Crimson

It wasn’t until the wheels of the Blackhawk hit the landing zone when I realized there was no turning back. I just landed in Iraq, and the fear of the unknown was captivating. Events from these days seem to have a lasting impact on me that I will never forget. The following events describe my experience of war and how it shaped who I am today. I joined the United States Army as a Cavalry Scout in the winter of 2005. I was stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. My unit prepared for our upcoming…

The demise of Madame DeFarge, the Marquis, and Lorry Stryver were inevitable and cannot even be justified by being labeled unfortunate or untimely. As the novel went on, it became evident that their extreme character flaws would soon lead to self-destruction; Dickens makes this theme universal by using it repeatedly in both the English and French characters. Strangely, these characters all share two negative traits: evil and envy. It became obvious as the story progressed that at some point, as…

Under the thick cloak of night, in the heart of the jungle, the symphonic sound of rain hits the leaves. The air was thick and heavy, filled with the damp, musty smell of wet canvas and earth. The tent's floor was nothing more than a thin layer of canvas, which separated them from the mud. The sound of boots trudging through the muddy trenches and the chatter of soldiers could be heard from the distance. George sat alone in his tent as the lantern's dim glow cast eerie shadows against the tent's…

"Shame on the misguided, the blinded, the distracted and the dividend. Shame. You have allowed deceptive men to corrupt and desensitize your hearts and minds to unethically fuel their greed.” (Kassem, n.d.) Imagine a world lacking all feelings of emotion, a world completely void of sympathy and regret. Desensitization is the predominant factor in the process leading towards this dark, flat world. Generally, people tend to be unaware of the callousness growing within their minds and in the…

Although having lived a very short life, John Keats is arguably one of the most remarkable poets that the Romantic Era produced. His poetry explores the human condition by asking deep philosophic questions. Written in 1819, the poem ”Ode on Melancholy," captures many complex emotions, and focuses on the intertwined connection between joy and sadness, hope and disappointment. He reasons that in order to fully experience and appreciate one, we must also experience the other. Only if we can truly…

It was the last day of summer vacation and I found myself on the docks of Point Pleasant preparing to board the Norma Kay III for a morning fishing excursion. The air smelled of salt as I helped my dad and grandfather unload our cooler and equipment out of the back of the car. As I looked out on the gray ocean in the early morning light the upcoming day looked promising. I had never gone deep sea fishing before, and my mind was filled with images of me hauling in flounder after flounder and…

College is stressful for the majority- managing your time, then balancing out tests, quizzes, extracurriculars, projects, etc. The word itself creates mixed emotions of the unknown. From early on, it’s viewed as an exciting chapter in life until you reach the age of decision making, identifying your necessities, filling out applications, writing admission essays, and anticipating the possible letter of acceptance or rejection. In 2016, the book, Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni,…

After the darkness turned to light of the dazzling gold sun, my eyes squinted at the beams of brightness and confusion washed over my mind like a wave crashing violently into the shore.The enormous rock from under me made my veins run cold with the sun beating sun rays into my skin, the waves of the dark wine ocean slowly swam into the grainy sand.As I slowly sit up, the aloe green trees that hang low brush against my head and my crew and ship a.re nowhere to be seen. In a blink of an eye, the…

omniscient point of view allows the narrator to know the thoughts and feeling of everyone. “On such an afternoon, if ever, the Lord High Chancellor ought to be sitting here — as here he is — with a foggy glory round his head, softly fenced in with crimson cloth and curtains, addressed by a large advocate with great whiskers, a little voice, and an interminable brief, and outwardly directing his contemplation to the lantern in the roof, where he can see nothing but fog.” (Dickens, Page 14)…

The Lethal Injection Capital punishment has been a heated debate for a long time. Capital punishment is a system where prisoners who committed grave crimes that usually involve either mass murder or rape are sentenced to die to either give retribution for the heinous act committed and to deter other criminals from doing the same or similar crimes against humanity. This can be carried out from a variety of ways but, the only common one that is used currently is lethal injection. The lethal…