Woman in the Life of African Essay Example for Free

Woman in the Life of African Essay The life of nineteenth century African American women was marred by an unfortunate social practice called slavery. While such unjust living condition affected both men and women, the harmful impact was more on women. This is because in the context of slavery, it was the women who suffered worse and the ones who were subjected to more damaging treatment than men. Coupled with race-related burdens, it was slavery and all its harmful manifestations which forced women to perform roles inside their homes and within the society that definitely opposed their supposedly conventional roles in an ideal American community. Simply put, it is their being a woman that determined and played a more important role in their lives than being an African American. This is because it was their very gender which caused them to become slaves and to experience other sex-related injustices. Therefore, it is ironic that while being a woman was supposed to protect the African American women from slavery and to provide them with dignity, it was specifically their womanhood that made their lives miserable and painful — as explained and illustrated by Deborah Gray White in her book, â€Å"Ar’n’t I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. † In challenging the stereotypes concerning African-American women, the book creates a bigger and more in-depth representation of the real existence of women. That is, it was not only their race or their being African-American that made them as work and sex slaves, but it was more their being women that caused them to suffer. Through the exploration and analysis made by the author on the daily ways of life, jobs, as well as roles and relationships within the family and society of 19th century women, the book allows the readers to realize that being a woman has a great significance in the kind of life that they experienced. Female Slavery White, through the book, presents that it was being a woman that played a more relevant function in the life of 19th century African-American women. This is the premise explained and emphasized in the book as it effectively provides an analysis of the overdue existence of women slavery. In fact, the title itself is a clear reflection of the underlying meaning that the kind of living experienced by the female population in the Plantation South was rooted in the fact that they were female. The shortened statement â€Å"Arnt I a Woman? † actually signifies a kind of objection as to how and why women were subjected to slavery considering they are important members of a society which is supposed to take care of them, protect them, and assure them of their rights. With slavery however, it unfortunately turned out otherwise as it was their very sense of being a woman that was considered to be the reason why they were made into slaves. This is because their being a woman indicated their susceptibility to slavery and other forms of inhumane treatment, which thereby affected the manner in which they struggled and eventually survived. Most importantly, female slavery emerged because they were seen and regarded as one whose sexual and employment rights may be violated. This explanation is justified in the book when the author concludes that â€Å"Slave women were the only women in America who were sexually exploited with impunity, stripped and whipped with a lash, and worked like oxen† (White 162). Thus, they were made into slaves and were sexually abused not because they were African American, but because they were African American women. Not Protected While White’s book depicts a general representation of 19th century African American women in the light of their race and gender, personal experiences became the foundation of the concept that it was the reality of being a woman that created a stronger impact in their lives. This was due to the fact that female slaves, as illustrated by the characters of the sexually abused â€Å"Jezebel† and loyal slave â€Å"Mammy,† showed how their womanhood caused them to be utterly neglected and abused by the society, particularly by the men. As White stresses: â€Å" only slave women were so totally unprotected by men or by law women had their womanhood so totally denied† (162). Further, it was through the demeaning stereotyping of black women that the personalities in the book practically came alive. This is because they supposedly represented the apparent promiscuous persona and conduct of African-American women which, in turn, served as a justification for their slavery, discrimination, and sexual abuse in the hands of both black and white men and the community in general. The stereotyping or negative characterization of â€Å"Jezebel† and â€Å"Mammy† aggravated the already unguarded condition of being a woman. This is shown by how â€Å"Jezebel† supposedly manifested a natural sensuality and sexual drive that it became inevitable for slave owners to sexually abuse the â€Å"lustful† women slaves (White 36). Both characters affirmed that being a woman led one to be susceptible to slavery and sexual abuse. Such was the condition as their respective womanhood created a notion that black women were forced to domestic slavery and into becoming sex objects. Most of all, their being female did not protect them from any kind of violation because their gender or stature in the society made them as mere human properties particularly created for their masters’ desires such as sexual satisfaction and forced labor. Conclusion The blatant and unacceptable realities presented in the book â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† by Deborah Gray White only confirm the idea that it was the fact that they were female that brought much suffering and misfortunes into the lives of 19th century African American women. More than this however, â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† also presents an unlikely condition that being a woman during a period when slavery existed had its rewarding side. This is because despite the abuses, it was their optimistic sense of being a woman that enabled them to create strong personal relationships and female groups within the society. Work Cited White, Deborah Gray. Arnt I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc. , 1985.

Gender and Age Difference in Profile Pictures Analysis

Gender and Age Difference in Profile Pictures Analysis Michael Ngo Abstract Does Gender affect the number of profile pictures posted on Facebook? Does age affect a number of subjects in a profile picture? This study seeks to find the potential motivation and personality traits associated with an online behavioral action. The hypotheses focus on age and gender, two factors that could explain some differences or similarities in behavior. A non-experimental content analysis was used as the design with a sample size of 50 participants (25 female and 25 males). The age group was divided into two constructs: young (11-20 years old) and old (21-30 years old). The statistical test found no significance in gender affecting the number of profile pictures and age affecting the subjects in profile pictures. Further investigation and limitations will be discussed later. Gender and Age Difference in Profile Pictures Content Analysis Media, a term encompassing broadcasting medium such as newspaper, TV, radio, and internet use, is constantly being scrutinized for its content and its effect on users cognitive, emotional, and social behaviors. From the recent shootings of unarmed individuals to Trumps attempt at changing the health policies to local school charity successes, each media source provides an outlet for students to react and change their perspectives. Moreover, media use by students could potentially provide researchers important data on their social, emotional, and cognitive states. Social networking has grown and is continuing growing throughout the past decade. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Tumblr are some of the most popular social networking sites currently (Pempek, Yermolayeva, Calvert, 2009). Students use social networks to express themselves through the use of pictures, status updates, posts, and chats. These online expressions could also affect the original posters viewers and the users themselves similar to the larger scale news outlet. Facebook, one of the most widely used network, can provide a great source of information, especially about school-aged students. Through Facebook, users can share their thoughts through posts and comments, share links and other media to groups, and upload pictures of themselves or their friends. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential motivations, psychological factors, and personality traits behind Facebook users profile pictures. It is important to note that to measure a persons motivation and personality, a researcher must compile a series of test, surveys, and physical interactions among other factors. The point of this research is to examine photo related factors and literature reviews to derive potential reasons for the users action. This current study presents the results of a content analysis addressing the following research question: do gender and age affect the number of profile pictures and the number of subjects in a profile picture? In the study, there are two hypotheses: Female users will have a higher number of profile pictures than male users in their albums and younger people (age 11-20) will have higher numbers of subjects in their profile pictures than older people (ages 21-30). Literature Review Over the past six years, there has been an increase in the number of peer-reviewed articles on social networking sites. Many of these studies explore how psychological factors such as personality traits influence the use of social networking sites. Personality traits include neuroticism, extraversion, low self-esteem, and narcissism when using Facebook (Skues, Williams, Wise, 2012). Some studies claim that participants who were members of more groups on Facebook had reported higher levels of extraversion than those with lower levels of extraversion (Skues et al., 2012). Extraverted people use Facebook to maintain relationships with their peers and engage in social activities offline and online. This would explain the smaller social group membership among introverts and the larger group membership for extraverts. Extraversion could explain why some people upload more profile pictures than others. With a larger friend group, an individual is more inclined to update their photos so that their friends can see what is happening in the users life. Students use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and to let others know more about themselves (Pempek et al., 2011). Users may upload pictures of themselves with multiple subjects to showcase their network and friendship. Subjects may include ones group of friends with studies showing that both the quantity and nature of photos displayed perception of closeness by viewers (Mendelson Papacharissi, 2010). The motivation behind why users would do this could be to seek peer feedback and validation from friends. An introverted individual may not find the necessity to frequently update their profile pictures for their friends. Neuroticism is another trait that has been found to affect how individuals use Facebook. Though there are conflicting findings. For example, a study has found that individuals with higher neuroticism levels were less willing to share any personal information, but preferred posting on the wall compared to uploading photos (Skues et al., 2012). Another study found that high neurotic individuals were more likely to not show their face in pictures than low neurotic individuals (Liu, Moghaddam, Preotiuc-Pietro, Samani, Ungar, 2016). Both individuals with varying neuroticism levels were inclined to share personal information when compared to a middle cohort. With contrasting data, it is difficult to use neuroticism as a factor for explaining the differences in profile pictures by gender (Liu et al., 2016). Self-esteem may be another trait that would serve to explain some individuals motivation for their profile pictures. However, there are mixed finding relating to the relationship between self-esteem and using Facebook. A study suggests that users with low self-esteem spent more time on Facebook and that Facebook may provide a medium to compensate for their low self-esteem (Thompson Lougheed, 2012). Other studies show that Facebook has a positive impact on self-esteem as users are allowed to post what they want the public to see. Oftentimes, users would post positive characteristics and edited photos of themselves to boost their self-esteem. Lastly, other studies found that there is no important association between Facebook and self-esteem (Skues et al., 2012). In Facebook, where disclosing information about oneself and interacting with others is the purpose, researchers found it necessary to examine narcissism and how it can play a role in a users profile. One study has shown that higher levels of narcissism predicted more user information and photos posted and more social interaction (Skues et al., 2012). Narcissistic individuals are more likely to check Facebook more frequently and spend more time on the site (Thompson Lougheed, 2012). There is a potential correlation between individuals with high narcissism and the number of profile pictures. The higher the number of profile pictures may relate to the individuals affection towards themselves. However, even with the increase in studies, there are still missing gaps in the literature relating to the personality and motivation analysis from profile pictures especially in the different age and gender groups. The studies mentioned above examines the effect of one or two psychological variables on Facebook use and not the concurrent effects of various variables. There is only a few select study that addresses this gap. One study claims from surveys taken by their participants that Facebook users are more extroverted and have higher levels of narcissism compared to non-Facebook users. However, a close review of this study shows that the correlation is weak and needs more research examining the psychological factors simultaneously. Since investigating the motivation and potential personality traits for gender and age differences in profile picture is a fairly new area of research, this paper serves to add to the ongoing studies and provide further analysis. This study will address the magnitude and existence of behavioral gender and age differences. Facebook was chosen as the main social networking site because Facebook users are diverse, culturally and socially, and their behavior is more natural than other traditional samples. (Tifferet Vilnai-Yavetz, 2014). Two hypotheses were studied through profile pictures analysis for different gender and age groups. H1 Female users will have a higher number of profile pictures than male users in their albums. H2 Younger people (aged 11-20) will have a higher number of subjects in their profile pictures than older people (aged 21-30). Method Research Design and Procedures A non-experimental analysis was chosen for this study. The profile picture data was collected from my list of an active Facebook friend by utilizing a random number generator online. Each random number represented a friend on my list. For example, the number four would correspond to the 4th friend on my friends list. A sample of 50 friends was used with 25 from females and 25 from males. The criteria for the subjects to participate in this study is to be within the age of 11-30. If a prospective participant was chosen and did not fit the age group, I would proceed to the next available person. Measures Whether age and gender affected Facebook users profile pictures was the focus of this study. Gender differences (male or female) and the number of profile pictures were the predictor variable and criterion variable, respectively, of the first hypothesis. Age differences and number of subjects in profile pictures are the main focus of the second hypothesis. Two age groups were defined, young with people ages 11-20 and older with people ages 21-30, for the predictor variable. The criterion variable, number of subjects in the profile picture, is divided into four constructs: single (themselves), couple (subject and one person), group (3 or more), and others (no people) (Hum, Chamberlin, Hambright, Portwood, Schat, Bevan, 2011). Statistical Analysis I listed the scale of measurement for Gender as nominal (female or male) and Number of Profile Pictures as a ratio. Because this is a group difference question, I chose to conduct an independent t-test for Hypothesis H1. For Hypothesis H2, I listed Age (young and older) and Number of Subjects (4 categories) as nominal and chose to conduct a chi-square test. Results There was no significant difference between Gender and Profile Pictures (H1) and Age and Subjects in Profile Pictures (H2). Using Levenes test, there were no similar variance between gender and profile pictures (construct, F(xx)=xx, p= 0.295). The variability in the conditions is not significantly different. Hypothesis H1 was not statistically significant. The independent t test disproved the hypothesis and the results can be viewed in Table 1. The t-test shows that the male (M= 46.40, SD= 49.79) and female (M=39.28, SD= 36.45) did not influence the number of profile pictures a Facebook user would have, t (0.577), p> 0.05. Females do not have a higher number of profile pictures than males in this case. Thus, Hypothesis H1 was not supported. Hypothesis H2 was not statistically significant, and the results are shown in Table 2. The statistics X 2 (5)>= 2.285 and p= 0.808 (P>0.05) indicates that there was no association found between age groups and subjects in profile pictures. Hypothesis H2 was not supported. Discussion The research behind the use of social networking sites is still growing especially with teenagers and college students population. Previous studies show that personality traits can be inferred from the use of Facebook and profile pictures (Skues et al., 2012). However, there is little research on gender and age differences and potential effects on Facebook functions like profile pictures. The purpose of this study is to explore if gender affects the number of profile pictures and if age determines the likelihood of a number of subjects in a profile picture to support potential data on personality traits and motivations. Two hypotheses were presented and statistically tested. Profiles based on gender and age were chosen and profile pictures were analyzed. Statistical results showed no significance for both gender and number of profile pictures and age and subjects in profile pictures. This meant that both gender and age group have more similarities than differences. This could be due to a separate set of social norms for online users compared to offline users. In real life, gender roles and expected behavior has been established; however, in the virtual world, there are nuances and a completely different subculture that has not been studied yet. These subcultures may disregard gender and may focus more on social structures and practices that shape behavior (Hum et al., 2011). This data may suggest that men and women have the same motivation or similar traits that dictate their actions. Further study would be required to collect more data and complete a thorough analysis, though this is a good start. Limitations The lack of significance can be due to limitations of the study. The sample size of the study was only 50 profiles. If there were more samples, then the data may have changed to show a significance result. In addition, because of Facebook and IRB regulations, I would need to get informed consent from participants (Hum et al., 2011). The way to avoid obtaining consent would be to use my own Friend list, making this sample population not random or representative of the Facebook population. A solution would be to conduct the study with the consent of random Facebook users. Further Research This study is an observational non-experimental design. The data and results could be used to explain with some potential theories about personality traits and motivation, but it does not show correlation or relationship. In order to a relationship or correlation to be determined, an experimental design is required. This study does provide a foundation for future research. A quasi-experimental design is recommended. The dependent variable would be how frequent Facebook users update their profile picture and statuses and the independent variables would be personality trait test results on Narcissism and Self-Esteem. The purpose of this study would be to determine a more direct approach between the personality trait and Facebook usage. This would explain how psychological factors can influence people to act a certain way and add on to online social and behavioral data. The sample size would be larger (n=200) and more diverse (from different regions of the world). This would provide a m ore representative sample of the Facebook community. The independent personality trait tests would have different operational definitions each and the dependent variable would also have different constructs. The age of Facebook users may be confined to a range (18-30) to study a specific populations behavior. References Hum, N. J., Chamberlin, P. E., Hambright, B. L., Portwood, A. C., Schat, A. C., Bevan, J. L. (2011). A picture is worth a thousand words: A content analysis of Facebook profile photographs. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(5), 1828-1833. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.04.003 Tifferet, S., Vilnai-Yavetz, I. (2014). Gender differences in Facebook self-presentation: An international randomized study. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 388-399. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.016 Mendelson, A. L. and Papacharissi, Z. A. , 2010-06-22 Look at Us: Collective Narcissism in College Student Facebook Photo Galleries Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Suntec Singapore International Convention Exhibition Centre, Suntec City, Singapore Online . 2014-11-27 from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p404764_index.html Skues, J. L., Williams, B., Wise, L. (2012). The effects of personality traits, self-esteem, loneliness, and narcissism on Facebook use among university students. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2414-2419. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.07.012 Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y. A., Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,30(3), 227-238. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010 Liu, L., Moghaddam, M.E., Preotiuc-Pietro, D., Samani, Z.R., Ungar, L.H. (2016). Analyzing Personality through Social Media Profile Picture Choice. ICWSM. Thompson, S. H., Lougheed, E. (2012). Frazzled by Facebook? An Exploratory Study of Gender Differences in Social Network Communication among Undergraduate Men and Women [Abstract]. College Student Journal, 46(1), 88-98. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://web3.apiu.edu/researchfile/Research%20Materials/Communication/Frazzled%20by%20facebook-an%20exploratory%20study%20of%20gender%20differences%20in%20social%20network%20communication%20undergraduate%20men%20and%20women.pdf Appendix A Table 1 Difference Profile Pictures between Females and Males Gender Male Female t df Profile Pictures 46.40 (49.79) 39.29 (36.45) 0.577 48 Note.   P> 0.05.*=pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .05, **= pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .01,***=pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .001.   Standard Deviations appear in parentheses below means. Appendix B Table 2 Crosstabulation of Facebook Users Age and Number of Subjects in Profile Pictures Age Subjects in Profile Pictures à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 à Ã¢â‚¬   Single Couple Group Others Young 9 6 0 2 2.285 .808 Old 19 9 1 4 Note. P> .05.  

Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God Love plays a very important role in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes were watching God. Janie spent her days looking for love. She thought of love just as she thought of the elements of springtime: Sunny days, bright skies, a bee pollinating pear tree blossoms. She searched far and wide for this kind of perfect love. Logan Killicks couldn't give this kind of love to Janie. He may not have loved her at all. To him, Janie was just another working set of hands. He treated her almost like another man. He was inconsiderate of her feelings, her hopes, her aspirations. He probably didn't know the color of her eyes. Janie was worked hard by Logan. He made her do all sorts of things that only men should have to have done. He was even going to make her plow the fields-a job that requires a considerable amount of strength: strength that Janie didn't have. Janie complained that nothing beautiful was ever said. She had no love with Logan Killicks. That is why she left him for a man that showed much potential to give the kind of love she was looking for. The whistling man that Janie ran away with was Jody Starks. With Jody, Janie thought that she would forever have "flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything." She thought she'd have "a bee for her bloom." She didn't exactly find this in Jody though. In him she definitely found change and chance, but still not the love she was looking for. What Jody had for Janie was more of a lust than a love. He was very protective of her and didn't want anyone else to see in her what he saw. He gave Janie many things including lots of money, but he couldn't give her love. The little love that was there eventually died. So did Jody. Finally, Janie met up with Tea Cake. The moved together to the Muck in the Florida Everglades and lived in Tea Cake's Shanty. They spent each new day together. They laughed together, fished and hunted together, talked together, and spent time with friends together. These were all things that were missing from her previous relationships. They had made her to be somebody that she wasn't. Tea Cake let her be herself. He loved her just the way she was. He encouraged her to be what she wanted to be, to follow her dreams, her thoughts, her aspirations. Janie had finally found her bee. Tea Cake was the perfect bee for her bloom.

Meeting Mila :: Children Personal Narrative Friendship Essays

Meeting Mila Children used to annoy me. They cried. They pooped. They cried some more. They yelled obvious questions at the movies, screamed constantly in the grocery store, and seemed to have an affinity for yelling out facts that the general public did not need to know (such as when in a department store, Bobby informs the sales clerk, "MOMMY SAYS MY BROTHER BILLY WAS AN ACCIDENT!") Furthermore, I had no idea how to deal with children. I was the youngest sibling in my family, and unlike most girls my age, I had never been a babysitter. All of that would change, however, when I met Mila. She would show me just how intelligent, honest, and wonderful children can be. It was around Valentine's Day when I met a strange and interesting young man named Jack. He was a writer, chain smoker, and lover of all cartoons -- especially those involving giant fighting robots. I was going to Topeka West High School, he was a freshman at Washburn University and despite our age difference, we clicked. He told me when we first met that he had a little girl, that her name was Mila, and that she was two years old. I like to think that the fact he had a child didn't freak me out, but it did. As a sixteen year old, I was too young to have to deal with a kid. Also, I was convinced that I didn't have the time or patience to spend time with both Jack and his daughter. Mila had a squinty-eyed smile that could lighten up my foulest mood. Her eyes were like a prized Husky's, a beautiful, piercing ice blue--just like her father's. Her hair was so blond, it was white. It amazed me (and still does) that so much beauty could be bundled into such a small package. I noticed right away that she also had his ears--they stuck out from the sides of her head just like his, but hers were more feminine, with earrings adorning her tiny lobes. At first, she was shy around me. (Of course, back then, she hadn't mastered opening doors yet, and oh, how that's changed!) But over the weekends she spent at Jack's house, I became "Her Sara." She started becoming more comfortable around me when I began driving Jack to Lawrence to pick her up and then driving back with her in tow.

zionism- Greenberg :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Response to Myth and Metaphor It is not irrelevant nor is it fair to respond to the mirage of childish bickering that just frustrated the last half hour of my day without mentioning the more than obvious biases of the writers involved in their respective fields. Harold Fisch, a professor of English Literature at Leeds University and soon after at Bar-Ilan University, writes a detailed analysis of what he refers to as the Myth and Metaphor of the various approaches to Zionism in his book titled The Zionist Revolution. In this analysis Fisch attempts to break down several approaches to the myth and metaphor of Zionism to give the reader a sense of broader knowledge and a feeling that the field is generally covered in this article. He inevitably presents forth the opinion that he holds of highest regard last and most obviously, due to his literary nature, third in line after those of Aaron David Gordon and HaRav Avraham Yizchak Hakohen Kook respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem with Fisch’s analysis of Gordon and his metaphor of Zionism is that the passages that he selected to quote do not at all confine themselves to the commentary he addressed to them. In this selected passage Gordon speaks of; â€Å"a living organism which performs its various functions naturally†¦..our natural soil from which we have been uprooted†¦..The heart of our people is here†¦for here is the mainspring of our life†¦..Here something is beginning to flower†¦Here is the force attracting all the scattered cells of the people to unite into one living national organism†(pg. 56).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fisch’s misplaced claim comes directly following this quote when he claims that Gordon desires â€Å"a kind of new religion to replace the old religion of Judaism†. Fisch continues on the following page and claims that the religion he speaks of is â€Å"one distinct from that of the Law and the prophets. From the biblical point of view we may say that we have here a resurgence of something like the worship of the Bealim, the gods of the earth†. From the passage presented by Fisch we don’t see any such existence. Gordon, like Rav Kook, and many other contemporaries in this field, is devoted to the ideals of restoration to our roots and the â€Å"mystical† future that the Holy Land holds for its people when they will return to her. This concept is very much a part of the Jewish religion and can be seen in the well know verse â€Å"Return to me and I will return to you†, referring to G-d’s promise to his people that he will return to them once they take the initiative to return to him.

A Dose of Fear

Once on a dark, stormy autumn's evening, the grey fog hung so thick and heavy over the country lane that it blocked the view of the landscape. The gloomy, cumulonimbus clouds filled the thick, filthy air that smelt of dirty sewage water, as if there had been flames of fire that had let off a lot of smoke. You could hardly see a thing unless you had perfect vision. In the evening nearby an inconspicuously, deserted mansion that was about fifty metres away from the narrow, odd, tarmac road in the countryside, branches creaked and birds squeaked in their nests. It seemed to him like many days since he had begun to prepare his mind for â€Å"the camp† as he always called it. Seth Winston was a fifteen-year-old adventurous teenager who was so alive, vital and positive about everything. He also had a personality that one could not ignore. He had dark, brown eyes, short black hair and olive skin. His mother had died when he was born so he had never known or missed her. However, his young and handsome father seemed to be the only relation he had in the world apart from Ruth and Peter his caring and loving best friends. Ruth Mathews was sixteen years old, had blue eyes and ginger hair. There was more connection between her and Seth. On the other hand, Peter St John was an eighteen year old; who only had one thing in common with Seth and that was camping. That Saturday afternoon at half past two, Seth, Ruth and Peter set off to go camping in the countryside. This would have been their first camp ever without Seth's father because Peter was old enough to drive and owned a driving licence. â€Å"This is going to be the best camp ever,† said Seth in an excited voice as Peter started to drive. Three hours later nearly two hundred miles away from town, the weather began to change from slightly warm and sunny to heavy rainfall. As darkness drew closer, the rain got worse every minute and the country lane became too slippery to drive the car. â€Å"I think you need to stop at the side of the road until the weather gets better Peter,† said Ruth in a tentative voice. â€Å"Don't be silly, we've only got a few more miles to go until we reach the camping site,† said Peter in a voice that was struggling to hide the fear inside him. â€Å"Guys I think I see something,† Seth said loudly wishing it was a place to escape the unexpected heavy rain. â€Å"What is it?† Ruth and Peter both spoke at the same time desperate to find out what it was. â€Å"It looks like a house. A mansion.† Seth answered in an uncertain tone. â€Å"Let's go and check it out,† Ruth suggested positively as if she knew exactly what it was. Peter made a left turn and slowly drove down in the open space towards the secluded, big mansion. When they reached the faded, rusty gate, they stepped out of the car and put their coats on. It was open so it made it easier for them to get to the mansion. In approaching the mansion, there was a chill in the air as they hurriedly walked to the door. Ruth knocked on one of the huge oak doors although they were slightly open. She knocked five times and waited but there was no response. â€Å"Hello, is anybody here?† Ruth shouted as she echoed repeatedly and as water dripped from her round face. â€Å"Did you hear that? Someone just repeated what Ruth just said,† Seth said sarcastically. â€Å"Are you stupid? That was her echo, you fool,† Peter said in a rather unimpressed high pitch voice. Helplessly desperate for shelter, they decided to step inside. The view captured their eyes. Joined cobwebs smeared the walls and an unidentified smell of rot filled their nostrils. The dusty, mouldy ceilings dripped with water. Peter seemed to be more fascinated by the unusual scene than the other two, so without them noticing, he decided to take a tour around. The door creaked behind Peter as he escaped into the next room. With their heads held up high, Seth and Ruth looked to see where the sudden noise had come from. Just as they turned round, they were horrified by a dead bat, which had fallen two metres above their heads from the spider web that hung under the ceiling. They heard a loud scream coming from the next room on their left that sounded as if someone was being tortured. They fled into that treacherous room as fast as they could. On its walls were skulls portrayed in a devilish appearance splashed with rotten blood. When they looked down, they saw a half naked body viciously assaulted dripping with blood on the black tiled floor. The floor was littered with bones and headless skeletons that were gathered through the courts of time. Satanic crosses were marked all over the ceiling and the atmosphere was heinous. Seth and Ruth could not believe the monstrous view in front of their eyes. Horrendous injuries covered the body and the eyes had popped right out of the skull. They were wide open, stony with the glassiness of death. Only one nostril was left of the nose and was dripping with mucus and blood. The lips were deformed. With a grimace of his face, Seth wondered what kind of a vicious, menacing sinister who would do such a terrible act. The slimy small and large intestines were noticeable and cut open that they dared not to look at the brutal stomach, which looked as if it had had an abdominal surgery. â€Å"I'm so sorry Peter,† said Ruth in a petrified voice trying her hardest not to burst out in tears. â€Å"Who could do such damage to an innocent soul?† Seth questioned silently as tear drops fell from his eyes. Seth noticed a sombre shadow with an axe in its hand on the wall at his right hand side. At first, he did not say anything because he was not sure where it was coming from. â€Å"Ruth look out!† shouted Seth. â€Å"Where?† Ruth shouted back. â€Å"Behind you!† Seth answered in a despairing voice. Ruth looked behind her, widened her blue eyes in terrified horror while her jaw nearly dropped on the ground and screamed, â€Å"No!† At this moment, Seth had nothing else to say or do but save himself. He ran out of the room as fast as he could and raced to the other side of the mansion as if chased by hideous demons. This end had autumn leaves on the floor that two open triangular windows had let in. He fled into the nearest room that he believed was safe as he had the intension to hide. Although it was not as bad as the previous one, this room was damp and infested but with a gnaw feeling, Seth did not take any notice. There was a rustling noise; it grew louder and more persistent. When it started, Seth had thought that leaves were blowing in the sweeping wind but now it was far too loud for that. It sounded like someone stomping through crisp packets. The rustling turned to crunching, as if some huge animal was munching on a giant creamcraker. Seth shivered. He pulled his coat tightly around him because he was cold. He clenched his fists in his pockets. He stared at the floor in front of him and occasionally glanced nervously at the door handle. â€Å"You must keep calm,† Seth repeatedly said to his self as he breathed heavily as if he was starving from oxygen. Seth desperately looked at the impenetrable window wishing he were small enough to fit through so he could escape the haunting poltergeist. In the darkness of the fading light, the poltergeist's face had the pallor and sheen not so much of flesh so much of bone itself. Seth stared at it until his eyes ached in their sockets in surprise and bewilderment at its presence. With the combination of the peculiar, isolated room, the appearance of the poltergeist and the dreadfulness of its expression began to fill Seth with anxiety. Indeed Seth, never in his life was so threatened by anything like that. He had never known his heart to give such a great lurch, as if it would almost leap out into his shivering, dry mouth and then begin pounding in his chest like a hammer hitting an anvil. Seth never thought that a dose of fear would make his knees tremble and his flesh creep. He never imagined himself daunted and held fast by such dread, horror and apprehension of evil. His worst nightmares had resurrected.

Why We Shouldn’t Write Essays

For many students, writing essays are not exactly our number one choice. Unfortunately, writing essays in High School is like the fog in Daly City- it's inevitable. Writing essays in Science class on the other hand, is like a sunny day quickly covered by fog. It's somewhat expected, yet still disappointing, and surprising at the same time. We're most expected to write essays in our English class, so writing an essay in any other subject such as Science makes us hate writing essays even more. In general, writing essays interfere with our personal responsibilities, and our activities outside of school.The main problem students have with writing essays is not knowing how to manage their time well. Often times, we procrastinate because we choose to do other things instead. Given a 1-2 week time period to complete an essay seems like a lot of time until procrastination takes over. Writer's block, and distractions are a huge contribution to procrastinating as well. Sometimes you just don't know where to start when you write an essay, or your ideas and words may not flow together. You'll try over, and over again but it just doesn't sound right.As a result, you become discouraged and leave it to do â€Å"later. † Instead of trying to write your essay, you get distracted by your phone, favorite show, or computer. This easily makes â€Å"later† become the night before it's due, and by then we're struggling to cram in all of the other homework we have to do still. Nowadays, teacher's give so much homework. It's really important that we use our time wisely, or we won't finish what we need to get done on time. Doing an essay on top of homework can be very time consuming, and sometimes we just don't have the time.Some may say, â€Å"You have all the time in the World,† but in reality it's the time you have after school, and how you use that time. Most students in High School have after school activities such as Club meetings, sports, dance, etc. If you h ave practice 2-3 hours after school, by the time you get home you'll most likely be too tired and lazy to start, or finish your essay. Having a significant other requires you to dedicate your time to them, depending on how serious your relationship is. Dedicating all your time to our boyfriend, or girlfriend can be a huge distraction when you're writing an essay. For example, you may be constantly calling, or texting each other which won't benefit you at the end. By the time you're done talking to him/her, chances are you'd either say your essay for â€Å"later,† or not finish it at all. Maybe you're not the type to procrastinate, but you have committed to other responsibilities in addition to your school work such as babysitting your little brother, or household chores.This can make it difficult to complete an essay because you're trying to do too many things at once. If you pick up your sibling from school, still having to take bus home, you're not left with a lot of time o nce you get home to do everything you need to do. Washing the dishes is a common chore done by teenagers everyday which doesn't exactly take 5-10 minutes to do, especially with a big family. With that being said, the time taken out of when you do your homework can be very crucial. After writing many essays, you'd think it would only get easier, and sometimes it does.Other times, most times, it only gets harder. Writer's block can especially discourage students from writing an essay. This leads to distractions, which then turns into procrastination. For some, they might just not have the time due to other responsibilities, or activities. Writing an essay in a Science class doesn't appeal to many students simply because essays are expected in an English class. What we do expect, and are used to in a Science class are research papers, and worksheets.