. While giving us the chance to explore the
Amir comes full circle through Hosseini’s portrayal of Amir’s relationship with Hassan, Amir’s conflict with Assef, and Amir’s relationship with Baba. In the relationship with Hassan, Amir did not have the courage to intervene when he was twelve but many years later when it comes to Sohrab, he has the courage to stand up to Assef. When Amir was little, Assef had the upper hand and Amir’s confidence was lacking because of Amir’s relationship with his Father. Now Amir is confident and ready to stand up to Assef.
Amir wakes up after fighting Assef in the hospital thinking about Sohrab, “for some reason I can’t think of I want to thank the child” (Hosseini 293). Sohrab is the first thing Amir thinks of when he wakes up in a groggy state in hospital. Sohrab was willing to attempt to save Amir’s life, a man he barely knew, even though it meant risking his own life. In this way, he was able to not only physically save Amir but also mentally because he allows Amir to complete his mission and redeem himself. While struggling against Assef, Amir thinks, “...for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace...I hadn’t been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken...but I felt healed. Healed at last.” (Hosseini 289). Sohrab feels guilty for what he did to Assef, although it saved himself and Amir. Amir tells him, “There are bad people in this world, some people stay bad. Sometimes you have to stand up for them. What you did to that man is what I should have done to him all those years ago. You gave him what he deserved. He deserved more” (Hosseini 319). While talking to Sohrab, Amir acknowledges that he was wrong and that he could have avoided all his guilt, if he had only stepped in against Assef. But he had not, so part of Amir making up for his sins was to stand up to Assef, and win a fight against him. However, in the end, Sohrab is the one
On the day of the Columbine High School Massacre, previously to the attack both Erick D. Harris and Dylan B. Klebold placed a decoy bomb in a field; they had set the bombs to explode at 11:14 to distract police officials. The two boys then headed to the school and entered the commons shortly after 11:14 a.m. and went unnoticed carrying the big duffel bags with propane bombs inside of them. They placed the two twenty pound duffel bags in the cafeteria with the bombs set to explode at 11:17 a.m. They went back outside and armed themselves, they each strapped on an arsenal covered with a trench coat, a semiautomatic, a shotgun, and a backpack full of different types of bombs. The boys then set the timers on the bombs set inside each of their cars outside the school. The boys sat outside armed waiting outside for the bombs to explode and shoot any
In regards to characters that sacrifice themselves for the good of others, an easy example is Amir’s father, Baba. Baba is considered a very admirable man in the setting and he does much to prove his legendary reputation within the time frame of the novel. An outright e...
Many conspiracy theories exist about the attacks. Although it is commonly held that the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda is responsible, some think it was an inside job—coming from the United States. Others acknowledge Al-Qaeda as the perpetrator, but blame the cause on past involvement of the United States in the Middle East. One such person is Amiri Baraka. In his poem, Somebody Blew Up America, Baraka points to the larger system as the root cause of violence. He never blames a single entity, but through the use of rhetorical questioning it is obvious as to whom Baraka is accusing as being the real terrorist. Using the word “who” 191 times, Baraka establishes a connection within any reader who feels empathy with victims of anonymous crimes. (IV 1) Who is to blame? Amiri Baraka’s Somebody Blew Up