Legalization Of Weed :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this country, we are locked in a war we simply cannot win. We strive to protect over 10,000 miles of border, against enemies who are driven by the lure of a huge profit. We fought a version of this war before with prohibition, and we lost that one. All that has really resulted from this war is the overcrowding of prisons, the expansion of law enforcement’s ability to infringe on the personal lives of ordinary citizens, paranoia and distrust. If its not obvious already, I am referring to the war on drugs, marijuana in specific. Why spend millions of dollars fighting a war that can not be won? Legalizing marijuana would not only make the government money, but also improve society as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To most the financial reasons for ending the war are the most convincing. For example, it costs over $30,000 per year to house a prisoner - this does not include processing and legal fees. There are over 1.5 million non-violent drug law offenders in prison right now, and this number is increasing daily. That means we are spending a minimum of $45 billion per year keeping former tax-paying citizens locked up with murderers and rapists. When these people get out of jail, they will have criminal records which will make it nearly impossible to get a decent job. Most of whom had jobs and were contributing to the economy in some way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States spend $37 billion per year funding police efforts to fight the war on drugs.. Recent evidence suggests the CIA has been involved in drug-trafficking to fund its own private wars. Currently there is over $150 billion worth of drug traffic that remains untaxed. If you figure a tax rate of 15%, that is a total of $22.5 billion of taxes that America doesn't see. The U.S. Treasury estimates America wastes a minimum of $104.5 billion per year fighting a war that can not be won. Meanwhile crime rates continue to rise (because of the huge profits made possible by the risks involved in the drug trade as drugs remain illegal), and the quality of education, medical care and environmental protection falls due to lack of money in the budget.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem with drugs is not their effect, it is the corruption that is tied to the huge profits that doing illegal business commands. Increasing penalties for drug crimes will just increase the prices and thereby the profits for people willing to take the risk. Along with these profits will come increasing war in our neighborhoods as gangs and

Matching You with Your Mate :: essays research papers

Is it really better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? Some of the couples today make that statement seem to be the ultimate truth and others make it questionable. Some appear to be perfect for each other, and others can cause you to wonder just what it is that they have in common. From a girl’s point of view, there are many different types of boyfriends with various behaviors out there. Some go for the typical shy guy, others for the ticking time bomb, the twenty-four seven frisky friend, the little puppy its way, or even the searched for soul mate. Just to think that the next guy you meet may turn out to be just the opposite of what you’re looking for creates a risk that no girl can seem to refuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The guy sitting next to you in your summer English class appears to be your typical shy guy because he never has much to say. Imagine yourself a month from now dating him and picture how he’d be as a boyfriend. Now you’re not only spending time in the classroom, but you’re also devoting and sharing everything you have with him. You find yourself waiting for the moment for him to come out of his shell, but it just never seems to come. This proves that the shy guy never really changes much over a period of time, relationship or not. There will always be an awkward moment of silence with him that may cause things in the relationship to become a little unsteady. For example, when you both attend your company’s annual picnic, he comes off as being an unsociable date that seems to be attached to your hip because he never makes the effort to converse in your conversation nor his own. For some people a shy guy isn’t so bad, but for those who are looking for a long-lasting relationship, it’s not recommended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moving up a step or two from the shy guy brings you to the ticking time bomb that some girls just can’t seem to get enough of. These are the guys that make it hard for you to take them out because it’s unpredictable when that bomb that you’re holding hands with will go off. Fortunately for these guys, some girls will put up with the edginess that these easily irritated guys seem to possess.

Arthur Millers The Crucible :: Arthur Miller Crucible Essays

Arthur Miller's The Crucible Arthur Miller individualises characters through their style of speech in many ways. Abigail Williams, one of the main characters, is a very attractive young lady, as portrayed in the text. However, her personality is bitter spiteful and vengeful. This has been shown by the way Miller individualises her, through her speech. Abigail is very bossy and has a lot of authority; "Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about: I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself. The parlour's packed with people, sir. I'll sit with her". She seems to take control in a stressful situation, and hence controls people through their fear: "I think you'd best go down". Miller uses this sentence, in order to portray Abigail as a very manipulative and some-what controlling person. Miller also exposes the fact that Abigail is very spiteful and demanding. This is shown when Abigail is having an argument with her uncle, Parris. "She hates me, uncle; she must, for I would not be her slave. It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, snivelling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!" This shows how Abigail puts everyone down, and tries to make out that she is the innocent victim in all the chaos. Another way Miller individualises Abigail, is the way she blames other people to get her self out of trouble- "Not I, sir- Tituba and Ruth". This shows how Miller puts across to the audience, the 'real' Abigail. Yet again, Miller reveals Abigail as being manipulative and controlling. "I have been hurt, Mr Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin' out! I have been near to murder every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil's people- and this is my reward! To be mistrusted, denied questioned like a-". This also shows how Abigail is making everyone else feel sorry for her, as she has been doing the right thing. This is effective as it again brings out the 'real' Abigail, a cunning, sly, deceiving person. Abigail Williams wants to protect herself, and hence confesses, as she wants the same attention as Tituba, not to suffer, This shows her selfishness as she doesn't want to get hung and therefore follows Tituba's lead. "I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus!" Miller uses the word "open" to emphasise the fact that Abigail doesn't want to just reveal herself, but "open" her. This then shows the audience how overdramatic Miller makes Abigail. In conclusion, I feel that Miller has effectively individualised Abigail, as a self-centred, overdramatic, deceiving woman. Mr Hale, another one of Miller's characters, however he is not as

High School Drop-Outs Essay

When one out of three students fails to graduate in the nation, there has to be a main issue, a source of frustration or maybe hopelessness, causing students to give up on their educations when they had an opportunity to go further. When people feel that there is no hope or chance, they will give up. This is what is happening to high-school students leading them to drop-out of school despite the fact that a high-school diploma could be so beneficial to their lives and the fact that it can be prevented. In the article â€Å"High School Dropouts Costly to American Economy†, Sarah White said, â€Å"The teachers didn’t care, the students didn’t care. Nobody cared, so why should I?† I believe that in order for students to want to work in high school to achieve their diplomas, they need emotional support and a motivational backbone. When I made a good grade when I was little or even now, my parents and my teacher were there to praise me and push me to do even better and work toward higher educational goals. Because of their support, I want to do well in school and aim high in school and towards college. Without their support, advice and expectations, I probably wouldn’t care about school; this is what high school-dropouts need and are lacking. Just earning a high school diploma can improve the standard of living for a person significantly. The article â€Å"By the Numbers: Dropping Out of High School† says, â€Å"The average dropout can expect to earn an annual income of $20,241, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a full $10,386 less than the typical high school graduate, and $36,424 less than someone with a bachelor degree.† With numbers as drastic as this, schools need to not only work to get students to graduate, but desire to work for at least a bachelor’s degree in higher education for the benefit of the students. Many successful programs to improve this situation are have already been created; more schools simply need to work them into their systems. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America was created solely to serve kids in crisis, kids who are at risk for many things including not graduating on time. This club’s self-professed mission states that it serves to create, â€Å"A safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences and hope and opportunity.† In other words, this club serves to provide kids with the support they need in a safe environment. These clubs have many local chapters and already serve many kids, and they are easy to create. Other solutions for the drop-out crisis include creating mentors or buddies for at-risk students in school and students getting paid for good grades; each are effective in different ways. By pairing at-risk students at school with other students who have high education goals, a support system is created where a friend can set the example and be the support. Paying students for their good grades creates incentive for students to not only stay in school, but to do well. These solutions and many others can be easy to implement and are very effective. With drop-out rates so high, more action needs to be taken by school and community to improve the futures of many children and many steps can be taken to do so. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.† An investment in a high school diploma is in the best interest of everyone.

Corporate Bond Market in India Essay

Foreword In the rush to produce urgent policy documents and briefing notes that any government has to do, it is easy to let matters that may not be quite as urgent to go unattended. However, the not-so-urgent often includes matters of great importance for the long-run well-being of the nation and its citizenry. Research papers on topics of strategic economic policy fall in this category. The Economic Division in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, has initiated this Working Paper series to make available to the Indian policymaker, as well as the academic and research community interested in the Indian economy, papers that are based on research done in the Ministry of Finance and address matters that may or may not be of immediate concern but address topics of importance for India’s sustained and inclusive development. It is hoped that this series will serve as a forum that gives shape to new ideas and provides space to discuss, debate and disseminate them. Executive Summary: In this paper, we examine the factors behind underdevelopment of corporate bond market in India. We assess that one of the major bottlenecks to the development of this market lies in relatively larger costs of financing which dissuade the firms to raise finance from this avenue. We argue that the lack of transparency, inefficient market making and illiquidity of the instrument not only lead to such extra costs of financing that hampers investment in the real sector but can trap the bond market in a low level equilibrium. To alleviate such problems, we prescribe policies that ensure better production of information and increased volume of transactions that will lessen both liquidity and transparency problems and ensure efficient market making. A combination of such policies include mandatory disclosure of ratings by firms and assignment of multiple agencies for rating an issue at different points of time, minimum size of placements of (infrastructure) bonds, establishing stop loss thr eshold, among others will help breaking the trap and improve quality of issues and would eventually lead to a vibrant bond market with reduced costs of financing investment. Structure of the paper: The paper is structured in three parts. The first part, section 3 and 4 analyse how corporations finance themselves and how does the corporate bond market contribute in this process. Section 3 delves into how large Indian firms evolved in their financing pattern over the past decade. We further analyse what are some of the key drivers of such financing pattern when it comes to corporate bond markets in section 4. In section 5, we offer an analytical construct and mode that shows how liquidity, transparency and informational problems contribute not only to higher costs of financing but may create low level equilibrium trap in the bond market where few issuers, investors and market makers participate. In section 6, we summarise the policy implications of our findings and analyse what it would take for the corporate bond market to move from the current state (of low level equilibrium) to a higher level equilibrium. We examine where the policy maker might have a role to play and where th e market will respond to address its concerns spontaneously. 2. A review of how large firms in India finance themselves Our analysis about the debt market in India begins with a review about how firms in India finance themselves. Our information is necessarily restricted to the largest firms of India, those that are observed in the CMIE database. We focus on non-financial firms, so as to avoid the measurement problems of accounting data for financial firms. The `sources and uses of funds’ statement, which is the first difference of the balance sheet, yields important insights into the financing structure. Table 1: Structure of sources and uses of funds Ended 2000-01 35.2 5.7 29.5 64.6 17.2 14.4 3.5 0.5 25.5 Ended 2010-11 30.8 21.1 9.7 67.5 13.8 17.8 3.9 3.2 24.2 Component Internal Retained Earnings Depreciation External New equity Banks Bonds Foreign Current liabilities Table 1 shows the structure of the sources of funds, comparing the latest available year (2010-11) against one decade ago (2000-01). The first feature of interest is internal financing. We see a substantial reliance on internal financing: from 35.2% a decade ago to 30.8% today. To the extent that internal financing is important, it acts as a barrier against new firms who do not have pre-existing cash-flow. The hallmark of a sophisticated financial system is a substantial extent of external financing. From a normative point of view, to the extent that external financing is greater, this is likely to induce superior resource allocation and competitiveness. Turning to external financing, one important component – equity financing which was at 17.2% in 2000-01 and 13.8% in 2010-11 – is in relatively sound shape. The Indian equity market was the focus of policy makers from 1992 onwards, and substantial progress has been made. One key element – stock lending – i s as yet absent. Barring this, all sophisticated features of the worlds top equity markets are now found in India. The two Indian exchanges, NSE and BSE, rank 3rd and 5th in the global ranking by number of transactions, that is produced by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). The problems in India today lie in debt. Banks accounted for 14.4% of the financing of large firms in 2000-01, which went up to 17.8% in 2010-11. The bond market stagnated, with 3.5% in 2000-01 and 3.9% a decade later. Despite considerable interest in bond market development, the corporate bond market accounted for only 3.9% of the sources of funds of large Indian companies. Finally, foreign borrowing rose sharply, from roughly nothing in 2000-01 to 3.2% in 2010-11. To some extent, borrowing abroad has served as a way for Indian firms to overcome the difficulties of obtaining debt financing domestically. From a normative perspective, the picture that we see in the sources of funds is one of an excessive reliance on internal financing, a surprisingly large role for banks, and a miniscule and stagnant bond market. The next issue that we turn to is the role of secured versus unsecured borrowing. The hallmark of a sophisticated debt market is the presence of unsecured borrowing. Secured borrowing is the mainstay of a simple-minded financial system: The lender does not have to analyse the prospects of the borrower for he lends only against collateral. In contrast, unsecured borrowing requires that the lender has to understand the prospective cashflow of the borrower, which determines the extent to which the promises about future repayment may be upheld. We analyse secured versus unsecured borrowing by size quintiles, once again amongst all the non-financial firms seen in the CMIE database. In the smallest quintile, in 2001, secured borrowings were at 76.7%. A decade later, there was a small decline, to 65.37%. This shows the stubborn domination of secured borrowing, when it comes to the smallest firms. Similar patterns are found in other size quintiles also. In the fourth quintile – from the 60th percentile to the 80th percentile – secured borrowing was 84.7% in 2001 and had dropped slightly to 80% in 2011. This domination of secured borrowing suggests a debt market that has a highly limited ability (or incentive) to actually understand borrowers. Even in the top quintile of firms – roughly the 680 biggest companies of India – we do not see a meaningful extent of unsecured borrowing. In 2001, secured borrowing was 65.8%, and this dropped to 60.7% in 2011. In other words, even for the biggest firms of India, only 39% of borrowing was unsecured. The debt market was not able to analyse the prospects and give debt, based on assessment about the future, to a substantial extent to even the biggest firms in the country. This evidence shows a highly malformed debt market. The bond market is practically nonexistent in corporate financing. Forward-looking assessment is weak; even the biggest firms tend to rely on secured borrowing. 3. Key issues with Indian corporate bond market functioning The presence of corporate bond market in India is barely perceptible as compared to other economies. Despite of multiple endeavours by the government in the recent past, to revive the market, neither investors nor issuers showed any tangible interest. As a result, at least 80% of corporate bonds comprise of privately placed debt by public financial institutions. The following graph confirms inadequate growth of the bond market in India relative to the countries like US, Japan and China. Illustration – Share of Corporate Bonds in Total Debt (Source: BIS) Bond markets as well as equity market owe their difference to inherent characteristics of the instrument that underlies respective markets. The following summarise how the markets are different – Intermediaries – Market intermediaries in both bond and equity markets ensure liquidity. However the intermediaries in the bond market at present need to hold a larger amount of capital than their counterparts in the equity markets because of the larger volume of trade in each transaction. Subsequently the need to hold large inventory position is more for bond market intermediaries as compared to equity market intermediaries who have the option to do electronic limit order matching. Hence, intermediaries in the bond market are exposed to greater risks due to liquidity partly due to the absence of a secondary market where retail investors can participate along with large players. Investors – Bonds’ payoff are attractive to those who prefer predictable returns for known time horizons. As a result, bond market attracts institutional investors cautious of protecting their principal e.g. pension funds, insurers, banks, etc. This also results in relatively risk averse retail investors willing to invest in the bond market. However, casual empirical observations suggest that the share of retail investors in corporate bond market is very small. Lack of liquidity and transparency are the key reasons driving lack of investor participation in corporate bond market including retail investors. Another reason why the market for corporate bonds did not take off earlier was large scale default that undermined the system and safeguards in place. While this paper addresses how to alleviate problems of liquidity and transparency, other measures must also be adopted to reduce probability of default and increase the amount as well as speed of recovery in the event of bankruptcy. For example, it is well known that firms have a tendency to adopt excessive risky projects financed by debt due to limited liabilities. While banks can prevent such activities by placing covenants, public debt holders are powerless to do it because each owns an insignificant amount of the total debt. Many a times, the seniority of debt is debatable. On the other hand, the magnitude of the recoveries also depends on bankruptcy law which in India is very weak. Hence, strong legal systems that prevent excessively risky activities and also ensure faster resolution of bankruptcy are also preconditions for the emergence of a strong bond market. Though there might be a combination of factors that impede the growth of a vibrant corporate bond market in India, we will argue below that the lack of transparency, less liquidity and inefficient intermediation in the process of market making contribute to the current state of the market. The bullet points below succinctly summarize the impact of these three factors on the development of bond market in India. Efficiency in bond market is driven by transparency that allows bonds to be priced for all available information. Transparency in the bond market refers to the dissemination of information conveyed to all market participants 1regarding pre and post trade issues ranging from order interests to price and volume after trade is executed. Liquidity in bond market is driven by volume of bonds offered by issuers in the primary market on an on-going basis as well as the circulation of bonds in the secondary market with active investor participation. A greater the participation of investors reduces search costs of both buyers and sellers and ease liquidity problems leading to a lower discount of the bond. Liquidity problems here refer to the ease of selling the bond in a secondary market. ï‚ · Intermediaries quote both buy and sell side prices and hold inventory to enable market making. Any inefficiency in this process will be automatically reflected in the pricing of bonds and thus will adversely affect costs of borrowing of the issuers. 3.1 Transparency The Indian corporate bond market lacks both pre-trade as well as post-trade transparency. Factors limiting transparency of both primary and secondary corporate bond market are: (a) Systemic flaws in the credit rating process by the Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) enhance risk and also reduce transparency due to a constellation of a number of factors articulated below: ï‚ §Ã¯â‚¬  Right to rate the issuers of bond is not confined to entities registered as CRAs (Credit rating agencies) and currently ratings are being done by entities not registered as CRAs. These unregistered agencies rate in a manner that is not calibrated to CRA rating standards and offer rating to not just instruments but also issuing organisations. This infuses additional noise in the production of information which may force retail investors to shy away from the bond market. For example, the SMERA which rate instruments as well as organisations for small and medium industries in a manner that very often do not mee t criteria of proper rating standards.

Sample Autobiography

When I sit back and consider the significant events in my past, the important aspects of my current life, and my future goals, the underlying theme is one of appreciating diversity, especially across ethnic and socioeconomic class lines. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the product of a Catholic father with roots in Italy and a Jewish mother of Russian and Austrian ancestry. In my early years of education, the frustration with teachers mispronouncing my last name seemed as though it might never end. I remember how my father would approach the administrators of my elementary school before Honor Roll ceremonies to be sure they would pronounce it correctly as I walked across the stage for my moment of glory. The terror did not end until the seventh grade when I had my first course in Spanish, at which point my teacher had some experience with â€Å"exotic† names and got â€Å"you-zee-nee† correct on the first try. I believe that I grew more, emotionally, socially, and intellectually, during my four years of high school than during any other period of time thus far. Midwood High School at Brooklyn College attracted students from every part of New York City. Indeed, it provided a rigorous academic environment, and with one college advisor for each graduating class of nearly 700 students, I managed to learn some important lessons about dealing with â€Å"the system. Midwood continues to prepare its students well; it has consistently placed among the top 50 in national rankings of high schools. It was at Midwood that I found my academic strengths and was given the tools to pursue them to the fullest extent possible. Because I was placed in a situation with few of the resources many students had in other better-funded schools, I learned how to make the best of the situation. I began to search for a way to address my own concerns about the racial tensions. Within a few years I would find myself at Texas A&M University, bringing another drastic change in my lifestyle and the culture I would have to adapt to. The past few years have been a very enjoyable experience, satisfying all of my intellectual and social needs. I have focused the next few years on developing a solid research program dealing with I have also put forth as much effort as possible in attempting to diversify the future of our profession. social psychological approaches to social issues, especially racial and ethnic relations.

Freedom †Short Story from Tkam After Tom Robinson’s Trial Essay

As I sat outside watching the other inmates, a gentle breeze caressed my face, providing relief from the sun’s hot rays. I was used to the heat, but maybe it was the circumstances that I was in that made it unbearable. I could see that my fellow inmates felt the same as they lazed about, their skin glistening with sweat, their shirts clinging to their backs. ‘Guilty until proven innocent’ rang angrily in my mind when I saw the number of Negroes compared to white people incarcerated. The amount of court cases, as well as families, jobs and lives, lost due to our colour was innumerable. Half of us didn’t even commit a crime worth being sent to jail for, but here we are! I wiped my forehead with an already sticky hand and surveyed my surroundings in an effort to shake off the contemptuous thought. The dirt oval consisted of some simple worn out exercising equipment, their hinges squeaking in protest with very movement; a few withering trees dying in the midday heat, two lookouts sitting on the inside of the perimeter where the prison guards patrolled the prisoners and a barbed wire fence which enclosed the space in an ominous hug. I thought pensively about my situation as I kicked the dusty ground vehemently, scuffing my already torn prison boots in the process. The rising hopelessness that I had kept bottled up throughout the court case, believing that with Mr Finch on my side I would definitely be acquitted, quickly vanished, much like the specks of dirt that I had kicked up had disappeared, carried away with the breeze of reality. I observed the bluejays on the nearby trees, warbling their little hearts out with not a care in the world, unaware of the injustice that had occurred. I was being punished for a crime that I had not committed, accused by a woman whom I have assisted for nigh a year! The court case didn’t just affect me – it affected my family as well and I don’t want them to suffer because of it. What will they do? How will Helen watch the chillun’ and work? They don’t deserve this! My family needs me. It was already a struggle to bring food to the table everyday, and now with most of our income ripped away, I can’t bring myself to fantasise what my family would have to suffer. Would Helen have to starve to keep the chillun’ physically satisfied? I’ve prayed for them every night confined in the dungeon, praying that God would help them through this adversity. Ms Mayella obviously doesn’t realise that her decision to accuse me affects my family just as much as it affects me. She used the only ticket that would guarantee her victory over the court case, which would prove her innocent from the despicable crime that she had committed – her race. The inequity displayed towards Negroes always perplexed me. We came from the same ancestors, Adam and Eve, but somehow, white people were born having more rights than others, perceived as superior to others, more moral than others. I should’ve conceded that I was a black man living in a white man’s world, and no matter what I did to prove myself innocent, there would be no justice for me. I hate how all white people acrimoniously conclude that all Negroes lie, all Negroes are basically immoral beings and all Negroes aren’t to be trusted around women, as Mr Finch mentioned. How can people be so shallow, so malevolent and so blind? They’re living a lie! How dare America call themselves a democracy when they can’t even treat their own people equally, lowering our rights, our standards and our lives! The act of incarcerating all black people for almost everything that we do is a paradox to their self-proclaimed government. It is overdue to set things straight, but there is no better time than now to change the way Negroes are treated. I am not going to wait for someone else to take justice, as God knows when that is going to come. Justice is in my hands. The only possible way that I can achieve this is to run. They’re going to kill me nonetheless so I’m already a dead man walking, but I’m not dying knowing that I just sat there letting them persecute me while knowing that I did nothing to prevent this precedent from occurring again to other Negro families. I must run. I quickly rose from the bench which I was seated on and began jogging the perimeter of the oval, keen to find an escape route to freedom. I took a quick glance at the patrollers- they were watching us inattentively, their faces impassive and eyes glazed over, contenting themselves in their current daydreams. I scrutinized the fence for any weakness. There were several places where the fence sagged, but all seemed intact. I searched for other possible escape routes, my eyes slowly taking in every detail of the oval, but when failing to find any, I approached an oak tree to ponder over my next move, when flashbacks of my family and previous life overwhelmed me. There were many oak trees in my life – in my backyard, on the sidewalk, at work – but I never knew until now that they were so prominent in my life. There were oak trees that my children loved to climb on, loved to hide in, loved to have mini adventures in. There were oak trees that I watched from my kitchen window as their branches were softly tickled by the wind, which Helen used to sit under and pensively think about life’s uncertainties, which grew and thrived with my family. There were oak trees which provided me a job, which I spent countless hours climbing up and down laboriously picking acorns, which earned me money to support my family. My heart ached with sadness when I thought back to those wonderful memories, making me miss my family even more than I originally did. Helen would probably be working strenuously to support the children now without my help. What this event has put my family through is unthinkable. I can’t prevent what I am currently putting them through, but they must understand that if I do no try to get free I will be killed nonetheless. Everyone deserves to have equal rights, and I am going to be the person bringing justice. I am not going home after my jail sentence knowing that I did nothing to prevent further injustice from occurring to thousands of other Negroes. I want to be able to tell my chillun’ that I didn’t just sit there being persecuted, allowing other Negroes to be persecuted as well, as the pain that discrimination puts us through throughout our lives is unbearable. I want to be a role model for them; to be an example for fighting for what is right. Even though doing so may be dangerous and may lead to death, bringing justice to every race is worth losing a life for. In a sudden burst of adrenaline and surprising confidence I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me to the barbed wire fence and began climbing. I almost leaped backwards in surprise as my bare skin came into contact with the burning metal that had been basking in the sun all day, but my mind was set on my goal, and so I ignored the acrid pain and scaled the fence. Consecutively, shouts of surprise and disbelief spread through the prisoners, and, as if my actions brought them back to life, the angry voices of the prison guards soon followed. Hollering warnings and portentous threats, the patrollers showed no evidence that a few seconds ago they were practically lifeless, but their efforts were wasted as it proved completely futile. With my prior experience climbing trees for Mr Deas, I quickly adapted to my situation and climbed, my hand and feet working simultaneously to make up for my deprivation. My eyes darted to elusive spaces between the barbs and my hand quickly followed suit, with my legs climbing after them. The barbs clung and sliced at my arms and clothes as the patrollers’ threats became more ominous, their cries climbing to a climatic forte, ineffective at impeding my pilgrimage. The word justice was repeated over and over in my mind, instilling a new hope in me, encouraging me to continue climbing. This failed when a gunshot shattered my tranquillity. A bolt of pure panic shot through me, causing my heart to thrash against my ribs as I realised the severity of my situation. I lost my footing, dangling in mid-air for a second, but immediately found another foothold and scaled the fence even faster than before. Seeing that the gunshot failed to stop me, several more shots were fired into the air, counterproductive as it only made me move twice as fast. ‘Quicker! Quicker! ’ my body seemed to holler at me, dissatisfied with the speed that I was travelling. My stomach started to twist with despair, my newfound hope abandoning me, slowly overtaken by doubt – then a bullet whistled past my ear inches from my face. My hand began shaking uncontrollably from pure fear. My lungs were screaming for air, the spikes were screaming for blood, but my scream for justice overpowered them all. More deathly bullets whistled past, when one successfully tore through my leg. An explosion of pain raked my leg, and immediately I felt warm blood gush out of my pulsing wound. I was almost over the fence though! Clenching my teeth, I reached between the razor wire. The screams and hollering of the prisoners were vociferous, but nothing mattered as the second bullet hit my crippled shoulder. It immediately burst into flames as I started sweating uncontrollably, the back of my shirt soaked with blood, clinging to me. In a last ditch effort, I hauled myself between the razor wire to the other side of the fence leading to freedom. A third bullet tore through my thigh, sending me rolling to the ground in a bloodied heap while other bullets whizzed past and wounded me. The shrill roar in my ears gradually ceased to a dull hum, and dizzying black splotches began crowding my vision. The last thought that left my mind was: Freedom.