Short Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Short Story - Essay Example One would feel that they had forgotten the terror revolving on their heads. But the truth was that they had learnt to live in terror. The bus-stop was as usual crowded with waiting passengers. Second last in the queue was a boy who kept opening and shutting the lens of his camera while standing at the bus stop. The big, black camera hanging from his neck was the only thing he was carrying. A lose black t-shirt and a pair of worn out baggy jeans pants were hanging over his thin body frame. Natural goatee marked his chin and his face was colourless, ghostly white. He would be barely out of teens but his demeanour gave his face the maturity of forties. He turned the camera around, slapped it a couple of times and tried to adjust the lens again. The boy managed to squeeze his way to the middle of the jam-packed bus with the man virtually on his shoulder. Though it was a pleasant morning in the Poonch district of Kashmir, the insides of the bus were boiling due to the crowd. Wailing infants and shouting women were adding to the heat. Conductor of the bus rushed towards the new entrants and started handing out tickets. ‘No-no, I don’t regret it, he died bravely like a warrior, though he was a common man. He was just about your age and used to carry the same type off camera around his neck. I am really proud that he died on duty, serving the nation....Do you know, he revealed the exact hideout of the enemy to the Indian army unit posted there just before he died? The Government of India has bestowed Gallantry Award on my son... posthumously. It’s just that I miss him too much and cannot stop myself when I see somebody like him....,’ the man’s voice trailed off as he wiped the corners of his eyes with his hands. ‘Hey chap...Oh boy...,’ Habibulah called after the boy but the boy kept walking at a fast pace. The bus had started off again. The man looked at the departing bus and then ran behind the boy.

Critical Analysis of Hebrew Literature Curriculum for Arab Sector in Article

Critical Analysis of Hebrew Literature Curriculum for Arab Sector in Israel - Article Example The first curriculum for Arab schools was implemented in 1948 while the Israeli-Palestinian war was ongoing and military rule reigned over the territories occupied by the Arab minority (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). The March 1975 curriculum approved by the Minister of Education has the objectives of imparting upon the students the cultural heritage of the Jews, literature aesthetics and awareness to social and cultural sensitivities. Although Arabic is considered one of the official languages in Israel, it is excluded in the curriculum as a subject in schools, and rather imposed the Hebrew language upon Arab students. This non-use of Arabic language is justified on the ground of its diglossic nature. The Hebrew Language is a compulsory requirement in all elementary and secondary Arab schools and in colleges where students aspire to become teachers. The linguistic concern is intertwined with the political and religious aspect of the Jewish existence, thus, there is a strong opposition on teaching Arabs Hebrew following the revivalism of the Hebrew language and nation (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). Those in favor of teaching Hebrew to Arabs believe that it would allow the latter to learn Jewish culture, an important tool for written and oral communication and an important element in acquiring Israeli citizenship (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). The school curriculum for studying Hebrew in secondary schools in the 1960s was â€Å"Hebrew Language and Literature Curriculum for Arab Secondary Schools: Grades 9 – 12† with three objectives (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001, p. 219). But it was only in 1972 that a  secondary school curriculum was used approved by the Ministry of Education on March 24, 1975, and revised a year later and published in the special circular A of the director general (Sept. 1976). In the revised curriculum, the language and culture of Jews will be taught for three years (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). An Arab was appointed to supervise the implementation of this new curriculum, a part-time job until 1995 when the position became a full-time job.