Thursday, March 7, 2013

"An Abusive Love" from Say the Word


Brynelle Blanton
An Abusive Love
             The love that captivated her became bitter and the darkness swarmed around as his hands began to overpower her. As she gasped for air, she began to grow weak and faint. Then as tears cascaded down her eyes like a wild fire blazing, they betrayed her. Slowly the light started to fade away from her vision, and she was unconscious. There was no thoughts, just scars from the deception from a love that she felt was worth the pain. There was no way out, she would perish and nobody would know that it was her lover. Then as she blinked her eyes awake from being in a state of bewilderment, he stood there over her weary body demanding her to rise up and pleasure him.
The inside of her body cringed, and she was left to do his every biding. She couldn’t understand how anybody could be this cruel. He was supposed to be her first real boyfriend, and her heart didn’t know that this wasn’t real love. Her innocence was stripped away. Blow-by –blow his eyes told the story of fury. As they froze solid to a point of isolation, they grew dark black mad with rage. And she knew then that the violence would be taken out onto her. She was bruised from the inside out.
Everything agitated him, if she was to have a simple conversation with anybody or even hang out with friends or family. She was constricted to only him; there was no outside life for her. She felt like being drowned in the sea with the waves that washed up on the shore. Screaming from the inside and bleeding from the outside, he was ten feet tall and nobody could bring him tumbling down. The abuse wasn’t the hardest part; it was the crawling back to her with lies like venom from a snake’s mouth. It consumed her and sucked her in, every time he said his apologies and then turned back into a demon beating her submersing her soul into the darkness. She was a ghost, only part of her was alive and the only thing that she wanted was that part to die along with the rest of her. The sheer thought of him coming home petrified her, because one moment he would be her knight and in the next a totally different guy. He took her life away. She became meager. The color that once flowed through her vibrant skin faded.
She couldn’t recognize the person that showed at the other side of the mirror. She was angry with herself. The reflection should have been hers. The belief of her ever getting away slowly faded in her mind and she was alone in pain. In a house that barricaded her inside, she was smothered by her own emotions. Any pain was better than whatever she felt inside.
As the dawn slipped away, the night grew closer and he crept into the back door. She prayed that he was in one of his good moods tonight, and she could just sleep peacefully, although the chance of that happening would have been slim to none. She tried to be brave and stand up to him, to hit him back. She fell short of that hope several times; he controlled her in every way.
After dinner they laid down for bed, there she was in a bed with evil. To her the bed was made of bricks and hot coals. The comfort that was inside slipped away, and the bed became tainted. He restricted her from turning away from him while they slept together; soon he demanded sex from her. She refused him; then things went violent. His eyes glimmered and instantly she wished that she didn’t say no!
A hand smacked across my face, and she froze there pouring out, crying, begging him to stop. His, hands clasped around my throat, and she was being punched in her stomach. The abuse kept coming and it wasn’t ending. Until finally she said the word’s that he wanted to hear that (she was sorry, and that she loved him). It was a lie, she didn’t even know if she loved him. All that she knew was that it had been enough, and she had to find a way out on her own. If nobody else could help she would help herself, so the next day she used her best acting skills pretending as if she loved him.
He had left early in the morning and wasn’t due to return until the afternoon, so she packed her possessions and called the only person that he didn’t know. Tears poured out of her eyes pleading to the other person on the opposite end of the phone line. She begged for them to come and pick her up, before he would return home. It was complicated. Everyone was afraid of her lover and didn’t want to get into her mess. But, she assured the person that they wouldn’t be harmed and with that said they picked her up and she left and changed her life, for the better never to turn around. For her leaving was the hardest thing that she had ever done in her life. Many times her mind played games on her allowing her to believe that he would find her. So, for months she stayed inside of the house scared by her own fear.
Then her friend took her outside and repaired the pain that seeped inside of her heart taking it away as though they were her guardian angel. She became repaired and empowered by her experience. Never would she judge or criticize anybody for anything, knowing how it felt finally to be on the other side of pain. She came out to of this abuse with an open mind to empower other women, and say that she understands the fake smiles, and the emotions hidden beneath.
But, there is more to life than what you can believe! And, if leaving seems impossible just doing it makes you a stronger person. You’ll breath happier, and don’t put a wedge between your heart and love. Just be smart to notice the difference, and leave when you feel it’s not right. I did! And I found real love. I am finally free and I can let my soul breathe. I found my true soul mate and I hope that every woman will do the same. You’re never alone in your pain. Just like myself, there are others out there and we can all stand together.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

MLA Format


Characteristics of MLA format for a Word document:

·      1 inch margins all around
·      Header with your last name and page number (ex: Smith 1) at the top right corner
·      Heading with your name, my name, the class name, and date with the day month and year on the left side. Here’s an example:
          John Smith
          Professor Drawbond
          English 21
          1 March 2013
·      Double spaced everywhere
·      Your title should be centered and the first letter of each word capitalized (except minor words such as of, the, and, and in)
o   Your title should NOT be:
§  All caps
§  In bold
§  Bigger than the rest of the composition
§  Underlined

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

"Away from the Noise" from Say the Word


Away from the Noise
            There is a quote that says “When the uniqueness of a place sings to us like a melody, then we will know, at last what it means to be at home.” There is no greater feeling than to be in a place that you love so much that it consumes you, and drowns out the trials of life. On 49th and Western sits a church named Lewis Metropolitan and this is where I go to get away from the noise.
            Church for some is just a place to go on Sunday out of ritual; some go because of the expectation of family and friends to see them there. But for me it is a must! Lewis Metropolitan is a large gated white and brown building. It has many rooms within, but my favorite place is the sanctuary; there you will find three rows of pews that reach to the back of the church where congregants sit during service. There is a piano, a set of drums, and an organ that sit up on a platform near more pews where the choir sings. High on the south wall you can’t help but notice a big wooden cross that is symbolic of not only the suffering, but more so the victory that was accomplished on the cross. Upon arriving on a Sunday morning, you are met by the fragrance of fresh flowers that are delivered each week. In the sanctuary you hear songs of praise that fall from the lips of the choir, as the aforementioned piano, drums, and organ all join in together in harmony. If you listen closely you can hear the snickers of children as they enjoy each other’s company, the clapping of hands, and the shouts of hallelujah from those who are thankful to have gotten through another trying week. Towards the back one person always stands out to me. There sits Mrs. Cleo Thomas, who is now 96 years old, who still serves as an usher and although she can no longer stand she sits and passes out programs to visitors and members as they come through the door. Her faithfulness brings a smile to all.
            In history we can find something called the sanctuary movement. It was here where many who were seeking asylum from their countries found the sanctuary as a place of refuge. These individuals were fleeing from violence, pain, poverty, war, and the harsh realities of life. I too know the feeling of running for my life so to speak, and at a crucial time in my life when the world was loud and hurtful, and its trials were tossing me to and fro, I found refuge in the sanctuary. In the sanctuary I feel safe I come here as my spiritual gas station to refill when life has drained me to a feeling of emptiness. I have so much joy when I am there. I can close my eyes and lift up my hands and hear God speak to me in a still small voice reminding me that he will never leave me nor forsake me.
            The sanctuary is important to me for so many reasons, but mainly because of the joy and strength that it gives me. So although Jamaica might have its white sand, and Hawaii has mesmerizing blue water, when I need a getaway I just make my way to the sanctuary.

Composition Tool Kit Ad Questions

Monday, February 18, 2013

The Cig that Broke the Camel's Back from Say the Word


Siya Green
The Cig that Broke the Camel’s Back
The media does a good job at masking what they are really trying to say and their audience doesn’t even realize that they are being manipulated. For example, have you ever been watching TV and after seeing a commercial for a candy bar, you felt the urge or need for one? Or have you ever walked down a street and after seeing a movie poster you decided to go see it? Well if this applies to you, then those are called subliminal messages; in other words, a message that is expressed to you without your awareness. But are we really deceived by the underlining messages of the media? Or do we choose to be blinded by what’s in demand?  Some ads are harmless and we allow ourselves to be tricked into gaining a few pounds or losing a few dollars because of the junk food and entertainment ads, but what about the ads that are more dangerous than others, the ones that go beyond the shallow things, the ones that promote death by making alcohol and cigarettes look glamorous?  RJ Reynolds’ “Camel No. 9” ad appeals to teenage girls, through the slogan, the pink camel, and overall appearance of the product.
   Camel No.9 received mixed reviews because of its ad approach. The ad shows two boxes of cigarettes with a jet black background with teal green or hot pink edges. The ad also has pink roses with a catchy slogan” light and luscious.” At the time the ad was released Camel claimed that the reason for its new product was to attract more women consumers since their traditional target were men. The company felt that they had to change their target after a popular study showed that half of the adult smoking population were female and other comparable brands Kool and Marlboro had already established a relationship with women smokers. Camel felt that they had to catch up (Beirne 2). However, the company went beyond catching up by making their overall appearance visually irresistible.
The overall appearance of the product is so distracting that it’s harmful. For example, there was an ad on (cityflight.com) that showed the word cancer that was altered to replace the word “Camel” on top of its pink and black cigarette box. However, I was so thrown off by the color of the box as well as the pink camel logo that it took me ten minutes to notice that the words were changed. If someone who is taught to recognize the hidden messages of things can be so easily consumed, by the glamour of the ad, what hope is there for teenage girls who are ignorant to the warning signs?  The ad was created to capture a teenage girl’s attention because if someone happens to come across the product in a magazine or on the internet without anything that indicates that it’s a brand of cigarette it could be easily mistaken for a box of candy.
The part of the ad that targeted teenage girls the most was its slogan “Light & Luscious.” The word luscious is defined as something being delicious and pleasing. Frequently, it is used among teenagers to describe something as appealing or attractive. The slogan tries to appeal to girls because of the way it is written. For example, the words are written in light cartoonish pink letter with the “&” symbol in the middle of the words. The fact that the words are written to look like a cartoon makes me believe that the words were supposed to catch a young girl’s eyes. Teenagers purchase a great deal of their favorite cartoon products such as Sponge Bob, Scooby Doo, and an endless list of others; it’s very rare to see a grown women walk into the store and pouches one of these items for herself. The slogan was designed to target teenage girls because of its “&” symbol. The “&” symbol has become an important part of teen expression. They use it for messaging friends on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.
               The pink Camel was created to lure teenage girls to the product by making it very similar to the Victoria’s Secret pink mascot dog. For example, in 2004 the company came out with a clothing line called pink and according to reviews on ebay.com “Victoria’s secret proudly admits that the pink line was geared toward teenage girls.” The line was very successful in their approach and most of their success was owed to their pink mascot. It’s not much of a surprise that Camel put out their mascot three years later in hopes of attracting the same crowd.
 Some may disagree with me and say that their kids aren’t easily influenced; however, if this were true, why do parents install programs on their televisions to block particular channels? And why won’t they allow their children to hang out with kids who seem like their heading in the wrong direction?  In my past experience, I have learned that even a strong willed teenager can be swayed by what’s popular. Even if a few individuals choose to disagree with me they should still take a second look at the message that is being expressed before completely accepting it.
Messages are displayed by the media everyday of our lives; however, is the broadcast message really clear? Did you ever stop to think that there may be a hidden agenda? We find comfort in believing that the message was hidden but was it really? Or did we choose not to see it?  When do we stop ignoring the sign and take a stand by challenging the media.  People want to attack the advertiser for putting out products that target their children months after the damage is done; however, there wouldn’t have been any damage, if we would just take the time to really see the advertisement for what it is.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

"Confrontational Guilt" from Say the Word


Confrontational Guilt
            The physical altercation I had in front of my son changed who I was as adult and a parent. I cannot justify my actions on why it happened; however, I will admit that I affected my son’s behavior. Preventive measures were out the door when the altercation took place. During the quarrel I glanced over at my car, and saw the look on my son’s face. I felt embarrassed; in fact, I was even more shocked at his actions, he was cheering me on.
            My actions took a negative effect on my son’s behavior, after witnessing the way I handled disputes and arguments. He started getting in trouble at school for fighting; as a result, he was suspended. I shared part of the blame. It was my duty as a parent to help my son overcome his violent behavior. I took several measures, which included explaining to him that my actions were wrong, and ultimately caused me to act out, and that lead to a fight. I have taken steps in assisting my son with his anger issues. There are other ways to resolve disputes, for example, you can walk away, keep quiet, or make a report to a higher authority.
            A change took place for me and my son. His teacher suggested counseling or therapy; although I had doubts, nevertheless, I agreed. After he started counseling sessions, finally, I initiated treatment for myself regarding my anger issues. Our behaviors did not change overnight, but I saw he was a little more humble as the days went on. The effect it had on him changed my life. I realized I had someone that looked up to me, and watched my every move, soaking it up like a sponge.
We as parents are our children’s biggest heroes. Although some people categorize counseling and therapy with being crazy or having psychological disorders, addressing issues and taking the necessary steps will help you with being the best person you can be. You become more complete in whom you are. The steps I took after the altercation is what made me a better parent, and a more responsible adult. I look forward to being a positive role model for my son, and people around me.

Moving from One Paragraph to Multiple Paragraphs!