Friday, December 6, 2019
Airline Information System
Question: Discuss about the Airline Information System. Answeer: Introduction The report reflects on an Australian Airline Company XYZ which aims to provide numerous services including transport, airline and food production facility as well as different loyalty programs throughout the world. Therefore, the XYZ Company wants to implement a new information system, which must incorporate subsystems like HRM system, marketing and sales system, finance system, travel management as well as reservation system. The report illustrates the function of the airline information system, resources required and the challenges that are related with system. The paper also describes the results or advantages that the XYZ Company experiences after the implementation of the system. Airline Information System Functionality The system comprises of several subsystems for supporting their day-to-day operations. The functions of this sub-system are illustrated below: Flight Reservation System: It is analyzed that this system assists in providing various booking management as well as flight reservation services to its customers. It helps in providing customers numerous options with different alternatives for making their journey an affordable one (Davenport, 2013).The system helps in providing special discounts for the frequent flyers in order to attract them towards the XYZ Company. Travel service reservation system:The system assist in providing numerous facilities including travel insurance, drop service, car facility, hotel accommodation and leisure packages to both the regular flyers as well as ordinary flyers (Power, Sharda Burstein, 2015).The travel service reservation system helps in providing a hostile experience of travel to its consumers in order to generate extra sources of revenue for the XYZ Company. HRM system:The information system helps in managing the various benefits as well as payroll of the employees by collecting proper data on employee time and attendance. It helps in capturing important information about recruitment and training of the employees. The system also helps in evaluating the performance of the employees. Accounting and finance system:The financial transactions of the XYZ company must be handled with the help of accounting and finance system. The system is helpful in connecting the use of financial reports as well as refund information (Miller Rice, 2013).The system is able to provide financial control in context to billing, accounts receivable, fixed assets and many more. Sales and marketing system:This system helps in generating revenue for the XYZ Company by collecting all the incoming as well as outgoing information. It helps in generating reports about payments on a weekly basis for managing the operations of the organization properly. Resources required for implementing the Airline Information System The resources that are needed for implementing the airline information system include: Human resource: The organization requires new employees for implementing the project of information system within the organization (Trafton et al., 2013). The human resource includes project managers, labours, system analyst, financial manager and system programmer. Financial resource: The organization requires around $60,000 for completing the project successfully (Bajdor Grabara, 2014). Therefore the XYZ Company must prepare a budget plan for investing the right amount of money. Physical resources: The physical resources that are required for implementing the project includes both software and hardware requirements which are the database, software, servers and many more Risks associated with the Airline Information System The airline information system, which is implemented for providing day-to-day functions, is considered feasible, as the system is very much advantageous as well as cost-effective. The information system assists in providing various facilities including food production, transport, and airline operation as well loyalty programs. Instead of the benefits provided by the project there are some risks, which are related with the information system. The risks are: Improper training: If the organization does not provide appropriate training to the staff of the XYZ Company, then the staff of the organization will face problem in handling the information system (Salmivalli, 2014). Therefore it is very much important to provide training to the staff as a single mistake by them in handling the information system will have a devastating impact on the organization. Privacy and security: It is very much important to maintain proper security as well as privacy within the XYZ company because if any confidential data related with the operation of the company is leaked then it would have disastrous impact on the business of the organization ( Pirnejad et al., 2013). It would have devastating impact on the progress of the company as its affects the brand value as well as customer relationship management. Therefore, proper security, as well as information, must be maintained for enhancing the feasibility of the system. System failure: If the airline information system is unable to perform its operation due to system failure then the operations of the entire organization will get affected (Vieru Rivard, 2014). All the subsystem associated with the information system of the company will stop working. Therefore, the organization needs to have an alternative system if any failure occurs in the organization. Proposed outcome of the project It is analyzed that the airline information system implementation is quite advantageous for the company as it provides a number of benefits, which include: Increase in a number of customers: The information system for the company XYZ is implemented for providing number of functions including online flight reservation system (Pirnejad, Niazkhani Bal, 2013). The system helps in giving more options with proper discount for the people who travel frequently, and as a result, the offer provided by the company attracts more number of customers. Reduced labour cost: The implementation of information system helps in performing all the operations of the company automatically, and thus the organization saves labour costs. Therefore, the organization reduces labour cost after the system is implemented. Enhanced speed of operation: The speed of different operations of the XYZ Company increases due to the information system implementation. The information system helps in managing various including payroll, recruitment, accounting as well as sales and marketing appropriately and at a better speed (Kelly et al., 2013). The information system also helps in providing facility of online ticket booking to the consumers. Error-free accounting and finance operation: The airline information system helps in managing all the financial as well as accounting operations of the XYZ Company. The financial, as well as accounting operation which are done by utilizing the information system, are considered error-free (Pirnejad, Niazkhani Bal, 2013). The various financial calculations in context to billing, project accounting, receivable accounts and fixed assets are done with the assistance of information system without any mistake. Conclusion It can be concluded from the overall assignment that implementation of the airline information system is very much beneficial for the XYZ company. The system helps in providing numerous functionalities including financial and accounting system, sales and marketing system, HRM system, flight reservation system and travel reservation system. The system is considered be advantageous as it helps in performing the various functions of the organization appropriately without any error. The information system also attracts more number of customers due to the facility that is provided with the help of flight reservation system. It is analyzed that the customers found the flight reservation system cost effective. Instead of the advantages of the project, there are some challenges associated with the system, which includes privacy and security, improper training and chances of system failure. The report also identifies that the project is advantageous after analysing its benefit. References Bajdor, P., Grabara, I. (2014). The Role of Information System Flows in Fulfilling Customers Individual Orders.Journal of Studies in Social Sciences,7(2). Davenport, T. H. (2013).Process innovation: reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business Press. Kelly, S. D. T., Suryadevara, N. K., Mukhopadhyay, S. C. (2013). Towards the implementation of IoT for environmental condition monitoring in homes.IEEE Sensors Journal,13(10), 3846-3853. Miller, E. J., Rice, A. K. (Eds.). (2013).Systems of organization: The control of task and sentient boundaries. Routledge. Pirnejad, H., Gao, C., Reddingius, R., Rijneveld, A., Bal, R. (2013). Improving chemotherapy processes with a protocol-based information system: A pre and post-implementation study.International journal of medical informatics,82(4), 220-229. Pirnejad, H., Niazkhani, Z., Bal, R. (2013). Clinical communication in diagnostic imaging studies: mixed-method study of pre-and post-implementation of a hospital information system.Applied clinical informatics,4(4), 541. Power, D. J., Sharda, R., Burstein, F. (2015).Decision support systems. John Wiley Sons, Ltd Salmivalli, L. (2014). Governing the implementation of a complex inter-organizational information system network: the case of Finnish prescription Trafton, J. A., Greenberg, G., Harris, A. H., Tavakoli, S., Kearney, L., McCarthy, J., ... Schohn, M. (2013). VHA mental health information system: applying health information technology to monitor and facilitate implementation of VHA Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook requirements.Medical care,51, S29-S36. Vieru, D., Rivard, S. (2014). Organizational identity challenges in a post-merger context: A case study of an information system implementation project.International Journal of Information Management,34(3), 381-386.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Weighing In Essay Essay Example
Weighing In Essay Essay In Essay Racism has repeatedly played a controversial role throughout the course of history. This is a topic fueled by the heated arguments of the parties on both ends of the matter, may it be the cry of the victim or defense of the offender. As described in the works of two members of ethnic minorities coping With the alienation they both faced in what is supposed to be the land of diversity, Froze Dumas The F Word, and Brent Staples Black Men and Public Space, racism is portrayed as a dark shadow cast upon those who may not me to conform to the norms of western culture to the typical American. Such stereotypes and predispositions should not hold the power to classify and simplify human beings to one single standard of a certain background, as one single Story or idea does not define an entire mass Of people. In Froze Dumas The F Word, she describes her life growing up as an Iranian in America. From the very beginning of her transition into western society, Dumas was exposed to the ugly world of racism at the tender age of seven, an idea almost too outlandish to even entertain. The idea that children t such a young age could feel the need to alienate someone due to unfamiliarity shows that indifference to foreign culture and background can begin at almost any age. She writes that her cousin was named Forbad, a respectable Iranian name meaning greatness, but in a land filled with Joeys and Mars, this was completely alien to his peers, resulting in his nickname Forehead. Similarly, her brother, Fairish, meaning he who enlightens became known as Farthest. A friend of Dumas sounded too similarly to an African American slur and her brothers name reminded those of a skin indention. We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Weighing In Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These children earned themselves such vulgar names solely due to the fact that they were raised and named accordingly to their culture, something that should never be disrespected or looked down upon as abnormal just because it is uncommon. When she reached the age of twelve, Froze opted for an American middle name, understandable for a young girl bearing the pressure of her surroundings, yet unacceptable for her to feel pressured to do so in the first place. She explains that she regrets this decision as it only complicated her life in the long run, even though it seemed o be a quick fix to her problems at the time. She had always received incredulous glares or horribly executed pronunciations, many without even a hint of actual effort in attempting to properly address her, a sad but common occurrence for those who are not often exposed to foreign cultures. Dumas finally settled on the name Julie and even introduced herself to her next-door neighbor using her new name. Her brothers even made fun of her for wanting to Americanize herself, who then later became Fred and Sean. In college, she did away with Julie and went back to her old name, but found that applying for jobs was a more successful venture when she used her American name, interestingly enough. Once she got married, it was almost as if she was living a double life, with family calling her Froze and most friends referring to her as Julie. This prompted her to permanently go back to her original name, forcing herself to cope with the mispronunciations and comments, which she simply now finds humor in. It is a huge relief that Dumas ended up referring to herself by her original first name, as dont feel that she should have ever felt pressured into conforming to the standards of stern culture and trying to Americanize herself. The fact that simply changing her name from Froze to Julie on job applications is mind blowing, as it is clearly not her credentials or talents that are being considered, but her American name. I appreciate that Dumas was able to come to the realization that although her American name would often allow her more job interviews and less of an intense reaction in every day life, her original Iranian name was part of her struggle growing up as an immigrant in America and was a better telltale of her story than Julie would ever be. Rather than being another Joe or Mary, people would just have to adjust to her, not the other way around. Similar to Dumas struggle in America as an Iranian, Brent Staples Black Men and public Space details the struggle of being a black man in America. There are countless stereotypes implanted in the minds of Americans of the typical black person, aggressive, dishonest, ruthless, and overall ill intentioned. The first encounter with this racist outlook on blacks Staples had was in a wealthier area of downbeat Chicago, who began to appear irksome and soon after proceeded to run from the author, who had done nothing intentionally to provoke fear in her. I agree that women should always place their safety as their first priority and should remove themselves from any situation in which they find themselves uncomfortable or at risk, but if blacks and whites cant manage to walk the same streets without one race thinking the other is going to attack at any given moment due to the misconceptions floating around in their heads, then America really isnt a land of diversity. It then becomes a land of hierarchy. As he says, Staples is too scared to even wield a knife at a chicken, let alone wield a knife at another human being, but by the color of his skin and appearance, one would never know this. Being perceived as dangerous, he writes, is a hazard in itself, and could easily land him in the back of a police car simply due to the stereotypes of the black man. Staples understands that women are vulnerable in situations involving street crime, and that blacks have a tendency to be the offenders in such situations, yet this is no excuse for the complete isolation teen blacks and whites that occurs on an everyday basis. He recalls a fascinating incident in which police attempted to arrest a black journalist whom they mistook for the murderer, further proving that many will forever have these misconceptions that almost all blacks are violent by nature. On late nights now, Staples finds himself whistling classical music, as he explains that many do not seem to think that a typical, violent black man would ever be whistling Beethoven or Vivaldi, which is one of the saddest parts of this story. It is almost disgusting to me that blacks and minorities in general feel he need to prove themselves to American society by doing White things. It is often understandably easier to do so and conform to western ways, but it is never necessary because one should not ever be ashamed of their background. No single story or stereotype or standard defines a human being. That persons actions, impact on the world, and the lives they touch are what define them. America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is often an image of hopes and dreams and opportunity for those who wish to create better lives for themselves, yet the stereotypes people tend to hold of each racial aground impede any sort of progress in continuing to paint America as this beacon of hope. Racism not only simplifies humans to one single story, but almost dehumidifies a person, as well, looking past their traits and qualities and defining them as where they come from and what their culture is. It is necessary to learn that what society may deem normal to us is not necessarily normal to others, and rather than one party adapt to the other or furthermore alienate one another, we must begin to respect and not reject the diversity which surrounds us.
Monday, November 25, 2019
The Iraq Crisis essays
The Iraq Crisis essays Straddling the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and stretching from the Gulf to the Anti-Taurus Mountains, modern Iraq occupies roughly what was once ancient Mesopotamia, one of the cradles of human civilisation. In the Middle Ages Iraq was the centre of the Islamic Empire, with Baghdad the cultural and political capital of an area extending from Morocco to the Indian subcontinent. Mongol invasions in the 13th century saw its influence wane, and it played a minor role in the region until independence from British control in 1932. Following the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 and a coup in 1968, Iraq became one of the centres of Arab nationalism under the control of the ruling Ba'th (Renaissance) party. Oil made the country rich, and when Saddam Hussein became president in 1979 petroleum made up 95% of its foreign exchange earnings. But the war with Iran from 1980 to 1988 and the Gulf War in 1991 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, together with the subsequent imposition of international sanctions, had a devastating effect on its economy and society. In 1991 the UN said Iraq had been reduced to a pre-industrial state, while later reports described living standards as being at subsistence level. The Kurdish community has broken away and created a semi-autonomous region of its own in the north. United States, British and allied planes launched a massive campaign of bombing and missile strikes on targets across Iraq at 2330 GMT on 16 January 1991. It marked the end of five months of diplomacy and military build-up in response to Iraq's invasion of neighbouring Kuwait on 2 August 1990. Iraq had vowed to fight rather than pull out. The United Nations deadline, 15 January, ticked by with no withdrawal. The next day, the full might of the 29-member UN-backed coalition was unleashed. US, British and Saudi Arabian aircraft set out to destroy hundreds of mainly military targets. The Iraqi capital Baghdad was heavily hit and th...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
U5 Research Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
U5 Research Project - Coursework Example The GPO corresponds to active directory containers. The GPO definesà registry based polices, security options, software installation and maintenance options, scripts options, and folder redirection options. It provides the facilities to maintain access barriers to different configurations of users and windows (Technet.microsoft.com, 2015). Windows policy editor is a tool that enables a user to edit group policies and is also a helpful learning tool. There are various differences between encrypting file system (EFS) and BitLocker drive encryption. Both services are used to encrypt your files. EFS is more specific than BitLocker. EFS is commonly used to encrypt particular files or folders in a drive whereas, BitLocker encrypts the whole drive; system drives, fixed drives and removable drives (windows.microsoft.com, 2015). BitLocker is independent of user accounts it is either on or off for all drives but EFS provides the individual rights to users (windows.microsoft.com, 2015). Moreover, BitLocker needs administrator rights. On other hand, EFS does not require administrator privileges in order to be used (windows.microsoft.com, 2015). BitLocker also uses a special microchip, trusted platform module (TPM) that underpins the advance security to your operating system. windows.microsoft.com,. (2015).à Whats the difference between BitLocker Drive Encryption and Encrypting File System?. Retrieved 5 January 2015, from
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, Essay - 3
Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, and a short paragraph Evaluation of the text below - Essay Example Michelle mentioned that because they are economically weak and socially deviant, people of color are perceived by the justice system as disposable portions of the American society. Therefore, todayââ¬â¢s mass arrests and subsequent incarceration of blacks in the United States have historical roots dating back to the discriminatory times of slavery and Jim Crow eras. This debate is an illustrative piece of journalism, which not only illuminates on the current state of racism in criminal justice, but also proposes probable roots of todayââ¬â¢s problems in the American justice system. Invariably, responses from the debate raise certain questions like; Are people of color unfairly targeted by the American justice system? Recently, there has been a bubbling controversy on the issue of racism perpetrated by police departments, especially in mostly African American communities like Ferguson. Admittedly, the textual transcript on the debate is useful in validating certain claims surrounding the racism controversy. First, it is substantial that during arrests in Ferguson, police are up to 88% more likely to use force against African American offenders compared to whites (Gonzalez and Goodman 01). In addition, all reported cases of dog bites during arrests involved victims of African American origin. With respect to such statistically substantiated ar guments, the article reinforces my current stance on the issue of police-propagated racism in the U.S. Justice system. Admittedly, the voices involved in the debate establish considerable degrees of credibility. Despite the debateââ¬â¢s video being long and tedious to watch, contributors derived their arguments from irrefutable facts. For example, the debateââ¬â¢s moderator Amy Goodman cited the words of singer John Legend during the recently concluded Oscar Awards ceremony. John Legend reiterated the fact that the United States is the most incarcerated nation in the world. To emphasize his point, Legend
Monday, November 18, 2019
Implementing international accounting standards Essay
Implementing international accounting standards - Essay Example "As markets converge and geographical borders no longer present the same trade barriers increasingly there is a need for globally accepted accounting standards. Business needs them, investors are demanding them and accountants are under an obligation to ensure delivery." Here the need for their implementation in the view of the largest professional body of accountants in the UK is expressed as being primarily for the progression of trade, as recent technological advancements in technology has resulted in a break down of previous trade barriers and we are now expected to compete in a world market. Groom (2001), saw the importance of international standards as being a key part of his 5 legged stool of trust, ensuring that investors in capital markets retain confidence and invest. This confidence has become core to the survival of these markets, especially in the light of recent high profile collapses such as Enron in the US and One.Tel in Australia. Since the 2002 decision of the EU the interest in the implications of IAS's and their implementation, along with their costs and benefits, has risen. The core of this debate and the ultimate benefit of International standards to the UK as a whole will be discussed in the remainder of this text with specific focus upon the benefits and costs to both quoted and non-quoted companies. Currently there is significant concern in the UK that there... It is this lack of awareness which is likely to cause considerable increases to costs required to implement the standards when the ASB does converge, as this is no small task and requires a planned strategy.It is hard to actually assess the cost which has already been incurred by listed companies since the 1st of January implementation date, as a full year of trading has not quite been completed and therefore there has been limited analysis as yet, therefore the bulk of this analysis has to be based upon theories and analyses undertaken before implementation in the EU and is therefore, to some extent theoretical. The costs of implementing these standards have been widely discussed and most of these will affect both quoted and non-quoted companies, however they will differ in their extent. The bulk of these costs will be incurred in the education of the users of these financial statements; any stakeholder of the business for which the financial statements are being prepared, will be effected to some extent, and will need to be educated in order for the company to survive the change. Stakeholders are extremely influential and include banks and lenders, auditors and shareholders, a business needs to educate these people on the change and its impact upon their financial statements, and in this education other costs will be incurred. Gerhardy points out that banks and lenders will require reclassification of debt and equity, leading to dividend payout issues, and the reclassification of debts will lead to renegotiation costs with lenders, this will lead to strategy issues and a need for good communication of the effects IFRS will have on business with the shareholders, all of which will result in significant cost to all
Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Kite Runner Religion Theme
The Kite Runner Religion Theme Introduction My object of study is The Kite Runner a novel by Khaled Hosseini, published by Riverhead Books in USA, 2003. The novel was adapted into a film in 2007 by the same name of The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini was born on 4th March 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father worked for Afghan Foreign Ministry, and his mother was a teacher of Farsi and History. When Soviets occupied Afghanistan in 1978, the Hosseini family seek political asylum in the United States of America (USA) and moved to San Jose, California. Where Hosseini graduated from High School, and earned biology degree from Santa Clara University. He attended SanDiegos School of Medicine and completed his MD in 1993. He started writing The Kite Runner in 2001 while he was a practicing physician1. Hosseiniis Kite Runner is partly based on his childhood experiences in Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul. While most of the events in the novel are fictional. After living 27 years in USA he returned to Afghanistan in 2003 and was shocked to discover the terrible situation there, even when he had written a very realistic and detailed fictional narrative of it. He declared that because of luck and material privilege, he and his fam ily was saved from the Soviets and the Taliban, much like his central figure of the narrative Amir. The rationale for choosing this novel is that it encourages the reader for repentance, and offers hope in devastation. It is a story of friendship and betrayal, love and sacrifices, written beautifully by Hosseini, against the background of Afghan political history. Background Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Its economy is based on agriculture and provides 70% of worlds opium and 90% of Europes heroin, but still one of the poorest countries. Among its 28 million people, 50% of men are illiterate and 79% of women. Life expectancy here is 47 years. The country has a long history of foreign interference by the Greeks, Persians, Turks, British, Indians and Russians. Talibans began as a group of fundamentalist Islamic students, were the last intruders until 2001 when Americans occupied and dismissed them. Because of all these intruders, there was a great diversity of culture and ethnicity in the country. Afghanistan divided into approximately 20 different ethnic groups, which further divided into tribes 2. It is inevitable to have conflicts between different groups while living in the same country, because of differences in their morals and beliefs. In Kite Runner Hosseinis main character Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan, is a Hazara the two groups do not get along in Afghanistan. According to Hosseini two things separate Hazaras from other ethnicities, one is that their looks are different, because they are the descendants of Mongol Empire and secondly, they are Shia Muslims, unlike most Afghans who are Sunni Muslims. Hazaras throughout the centuries have been the oppressed minority in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner acquires its name from the ancient game of kite flying known as gudi paran bazi. Boys make fighter kites from a bamboo frame together with tissue paper in different sizes ranging from one to five feet across. They attach the string to the kite which is coated with powdered ground glass. The goal of the fight is to cut the opponents kite string with a sawing motion. The real fight starts as soon as the enemys kite subsides and all wait impatiently to see who will get the fallen kite, as the kite is a symbol of their pride and glory.Ãâà 3 Hosseini symbolises the kite fighting to the fighting between Afghan government and Mujahidin, whose hands were blooded and bruised, in the same way as does the hands of kite flyer when the kites string sears through his hands. Another way in which kite flying symbolises with the story of Amir and Hassan is the class difference between them, as the boy who controls the kite is Amir (Pashtun), and the other who assists him and run for the fallen kite for him is Hassan (Hazara), who also served Amir by cleaning and washing for him. Although, the kite fighting is violent but the only act of flying kite is innocent and depicts freedom. Despite their class differences the only activity which brings the two boys together is flying kites. Ãâà The Kite RunnerÃâà is the story of the friendship between two boys grew up in Kabul, Raised in the same household and shared the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan grew up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, whil e Hassan, the son of Amirs fathers servant, is a Hazara an outcast ethnic minority. The two boys were very much attached to each other in their childhood and spend perfect time together by telling stories, running and flying kites, until that event happened which changed their lives forever. Their lives and their fates were interrelated, even when Amir and his father left the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he will forget Hassan, but surprisingly he couldnt. It is a story of Amir, his childhood, how he faces all the challenges while maturing into manhood, his friendship with Hassan, love and hate, father sons bonding and on the top, about the price one has to pay for his loyalty and betrayal. Representation of Religion The novel of Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan, where the majority of the population are Muslim and there are lot of references to Muslims and their beliefs in the novel. For example, the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Muslim calendar, and the first three days of Eid-ul-Adha, or Eid-e-Qorban, as Afghans call it a day to celebrate how the prophet Ibrahim almost sacrificed his own son for God. Baba has handpicked the sheep again this year, a powder white one with crooked black ears. (p 67) As Hayes S. Judi (2007) writes, Hosseinis view point is in many ways secular, when it is religious; the perspective is from an Islamic world view, not a Judeo- Christian perspective. But because Islam, Judaism, and Christianity hold in common at least some of events in the book of Genesis in the Hebrew bible, we will find much there that informs our reading of THE KITE RUNNER. Religion can be interpreted differently by different people according to their own values and beliefs. Same is the case in Hosseinis Kite Runner. Religion in the eyes of Baba (Amir Father) is morality, pride, honour and courage, and in order to be human one has to gain honour and respect in his community. Example of his pride and honour is that when they encountered a Russian soldier, on their way out of Afghanistan and the soldier demanded a half hour with the lady in the back of the truck, Baba said, Ask him where his shame is.war doesnt negate decency. It demands it, even more than in time of peace.(p100) Baba was more secular in his views and did not like the orthodox religious preachers, who impose their rigid views on others and who couldnt even allow minor sins and errors. His views on fundamentalists Taliban when he says youll never learn anything of value from those bearded idiots-piss on the beards of all those self righteous monkeysGod help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands(p15). While he has his own secular views, but he did good deeds in order to relieve his tormenting guilt. now, no matter what the Mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that? (p16) For Amir, Religion is something entirely private; he was also influenced by his father and didnt much believe in traditional religious values. We only found him praying twice. Firstly, when his father got sick bowing my head to the ground, I recited half forgotten verses from the Koran..and asked for kindness from a God I wasnt sure existed.(p135) Secondly, when Sohrab tried to cut himself, the boy had cut himself deeply and lost a great deal of blood and my mouth begins to mutter that prayer again; La illaha il Allah, Muhammad u rasul ullahI will do namaz, I will do zakat. I will fast. (p304) Stereotypes of Religion We can see stereotypes of Taliban in The Kite Runner. Assef, the childhood bully, became a Taliban member. Hosseini portray Assef as a Talib just to give a back ground to the story. He knew that Taliban are already viewed badly in the western world. Assef claimed that hes on a mission of God and Amir asked him about his mission, What mission is that? ..Stoning adulterers? Raping children? Flogging women for wearing high heels? Massacring Hazaras? All in the name of Islam? (p248). As we can see how their rulers in the name of religion, beat, stoned, raped and brutalized women. Years of war had stripped them of gentleness, kindness and human expression, the very aspect of religion they allegedly follow and try to impose. And all in the name of God and religion they have turned their monstrosity on their own people. Critics of The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseinis THE KITE RUNNER faced lot of appreciation as well as criticism. Like all other work of art and literature, people from different sections advanceÃâà The Kite RunnerÃâà with different feelings. A critic forÃâà The New York Times Book ReviewÃâà describedÃâà The Kite RunnerÃâà as A story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseinis privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before the countrys revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But, political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented inÃâà The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. InÃâà The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence. Forces that continue to threaten them even today. http://www.sholajawid.org/english/main_english/afghanistan_kite_runner290908.html Written in the back drop of 9/11by an Afghan born medical doctor, The Kite Runner presents a glimpse of socio political climate in Afghanistan and the Afghan community in northern California. The Kite Runner achieves this by offering a fictional portrait of recent events manipulated by tribalism and religious conservatism and aggravated by foreign interferences but overcome through the humanism and bravery, which is fuelled by the sense of community.(Sadat, 2004) Some argue that Hosseini has put his finger on very sensitive cultural issues that Afghanis dont like to be discussing in public. Others accuse him of being secular, who believe in oneness of Allah and the Quran. In my opinion, Khaled Hosseini took a very bold step, in order to disclose and expose such brutality and misery, which was practised by Pashtuns, (Afghanistans dominant nationality), against Hazaras in the name of Religion. The people should have the understanding of whats going on in the world, other than theirs, in order to do something for those who are living in oppression, either in the name of religion, or in the name of Jihad- where the male chauvinist violate innocent children, women and men. Conclusion The Kite Runner basically in my view is a legendary story of people of Afghanistan. The author provides a very long, descriptive and eye opening account of Afghanistans culture and traditions, along with its people. He portrays a complete picture of life in Kabul before Soviets invasion and Taliban to the Western world as a cosmopolitan, artistic and a very intellectual environment. According to Sadat (2004) the authors goal ..is to humanize the Afghan people and put a personal face to what has happened there. For me The Kite Runner is a story of peoples conscience that they have to face during their difficult times in life. The religion of the novel in my view is redemption. Redemption is very important for those who has conscience and have sinned. The entire story of The Kite Runner is focused on just one sentence, There is a way to be good again, (p.2) Allah says in Quran 12; 53 And I do not make myself free of blame, for the human soul is inclined to ignorance, except what My Lord has mercy on. Surely My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Quran 4: 17.Ãâà The Buddhist, Christian and Hindu principles of salvation are very much in common. Each of them stresses on liberation from sin, and relief from evil. Their goal is to return back to their former chastity and happiness. As evil is everywhere in this physical world, it is inevitable to commit sin making it inseparable from life. They believe that freedom can be achieved only by deserting this world. Buddhist believes into this doctrine in its purest form while Christians and Hindus have adjusted it to some extent, according to their belief. Amir is telling us the story of his childhood, memories of which are corrupted with shame and guilt. Towards the end of the novel we learned to know that it is not only Amir who needs redemption but Baba and Rahim Khan has also sinned and lived throughout their life in guilt. Amir thinks of himself as the only sinner among his friends and family, and his guilt become stronger when he sees Hassan as a righteous person. Amir had disgraced himself by not coming forward and helping Hassan when he was attacked and by lying and creating a situation in which Hassan was blamed of stealing and made him and his father (Ali) to leave Amirs home. Amirs relationship with Baba was very strained, as his father was very hard-driving and demanding. Amir was Desperate for his fathers affection and respect, and turns to kite flying sport, in which he was good from his childhood. At the age of 12, he wins the annual tournament of kite flying in Kabul with the help of Hassan.Ãâà Amir was very jealo us of Hassan and wanted his fathers love so much for himself, that he hurt Hassan in the process.Ãâà Ãâà Amir tried continuously to make even with Baba, and didnt realize that it is Babas guilt which made him so hard on Amir and that Baba also needed redemption. People find redemption when they pay in some way for their wrong doings and try to replace the bad things with good ones. One day, Rahim Khan, Amirs fathers close friend called him and told him that he needed to come back home and to make things right, that had been done wrong, there is a way to be good again(p.2) indicated to Amir that it was a right time to let the guilt go away and redeem himself from the sin he committed 26 years ago. Finally, Amir redeemed himself as Rahim Khan recommended for him in his last letter, ..I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good (p263). Later on, in the novel we learned that Hassan was his half brother and that he had had a son. Amir found his way to redemption by looking after Hassans orphan son. He left his wife and home in America to look for the boy in Afghanistan. Once, Hassan stood up for Amir, now its Amir turn to do something for his son Sohrab. He had to fight with his childhood enemy, (Assef) the man who caused him the suffering and guilt, in order to rescue Sohrab, and it was Sohrab who saved Amirs life that day who wanted to sacrifice his blood for Hassan in the same way as Hassan did in the alley one night about 26 years ago. When Amir was cruelly beaten by Assef, he laughed and said, .My body was broken-just how badly I wouldnt find until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed (p253). These words show that his guilt and anxiety of finding redemption were really huge. He felt he deserved to be punched to the point of almost dying; he needed to feel punishment for what he did. The Kite Runner is a beautiful story about guilt and forgiveness, fear and redemption. The story emphasizes on what happens when there is an overwhelming fear which control ones actions, and the way one deals with this kind of situations. Rahim Khan carries the novels conclusive message about forgiveness. God is always merciful; and it is people who are not. He tells Amir in his letter, I know that in the end, God will forgive. He will forgive your father, me, and you too Forgive your father if you can. Forgive me if you wish. But most important, forgive yourself. (P263-264)
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