Year 11 Essay, Kite Runner and Omagh

In times of conflict ordinary people can act in extraordinary ways

I am here today to tell you why you should let my client participate in this war. I know you may think that my client is just another ordinary person. I know he is at the moment, but I know he has the potential to do something special. He just needs a chance. I am here today to tell you why you should let my client participate in this war. This is because I am going to tell you what conflict does to people, and in times of conflict, ordinary people can act in extraordinary ways. There are many different types of conflict, and with different types of conflict it causes ordinary people to act in many different ways. These can be extraordinary or they can cause people to act in a very bad manner. Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument. The nature of conflict is inevitable and progress is impossible without conflict and conflict also requires sacrifices. Conflict can be created by a misunderstanding, fear, ignorance or a desire for something. Conflict can arise between two ordinary people or it can arise between two countries. The difference between how big the conflict turns out to be. This is because no two people’s reactions are the same and people can respond positively to conflict. The size of the conflict is caused by the reaction of conflict. An example of conflict is the Civil War between two countries and two parts of a country, England and Ireland and Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland. In this conflict one man an ordinary person (Michael Gallagher) acted in an extraordinary way.

Omagh is a county town of County Tyrone in Northern Island. Omagh was bombed on the 15th of August 1998 when the Real Irish Republican Army exploded a car bomb in the town centre. This was conflict between the United Kingdom/Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland. 29 people were killed. 14 women, 6 men and 9 children died. This was the single greatest atrocity of ‘The Troubles’. Michael Gallagher was just another ordinary person in the community of Omagh. The community thought of Michael as just a quiet man, he didn’t have much to do with the community; he just kept to himself and his family. On the day of the Omagh bombing his son Adrian was in right in the middle of it all. Adrian died instantly and his remains were not found. After the bombing, Michael could have just stayed at home and wept and mourned over his son, but he didn’t. He stood up, he did something extraordinary that no one would have expected him to do. He started the Victims Support Group and took charge of it. In one of the meetings Michael said “There's Catholics in this room, and Protestants, and Mormons - Marion's here - and some of us believe in God, and now maybe some of us have no God. But I can tell you this, we're not going to get anywhere unless we do it together. That's the truth of the matter.” This quote by Michael inspired every single person in that meeting to get up and do something. This is because they didn’t expect it from a quiet man like him. Michael Gallagher sought out to find out who was responsible for the Bombing and put them in jail. In the final scene Michael says this to the media “The day our loved ones lost their lives and our families were torn apart, we were told that everything would be done to bring their killers to justice. To learn today that they have failed us, before the bomb, after the bomb, and are still failing us now. To have that knowledge, however distressing, however shocking means that we can at last move forward. I would like to announce today that we will be pursuing our own legal action against the Real IRA. Against those who support and fund it. And those who are responsible for this dreadful atrocity. But more than that: we would like to call into account the security forces, and the police, and the politicians in London, Belfast, and Dublin. They have promised us so much but have so far singularly failed to deliver. We speak not just for ourselves. We speak for the victims of terrorism of whatever tradition. And all those victims of terror wherever it happens. We will not go away. We will not be quiet. We will not be forgotten.” The Omagh bombing made Michael a better person in the long run even though he lost his son. To do the extraordinary he had to sacrifice many things, these being the time spent with his family and not being able to support them as much as they needed. The bombing brought out the best in Michael that no one even thought existed, another example of an ordinary person acting extraordinary in the time of conflict is Amir in the novel, Kite Runner.

The novel Kite Runner is focused on the life of Amir who lives in Afghanistan with his father, two servants who are hazaras, an ethnic minority and Rahim Khan Baba’s close friend. Baba is very wealthy by Afghanistan standards, and as a result he gets everything he wants. The only thing that Amir is deprived of is his lack of connection with his father. Because of this Amir shows jealousy towards anyone receiving Baba’s affection. Hassan who is one of Amir’s servants receives a lot of Baba’s affection. Though Hassan is Amir’s best friend he believes that he is beneath him and doesn’t deserve the attention from Baba. Whenever Amir is in trouble Hassan always defends Amir, but one day when Hassan is in trouble Amir doesn’t go and help him. Ali and Hassan then move away. Several years later when Amir is all grown up and is now living in America he finds out that Hassan was married and had a child but he got killed with his wife and his son was put in an orphanage. Amir could have just stayed in America where it was safe with his wife but he did something extraordinary. He went to Afghanistan to face his old fears and adopt Hassan’s son so he wouldn’t have to live a hard life and most likely die, because at that time the Taliban were in Afghanistan. It took a lot of effort to adopt the boy and bring him to America but he did, he didn’t have to but he did. All the conflict in Amir’s past changed who he was and made him a better person. He now puts other people needs ahead of his for example when he said “for you a thousand times over” to Sohrab. This is an example of conflict bringing the best out of someone.

All I want is you to give my client a chance, I have told you two cases that show that in times of conflict, ordinary people can act in extraordinary ways. I believe that my client will do that, all he needs is a chance to prove himself. Like Michael Gallagher he was a quiet, reserved man, but when he faced conflict he acted in an extraordinary way that made him a better person. In the Kite Runner, Amir was not a good person at the start of the novel, but when he was faced with conflict he changed and became I better person. I believe that my client will do the same so please give him a chance. Thank you for your time.