ras writers' ink issue 1 2015

The

Writers’INK

2015 Issue 1

A celebration of RAS student writing

A celebration of RAS student writing

Issue 1 (June 2015)

Editor:

Eleanor Surridge

Layout and Design:

Michael Conway &

Soukaina J. Payumo

Editorial support:

Sara Kandler & Ben Copps

Copyright 2015

Rabat American School

Standard text font: Baskerville

The Writers’INK

Dear Reader,

We are happy to share with you the inaugural issue of The Writers’ INK: A celebration of RAS student writing. In this issue we have an exciting selection of work that can be humorous or serious, scholarly or whimsical, but always thought provoking. We are very proud of the students’ work and are pleased to present this anthology of student writing to the entire RAS community to share in this celebration of student achievement.

The Writers’ INK will be a biannual publication showcasing the work of secondary students at RAS. The writing contained in this issue was recommended by teachers and selected by the editors. While the writing is entirely that of the students, some pieces underwent minor edits in order to conform with the requirements of this magazine.

Read and enjoy.

The Editors

Cover image by Zainab Abiza

Contents

22 In Cold Blood: Critique Zakaria Squali

25 Hamlet Through a Lens Lamia Seffar

29 The Leatherback Turtle Najem Abaakil & Harris Lussenhop

30 Demand-side and Supply-side E Economic Policies Hamza El Eulj

32 Collective Security Essay Adam Touijer

35 Lenin & Hitler Essay Dimitri Richards

38 Country Development: Pakistan Zoya Waheed

42 Six-Word Stories Various authors

43 Image Credits

4 Dear Mr. Rizzio Tito Madeddu

6 My Eye Raphaelle Baratte

7 Quiet Death Andreas Jeppesen

10 Wanderer of the Night Anusha Sudhakaran

11 A Visualization of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime Yasmin Aitchitt

12 Julius Caesar Essays Safae Saoura & Abdul-Hakim Seid

14 Letter to Chamberlain Hind Al Hamed

16 Motif and Setting in Star Girl Hiba Belghazi

18 The Time for Justice Yasmine Himmi

The Writers’ Ink Issue 1

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Tito Madeddu - Grade 12Dear Mr. Rizzio,

To be honest, I wasn’t even planning on doing anything at this year’s coffee house; not without you at least. But I was asked to and Mr. Harwood recently told me that we should do something for you, like get together and sing. But you know how we high schoolers are lazy and always busy. This letter is so last minute that it is currently 12:41 AM. It does not and will never do you justice, but at least I tried. This actually is the nature of both of our previous Coffee House performances.

In 2012, Taoufik and I came to you with the idea to sing a Dylan song one week before Coffee House. We spent the next 4 days deciding which song to sing, even asking Ms. Cox for advice - we just could not agree. We finally settled on “Visions of Johanna,” practicing it only once before the performance. That is one performance that I will never, ever forget. Our second performance, last year, was put together in around half an hour. The lunch break before Coffee House, I came to your room and told you we should perform. We put together our 20 favorite opening lines and read them out loud, letting the audience guess which literary piece they were from. That was way too enjoyable.

I don’t know the purpose of this letter and maybe it has none. All I know is that I owe it to you to do something tonight, so this is what I am doing. As soon as our performance ended last year I told you, “Next year we have to go big; we have to do a re-return.” You were in full agreement - little did I know that you would not be at RAS next year... Little did I know that you would not be with us anymore. I never really put much thought into it after I got the news. I pushed it down and tried to not think about it - I’m pretty sure you taught me that. I guess this is my moment to feel it, to feel something at least.

My first encounter with you was quite memorable. I remember it vividly: it was the first day of school of my 7th grade year, more than 5 years ago. You still had your luscious pony tail - at least that is what you called it. I never really had the guts to disagree with you until you cut it off and actually had a nice haircut. The first day of school, a student in your class called Edward (I forget his last name), snatched my schedule, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into my face. I picked up the


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paper ball and did the same. Of course you only saw me and proceeded to take me directly to the office, and of course nothing happened but already you had unknowingly had an impact on me.

You thought you were full Italian, Sir. This is something I never told you and I’m sorry for it; but you’re not, you really aren’t. For someone who knew not a single word of the language or anything from Italy, calling himself the “Italian Stallion” was a tiny bit of a stretch. But I never told you and I did not worry about it because it just created a further connection between us.

I will never forget the one evening we spent together where you asked me to teach you how to to say “It is a beautiful day today” (E’ una bella giornata oggi), despite the fact that it was pouring. Another episode involving the rain: One day, it was way after school (I don’t remember what I was doing there) and I was sitting at the picnic tables in front of the science rooms. You came down, ranting about the rain and sat next to me. We agreed neither of us would leave until the rain stopped. Luckily for us, I had my laptop, which helped us spend a good hour and a half listening to vintage Dylan songs.

I will never forget what you told me the last time I ever saw you; I still remember it word for word. You told me, “Kid, the world is an ugly place. It is full of crooked, twisted, mean, witty and backstabbing people. The world is a place full of bad people. What you need to do is find those few that are worth fighting for, and once you have found them, keep them close.” That is something that I have carried with me since that day, and will carry with me until my last day and pass it on to my children. I still don’t know what the purpose of this letter is, and maybe it’s better that way. If I put too much thought into it, it will lose its purpose and value - so I won’t.

There are certain things I will never forget, like your firm hand shakes with the shiny rings on your fingers that I would always try to avoid touching because they would hurt. I will never forget the fact that you always had dandruff on your shoulders and clothes (yet I did not care and would gladly await the incoming bear hug from you). I will never forget the faint smell of cigars on you and in your room. I will never forget you asking me for gum or mints to cover the smell. I will never forget your New York accent and you always telling me, “I have to quit kid.” I will never forget that nickname, “Kid.” That was our relationship. Kid to man, not student to teacher. You were my mentor in many ways, not an academic one even though I always called you “Sir.” You were a reference point to me, and to many others.

I’d like to end this by recalling a scene that really encompasses this relationship. Me walking up the stairs when I was in 9th grade, reading a non-fiction book. As I pass his office, he calls me in and asks, “What are you reading?” I show him the book (I don’t quite remember which) and he tells me, “Why are you reading this crap?” I told him that I liked it and found it interesting. He disagreed and told me to start reading literature. At the end of that same day, he came up to me holding a book. He told me, “I take back what I said earlier today about your book. I thought about it and realized that there is no such thing as a bad book; there are only books and great books. He handed me the book and told me to “never stop thinking, kid.” The book was Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. As cliché as this might sound, it turned out to be the best book I ever read.

I would like to leave you with this message: No matter if you’re young or old, male or female, happy or sad, Moroccan or American or French or Chinese or whatever... Never stop thinking.

Thank you, Mr Rizzio. n

Image from a painting by Lauren Hazel


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A light reflected and illuminated a storm. Not a storm: my storm. A storm crazy to be jailed in a glass

sphere. A sphere unbreakable where… all around gliding clouds. So many clouds that we can’t see the emptiness. But

a cover… ONE cover envelopes all. A cover to protect, to reassure, to love …

This is my eye, this is the color of my heart...

Une lumiere se reflète et éclaire une tempête. Pas n’importe quelle tempete: Ma tempete. Une tempete folle de colere d'etre emprisonnée dans un cercle de verre. Un cercle incassable où... tout autour plannent des nuages. Tellement de nuages que l’on ne voit plus le vide. Mais une couverture… UNE couverture enveloppe cet ensemble. Une couverture pour le protéger, le rassurer, l’aimer ...Ceci est mon oeil, mon oeil à moi qui a la couleur de mon

My Eye

Raphaelle Baratte - Grade 8

It was about 1942, the war had just started. Shortly after we attacked Pearl Harbor, the Americans sent planes with napalm bombs over Japan.

I was born in the center of Tokyo, the exact same place I today turned eighteen. This day my parents came into my room yelling my name, “KEITA,” to wake me up. Eighteen was my lucky number, but these days eighteen was not an age you wanted to be in a war-‐Lixated country with a recruiting age of eighteen, a retired general for a dad, and a mom who hated America. I didn't know what to feel about the Americans, but ever since the war started, my dad had told me that the day I turned eighteen I would get sent to our PaciLic islands and Light them. My dad’s words shortly became reality.

The day after my birthday, I was sent to Teuri Island. The Llight took about Live hours. The reason I got sent so fast was that the Japanese needed fresh soldiers and my dad wanted me to honor our family by Lighting. Or at least that was what he said; really I just think he wanted me to get out of the house.

We

We arrived on Teuri Island at ten in the evening. The Americans had not yet attacked this island even though it was the most important we had and the only reason the Americans did not invade Japan directly. When we stepped out of the plane, we were met by a fantastic smell of fruit, Llowers and the blue water. Not like the dirty streets of Tokyo that I was used to. The island wasn't that big, Live square kilometers at most, shaped like a fortune cookie. In the center of the island there was a little volcano that could be seen from everywhere on the island. There were many other soldiers with us on the plane and we were met by even more when we arrived. I had already gotten to know a young man, about the same age as me, named Kouki. He was tall and had muscles like a buffalo, but inside he was as a child. He was the complete opposite of me; I was small, I wasn't that strong, but on the other hand, I was mature for my age.

A week went past on the island before we got the US marines in sight. We didn't get much training in the week we were on the island, so all of us were nervous. A siren went off in the distance and in under ten


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Andreas Jeppesen - Grade 9

minutes the whole island had gone underground. All the soldiers were in bunkers dug deep into the soft ground. It was about four in the morning when it began with three huge navy ships starting a raid of missiles and bombs.

Bombs had rained down on the island for three days, when all of a sudden they stopped. I was sent up to the lookout to see why they had stopped shooting. The Lirst thing I saw was Lifteen big metal boats, with machine guns attached and about 50 men in each boat. I was terriLied to see all those armed men so I sprinted to the central bunker and reported what I had seen. After ten minutes, the beach was packed with American Marines. In the jungle, we hid, with machine gunners in the bushes and snipers in the trees. All of a sudden some of us started to Lire and the others followed up. The Americans were confused. I could see it in their

eyes. They had not expected us to attack, they hadn't even expected us to be alive. That day the Americans fell like ants in the rain.

The following days there was not much Lighting. Even though there wasn't much Lighting we still got

pressed further and further into the center of the island, because we feared being overrun. Despite the fact that we had attacked the American Marines by surprise, they still had an army over twice the size of ours so there wasn't a big chance that we would be able to hold the front lines. After about a week of Lighting we were pressed so far back that we only had an area with a diameter of about one mile. In this area we had access to our main bunker, where all our provisions were stored. So the problem was not that we feared to run out of food. First of all, our concern was that we were surrounded and most of the


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island had been taken, which leads to the second problem, that the space we still had was not much to Lit 10 thousand soldiers. The generals were worried and in a hurry to win back land—the most important land facing the water.

The next night the ofLicers who were on the island started to send out units of soldiers who were supposed to commit suicide in Banzai attacks. A Banzai attack is an attack where the soldiers involved grab whatever they can Lind and then run at full speed in a wave against the enemy soldiers. I got sent out in a unit that was to sneak around the Americans’ base. My platoon got picked with three others to do a Banzai attack on the still sleeping Americans, with the other platoons posted around in trees as snipers. All of a sudden there was somebody in a bush 50 meters from where I was sitting that brought the word all of us were fearing and waiting for: “BANZAI!” I found myself running, armed only with a steak knife, but I wasn't running against the Americans, I was running away from them. There were bullets Llying next to my ears but it wasn't enemy Lire, it was bullets Lired from the guns of my own. Five minutes later, I had found a fox hole where I could hide. My only company there was a big old bull frog, bigger than my hand and even more muddy than myself. But I had greater worries than that I was covered in mud and that I was laying in a little fox hole with a big frog. I was a coward, I had turned my back on my friends and my people, even

worse I had let many men run right into their death without even looking over my shoulder. I knew that when the army police found me, they would cover my eyes and then shoot me straight through my head. I was behind the lines, it would not take them long to Lind me.

After a couple of days without food, with only the temptation of eating a huge frog, I could not stand it any longer. There had been patrols sent to Lind me, day and night. All of a sudden I grabbed my steak knife and started sprinting. I didn't know where I was going. The only thing I knew was that everybody that was on the island wanted to kill me. After about a hundred meters of running I heard shouting. I had run right into the front lines. The Americans must have thought it was a Banzai attack because it did not take them much more than ten seconds before all the machine guns were shooting randomly into the jungle. I was just standing there as if I was bolted to the ground. I could not move, I could not run. And then it hit me. A little splinter from a grenade had hit me straight through my heart. “I’m hit!” I thought I shouted it but nobody answered. I started to think about my family, the people I loved even though they had brought me into this situation. I started to cry. Slowly I started to fade, I could feel it, I was dying. Everything became dark, so dark and cold. n


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Th

On a gray dawning,Poised against the fading blue moon,A hellish elegance graces my view.

An armor of feathers, Formed from wisps of shadows.

Weathered wings, drenched in pale moonlight.Ruffled from its wanderings, A lone drifter of the night.

With eyes that absorb like black holes,It remains suspended,

motionless. Waiting.

Stiller than death itself.

With leaden breath,I watch and I wait,

Silence, our only other companion Our shadows melt into one other, as

Together we wait.Forever condemned to these dizzying gray nights.

Anusha Sudhakaran - Grade 12


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A visualization of Christopher Boone’s worldview in Mark Haddon’s

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Yasmin Aitchitt - Grade 9 (completed in Grade 8)

great

man


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Perspectives on CaesarAbdul-Hakim Seid –Grade 7

Julius Caesar was a great man. He was a general and a rich patrician. And what made this man different from other men was his bravery, intelligence, and most of all his dedication to overthrow the republicans and rule the Empire. This essay will state why I think he was a great man.

I think Julius Caesar was a very good man. He was a Roman patriot. He fought the republicans, and probably his greatest legacy of all was establishing the age of emperors. He was a great orator, which gave him a lot of public support. Julius Caesar's personality and intelligence in military tactics gave him the throne, like in the Battle of Pharsalus, when Caesar faced Pompey and was outnumbered. Pompey’s strategy was to trap Caesar with his cavalry, but Caesar quickly realised that and told Antony to hide troops in the wings to attack them. When Pompey executed his plan, Caesar fought back with his troops and successfully managed to halt Pompey's attack. He ultimately won the battle in 48 B.C.E. I definitely think that Julius Caesar was an intelligent man, not only in military tactics but in his day to day life. As I mentioned before, he was a great orator and public speaker, and he gave ordinary people, especially the poor, promises of a better life. He also took advantage of the fact that most people were poor, and Caesar had their support. He was somewhat ruthless, too.

A great example from the DVD was in the Iberian peninsula, which is modern day Spain and Portugal, when a legion (a unit of 4000 or more men in the ancient Roman army) mutinied. They did this because he hadn’t given them what they wanted, and they refused to fight. As a punishment for their disobedience, he had them decimated.This act was considered barbaric even by ancient Roman standards. He had every man in the legion take a stone from a bag, and one out of every ten stones was black. The troops who drew the black stones were killed. I have learned a lot of things about Julius Caesar’s personality from the BBC documentary, and I mentioned most of his characteristics in the paragraphs above. There are other characteristics about him that I haven’t mentioned. One more quality of his was how relentless he was, even when challenges arose. He was pressured by the Senate to disband his army at the Rubicon, then even more pressure by Pompey’s army. But despite all the opposition from both parties, Julius Caesar was able to control all of the Empire. This shows his dedication to ‘restore’ Rome. Another quality of his was manipulation. He didn't like opposition and did what he could do to win. And he didn’t always give his supporters what they wanted.

Overall, I think Julius Caesar was an amazing man in military tactics, everyday life, public speaking and even literature. He was amazing in all the battles he won. He defeated the Gauls at Alesia using amazing tactics. He spoke confidently and freely in public and was favored by the people. This makes make him a legend, although he was finally murdered by the Senate on March 15, 44 B.C.E. His descendants, though, lived and ruled for centuries to come. n

dictator


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Safae Saoura –Grade 7Who was Julius Caesar? Good question. He was a dictator and a liar. He wanted all of the power for himself, and nobody else. He got it. How? Manipulation. He told people lies and got them to believe them. Caesar wanted none of what he told them, he just wanted to take over Rome and claim all of the power.

Caesar was a highly intelligent manipulator. He convinced the plebeians of Rome, the lower class people, that he would give them power, more rights, and would improve the Republic. The plebeians were in desperate need of improvement and therefore believed Caesar’s speeches full of lies. Those lies were just part of his plan to take over Rome.

Caesar was very narcissistic. He believed he could give orders to everyone and would receive obedience in return. He admired himself so much that he thought he should be the one with the most power. Caesar was selfish and claimed that the rules of Rome didn’t apply to him. For example, when he returned from the war against the Gauls, he decided to keep his army as he headed back to Rome.

Caesar could be ignorant but was highly skilled in the art of military strategies. Some believed he was even better than Pompey, a retired general. For example, during the war against the Gauls, he decided to attack them not only from the front, but also surprise them from the back. Another example was during the civil war against Pompey. He closely observed Pompey’s strategy and then made his own, which ruined Pompey’s plan and led Caesar to victory.

All of the manipulation and his army force led him to his victory in the civil war against Pompey. He gained power as the Senate started collapsing along with Pompey. Caesar became the first dictator of Rome. This meant that he had control over any and all matters of Rome. He was the first dictator of Rome, and the Senate tried to make him the last.n

Works ConsultedAncient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. 2006. BBC Worldwide Ltd. DVD.

History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond. Rancho Cordova, CA: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2011. Print.

Dear Sir Neville Chamberlain,

It is important that you read this whole letter because it could change your future. My name is Alicia Zorens and I am a time traveler who is trying to warn you about changing the decisions you make for the greater good. You may have your reasons for making peace with Hitler but I know that it will ruin everything. You may have no reason to trust me, but I have seen the results of your actions and believe me when I say that there will be terrible consequences after signing the contract with Adolf Hitler at the Munich Conference.

Sir Chamberlain, people will see you as a fool for signing the contract with Hitler. This will cause you to hand over portions of Czechoslovakia. I am sure you are going to do it thinking it will make “peace in your time,” however, everyone else will think you cowardly. Hitler may seem a trustworthy man but he will stop at nothing to start war. He will try to take any land he wants including yours. A piece of paper won’t make peace with Hitler. In fact, it will make you seem like a cowardly leader and it will make it easier for him to take away everything you have including your allies. Being remembered as a great prime minister is every prime minister’s dream. Sir Chamberlain, you will be remembered as a failure, which is why you need to listen to my advice. Hitler should not be underestimated.

I can understand why signing the treaty may seem like a good idea, along with many other people here in the future. We get that your military is not ready for another war. Fighting Hitler by yourself means you are definitely going to lose the war. However, if you think


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Hind Al Hamed - Grade 9

about it, your allies could help you fight Hitler off. France is very well prepared for another war. Even Czechoslovakia is ready. With the help of your allies, the chances of you winning is extremely high compared to the Germans.Your people will know that you made the right decision after the war. They will notice that all you have wanted this whole time was to keep your country safe.

Signing this contract could make Hitler take England away from you and cause another war against you. World War Two will begin 11 months after you sign the Munich Pact with Hitler. Mr. Chamberlain, I know that this looks like peace right now, but Hitler is a man of war and signing this contract will give him Sudetenland and soon after he will want to take every piece of Czechoslovakia. As the war begins, he will conquer Poland, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Greece and other countries. Hitler may have saved Germany from falling apart but that does not mean you can trust him. It also doesn’t mean that he is a good person. He is a horrible man who has killed countless innocent people including Jews, handicapped, and anyone else who doesn’t meet his standards, to get what he wants. I don’t know about what you think, but he seems like a selfish person to me. You are being blinded by his kindness, and I know for a fact that he will betray you.

If I could speak to you and explain myself more, I would. Even though I am a woman and women aren’t taken seriously in your time, I need you to trust me. I cannot tell you more about what is going to happen if you sign the Munich Pact with Hitler but to me this is enough for you to not sign anything. Hitler should not be underestimated; mark my words when I say that. In this situation, you need to be open-minded and be convinced by my advice that it is a bad idea.

Good luck with your decisions. Sir, I hope this letter encourages you to do what is best.

Sincerely yours,

Alicia Zorens


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Hiba Belghazi – Grade 8


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The Syrian uprising has been going on for over two years and six months. In these two years, over 100,000 innocent fathers, mothers, and children have died. About two million citizens have fled to nearby countries such as Jordan and Lebanon while 4.5 million others are internally displaced people who are without shelter in a conflict area. In total, about 6.6 million lives have been ruined. 6.6 million. The United Nations has already taken steps to end the revolt and to acquire justice for the Syrian people. Unfortunately, there are many issues that must be confronted such as humanitarian aid, before any peaceful resolution is passed. Today, the United Nations’ main duty is to obtain justice for the Syrian people and to end

the uprising by terminating the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The United Nations’ role is to ensure international law and security, and to achieve lasting world peace. First, it is their duty to intervene in Syria. When the UN was created, its sole purpose was to insure that another World War does not arise. Now, its focal objective is to secure a brighter future for humanity. To accomplish this, the representatives of each state in the UN must defend its cause. They have intervened in countless cases, and many are ongoing, and it is necessary for these countries to come together once more and to find a way to resolve the conflict that has destroyed the lives of millions in Syria. Action has been taken since the UN is encouraging and


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Yasmine Himmi - Grade 11 (written in Grade 10)

controlling donations from countries such as the UK, which has already donated 500 million pounds in humanitarian aid. An investigation into chemical weapons has also been launched to punish the ones guilty of killing about 1500 people with a weapon of mass destruction. Secondly, the Syrian conflict is breaking all of the UN’s principles. According to the Human Rights Watch organization, “Bashar al-Assad failed to ameliorate the human rights record in the past ten years of his reign” (Syria: Political Detainees Tortured) and then completely disobeyed the Declaration of Human Rights during the two-year uprising. Examples of the lack of human rights in Syria is the absence of freedom of expression, the right to education, and much more. As stated by Amnesty International, the al-Assad government could be responsible for crimes against humanity based on “witness accounts of deaths in custody, torture and arbitrary detention” (Syria: Political Detainees Tortured) during the start of the uprising in 2011. Not only are human rights denied to citizens and crimes against humanity occurring, but the current uprising is an example of the lack of democracy in which the UN strongly believes. To conclude, if the United Nations is to accomplish its role, then they must find a solution to end the ongoing disastrous leadership in Syria. Only this will allow the nation to grow from the harm that was done to it.

The United Nations has not been idle towards the difficult situation in Syria since they have accomplished several acts to contribute to further justice for the guiltless civilians. To begin with, the UN is thoroughly organizing the Geneva II Peace Conference. The much anticipated UN-backed conference will hopefully be held next month after months of preparation. The aim is to put an end to the Syrian uprising and to plan the post-war transition and reconstruction. However, the UN representatives for the US and Russia are finding some difficulties in persuading both parties to negotiate together since “the al-Assad government has said it will not negotiate with ‘terrorists’ ” (Spencer). The Syrian Foreign Minister has also claimed on June 24, 2013 that he will not go to Geneva “to hand over power to the other side”(Spencer, Richard). This makes matters less optimistic since it is clear that both the al-Assad group and the rebels will be obstinate towards each other’s positions. Secondly, a high profile investigation led by the United Nations was launched to gather information on the August 21st chemical attacks. These attacks killed about 1,500 people, which is 1.5% of the total deaths (Syria). Since chemical weapons are categorized as weapons of mass destruction, the UN motioned very dangerous examinations of soil and bodies in Syria to try to find who was responsible for these acts. As of this writing, it is unknown which party is responsible for the incursion on the inhabitants, however some evidence


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could claim that it was the rebels. A UN official, Shaun Waterman states, “Testimony from the victims strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government” (Syria: Political Detainees Tortured) but no conclusion can be made at this time. To conclude, the United Nations attained multiple crucial things to secure future justice for the Syrian public such as undertaking a chemical weapons investigation. Unfortunately, these citizens will still live in utter turmoil since the path to a brighter fate still has much to accomplish.

Even though the United Nations has been of great help to the Syrian people, substantial measures must be taken to finally terminate the al-Assad regime and eventually get justice for the people. First, al-Assad must be put on trial by the

International Court of Justice. The ICJ is the principal juridical organ of the UN. It is in charge of charging and trying individuals who have broken high profile international law or committed crimes against humanity. By being the indirect cause of the death of 100,000 people, it is believed that Bashar al-Assad must be tried for crimes against humanity. He is also held completely responsible for the death of 120 anti-government protestors who were shot for publicly objecting the al-Assad regime (Wolfe). It is believed that things are slowly starting to evolve since western leaders were told on Sunday, October 20, 2013 that al-Assad officially faces indictment by the International Court for the deaths of the unarmed protestors (Morsy Backs Syrian Calls). Secondly,


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Bashar al-Assad has officially claimed that he was willing to consider re-elections for his third term. However, it is believed that Bashar al-Assad’s track record does not portray him as a democratic man. The elections would probably not be very egalitarian and fair; especially towards the one running against al-Assad. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has stated, “any attempt by Assad to be re-elected would extend the country's civil war” (Kerry Warns against Assad's Re-election). One could not be more correct since the rebels will not back down. Personally, I think a re-election will be as unjust as the regime as-Assad ruled for 12 years. A reasonable solution would be to hold a referendum, where the people would vote if al-Assad should stay, or go. And even that would not be guaranteed to be impartial, but it is better then starting a new dispute between two political enemies. To conclude, if justice is to be found then the United Nations is far from being finished with Syria. They must do whatever is necessary to condemn an unfair re-election or more lives will be damaged.

Despite the United Nations’ efforts to improve the conditions in Syria, the uprising will not come to an end if a referendum does not take place. I believe that even though humanitarian aid and a chemical weapon investigation is on course, none of it matters if people keep on dying and refugee camps keep on growing. None of it will matter if the uprising does not

come to an end, and the only way to do so is to end the regime with a referendum. It must be the Syrian people who choose who will lead their future. And to get justice for the dead and the millions of those suffering, Bashar al-Assad must be tried for the wrong that he has done by the International Court of Justice. These people’s lives are as valuable as ours. Peace must be established. And justice must be found for the millions who no longer look at life as a gift, but rather as something they no longer care for. n

Works Cited

"Kerry Warns against Assad's Re-election." AlJazeera-Europe. 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.

"Morsy Backs Syrian Calls for Al-Assad to Face War Crimes Trial." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

Spencer, Richard. "Syria: Geneva II Peace Conference Draws Closer." The Telegraph. N.p., 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.

"Syria: Political Detainees Tortured, Killed | Human Rights Watch." Syria: Political Detainees Tortured, Killed | Human Rights Watch. 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

Wolfe, Laura. "What's Going on in Syria Is about a Lot More than Chemical Weapons." The Guardian. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.


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Zakaria Squali - Grade 10

In his book In Cold Blood, Truman Capote recounts the events that occurred in 1959 in the sleepy town of “Holcomb, [...] a lonesome area other Kansans call ‘out there’” (Capote 1). The story revolves around Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who broke into the Clutter home in the dead of night with the intention to rob the wealthy family and leave no witnesses. Though their plot did not proceed as planned - the Clutters kept little cash on hand - the intruders did carry out the second part of their plan flawlessly, leaving four dead in their bloody wake. The result of their endeavor: the duo stole “between forty and fifty dollars” (Capote 239). Capote goes to great lengths to show the humanity in

all of the story’s characters, killers and victims alike. He is also one of the earliest writers to portray the traditional antagonist - in this case Perry Smith - as the main character, and depicts him as sympathetic, pitiful, and above all, relatable.

The story unfolds in chronological order, starting the morning of the murders and continuing until Perry and Dick’s execution six years later. However, the killings themselves are skipped. The chronological sequence proceeds the following day, when the sheriff discovers the gruesome scene, but the actual events of the night are not revealed for another hundred and fifty pages. Capote puts off this piece of


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the story intentionally and effectively; he starts by showing the gruesome scene after the murders, which distances the killers from the crime, because they are not shown committing the act. The reader only truly blames Perry and Dick much later in the book, by which point they have further empathized with them.

Capote uses characterization to induce feelings of empathy from the reader. By presenting both the relatable, human side and the alien, inhuman, murderous aspect of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, Capote creates complex and contradictory characters who confuse the reader’s sense of morality. For example, when Dick picks Perry up to bring him to the Clutter home, Perry “checked the back seat to see if his guitar was safely there; the previous night, after playing for a party of Dick’s friends, he had forgotten and left it in the car. [...] Another sort of instrument lay beside it - a twelve-gauge, pump-action shotgun” (Capote 20). Contradiction is a major feature in the Perry Smith’s personality. He thirsts for knowledge but never finished elementary school. This sort of discrepancy can even be visualized by Perry’s physical appearance; he is described as having a strong upper body, with “arms that could squeeze the breath out of a bear” (Capote 87), but has “stunted legs that seem grotesquely inadequate to the grown-up bulk they supported” (Capote 13). More relevant to the story, he seems gentle and mild-natured, or at least more so than his counterpart Dick, but he is

actually the more brutal of the two, having actually pulled the trigger during the fateful night of the murders.

Perhaps the most important recurring theme in In Cold Blood is the clash between mainstream conservative society and Perry and Dick, who represent an aberration from this. The Clutter family is the embodiment of the American Dream, the quintessence of Christian ideals. Perry and Dick are society’s marginalized, disenfranchised, those living the “American Nightmare” (Turner). As it was put in the film Capote (2005), a biographical movie following author Truman Capote as he wrote In Cold Blood, “Two worlds exist in this country; the quiet, conservative life, and the life of those two men. The underbelly. The criminally violent. And those worlds converged that bloody night.”

This book’s greatest strength is Capote’s ability to flesh out his characters. He makes them three-dimensional with a number of techniques, from showing their mundane partialities - “Perry preferred Juicy Fruit [chewing gum]” (Capote 181) - to in-depth analyses from professionals, like the discourse from the psychologist Dr. Jones: “His [Perry’s] childhood [...] was marked by lack of concern on the part of both parents. He seems to have grown up without direction, without love, and without ever having absorbed any fixed sense of moral values” (Capote 288-289). Different points of view are


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also used to great effect. Seeing the world from the perspective of the killers makes it enormously difficult to see them as “bad guys.” Also, some scenes are recorded twice, from different viewpoints, and this gives vital insight into some of the characters. However, the book’s pace is unnecessarily slow during some sections. The story seems to drag on during the section between the murders and the apprehension of the two killers. But even this criticism is somewhat unwarranted, as it is Capote’s attention to detail that causes the change of pace.

In Cold Blood is a book that challenges one’s preconceived notions of “good” and “bad,” and so is not for those with a rigid, black-and-white mindset. Truman Capote portrays the killer of four innocent members of the same family as a complex and relatable person deserving of sympathy, and this characterization certainly does not fit in with any traditional definition of morality. Ideals such as the American Dream and Christian ethics are put into question. All of this causes In Cold Blood to be, at times, disturbing for even the most open mind; but that is merely a testament to its quality. n


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In an interview addressing the interpretation of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark into a film production, costume designer Robert Jones said that one of the main goals of the cast and crew was to maintain the essence of theater in their film adaptation (“The Making of Hamlet”). Not only was director Gregory Doran able to do this, but he was also able to offer further insight and depth into the main character, Hamlet. More specifically, Doran’s BBC production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet utilizes contemporary technologies and set props to expand upon the themes of watchfulness and reflection in the play, and in doing so renders the audience more sympathetic to Hamlet’s character in the film as opposed to the original work.

Through the changes of the means by which Hamlet kills others in the film, the audience is able to better justify his murderous tendencies. In the original work, Hamlet murders five people by different means. When

Lamia Seffar - Grade 11


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killing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he sends a letter demanding their execution, and says, “they are not near his conscience” (5.2.3711), and that “their defeat/ does by their own insinuation grow” (5.2.3711-12). Hamlet is not physically carrying out the murders but says that he feels no remorse for the death of two men he used to call his friends, and that they were both the main contributors to their own downfalls. In the BBC production, the subject of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s death is only briefly mentioned (2:47:35), and leaves no room for reflection or elaboration on Hamlet’s part. This changes the audience’s perception of Hamlet as the murder is minimized and impersonalized. In the case of Polonius’s murder, there are major differences presented in the film versus the play. According to the text, when Hamlet realizes that someone is hiding behind the arras of his mother’s closet, he yells “How now? A rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!” (3.4.2410), and thrusts his sword through the tapestry, killing Polonius. Significantly different from this is the scene in the movie, where Hamlet grabs a gun from his mother’s bedside table and shoots through a mirror behind which Polonius is hiding (1:55:10-1:55:40). Through this, Hamlet is no longer in physical contact with the blood of his enemy. Contact with blood personalizes murder and makes it more horrific. The choice of switching from sword to gun leads the audience to subconsciously see him as less culpable; making us more understanding of his actions and more sympathetic to his character.

Doran’s production of Hamlet utilizes contemporary technologies such as camera filters and effects to accentuate the idea of watchfulness in the original play. In the play, when talking about his feelings towards his country, Hamlet says, “Denmark’s a prison” (2.2.1345), then goes on to say the entire world is a prison, “in which there are many confines, wards, and /dungeons (2.2.1347-48). This mindset comes from Hamlet’s feeling of confinement in his castle, Elsinore. Hamlet’s privacy is constantly being invaded as he is repeatedly fooled into thinking he is alone when he is really being spied on. In a room in the castle, Claudius and Polonius arrange a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia during which they conceal themselves so that they


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may of their encounter frankly judge

If’t be th’ affliction of Hamlet’s love

That thus he suffers for. (3.1.1720-24)

In his adaptation, Doran emphasizes the idea of watchfulness in the play, and transforms the castle of Elsinore into a world of hyper-surveillance by implementing security cameras through which moments of scenes are shot. In the reenactment of the scene during which he speaks with Ophelia, Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet through a one-way mirror and TV monitors. Towards the end of the conversation, Hamlet realizes he is being watched, tears down the security camera, then says, “Now I am alone” (1:21:20-1:21:44). This use of a security camera to spy on Hamlet is repeated throughout the film, as he is watched even when he is giving what he believes to be his private soliloquies. This atmosphere of surveillance in the production shows Hamlet’s oppressed life inside Elsinore. The fact that Hamlet is constantly under surveillance heightens his emotional response to events in the play and causes him to act irrationally. The audience is able to see the trigger of Hamlet’s outbursts and as a result is rendered more sympathetic to his character.

By using mirrors in his production of Hamlet, Doran is able to further emphasize the themes of reflection and confrontation in the play, as the mirrors force Hamlet to confront his helpless spiral into depravity. In witnessing Hamlet’s recognition of his transformation into a murderer, and seeing him struggle with this reality, the audience is able to sympathize with his character. Hamlet performs soliloquies, during which he evaluates his choices and questions his intentions regarding revenging his father’s death. In his “O that this too too solid flesh would melt” (1.2.333) soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates “self-slaughter” (1.2.337), and obsesses over the “incestuous sheets” (1.2.361) in which his mother and uncle lay. These moments of private reflection provide the audience with insight into Hamlet’s character and thoughts, and help them to justify his actions and better understand his internal conflict. Doran’s production adapts and emphasizes these elements of the play, by surrounding Hamlet with


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mirrors throughout the movie. In the film version of his above-mentioned soliloquy, Hamlet stands alone in a room with a floor that is a large blackened mirror. As he speaks to himself, he bends down, stares at his reflection, and wails “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world” (14:19). Through the addition of mirrors in this scene, not only is the audience invited to watch Hamlet ruminate, but Hamlet himself is able to do the same. In shooting Polonius through a mirror, Hamlet is forced to see his shattered reflection (1:55:38), and when he addresses the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he is positioned in front of another broken mirror (2:47:35). The fragmentation of Hamlet’s reflection in the mirrors is symbolic of the broken and morally corrupt man he has become. The task of putting a mirror back together is one that is impossible, showing that Hamlet is fatally flawed and that he has no hope of redemption. As Hamlet stares into these mirrors, he confronts himself and sees the monster that he is becoming, and this acknowledgement of his “inner-most part” (1:55:05), evokes sympathy from the audience.

By the end of both the play and Doran’s film production, Hamlet, the protagonist, has murdered a total of five people, while his enemy and antagonist, Claudius, has murdered only two. Why then is Hamlet the hero of the play even though he has committed so much evil throughout it? We sympathize with Hamlet because of Shakespeare’s incorporation of the themes of watchfulness and reflection in his play. Doran’s film production intensifies these themes through his use of contemporary technologies and set props, thus eliciting an even more sympathetic response to Hamlet’s fatally flawed character. n

Works Cited

Hamlet. Dir. Gregory Doran. Perf. David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, and Penny Downie. 2009. TV Movie.

“The Making of Hamlet.” PBS. PBS, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. opensourceshakespeare.org, PDF.

The biggest turtle in the world is about to die.

!


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Najem Abaakil & Harris Lussenhop - Grade 9

papaya smoothie sitting in your lap, almost half empty. Thoughts of the leatherback turtle circle through your mind as you begin to put two and two together. You then begin to ask yourself some questions. How did this happen? What is being done to help? And, perhaps more importantly, what can you do?To learn more about what you

can do, read the full article

at http://leatherbackturtle-endangered.weebly.com/the-leatherback-turtle.html or scan this QR code.

You are at a beach somewhere in Florida, when suddenly a giant 2000 pound turtle beaches on the sand and starts sliding on its fins towards you. You take a look at the giant, you see seven long ridges running down its shell and white dots covering its face, and a pink spot on its chin. You also see part of a fishing net attached to one of its flippers. You move and it walks past you, to lay its eggs. People start crowding around you and you hear someone shout “Whoa, it’s a leatherback turtle!” A few biologists come later and fence off the area where the turtle laid its eggs. They tell you that this was a leatherback turtle—part of a species that is critically endangered. You return home, do some research and find out that this turtle is indeed part of an endangered species. You keep clicking through webpages for about ten minutes, then sit back calmly in your chair, your

The Leatherback Turtle

http://leatherbackturtle-endangered.weebly.com/the-leatherback-turtle.html







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Demand-side and Supply-side Economic Policies

(Written Under Exam Conditions) Hamza El Eulj - Grade 11

A demand-side policy is one which increases aggregate demand through fiscal or monetary

policies. Both affect consumer spending in an economy. A fiscal policy, such as increasing

taxes, will discourage consumers from spending, as the prices will be higher, therefore

leading to less demand. Monetary policies affect consumer spending by changing the

interest rates. By increasing interest rates, for example, consumers will be encouraged to save

money in the bank, and thus reduce the overall spending in the economy. These demand-

side policies usually lead to an increase, or decrease in the aggregate demand in an economy,

and can thus affect economic growth.

A supply-side policy, on the other hand, is usually one which shifts the long-run

aggregate supply curve through interventionist, and/or market-oriented policies. As the

name implies, an interventionist policy is one in which the government has a lot of control.

This usually implies the spending of taxes to help a certain group or finance a project. For

example, a government may invest in a research center, which may increase the technology

in the economy, and therefore increase the quality of the factors of production, leading to a

right shift in the aggregate supply. Then there are market-oriented policies which, although

there is still some government involvement, mostly trust the economy to work itself out.

Although these policies are very different, they are both supply-side policies, and affect the

aggregate supply of an economy. They can lead to lower inflation rates, as the LRAS curve

will shift to the right due to a more efficient economy and to better factors of production.

Supply-side policies are also useful in reducing structural, frictional, and real-wave

unemployment rates, leading to economic growth.

To put it simply, demand-side policies are focused on shifting the AD curve to increase economic growth, while supply-side policies focus on shifting the LRAS curve, in the hopes of achieving the same goal, but through different means.n


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In what ways, and with what success, were attempts made to establish collective security in either the period 1920-1930 or 1945-1955?

Collective security, a term coined in the clauses of the Treaty of Versailles, is the idea that in the case of a nation declaring war on any member of the League of Nations, all members will go to war. Implemented at the Paris Peace Conferences of 1919, the idea of collective security was called into question through several military conferences in the 1920s. Through these international conferences, attempts were made to establish collective security during the years 1920-30, but they met with very little success.

During the interwar period, France’s goal to acquire Anglo-American

backing in the case of a German attack was a major necessity for France. France, who was the neighboring rival of Germany, constantly feared future


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(Written Under Exam Conditions)

German attack. Despite various discussions with the Americans and the British, collective security was never established. The US at the time

reverted to its pre-war isolationist policies and had no desire to become committed to an alliance with France. The American public was against involvement in European affairs as they [Europeans] still hadn’t recovered from the destruction of World War I. With that, Britain also opposed the Anglo-American backing of France as Britain believed it would only continue to increase tensions that could lead to another full-scale European economic crisis. In this regard, the attempt by the French to establish collective security with Britain and the US can be seen as a failure. However, the subsequent Locarno Treaties made it possible for British military backing with the establishment of permanent western borders; in the case of a German invasion across these borders, Germany would be regarded in violation of the Treaty in the eyes of British and they would have no choice but to aid France. This, however, remained hypothetical.

After a failed attempt to achieve collective security with Britain and the Americans, France expanded its


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Adam Touijer - Grade 12

horizon eastwards towards Poland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. As all four countries bordered Germany, an alliance amongst them was ideal in the event of a German invasion, especially since the German foreign policy of Lebensraum favored expansion into Poland for more territory to ease population tensions. The formation of this alliance in 1927 created the Little Entente and was essentially the first successful attempt to establish collective security. The importance of collective security for France rested on their fear of a military threat from Germany; therefore France considered any form of military support and backing from other countries a success.

However, apart from smaller alliances as seen with the Little Entente, the main battle of collective security stemmed from the League of Nations during the 1920s. During the 1920s, collective security seemed to have remarkable success in preventing conflict and solving disputes.

Despite the isolation of the US, the collective security policy was effective in the 1920s. However, the lack of US support is regarded by many revisionist historians as collective security’s fatal flaw. During the 1920s, countries focused on rebuilding their economies after the destruction of farmland and infrastructure. Therefore the idea of backing another country in the case of another conflict was not supported by the American population. As of 1930, no acts of collective security were carried out. This may mean that the

attempt to establish collective security was intimidating and therefore successful in suppressing future conflicts.

In conclusion, the ways in which collective security during 1920-1930 was established was through small attempts to form chains of alliances in the case of another aggression. As seen with France, attempts at gaining Anglo-American support were abandoned, thus causing France to settle for the Little Entente. Although the 1920s witnessed minimal reasons to call into effect collective security, it was to an extent successfully established through France, and the League of Nations. n


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When looking at history, successes and failures of states, authoritarian leaders or single-party state leaders are often debated and examined with much controversy concerning their rise to power. While many questions are often asked about the policies and actions of those leaders, what remains key regardless of the approach taken is the context of the existing regimes. In the case of Lenin in Russia, and Hitler in Germany, both achieved power not only because of their individual abilities, but mainly by exploiting the economic weakness of the existing regimes.

Before Lenin’s ascension to power and the 1917 revolution, Russia was led by three centuries of autocratic Romanov dynastic rule. The economic weakness of Tsarist Russia was significance as both long- and short-term causes of Lenin’s rise to authoritarian power. In the 19th century, Russia was the least developed of the European powers. Relying mostly on agriculture and rural sources of income, there was close to no industry, and foreign investments did not increase during the reign of Alexander II. In the 1880s, when Alexander III’s finance minister Count Sergei Witte tried to implement urbanization and industrialization in Russia, economic advancement was achieved at the cost of a tremendous social downfall. Adding to


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(Written Under Exam Conditions) Dimitri Richards- Grade 12

Lenin & Hitler

this, farmers and peasants were treated as serfs, or slaves, which only reinforced Lenin’s image as the man of the workers and farmers. As more and more peasants migrated to the cities under Witte’s policies, the failure of the regime’s bureaucracy in providing adequate housing to the influx of migrants led to people living in crowded, unsanitary, and dangerous homes. This cumulation of common Russian people in deplorable conditions allowed Lenin to widen his audience, and target a larger scope of the population. Therefore, the long-term failures of the Tsarist regime not only helped Lenin gain influence, but indirectly increased support for his Marxist ideas. In the short term, Lenin was also able to exploit the failures of the provisional government after the revolution of February, 1917. Indeed, Kerensky’s failure to draw Russia out of World War I cost the country enormous resources and men, and caused major social dissatisfaction. Overall, despite Lenin’s individual abilities, it is the economic failures of the two regimes preceding him which allowed him to rise to power.

In terms of exploiting the weaknesses of preceding regimes, Hitler’s ascension to power resembles that of Lenin. When he took the common chancellorship, the Weimar Republic was an economic disaster, having been hurt by the Treaty of Versailles, the Ruhr invasion, and the Great Depression. Before he cancelled Germany’s reparation payments to the allies, the Weimar Republic owed 33 billion marks in 1918. Those high reparation payments, coupled with the reliance on American loans, which did nothing but aggravate Germany’s debt, meant that Germany was incapable of growth, leading to deplorable living conditions for the average German. These economic failures enabled Hitler and his anti-democratic extremism to gain power in 1932, as the population grew weary of democratic failures and of being puppets to the Allies. In the words of historian Geary, “one must be out of their mind to believe the Treaty of Versailles did not fuel Hitler’s rise to power.” Hitler provided the people an opportunity to cancel the debts and regain the lost glory of the German state. Significantly, Weimar’s economic failures had the largest impact on the poorest peasant classes. Exploiting this, Hitler forged his character to be the defendant of the German worker and farmer, which enlarged his support to include those classes. Another way in which Hitler made use of Weimar’s weaknesses was to target specific groups to blame for Germany’s economic distress. Whereas Weimar leaders tried to live up to and cope with the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler blamed the backstabbers of 1918 and the Jews directly, which made him appear stronger than Weimar could ever claim, reinforcing his image as the ultimate savior of German pride. Again, Hitler’s advantages as an


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orator and motivational leader are not to be ignored, but without the economic chaos of the Weimar Republic, he would never have earned 12 million votes, or 32% of the Reichstag in 1932.

When evaluating the rise to power of single-party state leaders, the importance of the context, in other words the failures of the preceding regimes, is often overlooked and undermined due to the personal qualities of those leaders advocating extremist ideas. In the cases of Lenin and Hitler, even though they were both great orators and portrayed themselves as role models, it is the failures of their preceding regime, which allowed their rise to power. n


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Pakistan is currently an Least Economically Developed Country (LEDC), with an estimated population of 196,174,380 people in July 2014 ("Pakistan"). It is at stage three of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM), with both the death rate and birth rate declining; as of 2014 the death rate has decreased to 6.58 per 1000 live births and the birth rate has decreased to 23.19 per 1000 live births ("Pakistan"). The DTM demonstrates the evolution of population through birth rates and death rates, and it represents the development of a country ("The Demographic Transition Model"). Birth rates and death rates are

the number of births and deaths per 100 live births. Pakistan being at stage three of the DTM indicates it has much room to develop, but it is more developed than countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pakistan has a mixed economy, with its major sectors being Agriculture, Industry and Services ("What Are Major Sectors of the Economy of Pakistan?"). This indicates that Pakistan’s economy is competing with some of the world’s biggest exporters who are also in these sectors—such as the developed west—and this can a cause lack of development.

Pakistan has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.515 ("Human Development Index"). The HDI indicates a country’s level of development by taking into account various factors such as education, life expectancy and GNI per capita, which is the gross national income per capita of a country. The HDI being at this level indicates that Pakistan is not at a very high level of development, and has yet much to improve in many areas,


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Country Development:

Zoya Waheed - Grade 12

such as education: 49.5% of adults are illiterate, and two-thirds of the uneducated population is female as of 2013 ("Pakistan's Educational Challenges"). The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Pakistan is $3,100 as of 2013 ("Pakistan"). The GDP is the total product that a country’s economy produces in one year; per capita is per person. Pakistan’s GDP is not very high, and this indicates that it has much to develop. However, it is not as low as a few countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has a GDP per capita of $400 ("Congo, Democratic Republic of the"). This highlights the fact that Pakistan is still more developed than some other countries. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) indicates a country’s gender equality. Pakistan has a GII of 0.567 ("Gender Inequality Index"). This indicates that similarl to its HDI, Pakistan has much to improve in the areas of gender equality and women’s rights.

Challenges to Development

Pakistan faces many problems when it comes to development. According to statistics, the country is only able to attain nine of the forty-one indicators it said it would obtain in alliance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are eight goals that were established by the UN in 2000 to be reached 2015, for each developing country ("Lagging Behind: Pakistan Off-track on Millennium Development Goals").

The most significant factor slowing the country’s development, however, is debt. Debt is money taken on loan from another country or the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the latter two being international organizations that loan money to countries. The debt in Pakistan amounts to $76.19 billion, which is 30% of the country’s per annum GDP ("Pakistan Needs $76.19 Billion to Pay off Debts: IMF").


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“Pakistan’s economy has been paralyzed by its debt” (Dearden). The debt load on Pakistan is so great that it is a choice between developing the country and not paying the debt at all, or paying the debt and not developing the country at all. Pakistan’s debt is preventing the government from repaying the debt, as the debt is not allowing the economy or the country to develop, so there is no increase in GDP. Therefore, in order to pay the debt, Pakistan will need to take more loans (Dearden), creating a paradox. That debt is deterring Pakistan’s development can be seen by the GDP percentage increase from 2012 to 2014. In 2012 the GDP percentage increase was 4.361% over the previous year. Subsequently, in 2013 the percentage change decreased to 3.622% and in 2014 it is estimated to decrease to 3.102% from the previous year ("Report for Selected Countries and Subjects").

Pakistan’s lack of balance and efficiency in spending is another reason for its lagging development. Pakistan spends seven times more on its military than it does on primary education ("Pakistan's Educational Challenges"). This poses a very serious problem, because a country that does not have educated youth will have no potential work force, leading to a halt in development. The government spent a mere 10% of its wealth on education ("Pakistan's Educational Challenges") and if this number is not increased, Pakistan will eventually stop

developing; an educated youth and educated labor force is one of the key aspects in developing and maintaining a country.

Model of Development

Rostow’s stages of development best reflect where the country is on a development level. Currently, Pakistan seems to be at take-off.

The country’s economy is rapidly developing, despite a few outliers in statistics. The country’s exports to India have increased by 28%, and its imports from India have increased by 19% as of May 14, 2013 ("Trade between India and Pakistan Surges 21% to $2.4 Billion"). This is a sign of economic growth, especially when considering Rostow’s stages of development.

Inequalities in the country are also increasing. The Pakistani government revealed that in the last 25 years the income for the richest 20% has increased by 7%, whereas the income for the poorest 20% has not increased at all (Hassan). The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and this is a sign of increasing inequalities.

All of this is evidence that Pakistan is currently at the take-off stage of Rostow’s stages of development.

Recommendations for Development

Pakistan is faced by many problems, however there are ways, with the help of others, for the country to overcome them. It is not only faced with problems of debt and education, but others such


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as corruption and lack of export. There are solutions for most of these problems.

To tackle the debt problem, a potential solution is for the IMF and others to cancel Pakistan’s debt. By doing this, the country will no longer have to worry about the struggle between repaying loans and developing the country, and it will be able to solely focus on development.

There have been many policies presented to better education in Pakistan, especially for girls, yet they have never been carried out. Pakistan must take action on these policies, and ensure they are carried out, in order for education in Pakistan to develop, allowing the country to develop on a whole. To end the gender education gap in Pakistan, the government must take action on the policy that every child must attend school, and they should ensure no families are keeping girls from being uneducated.

Pakistan’s biggest exports are rice and cotton, yet they are not exporting enough of these commodities to greatly benefit the economy. The country can improve this by creating and carrying out a plan which creates a surplus of these product. Give farmers free seeds so they can produce more, and in turn the country will gain more surplus and more income, allowing more development. The government may also educate the farmers about how to take care of their crops better and improve their product yield. n

Works Cited

"Congo, Democratic Republic of the." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.Dearden, Nick. "Pakistan's New Government Must Put Development before Debt Repayment." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 21 May 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"The Demographic Transition Model." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Gender Inequality Index." UNDP Open Data. UNDP, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

Hassan, Raja Taimur. "Income Inequalities in Pakistan | Social & Development Log of Pakistan – SDLP." Social Development Log of Pakistan SDLP. Wordpress, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Human Development Index." UNDP Open Data. NDP, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Lagging Behind: Pakistan Off-track on Millennium Development Goals." The Express Tribune. Tribune, 9 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Pakistan Needs $76.19 Billion to Pay off Debts: IMF." The News International, Pakistan. The News, 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Pakistan." The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Pakistan's Educational Challenges." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Report for Selected Countries and Subjects." Report for Selected Countries and Subjects. IMF, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"Trade between India and Pakistan Surges 21% to $2.4 Billion." The Express Tribune. Tribune, 14 May 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"What Are Major Sectors of the Economy of Pakistan?" Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 03 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.


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Various Authors - Grades 5 - 9

Image Credits


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Old Paper Texture. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://thedigitalyardsale.com/freebies/7-17/old_paper6.jpg>.

The Japanese Fighting Men. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://worldwartwozone.com/gallery.old/500/medium/jia_flame_throw.jpg>.

Black Angel Wings. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ab/13/f8/ab13f809763dc55f4f81fd0fe09dedef.jpg>.

Caesar. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/C%C3%A4sar.jpg>.Portrait of Julius Caesar. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Julius_Caesar_(color).jpg>.

Blank Envelope Template. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://psdblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/envelope-template-back.jpg>.

Leatherback Sea Turtle. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-10091377808010/2013/1/13778064921404/Endangered-sea-turtles-washing-up-dead-on-Guatemala-beaches.jpg>.

Syrian Flag Wallpaper. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/299/b/6/syrian_flag_by_syriandignity-d4e15vr.jpg>.

Syria Zoom. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://restlessgeneric.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/syriazoom1.jpg>.

Syrian Uprising: 2 Years. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1199007.1363490544!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_960/image.jpg>.

In Cold Blood. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://theliterarysisters.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/9780141182575.jpg>.

Golden Frame. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.simplyframe.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Golden-Picture-Frame.jpg>.

WW1 Flags. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.bcgs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Allies-WWI-PC.jpg>.League of Nations. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://mises.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/league-of-nations.jpg>.

Hitler. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <https://volkundvaterland.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/adolf-hitler.jpg>.

Vladimir Lenin. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.thenation.com/sites/default/files/vladimir_lenin_cc_img_0.jpg>.Adolf Hitler. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://cp91279.biography.com/1000509261001/1000509261001_1630293503001_BIO-Biography-Adolf-Hitler-SF.jpg>.

Lenin Soviet. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://izquierda-revolucionaria.org/media/img-articulos/

1398184533_LeninSovietsoldados.jpg>.

Grungy Green Background. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.twitterevolutions.com/bgs/twitter-background-grungy-green-wall.jpg>.

Pakistan Zindabad. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/225/2/8/Pakistan_Zindabad_II_by_devilmaycryub.jpg>.

Pakistan. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://www.oxfam.org.uk/~/media/Images/OGB/What%20we%20do/Countries%20we%20work%20in/Pakistan/PakistanL.ashx>.

Pod Pakistan. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://asiasociety.org/files/130719_pod_pakistan.jpg>.

Pakistan Turmoil. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. <http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-100121-pakistan-turmoil/ss-101231-pakistan-turmoil-03.jpg>.

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The RAS Writing Center provides the time and space for students to ask meaningful questions related to their writing. We recognize that writing as learning provides students many opportunities to transfer learning to new contexts, take risks, demonstrate learning to others, and appreciate their connectedness to the world.

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Learning in a World Community

ras writers' ink issue 1 2015

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