Rose Ellis Woods Autobiography

Improved Essays
There once was a girl named Rose, raised well and loved by all, yet extremely poor. A common bibliophile, obsessed with nature and learning. When she reached the age of 16, she fell in love with a wonderful young man. There was just one problem. He came from a wealthy family, and though his parents opposed, they married as soon as they were of age. The young couple came to have a child, Ellis, and settled down in a cottage deep in the woods. This woman is me, Rose Ellis Woods.
Edward had been working in the fields that night, and just came in to settle down for the night. He quaffed down a glass of water Ellis had fetched for him, and told tales of his day at work.
“There are rumors,” he began, “of the things that happen to those who harbor the runaways. I fear Fred and Emily are no more.” Frowning, I soon objected: “They would never…could never…” Yet we both knew the awful truth. They most certainly could, and probably did. Edward and I have had a constant inner battle due to slavery. Could you blame us? Slavery was wrong, and all Quakers knew it. That explains why Fred and Emily had done what they did. Of course it was against the law to harbor runaways, but secretly, she envied the pair for their bravery and devotion. Edward cleared his throat, announcing, “Tomorrow I will work in the fields instead of the factory. I have already notified the boss.” I sighed. Sometimes I had horrible thoughts within. Slaves would make life so much easier, and we certainly could afford it. However, I knew it would never be, and I didn't want them anyway. They were people, no less than Edward or Ellis. My thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at the door. Edwards eyebrows rose. “Company so late, Rose? Why didn’t you tell me?” My mind raced frantically, “I have no plans for tonight.” “Oh?” Edward questioned. It may have been less alarming if we lived in the town, but the only neighbors we ever had were Fred and Emily. They were the only people to ever come around, much less at this hour. I glanced nervously at the door, shuffling towards the soft, almost frantic knocks. As soon as I cracked the door, I heard, “A friend with a friend.” I’d heard whispers of these words, but there was no way. Yet, it was. Peeking through the door, I caught a glimpse of a black woman accompanied by a young girl, probably around the age of 8, the same as Ellis. They came immediately, they always did. I saw them when I closed my eyes, when I thought of them, when I heard the whispers. The memory came so suddenly, I didn’t stand a chance. The noise started faint, an itching in my ears. Gradually, I sat up in bed as the sounds of snarling and cries grew. Instinctively, I grabbed Edward as the first gunshot sounded. They were so close. How
…show more content…
Edward and I had recently bought the home, and soon after realized there was a secret room behind the bookshelf. Of course we had no use for it before, so we made it into a library. I sighed. It would have to do. I didn’t know how I was going to face Edward tomorrow. Alas, they would need to stay for at least an extra night. Their clothes were tattered, their bodies weak. I needed at least a day to make them a new set of clothes, feed them, and let them regain their strength. Edward would without a doubt be furious. Maybe Ruth could take a break from school tomorrow to help me.
After helping the two into their room, I crawled into bed, thinking the day over. What we were doing could very well get us killed. Any sane person would clearly be incredibly worried at this point. Yet somehow, I went to sleep that night with a smile on my face, and whenever I thought of Charlotte and Ruth, I felt a warmth spread through my entire body. The next morning, I woke with the small smile still glued to my face. I try to hide it from Edward but clearly fail. I saw the hint of a smile on his face as he whispers, “Psychopath.” Of course this only makes my smile

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This shows how truly selfish Rose Mary is that she would keep a two karat diamond ring that she does not need instead of providing her children with food or clothes. The reader can see Rose Mary’s true colors and see how she only cares about herself when she tells Jeanette that self-esteem is more vital than food.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine, living on a farm with eight different horses. For a young woman named Amber this is an everyday reality. On August 31,2016 I interviewed a seventeen year old junior named amber. This is the First time i met this girl who is in my period four english class.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Page 9 -“But I could never enjoy the room without worrying about Mom and Dad huddled on a sidewalk grate somewhere.” At the end of the book, the dad is dead but during this scene, he is still alive. Question: This scene couldn’t have taken place after the book, so when did this event take place?…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Simon Dialectical Journal

    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Simon snapped shut his locker and slung his gym bag over his shoulder. The walk to the library was short but he wished there was some other place he could go. His shoulder bones ached from swimming practice. Moreover, the weight of his gym bag made it worse. Couldn’t he just go home by himself, he wondered.…

    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “What stays in the Family” is a memoir by Lorna Crozier about a secret that she hid throughout her life. Her father was a drunk. Not only does she have an alcoholism father, but also have a manipulative mother. From a young age, Lorna Crozier suffered profoundly from her mother’s pragmatism. She was warned to keep her father’s issue a secret, since then, Crozier endured the guilt of tricking people, and the shame was torturing Crozier every single day.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The past is filled with moments we remember some of joy and others of longing to have done something different thinking things would be better than they are now. In “I Stand Here Ironing” Olsen shows how parents could come to regret the decisions they make as they raise their children through the narrator. The importance of displaying this regret to the reader is to enhance the sympathy towards the narrator who otherwise might be seen as a terrible mom at least to her first daughter. Olsen’s narrator is the mother of five children(510) the first being Emily who the narrator regrets many of the choices she made raising which caused her social and emotional connection with Emily to break down and longs to establish the same bond with Emily…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Every girl dreams of a love at sixteen that is highly unrealistic, though through time she will develop a realistic view of what love really is. Janie’s experiences through two failed marriages will help her newly planted pear tree to grow into a full grown tree, her experiences at specific points in time will cause the tree to wilt and die showing her loss of belief in love. While at other times it will be full grown and thriving off its newly obtained knowledge and wisdom. These experiences will help Janie begin to realize that love isn’t just bees and pear trees, but rather struggle and learned life lessons.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Meeting parental expectations and completing all of the “requirements” to be a successful son or daughter has always been part of the main goal and developing process for everyone, no matter how old the “child” is. Sandra Cisneros and Amy Tan, authors of two unique essays - "Only Daughter" and "Mother Tongue" - with the similar theme, are sharing their experiences and thought processes regarding that question. They have something in common – both women immigrated to the United States with their families and both decided to major in English to become writers. However, these are the only few similarities that authors have. Everything else is different and almost antithetical – mother that had her own “broken” English for Amy Tan and…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A wise man once said, “ One who is kind is sympathetic and gentle with others. He is considerate of others’ feelings and courteous in his behavior. ”-(Ezra Taft Benson). Although his words are true, they are often not displayed in the behavior of our peers, especially during high school. I learned the hard way, through witnessing a misunderstanding that led to discriminatory actions.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Landlord had indeed remained fully clothed during his ravaging of Harper; which was an indicator of his own urgency and need. As sore as she must be from his ministrations, and the bruises and welts that adorned her skin, his muscles, too, ached, and the bath would soothe both, before they retired to sleep on white, satin sheets. Together. It would be the first occasion in over a year that the man would wake up with the sunlight filtering through the windows, and the warmth of a woman's body beside him. The other's had either all left before morning came, of their own volition, or at Hawthorne's request.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Eliza makes sure to emphasize that having Edward in her life relieves her so that she can make him feel appreciated. By crediting Edward’s kindness and expressing her appreciation, Edward is likely to provide help because he will know that his help will not go…

    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As one broke free from confinement, the other chose to live in her father’s path not knowing. In the story “My Sister’s Marriage,” Cynthia Marshall Rich writes of a small family of a father, Dr. Landis who is over controlling of his two daughters, Sarah Ann and Olive (200). Dr. Landis is a controlling and manipulative father who is always concerned towards his two daughters. Olive, who is the eldest daughter, is rebellious and courageous as she introduces change in her life away from her father’s expectations. Sarah Ann on the other hand, is an obedient girl who is over powered by her father.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Tim Burton’s beautifully haunting production of ‘Edward Scissorhands’ introduces our protagonist, represented by Johnny Depp, and explores the fictional story of this solitary boy with an unfortunate seemingly threatening oddity, being thrust into a world where he is glaringly blatant in the midst of the suburbs. Despite his intimidating exterior, it is almost immediately exposed that Edward is just an innocent, childlike soul, intent on serving others. The purpose of this film was to delve into the threatening manner of suburbia and its dismissive views on originality. Burton shattered cliches and stereotypes of who ‘monsters’ are by introducing the monster in the form of townspeople. As Tim Burton’s individual ordeals are translated into…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    These familial struggles can be seen in Margaret Atwood’s “Lusus Naturae” and Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.” While each family faces the same struggle, their ways of coping with…

    • 1748 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Curious, particular, and destructive rumors seem to be. In contrast to game of Telephone, rumors spread like a vast disease corresponding to the Black Plague. Although very interesting but curious, rumors are told correctly in the beginning then desecrated into an abomination of terrible misfortunes. Keeping into consideration that rumors are never told with the correct information, the verbal pestilence has it’s way of being spread throughout any ear; however, embellished, crude, and untruthful they tend to be. As to be expected, not one person is sympathetic or empathetic towards the person whom has the attention of the rumor.…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays