Saturday, March 21, 2020
Starting a Historical Fiction Series â⬠A Reedsy Success Story
Starting a Historical Fiction Series ââ¬â A Reedsy Success Story Starting a Historical Fiction Series ââ¬â A Reedsy Success Story Author R.P. Wollbaum is another example of the tremendous opportunity that indie-publishing represents for writers. He self-published his first book in 2015 and is now working on book 5 of his Bears and Eagles series. He has found his editor and cover designer through Reedsy and has been working with them ever since. His story is quite nice, so we thought we'd let him share it on our blog.I have always been interested in history. As a young lad, I used to listen to the old-timers talk about the old country. There were still a few around that had been born in what they called Russia, now called Ukraine, and they talked about life there. They also talked about life in their new home, Canada and how there had been literally nothing but open sky and prairie when they had arrived. They even told stories they had heard fromà their grandfather about life in the ââ¬ËOld Countryââ¬â¢, and the struggles they faced to make a life for themselves.I had always had an interest in writing. B ut writing things in longhand - my handwriting is terrible- then transcribing them by typewriter was a pain and any hope of finding someone to publish your work was almost impossible. So it was just an infrequent hobby for me.Then life in Canada changed and our young men and women were once again losing their lives in war. This time in Afghanistan and a young man serving as a member of the Kingââ¬â¢s Own Calgary Regiment lost his life. Most of us in Canada know of the Princess Patriciaââ¬â¢s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Battalion. Albertans know about the Lord Strathcona Horse (an armored brigade), and Calgarians know about the Calgary Highlanders. They are all famous Canadian regiments. But the Kingââ¬â¢s Own Calgary Regiment? Who were they?So I researched this little-known cavalry brigade and thought to myself, what led this young man from a country not known for its military history, to join a reserve reconnaissance battalion? A plotline developed and I worked backwa rd in time to come to a starting point in the late nineteenth century when things were much like they are today, but I definitely still needed to do some worldbuilding. Huge Imperial Empires were dueling over land and prestige. Islamic fundamentalists were fighting to expand their territories and Christians were fighting them.I placed a young educated man, Russian born to German emigrants and his younger brother in a Cossack battalion along with other younger sons of other German families and progressed from there. Each book of the Bears and Eagles series follows the next generation of this family and I place them in times and events that did occur, but perhaps not exactly how or when.The explosion of indie-produced writers made the decision to publish easy, and I made a choice early on to obtain professional help for editing and book cover design. I had enough budget to edit two novels and one book cover. So I published Bears and Eagles, the first book in the series. It was well re ceived for a first effort by an unknown author.My original cover was eye-catching, but its retro art was not particularly suited to my theme. That is when I discovered Reedsy and the services they provided. I chose Dane Low to be my cover artist. Not only was he easy to work with, but I thought his addition of a battle scene into the background of the design was masterful. He is my choice as cover artist for the rest of the series.The original editor I had hired did a good job, but there were mistakes. So I again looked to Reedsy for help. I am a guy. I write for guys, but I have many powerful female characters in my novels, and I made the decision to find a female editor to work with. Kate Oââ¬â¢Donnell and I came to an agreement for an editorial assessment of Eagles Claw and right away we had a connection. I take most of what she wants me to do to heart. Although we speak the same language, we have different cultures and usages of language that have to be ironed out at times. S he is Australian, Iââ¬â¢m not, and my target market is North American males; but we are able to compromise, both of us being a little quirky and offbeat in our own ways.She was my sole choice for Eagles Talon, the third release of the series. She performed the whole editing process for me and did fantastic work. My work is now being noticed, even though I only first published last June. Kobo has recently asked me to participate in a pilot project they are putting together that may see my hard copies distributed with the Indigo chain. Kate is about to do an editorial assessment of the fifth novel in the series, and I am about to begin rewrites on book four, for which she did everything - from an editorial assessment to a full and substantial copy edit.I have expanded my distribution beyond Amazon and Kobo and have found that other sales channels, for me, sell as well or better than Amazon.à My Reedsy experience has been fantastic. Soon I will be searching for a marketing profess ional to join my team and will be looking to Reedsy once again.My journey continues.You can check out R.P. Wollbaum's Bears and Eagles series on Amazon here.à As always, feel free to leave any questions for R.P. Wollbaum in the comments below. And if you're ready to follow his example and looking for an editor, designer, or marketer, take a look at Reedsy here!
Thursday, March 5, 2020
The Stick-Built House (In Situ)
The Stick-Built House (In Situ) A stick-built home is a wooden framed house constructed on a building site piece by piece (or stick by stick). It describes the process or how a home is built. Manufactured, modular, and prefabricated homes are not classified as stick-built, because they are made mostly in the factory, transported to the site, and then assembled. A custom home and a home made according to stock building plans may both be stick-built, provided that they are constructed board-by-board on the land where they will remain. Stick-built describes the construction method and not the design. Other names for stick-built homes include site built, hard construction, and in situ. What Is In Situ? In situ is Latin for in place or in position. It can be pronounced a number of ways, includingà in-SIT-oo, in-SITCH-oo, and most correctly in-SEYE-too. Because commercial architecture is not generally made out of sticks of wood, the Latin in situ is often used to describe a process of building commercial properties or, more often, producing construction materials on site. For example, in situ concrete means cast-in-place concrete. That is, the concrete is molded and cured (i.e., cast) on the construction site, as opposed to pre-cast concrete (e.g., columns or beams made in a factory and transported to the construction site). One of the green methods used for the London 2012 summer Olympic Games was to provide a batching plant onsite, a one-source supplier of low-carbon concrete for all of the builders of Olympic Park. Concrete was mixed and poured in situ. In situ construction methods are thought to be more environmentally friendly. The main reason behind this belief is reducing the harmful effects of transporting beam after beam and pier after pier. Pros and Cons of Stick-Built Homes A common perception is that stick-built homes are better constructed, last longer, and have a better resale value than prefabricated or modular homes. This perception may or may not be true. Comparisons depend on the quality of the manufactured product versus the workmanship of a builder or carpenter. The major advantage for the home builder is in control. The contractor is in command of the materials and how they are assembled. Likewise, home owners also have certain administrative rights as they can oversee the piece-by-piece construction of their investment when its built in situ. Disadvantages: Common perceptions against stick-built homes involve time and money - that is, stick-built homes take more time to build and they cost more than house pieces built off-site and simply assembled onsite. Competitors also claim that continuous construction traffic to and from the building site makes the stick-built process less than a green building environment. These perceptions may or may not be true. Pushback From Prefabricators Stick-building is a traditional method being challenged by the marketers of modular and prefabricated methods. American Custom Builders, an independent modular home builder in Defiance, Ohio, describes why a system of prefabrication is better than stick built for these reasons: Stick built home have no controlled environment like a factory does - building outdoors in humidity and water can damage wood and cause delays. They say: A stick builder cannot control the weather....Our homes are all built indoors under a temperature controlled environment.Frame carpenters can take short-cuts youll never know about. They say: With An All American Home they use jigs to make sure the walls are straight and square.Stick-built homes take three times longer to build than prefabricated homes. They say: When the house is delivered, we will have it up in aprox. 9 hours.Homes built off-site are less expensive. They say: Will match our prices against his, any day! In Situ Architecture In situ architecture is a structure designed for a particular place, a specific environment, and a known site. Stick-built houses may be constructed onsite, but that doesnt mean that the building was designed architecturally for that land. Portland, Oregon architect Jeff Stern seeks to create architecture that is site specific....to capture the experience of a particular place; how the sunlight falls, and the rise and fall of the land....maintain and create strong views, maximize daylight and natural ventilation, and generally create a place better than when we began. The name of his architectural firm is In Situ Architecture. Resources and Further Reading BOCA Built, American Custom Builders, americancustombuilder.com/bocabuilt.htm [accessed September 8, 2015]About In Situ Architecture, insituarchitecture.net/about/ [accessed September 8, 2015]
Monday, February 17, 2020
How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value Essay
How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value through Personalization and Mass Customization - Essay Example When it comes to narrowing down the scope and role of e-marketing and related technologies to a mere aspect of creating value or enhancing customer value, it seems that words are diminishing and the whole aspect can never be explained in its true sense and that it might take years to elucidate such a broad topic. The contributions of e-marketing strategies and organizations in developing and stabilizing many businesses is obvious with the development in the marketing concepts as well as recent researches which are not proving that co-branding, co-creation and third-party inventions have set up new milestones for all the companies; be it some multinational giant or some small entrepreneurial venture. The concepts that have been introduced with an ââ¬Å"eâ⬠as a prefix, like; e-commerce, e-trade, e-business, e-marketing, and e-strategy, explain the literal terms of carrying out business via the electronic channel, apparently. However, these terms explain some very broad concepts of internet cram which have proved to be revolutionary, immensely, after the internet boom of the ââ¬â¢90s. Collaborative Networked Organizations (CNOs), those which are also known as ââ¬Å"third-party vendorsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"fourth party logistics/vendorsâ⬠and Virtual Customer Communities (VCCs) i.e. the company which exists online only, confirm a soaring prospective as drivers of value co-creation and open innovation. They have also been playing role in driving value specifically in collaborative innovation.à This joint venture has proven that it can amplify malleability and suppleness of the companiesââ¬â¢ VCS (Value creation systems) to support responding to an external situation like co-creation or collaborative opportunities (external driver).Ã
Monday, February 3, 2020
E-marketing and ICT in private hospitals in the United Kingdom Dissertation
E-marketing and ICT in private hospitals in the United Kingdom - Dissertation Example This research is an exploratory study on the capabilities of ICT by focusing on private hospitals of the UK. Large numbers of consumers are using the internet to extract health-related information. However, it is not known to what extent they effectively use the e-marketing platform of the private hospitals. Thus, with the aim to generate an in-depth view about the role of ICT in the private hospitals of UK, four objectives and two hypotheses were stated in Chapter I. After extensive literature review the theoretical framework was formed. This was a mix of qualitative and quantitative study with both primary and secondary data collection. Secondary data was collected through journals and websites and primary data was collected through survey questionnaires. Both the in-patients and the hospital staff were given the questionnaire. The study focused on one single hospital ââ¬â The BMI Clementine Churchill Hospital. All the objectives of the study have been met. The first objective was to evaluate the current trends that accelerate the growth of using ICT in private hospitals. Proliferation of the internet technology and ICT, changes in consumer demand, the literacy levels of the consumers, and increase in consumer demand for health care, in addition to intense competition in the health care sector have led to acceleration in the growth of using ICT in private hospitals in the UK. ... Through the website the hospitals generate a large amount of consumer data which can be effectively used for enhancing their marketing efforts. No such evidence has been available through the study. Social media marketing too is not being used by private hospitals to understand consumer needs and wants. The third objective was to investigate the limitations of realising ICT in private hospitals. Their activities are limited to sending emails or offering online bookings. There is nothing to keep the visitors engaged once they visit the website. At the moment the consumer acceptance appears to be limited. Acceptance of technology is an attitudinal change that has to first come in the consumers. Thus, the onus for realising ICT in private hospitals rests with the hospitals as well as with the consumers. The fourth objective was to analyse critical issues surrounding the use of E-marketing in private hospitals. The first and foremost concern is the vast amount of medical information avai lable on the internet which can be misleading. Making online payments is another critical issue that impacts the acceptance of e-marketing. An e-platform can allow anyone to practice as a physician and this can be disastrous for the society. The privacy policies are yet to be addressed by the hospitals. Another critical issue is the concept of social media marketing. While it can help the hospitals to recognize consumer demands and needs it can also adversely impact hospital reputation. Since there is no control over the data posted and stored on the social media platforms, this could impact the reputation of the hospitals. The study concludes
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Women In A Midsummers Night Dream English Literature Essay
Women In A Midsummers Night Dream English Literature Essay Shakespeares female characters are represented across a variety of social classes. In this essay I will explore how Shakespeare portrays women in A Midsummer Nights Dream inclusive of several female characters in this play. This allows us to examine in depth, to a very limited extent, how they were treated in society and the stereotypical roles Elizabethan society imposed upon them. I will be examining specifically the characters and portrayal of Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia and how they defy the stereotypical notion of how women were treated by men. Firstly, the most obvious aspect regarding Shakespeares portrayal of women in this play is that the female gender is commodified. Throughout the play, women are treated like objects to be sold or traded. With reference to the background of the characters Theseus and Hippolyta, Greek mythology states that when Theseus, the Duke of Athens, sailed to the land of the Amazon, the Amazons offered Theseus gifts of peace. However, Theseus kidnapped Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazonians, and forcefully made her his wife.à [1]à This resulted in the war between the Athenians and the Amazons. Theseuss action of claiming Hippolyta as a prize and a wife might show that he treats them as objects rather than human beings.à [2]à This idea is reinforced when Theseus says Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, and won thy love doing thee injuries (I.i.16-17). This statement refers to how Theseus won the battle with the Amazons and in conquering the Amazons; he has conquered their queen, Hippol yta, both physically and emotionally. Hippolytas lines in this play are of relatively insignificant amount and value as compared to Theseuss. For example, in the first Act, Hippolyta only comforts Theseus by saying that Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time (I.i.7-8) and they will have the marriage ceremony soon. In addition, Theseus appears to be making the decisions regarding everything, ranging from their marriage to Hermias marriage. This is significant as it shows that Hippolyta is subservient to Theseus as she has little say in these state events despite being seated next to Theseus. In addition, Hippolytas silence could possibly show how she is unhappy about being forced into a marriage with Theseusà [3]à as shown in the 1970s BBC production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. Hippolytas silence could also be seen as a rejection of male dominance.à [4]à However, it is also significant that Hippolyta gets is given more of a voice in the last scene after bein g married and this will be explored later. Another relationship that suggests the marginalizing of women is seen again between Egeus and Hermia. Egeus, Hermias father, has made up his mind to marry Hermia to Demetrius but Hermia refuses to do so. Egeus then brings up this complaint to Theseus, hoping Theseus is able to help him. In doing so, Egeus is shown to regard Hermia as a commodity. Egeus says that Hermia has turned her obedience, which is due to me (I.i.37) and that since she is mine, I may dispose of her (I.i.42). These 2 lines show Egeus treating Hermia as mere propertyà [5]à because he made her and hence Hermia ought to listen to her fathers instructions. This idea is also proven by some parents in the early 17th century such as Sir Edward Coke who whipped his daughter into marriage with a mentally unsound man.à [6]à Moreover, Theseus becomes the personification of the law in Athens as he tells Hermia to either to die the death, or to abjure for ever the society of men (I.i.65-66). According to the ancient privilege of Athens (I.i.41) a womans father has the right to decide who she should marry and she has no say in his decision. If the woman goes against the wishes of her father, she can either be put to death or to stay a virgin forever by becoming a nun. The number of different options given by both Theseus and Egeus only goes to support the fact that Renaissance women were constrained in the verbal medium and that silence was the virtue most stringently required from Renaissance women.à [7]à However, it is also through these three women that we see the female gender defying the societys treatment of women then. Hippolyta, Helena and Hermia go against the grain in their unique ways and show that despite the limitations and laws that society imposes upon them, they are able to assert themselves and show society that they have the potential to be as capable as men. Critics have said that Shakespeares portrayal of women in this manner could possibly be his own stand on how women should be treated equally as men but since he belongs to the Elizabethan era, it is still difficult to garner Shakespeares precise views on feminism and its issues solely based A Midsummer Nights Dream and even if we could, it is still problematic to judge his 16th 17th century mindset based on the definitions and criteria of twentieth century feminism.à [8]à In addition, Shakespeare is based in the Elizabethan era yet he writes about the lives and attitudes of the ancient Greeks. This suggests that interpreting Shakespeares mindset from his works is only reliable to a small extent. Hence, his representation of women only serves as an understanding to how he was unorthodox in the gender assumptions of his era. One extremely effective method of showing that women should assert having their opinions and rights recognized by men is to have the characters in A Midsummer Nights Dream either engage in a power struggle or a role reversal. The very first power struggle shown in the play exists between Egeus/Theseus and Hermia. In Act 1 Scene 1, Hermia openly defies Egeuss wishes for her to marry Demetrius instead of Lysander. Through Egeuss eyes, Hermia is seen to have a stubborn harshness (I.i.38) and she will not consent to marry with Demetrius (I.i.40). She defies Egeus despite knowing that ancient tradition grants the father power to marry his daughter off whoever he wishes to. Nonetheless, she even conspires with Lysander and agrees to his plan of leaving Athens to Lysanders widow aunt whose house is remote seven leagues (I.i. 159) and out of reach of the sharp Athenian law (I.i.162). While running away might seem like a nuanced and subtle form of defiance, it is still an affirmation of Hermi as rights and freedom as a woman to choose who she marries. In the same scene, she defies Theseus in both her tone and her language. For example, when Theseus tries to persuade Hermia to marry Demetrius by saying that Demetrius is a worthy gentleman (I.i.52) Hermia asserts, So is Lysander (I.i.53). In addition, when Theseus tells Hermia that she faces either a nunnery or death, she replies that My soul consents not to give sovereignty (I.i.82) and she would rather be a nun than having to marry Demetrius. In Hermias case, the act of women asserting themselves is almost unheard of as Shakespeare lived in a patriarchal culture in which authority and privilege is particularly invested in the hands of the patriarch of a family. This shows that women were subordinate to men.à [9]à The most obvious example of gender reversal is between Demetrius and Helena. In Act 2 Scene 1, Helena reminds the audience about this role reversal by saying, We cannot fight for love, as men may do; we should be wooed, and were not made to woo (II.i.241-242). This line refers to how, in this situation, Helena is playing the role of the male chasing after the female (Demetrius) through the woods and persuading Demetrius to love her. Although I acknowledge that Helena is forced to woo Demetrius due to her situation of unrequited love, it is not proper for a woman to behave in this manner in Ancient Greece. This role reversal between Helena and Demetrius suggests that in Ancient Greece, women were generalized as insensible and unable to make proper judgments and hence needed a male guardian.à [10]à By getting Helena to play the role of men, Shakespeare creates comic relief as the audience sees it as ridiculous and absurdly funny. In addition, some members of the audience may feel sympathetic for Helena instead. Inducing sympathy and challenging the audiences perception of women could have been Shakespeares intentions to promote equal treatment regardless of gender. Nonetheless, this seemingly comic situation still holds true to this day as we, to a small extent, still stereotype women as human beings to be wooed by men despite various organizations pushing for female equality. This may be due to our genetic makeup as human beings or cultural influences about women but we do not exactly know. The final instance of a power struggle between the genders occurs between Theseus and Hippolyta. In Act 5 Scene 1, Hippolyta voices out that she disagrees with Theseus on the events that happened to the lovers the previous night. While Theseus says that he may never believe these antique fables (V.i.2-3), Hippolyta disagrees and says that it must have been true because all their minds transfigured together (V.i.24) and it was more witnesseth than fancys images (V.i.25). Hippolytas verbal answer can be seen in two ways. Firstly, Michael Boyd, a stage director implied that Hippolyta has accepted Theseus as she gives her husband a kiss. This suggests that Hippolyta is simply discussing the whole issue about the lovers with Theseus. The darker way of looking at this is that Hippolyta is involved in struggles for power in a patriarchal society.à [11]à In doing so, Hippolyta empowers the female gender by going against how women were supposed to be submissive and agreeable to their husb ands. In conclusion, I hope this essay demonstrates Shakespeares several conscious and subconscious feminist intentions, through A Midsummer Nights Dream, in his portrayal of women as opposition to the supposed virtues of marriage.à [12]à More importantly, this paper would have suggested that A Midsummer Nights Dream may be interpreted to imply Shakespeare being a proto-feminist who understood and sympathized women who were treated unfairly.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Slave Boy – Creative Writing
Today, my brain is a whirlwind of emotions: memories from my past. A past I would like to forget but can't. I will begin my story, my story, from when I was just six years of age and taken from my family. It feels strange to look over the shores of my native lands, the same land on which I was sold to white men to work as a slave. We the, Africans were seen as an inferior and uncivilised race, enough justification to be enslaved and treated little better than animals.My real name was Nkauwa but they called me Sam. My identity; my family; my culture; my freedom; they took everything from me and changed it. My life would never be the same again. It was Nigerean slave dealers who rounded us up like cattle. The vast majority of us were caught during fighting against other African groups, prisoners of war. The rest were criminals like me, but my only crime was stealing fruit from the market, my punishment? a lifetime of enslavement. Our hands were tied behind our backs with pieces of rough string that stopped the blood from reaching our fingers. Being six at the time I did not understand why women were crying, their shrieks of horror threw me off-balance and I panicked, I did not understand what was going on, nor did I recognise any faces around me. I asked a man behind me why they had brought us here and he told me sadly, â⬠to learn the ways of the white-faced people.â⬠I felt so alone for the first time and I had a feeling I would be alone for a long while. I started to cry. When the ship rose up through the horizon, all commotion stopped at the magnificent yet terrifying sight, I had seen boats but never on that scale before. The silence was tense with apprehension and fear of the unknown. When the ship had anchored, twenty of so rowing boats came to shore, filled with crates of guns, cloths and lead. It was the first time I had seen white flesh, by no means was it to be the last. Time was spent by both parties inspecting each others goods, as if we were merely objects of little value. They looked in our mouths and felt our muscle-span to see if we would be strong efficient workers. The white men showed the slave dealers how to operate thier new weapons and then we were rowed to the ship; little did I know of the conditions that would face me for the ten week voyage of hell. I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received a stench in my nostrils I had never experienced in my life; we were packed so tightly we had just enough room to turn to turn ourselves and I could not stand up without my head touching the ceiling. The air was fetid, it nearly suffocated me. I began to vomit before the ships anchor had even been raised. It was a scene of horror for the worst ten weeks of my life. The conditions and our hunger brought on sickness amongst us, many of whom died. The crew of the ship cleared the dead in the morning and fed us barely edible, meagre meals. The wretched situation was aggravated by the chains and filth we were living in . At some point in the journey the crew must have realised that if they kept us under the deck for the whole journey there would be no slaves left, so they let small groups on the deck every few days. I sobbed to myself most nights but no one comforted me apart from the groans of the dying. At times I wondered to myself, if this is just the journey, what would the destination be like? The suffocating smell brought sharp, stabbing pains upon my lungs. When we were finally taken off the boat, I was almost too weak to move and I felt terrible. Welcome to America! As I was carried off the boat, the wind hit my face like an explosion and my body siezed up with pains shooting through my muscles. We stood in a yard in the docks, suddenly the doors were thrown open and a considerable number of men waving money and rope rushed towards us in a scramble. The men had the ferocity of brutes as they grabbed frantically at us; again I experienced the touching of muscles and inspecting our teeth, precisely as a jockey examines a horse. It is scarcely possible to describe the confusion and fright I felt as a small child. A tall, scruffy man with a long beard and hat grabbed my shoulders and shoved me in a corner with the rest of his chosen purchases, grumbling â⬠This one looks like and investment.â⬠The choas continued as we were led away and put on the back of his horse and cart. The man was swearing and smoking his pipe when in a temper, he whipped the horses into a trot. We were off! I was still adjusting to the change of environment from the ten weeks under deck and my body was in a lot of pain. As we travelled through the hustle and bustle of the Southern town of Missisippi, Louisiana, we entered the rural countryside and after an hour or so we stopped at a large, wooden farmhouse, complete with a mill that was spurting out clouds of white smoke from its chimney into the clear blue sky. Aproaching closer I noticed behind the mill, a small village of huts and a huge open plantation with with cotton plants growing in thick formations. We were escorted off the cart and brought into another yard outside the farm house from where we were called up one by one to enter the house. It was a very nervous wait and I noticed lots of other black workers already in the fields. I had no idea what was going on but when I was called up I knew something terrible was going to happen by the way the man looked at me with a mean and menecing smile which sent shivers down my spine that I can still remember to this day. He walked towards me and grabbed me by my ear and dragged me inside, to a room containing a large fire place with a crackling fire. Next to the fireplace stood an African house servant and in the centre of the room a desk with the tall, bearded man who drove the cart. He stopped writing, looked up at me, poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it in one go. The man proceeded to talk to the servant in English, and in turn the servant translated it into Nigerean and repeated it to me. ââ¬Å"Your name's Sam, call me boss, you'll work only for me now, pickin' cotton on my plantation, sunrise to sunset.â⬠He paused and then said â⬠If I catch you slacking or even worse, trying to escape, you will be whipped till the skin falls off your back, do you understand, me?â⬠I looked at the man behind the desk blankly, he nodded to the servant who in turn advanced behind me and pinned me to the desk. I desperately tried to wriggle out of his firm grip but, it was useless, the more I struggled the more the boss laughed, he strolled to the fireplace and reached inside to reveal a red-hot branding iron which he used to torment me by holding it close to my face, making beads of sweat form from the heat and from fear. I was begging, pleading for his mercy but he didn't listen, he pushed it hard against my forehead, producing a horrifying hissing noise and the foul smell of burning flesh. It would be a mark that would never leave me, It hurt physically and mentally; to be branded like cattle, an act of pure evil. The pain was unbearable. For days I couldn't concentrate on anything but the burning sensation, it made me violently sick with fever but I was expected to start work straight away. I was given a huge hand woven basket to fill, I watched to learn the correct technique, a fairly simple task; picking the white flowers by twisting the stems on which they form along the main branches. The plants grew in dense lines which were the same height as me, it was very easy to get lost in the endless jungle of the plantation fields. As the day turned into night and there was not enough light to work in we were given a form of corn meal in tin bowls, it had been produced cheaply with few nutrients. I was also issued with new clothing made from very coarse cotton; uncomfortable to wear but much better than the filthy rags I wore on the ship. No shoes were issued, I still walked barefooted, everywhere I went. The new slaves were put into the accommodation of the already over-crowded huts. The tiny wooden, dank huts were set out in rows and contained no sanitation at all. The huts were filthy a perfect breeding ground for disease. They were window-less and smelly, with broken glass, old shoes and rags that littered around the floor. I squeezed into a hut, with ten people, cold and in a place thousands of miles from our homes. I missed my family. I felt the power of death over life , I knew what I had to do, I had to escape. I lay awake for the best part of the night, planning for the best method and timing for my escape. After hours of thought I realised, there was no easy way out and now was as good a time as any other. At this point everyone in my hut was asleep. My heart was racing, I sat up, took a deep breath and opened the creaking, rotting door, I started to run, passing the house, then the gate and then the sign post. I ran like the wind and I didn't slow down. I was running on nothing but the fuel of my anger, the anger I had built up inside me, since the very first moment I was captured. I didn't stop until I felt safe and my lungs were gasping for air. I kept a steady pace up and by the time I reached the town the sun was rising in the East but it was far too early for people to be out and about. As I entered the wharf I remembered the fact I still had no idea how I was to get on a ship heading back to Africa. My heart sank and I slumped down behind some crates and began to cry. I was convinced I would not get any further untilâ⬠¦. suddenly I heard a voice getting closer, it sounded like two English sailors talking but one had a strong African accent. I tried to stay hidden but they picked up the crate I was behind and spotted me. ââ¬Å"Hey, what you doing ââ¬Ëere, Your not supossed to be round ââ¬Ëere,â⬠The white sailor said in a gruff voice. The African was quick to notice I had already been branded and must have ran away from my master. He asked me, in Nigerean, my name and what I was doing here. I told them my story and they it turned out we were from the same part of Nigeria and were stopping there on their way back there for some illigitimate trading of tea leaves and tobacco. They were both kind men and disagreed with the principle of slavery, they were quick to take pity on me and put me in an empty crate to hide me until on the ship. The trip back was much more comfortable than before. Although I slept below deck with the crates, I was allowed on deck whenever I wanted. I never went hungry for that ten week trip and rebuilt much of my strength. I showed gratitude for my rescue by doing odd jobs around the boat, usually cooking for the crew or scrubbing the deck. When we reached the main port of Nigeria I was so happy, it was a terrible ordeal for anyone to go through and something I was lucky to survive. The scar on my forehead is a constant reminder and my mental scars will never go away but I learnt many things during that time. I will never again take my freedom for granted and I cherish every moment of life with my family in the place where I truly belong.
Friday, January 10, 2020
The Number One Plan You Need to Be Using for Student Writing Samples Grade 10 Argumentative Essay
The Number One Plan You Need to Be Using for Student Writing Samples Grade 10 Argumentative Essay The Debate Over Student Writing Samples Grade 10 Argumentative Essay Getting enrolled in the Harvard's BA program is among the hardest challenges for applicants. It is possible to also check out NCERT Solutions of different classes here. It's important for all of the students that are in Class 10 currently. A student is going to be removed from a course if it isn't completed within 18 months. In 10th grade, students ought to be in a position to write and complete written compositions on a normal basis. Not only that but they will be able to access their online courses and be able to follow the lecture through powerpoints. In Canada, they are required to go to school for at least 10 years. The students may click the link to find the solutions for every one of the chapter on Science subject. So How About Student Writing Samples Grade 10 Argumentative Essay? However soon you're expected to file your college argumentative essay for grading, we'll write the paper for you. It is a whole outline of the way to prepare an argumentative essay for college. Once every so often, your professor might offer you the liberty of writing an argumentative essay for college on the subject of your pick. Unless you've got an inborn writing talent, you won't generate an expert essay overnight. The great argumentative Scholarship Essay Samples formats and samples are just world-class, and they're going to inspire individuals to write argumentative essays in various competitions. Look at our samples of descriptive essays to comprehend how to write them all on your own. In reality, getting your students do research with you is a wonderful kind of teaching that's rewarding and fun. English language classes usually want a lot of writing. Rarely, students go for the seventh subject that can be any elective (academic or vocational) mentioned above or another language. One of such problems involve the very low enthusiasm of students as soon as it comes to such topic. A naked fact might result in a decrease grade. Choose from popular topics that folks are passionate about. You're able to discover immediate answers here. Some belief that it's here now and others believe it does not be an issue. The addiction concerning mobile phones has become such a massive problem that individuals have a tendency to get glued to the phones even when communication isn't taking place. People ended up finding different sources to acquire their hands on alcohol. The topic chosen for the purpose should be attractive in the view of many readers. Things You Won't Like About Student Writing Samples Grade 10 Argumentative Essay and Things You Will A great descriptive paragraph is similar to a window into another world. Your essay should consist of recent statistics and data from reliable sources. The past few sentences ought to be extremely clear and have a durable image on your audience. An argumentative essay example will reveal the should possess some criti cal components which make it better in the practice of convincing. An argumentative thesis statement is centered on what you will be speaking about. You first have to pick a good topic with an argument, credible information to strengthen your viewpoint, a good stance on your side, and a superb counter-argument that will help you sound less biased. The thing you ought to do so as to structure an argumentative essay is to set a claim that's debatable. It is a type of thesis or composition where you have to present your view and attempt to convince others that your facts and arguments are correct. Becoming in a position to compose a strong argument can help you succeed in society. Today, the entire gist of socialism was transformed into a very small device that occupies the palm of your hand. You should select some facts that will present your audience an overall idea of your position. An old fact shouldn't be the middle of your argument try to include something new in your key statement.
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