A True Story of Crime and Punishment Essay Example for Free

A True Story of Crime and Punishment Essay A true story of how a man was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, May God Have Mercy exposes the imperfections in the criminal justice system and how it led to the death of an innocent man. Roger Colemans case became the main story on nightly newscasts and prominent television shows such as Larry King Live, Nightline, Good Morning America, and the Today Show. Many crucial, yet harmful decisions were made that ultimately resulted in an innocent mans execution at the death house in Greensville, Virginia. The police, the prosecutor, and the Judge can all be held responsible for Colemans death. However, the reason Roger Coleman was not acquitted of the murder of Wanda McCoy in the first place and thus in a position to be executed was because his original lawyers, Steve Arey and Terry Jordan, did not provide him with adequate representation, as required by the Constitution of the United States of America. Steve Arey and Terry Jordan were young, inexperienced lawyers who should have never even been considered for a capital case. Judge Persin, the presiding Judge in the case, however, decided on these two gentlemen because other more experienced lawyers refused to take the case because of the huge financial sacrifice it would require. Albeit public speculation that Judge Persins previous profession as a prosecutor had led him to heavily favor the prosecution, his decision stood. The two prosecutors who Arey and Jordan would be opposed by were Mickey McGlothlin and Tom Scott. Both prosecutors had far more experience than the defense lawyers, but that didnt stop Judge Persin from appointing Arey and Jordan to the case. It was an obvious mismatch, intentional or not, and was just the beginning of many problems that would arise for the defendants case. The murder of Wanda McCoy took place in Grundy, a small town in Virginia. The year was 1981, and Brad McCoy, Wandas husband, arrived home from work to find his wife dead, the apparent victim of a brutal rape and murder. The police investigated the crime scene, recorded witness reports, and searched for suspects. When they identified their prime suspect, Roger Coleman, the police made the arrest. Due to the negative public opinion that had generated following the arrest, Coleman demanded that his lawyers file for a change of venue with the court. Since Grundy was such a small town, it would  be very difficult to pick an impartial jury to give Coleman a fair trial. Every person in the town had to have read or seen something on the murder. The fact that the police provided supposed conclusive evidence against Roger Coleman and made it public, many of Grundys residents wanted to see Coleman sentenced to death. Steve Arey had been preparing the case to present to Judge Persin, but at the last minute, he notified Terry Jordan that he would not be able to attend due to a prior engagement. Areys lack of respect for Coleman and the case in general left Terry Jordan with a crucial decisionwhether to seek a continuance or to argue the motion himself. He chose to present the case himself. The defenses decision to argue the motion was a terrible decision. Not only should Jordan have sought a continuance because he was not prepared to argue the case, but neither of the defense lawyers had done any research or made any effort to obtain evidence to support their case for a change of venue, except for a couple of newspaper clippings and a picture of the hanging-tree sign. The prosecution, on the other hand, had gotten approximately fifty affidavits from members of the town claiming that they did not have any biased feelings about the case. As expected, Judge Persin denied the change of venue request, a nd effectively set the tone for Roger Colemans trial. The beginning of every trial begins with opening statements, which provide the jury with a preview of the evidence they will provide and what it will effectively show. A lawyers opening statement is probably the most important part of the entire trial, and usually puts the jurors leaning favorably towards the side with the more convincing performance. Like any other criminal case, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. They are required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. Mickey McGlothlin presented an organized and persuasive opening statement that gave the jury the impression that Roger Coleman was guilty based on the significant amount of evidence against him. The defenses opening statement should have attacked the evidence that the state provided, and also attacked McGlothlins credibility. The defenses  opening statement should have consisted of a description of the friendly relationship that existed between Roger Coleman and the McCoys. It also should have also included Colemans alibiPhilip VanDykeand the fact that VanDykes time card reinforces the time that he said he was with Coleman and the time that he clocked into his job. Arey and Jordan also had an opportunity to smear McGlothlins credibility by referring to evidence that he failed to mention in his opening argumentthe pry mark on the door, the broken fingernails on the victim but no scratches on Coleman, and that the substance found on the victim was soil, not coal dust, which had been on Colemans clothes. The defense counsel didnt refer to any of those facts. No scientific evidence was brought up, and it failed to respond to McGlothins statement that there was evidence that Coleman had in fact admitted to committing the crime. The opening statement was a complete disappointment for Coleman. It started to raise questions inside of Coleman of whether his own defense lawyers thought he was guilty and therefore were not putting the time or effort in to prove his innocence. In either case, his defense lawyers had presented a completely inadequate opening statement, and it left the jury with the feeling that Roger Coleman was guilty. In addition to failing to present a solid and influential opening argument, another major problem with the defense counsel was their extreme lack of preparation for the trial (their own witnesses and the states witnesses). Before the Coleman case, Terry Jordan had never tried a murder case, a rape case, any case involving blood or hair analysis or a criminal case of any kind that lasted more than one day (112). Being from Grundy, Jordan should have interviewed most if not all of the local witnesses, but that did not happen. He did not interview all of police officers that were investigating the crime nor did he interview Dr. McDonald, who was the first one to examine Wanda McCoys body and who estimated her time of death. He did not interview Hezzie McCoy, Dr. Oxley (the doctor who performed the autopsy), or even Elmer Gist, who was the states blood and hair expert. In fact, Jordan cross-examination of Elmer Gist was solely based on Gists report about hair comparisons and one on blood analysis. He had not read anything about blood or hair analysis, because if he had, he would have been more capable of performing an effective cross-examination of the states most crucial  witness. Terry Jordan also failed to carefully examine the physical locations that could have led to Colemans innocence and acquittal. He never actually went inside the house where the murder took place, nor did he examine the door to see if there was any evidence of forced entry. He never examined the bathhouse where Coleman said his pants got wet from, and he did not go to the mine where Roger worked. The route that Coleman supposedly took that night was never gone over to see how long it took and to see if there was time for him to commit the crime given the stops that he made prior to the murder. Jordan did not look for other witnesses who the state had not identified, and he did not ever ask for VanDykes time card, an essential piece of evidence. No photographs were taken at any point, making everything that was presented in court non-visual. Visuals would have made the defenses case much stronger. Steve Arey had interviewed most of the same witnesses that Jordan interviewed, along with a couple other defense-alibi witnesses. The state was heavily favored in the case to begin with because of their experience in criminal cases, as opposed to the defense counsels lack of experience in such cases. As expected, Judge Persin ruled in favor of the state and Roger Coleman was sentenced to death. Many criminal cases are appealed after their conclusion, and this case was no different. The defense has thirty days to file a Notice of Appeal with the Court. The defense prepared their appeal and mailed it to the Court. However, the attorney generals office told the defense that they had filed the appeal one day late and that it would not be accepted. This was another huge mistake by the defense. Although a legal technicality should not be the cause for an innocent mans evidence to be withheld, the law specifically stated that a Notice of Appeal must be filed within thirty days of the Judge signing the order that rejected all of the defenses arguments. The defense had missed a crucial deadline and Roger Coleman would b e punished because of it. The defense would not be able to get the Court to listen to their case again and this would eventually lead to Colemans death. The fact remains that neither Terry Jordan nor Steve Arey conducted a thorough enough investigation to really present a strong case to oppose the prosecution. Roger Coleman was never really given a fair trial, and it ultimately led to his conviction and death. His lawyers failed to use the evidence that was available to get their client acquitted. Their inexperience and lack of motivation resulted in an innocent mans death. There were many opportunities for the defense counsel to question witnesses, to seek experts opinions on the forensic evidence, and to insert new evidence to support Roger Colemans case, but they did not do so. Jordan and Arey should have never been appointed as Colemans counsel, and that alone made Colemans chances of acquittal slim to none. Roger Coleman was never given a fair chance, even later on in the process before he was executed, however, his defense lawyers performed well below the standards that a man on trial for his life deserves. Their terrible mista kes and decisions led to the death of an innocent man.

Influence Motivation Through Appraisals: Activating Goals

Influence Motivation Through Appraisals: Activating Goals Another way in which emotions may influence judgments is by activating goals or motives. For example, emotions can affect judgments and behavior by priming different goals (Garg, Wansink, Inman, 2007; Hoch Loewenstein, 1991; Leith Baumeister, 1996; Tice, Bratslavsky, Baumeister, 2001; Winterich Haws, 2011). One outcome to view the interplay of different motivations is self-regulation. Self-conscious emotions affect self-regulation by way of activating different goals in different situations. Wilcox, Kramer, and Sen (2011) found that incidental pride (a discrete emotion with appraisal of self as having been responsible for outcomes) had dual effects on self-regulation leading to indulgent choices when pride promotes a sense of achievement and virtuous choices when pride promotes self-awareness. Participants primed with pride (vs. happiness vs. control) increased indulgence under low cognitive load because availability of high cognitive resources allowed participants to feel the complex sense of achievement and they felt a sense of having made progress in their long-term goals. In contrast, under high self-awareness, which has been shown to enhance individuals’ motivation to behave consistently with the long-term goals (Diener Wallbom, 1976; Patrick, Chun, MacInnis, 2009[D1]), in cidental pride (vs. control) led to lower choice of indulgent foods and increased effort towards goal progress. This research highlights the need to take a nuanced view of the motivational influences of incidental emotions. Influences of emotions extend to social motivations (such as actions in service of relationship repair) and affect subsequent consumption decisions. In a field study, Dahl, Honea and Manchanda (2005) found that a consumers lack of purchase led consumers to feel guilty when they perceived a social connectedness with the salesperson and considered self to be responsible for the purchase. When consumers experience guilt, they intend to pursue reparative actions during future purchase interactions with the salesperson to repair their relationship. It is to be noted that in this research, the guilt is induced by past purchase behavior and is not incidental. However, this serves as an example regarding how social emotions might influence motivations and opens the line of enquiry about similar effects from incidental emotions. The influence of emotions on goals or self-regulation is not limited to self-conscious emotions. Other appraisals can work through a different set of goals to impact self-regulation. For example, an appraisal dimension that is relevant to self-regulation is temporal focus of the incidental emotion because temporal focus is central to the trade-offs between long-term goals and short-term indulgences (Hoch Lowenstein, 1991). Winterich and Haws (2011) found that future focused positive emotions such as hope (vs. pride, which is past focused) aided in making healthier food choices. In contrast, future-focused negative emotion (e.g., fear) did not influence self-regulation. This research indicates that a combination of appraisals (temporal focus and valence) influences self-regulation through differential goal activation. Influence on coping strategies through appraisals. Several of the studies earlier had a component of coping or regulating the emotion to feel better or rid oneself of negative appraisals[NA2]. Herrald and Tomaka (2002) found that when participants who felt angry or ashamed reported to cope with negative emotions by regulating their negative emotional responses through seeking social support or engaging in defensive processing to a greater extent than those who felt pride. In a more specific link to coping strategies, distinct cognitive appraisal tendencies elicited by different emotions can also influence subsequent judgments and decision making via an activation of particular coping strategies. Duhachek, Agrawal, and Han (2012) suggest that guilt-laden individuals are more likely to activate problem-focused coping strategies, which refer to efforts to manage the source of stress directly (Lazarus Folkman, 1984), because guilt is associated with high self-efficacy appraisals (i.e., I can fix the problem; Tangney, Stuewig, Mashek, 2007). In contrast, shame-laden individuals are more likely to use emotion-focused coping strategies, which refer to efforts to regulate emotional responses toward the stress (e.g., stop thinking about it, let negative emotions out; Lazarus Folkman, 1984), because shame is associated with low self-efficacy appraisals (i.e., I cannot fix the problem; Tangney, Stuewig, Mashek, 2007). Consistent with the proposed theorizing, they found that guilt-laden participants activated greater problem-focused coping when they were shown the gain-framed messages whereas shame-laden participants evoked greater emotion-focused coping when they were shown the loss-framed messages. By studying the motivations associated with each emotion, we can better identify how emotions affect judgments and decision-making. Influence mindsets through appraisals Another way that emotions may affect may affect decisions is by activating a cognitive procedure or a set of associations that then automatically apply to the tasks conducted under the emotion’s influence. And example of this process can be found in studies where distinct emotions can activate different cognitive mindsets. Han, Duhachek, and Agrawal (2014) showed that guilt elicited low construal level mindset whereas shame elicited high construal level mindset based on the different cognitive appraisal tendencies associated with these two emotions. Specifically, previous research has shown that guilt is experienced when individuals appraise negative outcomes to their specific behaviors (i.e., behavior specific appraisals, such as â€Å"I did a bad thing†) whereas shame is experienced when individuals appraise negative outcomes to their global self (i.e., global self appraisals, such as â€Å"I am a bad person†). Based on these findings, Han, Duhachek, and Agrawa l (2014) propose that these distinct cognitive appraisals elicited by two emotions activate local (in case of guilt) or global (in case of shame) appraisal tendencies which lead individuals to appraise the subsequent event in a manner consistent with their behavior-specific appraisals (in case of guilt) or their global-self appraisals (in case of shame) and that these local or global appraisal tendencies will activate either low or high construal level mindsets. Consistent with their theorizing, Han, Duhachek, and Agrawal (2014) found that the local appraisal tendency of guilt activated lower construal mindset and the global appraisal tendency of shame activated higher construal mindset, which in turn affects judgment and decision-making. Thus emotions may influence judgments by providing information, goals, mindsets or coping processes. Understanding which appraisal is likely to trigger which process would allow researchers to predict the effects of different emotion more precisely. LEVERAGING THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF APPRAISALS BY UNDERSTANING HOW TWO APPRAISALS MAY INTERACT While we have discussed how two emotions may vary on an appraisal dimension, we have also discussed the potential for conflicting findings across appraisal dimensions. This highlights the need for us to study the interactions between two appraisal dimensions. How would two appraisal dimensions (say valence and self/other responsibility) interact to determine consequences? Research on specific emotions has focused mostly on one appraisal dimension. . However, because each emotion has multiple cognitive appraisals, some of the findings on the same emotions show inconsistent results. For example, shame sometimes leads to withdrawal behaviors (e.g., Duhachek, Agrawal, Han, 2012) but sometimes leads to prosocial behaviors (e.g., de Hooge, Breugelmans, Zeelenberg, 2008). These inconsistent findings on same emotion suggest that unidimensional cognitive appraisal approach may not fully capture how each emotion affects behavior and judgment. Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate how two app raisal dimensions interact to influence outcomes or consequences. One way that two appraisals have been studied is to show different effects of valence across a set of emotions varying along another dimension as well. For example[NA3], SHAME and ANGER finding. Now say valence changes nature of finding: PRIDE GRATITUDE finding. Even thought the studies were different studies for postiiv ena dnegative emtoions, what we have is a conceptual interaction. A few researchers have recently investigated the interactive effects of two appraisal dimensions associated with discrete emotions on consumer behavior and judgments. For example, Agrawal, Menon and Aaker (2007) showed that for sadness and agitation, the valence dimension and self/other relatedness dimension both interactively affects the effectiveness of health messages. Specifically, they showed that when the primed emotion was positive, the fit between the focal referent in the message (self or family) and discrete emotion enhanced the processing of aversive health information whereas when individuals were primed with a negative emotion, the fit hindered the processing of health information. Appraisal dimensions based on motivations could interact with other dimensions to result in motivation-matching mechanisms. For example, Labroo and Rucker (2010) proposed a joint model of emotions categorized by two dimensions: motivation orientation (along the dimensions of approach vs. avoid) and valence. This framework provides a richer view of the affect regulation mechanism through showing that when participants were focused on their affective experiences, ‘orientation matching’ of emotions (for example, positive approach emotions (e.g., happiness) provided to regulate negative approach emotions (e.g., anger)) provides more affective regulation benefit than merely providing any positively valenced emotions. In particular, they found that when individuals experienced a negative emotion associated with approach orientation (e.g., angry), they showed more favorable attitudes toward the brand when they were shown and ad which activated positive emotions associated with same approach orientation (e.g., happiness). Moreover, when emotions with differing appraisals interact, it can coactivate a tendency when one emotion alone would have showed a different tendency. Morales, Wu, and Fitzsimons (2012) showed that fear can elicit an action tendency when combined with disgust. Fear is associated with uncertainty and motivates people to escape from the threat. Fear has been known to be associated with both avoidance behavior and hesitation and freezing behaviors (Smith Ellsworth, 1985). People show freezing behaviors initially and then take action when the fear eliciting object is unavoidably near. On the other hand, disgust is associated with strong certainty and strong impulse to avoid and distance oneself. Morales, Wu and Fitzsimons (2012) showed that when disgust was incorporated within the fear appeal, it enhanced persuasion and message compliance when fear alone did not. Interactions of appraisals might be a useful way to think about divergent findings or ways to reconcile conflicting findings in the literature. CONTEXTUAL INFLUECNES AND THE IMPACT OF EMOTIONS And finally, (E) how would these emotion appraisals interact with the contextual information from the environment to influence judgments. The various and inconsistent findings on same emotion suggests that studying specific emotion should broaden the scope and deviate from the framework of emotion leading to certain cognitive appraisal that subsequently leads to specific behavior and judgment. An overarching framework should include how motivational, situational factors interact with certain cognitive appraisals and how certain cognitive appraisal could lead to different mindset. For example, cognitive appraisal can lead to different motivations depending on the contexts. Fear is known to lead people to show freezing type behaviors, but it can lead to higher need for affiliation when a situation allows people to have someone or brand nearby (Dunn Hoegg, 2014). Only through accounting for what type of situation and motivation drives the cognitive appraisals, the different findings co uld be reconciled. Contextual factors could influence not only the nature of event appraisals, but also the intensity of the cognitive appraisals and consequently, the intensity of the felt emotion. Hung and Mukhopadhyay (2011) showed that the visual perspective (actor vs. observer) taken while appraising an event could influence the intensity of the felt emotion. Participants who imagined the same hypothetical situation through an observer’s (vs. actor’s) perspective felt higher intensity embarrassment. While recalling a past experiences or imagining a hypothetical emotional event, participants taking the observer (vs. actor) perspective were more likely to think about how others might evaluate them and therefore felt more intense self-conscious emotions. Such contextual antecedents to cognitive appraisals could have interesting and significant influences on incidental emotions. Another approach to understand the interaction of contextual information with incidental emotions is through studying compatibility effects. Compatibility of external information with emotional appraisals could have complex outcomes depending on the domain and specific appraisal dimensions. Agrawal, Menon, and Aaker (2007) showed that appraisal dimensions of valence and self-other reference invoked by incidental emotions interact with the referent in a health message presented to participants to produce complex compatibility effects. When the incidental emotion is positive (e.g., happiness, peacefulness), the compatibility between the message referent (self vs. other) and emotional appraisal (self vs. other) fosters the processing of health information presented. In contrast, when the incidental emotion is negative (e.g., anxiety), then the compatibility of message referent and emotional appraisal hinders the processing of health message. Similar[D4] external information and emotiona l appraisal compatibility effects could be explored to understand consumers’ response to external stimuli in presence of incidental emotions. Another rich area of enquiry is how other people present (or considered) in the context could vary the nature of the emotion or interact with the incidental emotions to lead to different behavioral outcomes. Presence of other people in the context could interact with the appraisal rendered by an emotion and influence the fluency of the emotional experience and subsequent evaluations. In a series of interesting experiments, Fisher and Dube (2005) presented same-gender and mixed-gender pairs of participants with advertisements that invoked a positively valenced emotion with high agency (e.g., enthusiastic, excited) or low agency (e.g., calm, relaxed). Subsequently measured viewing pleasure and attitudes towards advertisements were significantly lower when males watched a low-agency ad in presence of another male (vs. in presence of a female). This effect was seen only in public ratings of the ad and not in private. These findings indicate a social desirability effect and favorability o f context-congruent emotions (for e.g., high agency is a desirable social stereotype for males). Future research could explore similar context-congruency effects of emotional appraisals and how they might influence behavioral outcomes. Van de Ven, Zeelenberg, and Pieters (2011) show that the nature of envy varies based on the deservedness appraisals of the envy targets. Benign envy is elicited when the others’ superior position is deserved. In contrast, a feeling of malicious envy is elicited when the others’ superior position is appraised as not deserved. The type of envy felt predicts the â€Å"Envy Premium† (higher willingness to pay for a product that elicits envy) of the product in such a way that benign envy leads to higher envy premium for a product owned by the superior person whereas malicious envy leads to higher envy premium for a product not owned by the superior person. This finding demonstrates how evaluative information about the context (whether others’ superior position) is deserved or not) changes the nature of the emotional reaction elicited. Future research could extend this finding to apply to incidental emotions[K5]. In addition to the interaction between incidental emotions and contextual information, research could examine how integral emotions and contextual information interacts to influence the subsequent judgments. Duhachek, Agrawal, and Han (2012) examine how the fit between emotions of guilt and shame and message framing influences subsequent message compliance. Specifically, they showed that high or low self efficacy appraisals evoked by guilt or shame interact with gain or loss framed messages to induce the match-based persuasion effects. It has been shown that since guilt-laden people believe that they can fix the problem (i.e., high self-efficacy appraisals), they prefer the message which emphasizes the positive outcomes of following the action described in the ad (i.e., gain frame). In contrast, shame-laden people believe that they cannot fix the problem (i.e., low self-efficacy appraisals), thus leading them to prefer the ad message which highlights the negative outcome of not follo wing the action. Consistent with the proposed theorizing, they found that when guilt (shame) appeals primed with gain- (loss-) framed messages, participants felt greater fluency and showed less intention to binge drink. Studying the impact of context on emotional influence on judgments is a rich avenue for future research. [K6] [D1]From Wilcox et al. (2011). You can find citations for these two papers in Wilcox et al. 2011. [NA2] World renowned coping expert Adam can tackle this: Need to bolster this section more. Maybe begin with mood repair†¦. Or nature of coping changes by nature of emotion. More build up will be good. [NA3]Da hee, please can you elaborate on our paper here†¦. [D4]We may add Agrawal and Duhachek (2010) if necessary. [K5]Meta appraisals. How I feel about how I feel, certainty/confidence/ I am uncertain about my anger. Or validity, I am angry but I know I shouldn’t be. Adam, pls add to GD [K6]Also the self literature, the role of self guilt. Or self anger. Mad at past version of myself for what I did. Adam, please add to GD.

Pursuance of Perfection Essay -- Body Image

In recent years, dedication has been paid to the study of body image and how it affects the person. These studies have shown that body image issues are increasing and present a danger to the health of members of our society. â€Å"This is obvious in distortion of body size (e.g. many young women who experience anorexia nervosa believe they are much heavier than they really are), and in cases of ‘phantom limb’ phenomena (in which people who have had limbs amputated report still ‘feeling’ the missing limb)† (Grogan 15). These issues arise within a person from various factors at an early age from being bullied and degraded about a defect or an abnormality in appearance; many individuals affected tend not to have an outlet other than the media, through which they obtain information on what is acceptable in society. â€Å"Unfortunately, looking at others usually doesn’t help, because they seem to look so much better, and this just reinforces her f eelings of defectiveness† (Wilhelm 13). The time has come for us to deviate from these methods of self-comfort and entertainment because they inhibit our personal development and affects our psyche. We in the Physical Education field have an obligation to provide those that are willing, an outlet, where they find self-comfort and entertainment through rigorous and demanding activities: through which the deviation process can be accomplished through careful implementation and planning. The want to obtain the perfect body image is a phenomenon created through the perceptions one has for things and the self and through social factors-such as friend family and the media; body image, being defined as â€Å"a person’s perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her body† (Grogan 14). The problem in pursuin... ...r Liput, and Rashmeen Nirmal. "Personality Preferences Of College Student-Athletes." College Student Journal 41.1 (2007): 34-36. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. Rabinor, Judith Ruskay. "The Therapist's Voice." Eating Disorders 7.2 (1999): 157-67. Print. Grogan, Sarah. Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children. London: Routledge, 1999. Print. McCabe, Marita P., Lina A. Ricciardelli, and Damien Ridge. "â€Å"Who Thinks I Need a Perfect Body?† Perceptions and Internal Dialogue among Adolescents about Their Bodies."Sex Roles 55.5/6 (2006): 409-19. EBSCOhost. Springer Science + Business Media, Inc., 21 Nov. 2006. Web. 1 Feb. 2012. Brown, Gavin, and Paul Potrac. "You've Not Made the Grade, Son': De-selection and Identity Disruption in Elite Level Youth Football." Soccer & Society 10.2 (2009): 143-59. Print.

A Day of Fishing with my Dad Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

A Day of Fishing I can still remember that day. All the beauty of nature collected in one moment. I can still feel the sponginess of the winter-aged leaves under my feet. I felt as though I was walking on a cloud, the softness of the leaves cushioning my every step, they were guiding me along the wooded path to a small creek. The humming of the water moving with the crispness of the air, together they were singing a promise of a fresh and clean new season. It was a beautiful spring that year. Every so often a day like that comes back and I am reminded of posing for our picture together. My cheeks begin to ache as I remember the smile so big on my face when the camera snapped. I thought my face would break in half if I tried to smile any wider. I was four years old and my hair was a lovely brunette with spears of pale blonde. The color every woman dreams of now. Shoulder length and bobbed I covered all my hair with a baseball hat, a smaller vesion of my father, we were going fishing. My skin was white for lack of sun from winter but my cheeks were bright red from the brisk air. T-shirt and jeans I was ready to fish. Of course my mother made certain that I was wearing my spring jacket. My mother seemed so happy. In my reflection of the situation her dream of a family had come true. She had me and my father, we were spending quality time together. She wasn't too fond of fishing, not that it was my favorite thing to do either; but my father was taking us. Wow he loved fishing. It's funny, I can't really remember what my mother was wearing but then again she wasn't in the picture. She was behind the camera and I think sometimes my memories fade when there isn't a picture to remind me. My father seemed to share my moth... ...d dreams. It is not like I never see him or talk to him; I do. He has been in and out of my life ever since. Occasionally he calls to say hi or ask how I'm doing; he is never consistent. Our convesations are short and very uncomfortable. When I am out shopping or running errands I sometimes run into him by chance, (or fate who knows). All of our truths and his lies are always there but never talked about. I can't remember the last time he called on my birthday, sometimes I wonder if he even remembers my birthday or even thinks of me when my birthday comes around every year. He never calls on holidays. It is really hard for me to talk to someone who was once my father, and now is a complete stranger. After all the things I know about my father, the strangest feeling I have is under the hurt and the pain, what I hope and pray for is day we might go fishing again.

Essay --

Kristy Huynh January 7, 2014 Period 2 The Poisonwood Bible Independent Study 1. Choose a passage that contains striking imagery. Analyze the passage and explain the effect on the work as a whole. â€Å"Clearing a rain forest to plant annuals is like stripping an animal first of its fur, then its skin. The land howls. Annual crops fly on a wing and a prayer. And even if you manage to get a harvest, why, you need roads to take it out! Take one trip overland here and you'll know forever that a road in the jungle is a sweet, flat, impossible dream. The soil falls apart. The earth melts into red gashes like the mouths of whales. Fungi and vines throw a blanket over the face of the dead land. It's simple, really. Central Africa is a rowdy society of flora and fauna that have managed to balance together on a trembling geologic plate for ten million years: when you clear off part of the plate, the whole slides into ruin†¦ To be here without doing everything wrong requires a new agriculture, a new sort of planning, a new religion† (524-525). Adah acknowledges what her father has done wrong and his inability to realizes his faults. The African land that the family has set food on cannot change according to their desires and attempting to do so only damages it more. Kingsolver illustrates that many do not seem to realize the impact of going into a country and asking them to change their religion, way of developing food, or their education system. Those attempting to colonize do not see the destruction that they are doing. Africa to Adah has been born like this, and â€Å" have managed to balance together on a trembling geological plate for ten million years.† This shows that balance has already been achieved in the views of the Africans and livin... ... ridiculous to Anatole that we have fruits and vegetables that are grown somewhere else and then driven miles and miles to the supermarket. The clash of the two cultures makes me wonder if the â€Å"American† way is better. It is pretty ridiculous that people can’t grow their own food and only rely on the labor of others. Although I appreciate and enjoyed reading about a world in which I have no experience, the imagery in the book was more than enough to show me that I would not survive a day living in Africa. Kingsolver’s vivid imagery and attention to detail hooked me the first few pages. (Like how the family wanted to bring the Better Crocker cake mix). The different detail from each of the Price sisters presents Africa and allowed me to piece it together. I was also able to identify myself with each of the sisters. I see myself as Rachel, Adah, Leah, and Ruth May.

Distractions: Classroom and Facebook Essay

Electronics is one of the main and worst distractions. Cell phones, laptops, desktop, and various other electronics are some of just a few distractions that take place in the class room, But the biggest one I think is laptops. People use laptops in the classroom to take notes, plan there day, and to do work on, but after a while it can those same usefulness can become a distraction. A lot of professors and instructors have decided to ban laptops from the classroom because people tend to lose focus with laptops in front of them. They start to go off and do other things like on Facebook or YouTube. This can become a big problem because they not paying attention so they don’t know what’s going on with the lesson which can affect what students might need to do for homework or what they need to study for that big test coming up. They not only are a distraction to the person using it but also a distraction to people around them. The typing may become annoying to a neighbor who may need to focus. Some professors find them a really distracting the typing and students seem to find more interest in the computer then in the lesson. Along with Cell phones, Laptops are becoming banned from classrooms due to the distraction to the person that uses them, their peers, and their professor. Laptops are just one of many distractions in the classroom and is one of the worst and main distractions along with cell phones and various other electronics that cause distractions.

Blacks in the Revolutionary War

Running Head: Blacks in the Revolutionary War1 Blacks in the Revolutionary War African American Studies Latasha Gating September 20, 2012 LaChanda K. Clemons Blacks in the Revolutionary War2 Looking back at the history of the United States, it is evident that the Revolutionary War impacted the country a great deal. It was the first war fought with slaves thanks to Lord Dunmore’s controversial proclamation. Historian Benjamin Quarles stated â€Å"The Negros role in the Revolutionary War can be best understood by realizing his major loyalty was not to a place nor to a people but to a principle. There were black loyalists, black sailors, black patriots and black regiments who fought and died in the name of Independence. It has been estimated that over 5,000 African Americans served as soldiers for the Continental army and more than 20,000 fought for the British cause. Slavery in Colonial America is noted to have begun in 1619 with the arrival of 20 African slaves on the Dutch sh ip named Man-of-war. The slaves made up over half the population in the colonies although they were seen more so as property instead of people. In 1776, there were about 500,000 African American men, women and children slaves.Everyone had a reason for taking part in the war. There were factors that motivated the blacks to take part in such a battle as well. The text mentions that when it came to fighting between the Patriots on one side and their Loyalist American allies on the other, African Americans joined the side that offered freedom. Having that choice of gaining freedom in exchange for serving in the military was indeed motivation. Other motives for blacks were the Blacks in the Revolutionary War3 desire for adventure, belief in the justice and the goals of the revolution and the possibility of receiving a bounty.The Continental navy and The Royal Navy signed blacks into the navy because of the manpower shortages at sea. Some blacks had been captured from the royal navy and u sed by the Patriots on their vessels. They also served as seamen on British vessel. Slaves and free slaves served as seaman. Because so many Patriot leaders resisted employing black troops, by mid-1775, the British had taken the initiative in recruiting African Americans. Revolutionary leaders feared using blacks in the arm forces. They were afraid that the slaves who were armed would uprise against them.In May 1775 the Massachusetts Committee of Safety put a stop to enlisting slaves in the armies of the colony. However, this did not apply to the blacks who were already serving in the army. 1775-1783 the navy recruits freed black slaves and runaway slaves. Lord Dunmore, born John Murray, was the last Royal Governor of Virginia. Because he was short of men, Dunmore issued a proclamation stating that all able bodied men to assist him in the defense of the colony, including the slaves of rebels. He promised freedom to the blacks who served. After doing so in a month he had 800 soldiers .The purpose of his Proclamation was to declare martial law and to encourage slaves of rebels in Virginia to leave their masters and support the loyalist cause â€Å"All indentured servants, Negroes, or others†¦free that are able Blacks in the Revolutionary War4 and willing to bear arms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Such an act outrage Virginians. Those that took Dunmore up on his word range between 800 and 2,000. The Virginia Congress replied to his Proclamation with the Dunmore’s wasn’t as successful as his plan out, the number of his soldiers decreased due to smallpox outbreaks.Dunmore’s Proclamation was the first mass emancipation of slaves in American history. After the war ended, over 5,000 blacks left for Jamaica or St. Augustine because they were the property of loyalist that they would never gain their freedom from slavery. By 1786, many were back in bondage. There were those who were Patriots’ slaves but sided with the British were promised their freedom and was granted such. Many black patriots found that the post war military held no rewards for them. So many men served in the armed forces which meant that their wives were left behind and had to take on their husband roles.Their lives changed a great deal during the Revolutionary War. The women, who could, serve the Colonial military forces and interacted with the male soldiers in camp. They were usually the wives and daughters of the male soldiers. The cooked, did laundry and cared for those that were sick. There also some who fought in the military battles: Margaret Cochran Corbin and Captain Molly. Molloy’s husband had taught her how to load and fire cannons. Black women, many of whom were slaves, served both Americans and the British in the capacity of nurses, laundresses and cooks.Blacks in the Revolutionary War5 Many African American soldiers fought and died for the sake of the Revolutionary War. The war ended in 1783, slavery was dying in the North and declining in C hesapeake. What was truly the purpose of Blacks fighting if they did not attain freedom at the end of the war? Were the lives lost beneficially to the slaves or was it just a gimmick to get blacks to stand in stops where white soldiers have already died in. Blacks in the Revolutionary War6 Bibliography Georgii, Colette. May 30, 2007.Slavery in Colonial America. www. helium. com/items/365359-Colonial-Early- Gabriel, Brian. Women’s roles and lives in the revolutionary war. http://www. ehow. com/) (http://blackloyalist. com/canadiandigitalcollection/story/revolution/dunmore. htm) Halpern, Rick (2002). Slavery and Emancipation. Blackwell Publishing. Pp. 90-91 Harold, Stanley, Hine, W. C. , Hine, D. C. The African American Odyssey: Volume 1, 5th Edition. Prentice Hall. 2011. Pearson Education, Inc. . (Scribner, Robert L. (1983). Revolutionary Virginia, the Road to Independence.University of Virginia Press. Pp. xxiv. ) ——————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 2 ]. Scribner, Robert L. (1983). Revolutionary Virginia, the Road to Independence. University of Virginia Press. Pp. xxiv [ 3 ]. Halpern, Rick (2002). Slavery and Emancipation. Blackwell Publishing. Pp. 90-91 [ 4 ]. Harold, Stanley, Hine, W. C. , Hine, D. C. The African American Odyssey: Volume 1, 5th Edition. Prentice Hall. 2011. Pearson Education, Inc. [ 6 ]. Gabriel, Brian. Women’s roles and lives in the revolutionary war. http://www. ehow. com/)