Sunday, May 12, 2013
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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.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
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John Smith
Professor
Drawbond
English 21
1 March 2013
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Monday, February 25, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
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.
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