Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome

Table of Contents Introduction History of Slavery Social Constructs Discrimination Conclusion Bibliography Footnotes Introduction Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS) is a traumatic disorder that African Americans have developed following the traumatic experiences of slavery and associated treatments by the whites. Ideally, PTSS is a theory that elucidates the nature and occurrence of certain behaviors among African Americans that relate to slavery.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The social problems that Africans Americans and other Africans across the globe are facing are mainly because of PTSS.1 Since the whites used slavery and racism as a means of oppression, they conditioned the Africans that they are a minority ethnic group. Although Africans have emancipated themselves physically, social and psychological perceptions indicate th at the whites are a major ethnic group. Therefore, despite the fact that slavery has ended, Africans continue to suffer from PTSS, which emanates from traumatic experiences of slavery that their ancestors encountered. History of Slavery During the course of history, Africans Americans experienced slavery because the whites bought them during the slave trade. They predisposed them to torturous conditions of slavery. In the slavery, the whites made African-Americans and other Africans to understand that they are lesser beings who deserve inhumane treatment. Throughout slavery, the Africans endured traumatic experiences for many years that made them change their behaviors in a bid to adapt the conditions of slavery. Slave history of Africans is tremendously shocking since many of them died during enslavement while those who survived endured great ordeal that led them to develop trauma. Experiences of slavery were really traumatizing since millions of Africans died during enslavement as they endured torture, hard labor and harsh conditions of transportation.2 Therefore, slavery experiences were really traumatizing and did predispose slaves to trauma. Hence, the slavery conditions that slaves endured have significantly influenced the behaviors of Africans because of PTSS. In spite of the fact that slavery does not exist in modern society, Africans continue to suffer from PTSS. Trauma that slaves experienced during slavery conditioned Africans to change their behaviors to adapt traumatic experiences that threatened their lives. Change of behaviors is a survival mechanism that enabled slaves to endure slavery. It predisposed them to trauma.Advertising Looking for critical writing on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Currently, Africans are suffering from PTSS as reflected in habits, attitudes and behaviors that relate to slavery. For instance, there is differential social, economic and political development between the whites and the blacks. Enduring psychological and emotional damage because of slavery continue to recur from one generation to another among African Americans.3 Hence, social, economic and political differences that exist between the whites and the blacks arise from PTSS. PTSS has significantly influenced the capacities of African Americans because it impairs them from developing themselves, families and communities.4 Thus, to empower the African Americans, one must focus on PTSS, which is a key factor that contributes to social challenges that hinder the African Americans. Social Constructs Social constructs have significantly contributed to the development of PTSS among Africans Americans. Since the whites treated Africans as lesser beings who did not have the capacity to reason, Africans Americans have perceived themselves to be so. In the aspects of social, economic, political and education, Africans Americans have performed so dismally compared to the w hites because they perceive themselves to be inferior. Hence, the inferiority complex that Africans Americans suffer now originates from experiences that slaves encountered. As slavery is a social issue that depicts discrimination in terms of color, the treatment of slaves by the whites gives an impression to African Americans that they are the minority group and less human. A few blacks own homes or businesses because they feel inferior to the whites.5 In this view, the quality of life that slaves lived was quite different from the one their masters lived. Likewise, the quality of life that the whites are living considerably contrasts with the one that the majority of Africans Americans are living. However, differences that exist emphasize the impact of PTSS on the lives of African Americans and other Africans across the world. Thus, the construct of inferiority imposed by the whites influence how Africans perceive themselves relative to the whites. Moreover, the whites hold that A fricans do not need any sleep: they must spend sleepless nights doing the work. Hence, the whites overworked the slaves without providing an opportunity for them to sleep because they do not need it. Because of such construct, the whites justified their inhuman acts of making the slaves to work day and night.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, since the slaves provided free labor, currently the whites perceive Africans to be the source of cheap labor. Africans Americans are also willing to offer cheap labor as compared to their counterparts. Employment patterns indicate that there are jobs that fit Africans while there those that suit the whites. Differences in job orientations occur because PTSS is extending trends of labor that were in slavery. PTSS is evident in racism and discrimination that continues to pervade public insti tutions and political arena in the United States.6 Although slavery ended over 150 years ago, racism is the residual form of slavery that causes PTSS among African Americans. Hence, racism elicits PTSS and reminds Africans Americans of the slavery that their ancestors suffered. The whites also justified their inhuman actions against the Africans by perceiving them as having no feelings of pain and grief. Slave masters treated their slaves brutally because they did not have any feeling concerning their experiences. Given that the whites did not have any feelings towards the slaves, they treated them as though they did not feel pain or grief because of traumatic experiences. The death of a slave was like a death of a dog since none felt their pain or heard their cry. The whites assumed that Africans do not grief: they beat, overworked, tortured, sold and even killed them.7 Hence, slaves deserve inhuman treatment because they do not grief. Current perceptions still exist because crimin al justice system has biases when dealing with criminal issues that involve the whites and blacks. Discrimination Discrimination against African Americans continues to persist in the modern America because of unequal privileges. While African Americans have no privileges, the whites have privileges in that they can access social, political and economic privileges that are in the society. Since slavery, and by extension racism, depict the whites as privileged and the blacks as unprivileged, social, political and economic status of the whites has set precedent for the ethnic minorities to follow. The disparity that exists is that, although inequality of privileges is a national problem that needs immediate attention and solution, the whites do not perceive it as a significant problem for they are more privileged. The white privilege dominates the society in that Africans Americans perceive themselves as unprivileged. Hence, they are struggling to attain the privilege of the whites by abandoning their traditions and lifestyles. Currently, the whites are the pace setters in every facet of life such as social, political, cultural and economic because they have privileges.Advertising Looking for critical writing on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A study conducted indicates that African Americans are susceptible to posttraumatic stress disorder because of racial discrimination.8 This means that PTSS is still predominant among African Americans despite the fact that slavery ended many decades ago. Hence, white privilege continues to subject African Americans to PTSS. Given that racism is a social construct that elevates social status of the white, degrading that of the blacks, the whites perceive racism as a normal social process of life attributed to the difference in ethnicities and races. Although there is significant decline in racial discrimination in the public, discriminating practices that have racial dimensions continue to operate in the society. Contemporary racism is very subtle because it does not depict discrimination explicitly. However, critical analysis shows that the great gap that exists between the whites and the black is mainly because of racism. Racial injustices perpetuate in the society because of chron ic and persistent effects of racism on victims and perpetrators.9 Hence, persistence of racism in the society continues to elicit PTSS among Africans Americans for they continually perceive the whites as masters and oppressors throughout the world. Slavery is a traumatic event that reminds the African Americans of the torture that their ancestors underwent. Likewise, racism is a form of slavery that seeks to perpetuate in the society. Hence, slavery and racism has resulted into classism, which is another form of discrimination that is quite evident in how the whites and the blacks live. Classism divides people into various classes in social, economic and political aspects of life. For instance, the whites belong to high social and economic classes while the blacks belong to low social and economic classes. The whites prefer living in residential houses of high class as compared to the blacks who live in residential houses of low class. Classification of the neighborhoods in terms of color is evident as the whites and the blacks live in separate residential estates that depict differences in social and economic classes. Classism is also evident in the nature of education, employment and social activities that the whites and the black have.10 Hence, the existence of classes based on racial dimensions is a factor that contributes to the development of PTSS among African Americans. Conclusion Slavery is a traumatic experience that predisposes slaves to trauma and the subsequent generations to PTSS. Africans endured trauma during slavery that has significantly changed their behavior and development in the modern society. Hence, African Americans and other Africans across the world are grappling with PTSS, as it has changed their attitudes, habits and behaviors. In essence, PTSS has conditioned the Africans that they must be inferior to the whites in all facets of life, be it social, economic, cultural or political. Therefore, the book, â€Å"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder† attributes social problems that Africans are experiencing in every part of the world to PTSS. Bibliography Carter, R., Helms, J. (2009). Racism and Race-Base Traumatic Stress: Toward New Legal and Clinical Standards. Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 9(5), 113-129. DeGloma, T. (2011). Defining Social Illness in A Diagnostic World: Trauma and the Cultural Logic of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Medical Sociology, 12(1), 59-81. Degruy-Leary, J. (2005). Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of  Enduring Injury and Healing. New York: Uptone Press. Mims, S., Higginbottom, J., Reid, O. (2001). Behavioral Definition for Post Trauma and the African Experience: Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder. Anti-PTslaveryD Curriculum, 1(1), 1-90. Mitchell, R. (2004). Slave Syndrome is About Fixing Themselves. The Dragonian, 1(1), 1-2. Pole, N., Gone, J., Kulkarni, M. (2008). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Ethnoracial Minorities in the United States. Clinical Psycho logy: Science and Practice, 15(1), 35-61. Footnotes 1 Degruy-Leary, J. (2005). Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of  Enduring Injury and Healing. New York: Uptone Press, 11. 2 Mims, S., Higginbottom Reid, O. (2001). Behavioral Definition for Post Trauma and the African Experience: Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder. Anti-PTslaveryD Curriculum, 1, 12 3 Mitchell, R. (2004). Slave Syndrome is About Fixing Themselves. The Dragonian, 1. 4 Mims, S., Higginbottom Reid, O. (2001). 5 Mitchell, R. (2004). 1 6 DeGloma, T. (2011). Defining Social Illness in A Diagnostic World: Trauma and the Cultural Logic of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Medical Sociology, 12, 68. 7 Degruy-Leary, J. (2005). 15. 8 Pole, N., Gone, J., Kulkarni, M. (2008). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Ethnoracial Minorities in the United States. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 15(1), 37. 9 Carter, R., Helms, J. (2009). Racism and Race-Base Traumatic Stress: Toward New Legal and Clinical S tandards. Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 9(5), 113. 10 Carter, R., Helms, J. (2009). 114. 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Definition and Examples of Common Case in English

Definition and Examples of Common Case in English In English grammar, common case is the ordinary base form of a noun- such as a cat, moon, house. Nouns in English have only one case inflection: the possessive (or genitive). The case of nouns other than the possessive is regarded as the common case. (In English, the forms of the subjective [or nominative] case and the objective [or accusative] case are identical.) See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: CaseInflectionNotes on Nouns Examples and Observations The one thing that doesnt abide by majority rule is a persons conscience.(Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960)A mans character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.(Mark Twain)Peoples backyards are much more interesting than their front gardens, and houses that back on to railways are public benefactors.(John Betjeman)Common Case and Possessive CaseNouns such as man inflect not only for number but also for the distinction between genitive case and common case. The uninflected form man is in the common case. By contrast, in the mans hat, mans is said to be in the genitive (or possessive) case. The term case is a traditional term in the description of classical languages, where it is a topic of much greater complexity than it is in English. For instance, in Latin, there are as many as six different case distinctions for nouns. English nouns have very little variability of this kind; we must guard against attributing to English nouns as many ca ses as there are for Latin ones.(David J. Young, Introducing English Grammar. Hutchinson Education, 1984) The Vanished Case[A]ll nouns are said to be in the common case- the grammarians way of pronouncing them caseless. His common means that the one form serves every possible use- subject, object of verb, indirect object, object of preposition, predicate complement, appositive, vocative, and even interjection. The grammarian is in effect asserting that case, except as it survives vestigially in a few pronouns, has disappeared from English. . . .Common case describes nothing and analyzes nothing. But grammar is essentially analytic; it names things not for the fun of having a nomenclature but so as to understand the relations of working parts. One can analyze an English sentence without using the word case; what matters is to know that a given word is subject or object, and of what it is the one or the other.(Wilson Follett, Modern American Usage, revised by Erik Wensberg. Hill and Wang, 1998)

The Fall of Enron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Fall of Enron - Essay Example It was 1985 when Kenneth Lay’s Houston Natural Gas merged with Nebraskan-Northern Natural Gas Company’s holding company, InterNorth, to form Enron. The two separate companies were primarily dealing with the distribution and transmission of oil and electricity in the United States of America. They were also active in the construction, development and maintenance of power plants, pipelines and other similar infrastructure worldwide (Wikipedia, 2006). Under the new company name, Lay was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and wanted to expand Enron’s market share as he had envisioned for his former venture. Houston Natural Gas had previously been in the business of generating their revenues from junk bonds from which its proceeds were used in the formation of Enron. Kenneth Lay aimed at becoming the biggest player in the energy sector through successful trade earnings from futures contracts (NPR, 2006). To his advantage, Spectrum 7, an oil-well concern welcomed a partnership with Enron a year after its creation. Spectrum 7 was headed by George W. Bush, son of the then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. With falling gas prices in the mid 1980’s, Enron and other gas firms vigorously lobbied for deregulation. The deregulation action came into effect when buyers switched to the cheaper alternative – fuel oil. No doubt fluctuating gas prices allowed Enron to start marketing gas futures; securing gas prices at later date promised to their stakeholders. Similarly, the company lobbied once again for electricity just before selling electric power futures contracts (NPR, 2006). From then on, Enron was aggressive in expanding its services in the water utility sector by creating Azurix that partly collapsed on the NYSE in 1999 and shut down operations in 2001 (Wikipedia, 2006). Jeffery Skilling was hired in 1990 to lead the new division – Enron

The School as a Social System and the Application of Theories Essay

The School as a Social System and the Application of Theories - Essay Example There are 430 students currently enrolled in Pottsboro High. Aside from them, they also have a set of teachers, administrators, staff and maintenance personnel who interact with each other almost during the major part of the year. We can also consider the parents and guardians of the children as an integral part of the school thereby sufficing this condition. It is common to think that teachers influence their student's learning and behavior and the process is only one way. However, teachers are in fact influenced also by their students. One can say that the process is mutual wherein the teacher grasps more fully the meaning of life thru the acts and behavior committed by his students. Furthermore, if there were no maintenance personnel then the student and teacher would not find a suitable learning environment and the absence of a teacher and a student eliminates the need to have a maintenance personnel. In retrospect, each element contributes to the system: the teachers with their knowledge, the students with their acts and achievements, the administration with their management skills, the maintenance personnel with their service and the parents with their support in the development of the children and the school. They, however, also receive something which for the employees is salary and fulfillment. Pottsboro High aims to provid... The school is goal oriented. Pottsboro High aims to provide the students the opportunity to develop themselves to their full mental and physical capacity. They try to achieve this with activities such as sports and academic competitions. The teachers and administration also meets regularly to discuss performance and resolve issues all for the better functioning of the institution. The school has structure. Looking at the organizational chart of the school, one can see that the overall head is the principal. It then branches out to different heads of the department such as administration, teaching staff for a certain field such as Math and Science, Student Guidance and Relations and Security and Maintenance. The students are also divided into classes and levels that serve as an additional evidence that Pottsboro has a structure. The school is normative. When we say normative, we mean that there are certain norms that exist in the school. Rules and guidelines regarding behavior, use of school property and grading system are present and are made as reference by all the segments of the school. The school bears sanction. Erring, troublesome and cheating students are called to the disciplinary office or made to stay after class. The employment of underperforming teachers and staff can be terminated. These are just a few of the sanctions that the school can impose on its members when the rules and guidelines were not followed. The school also has a political facet and power relation inevitably enter into social relations. As earlier stated, Pottsboro has a structure and the higher the person is in the organizational chart, the more power he can exercise. Since this is the case, the Principal's decision is always final and executory.

Green Washing and Its Effects on Consumer Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Green Washing and Its Effects on Consumer Perspectives Essay The term green washing denotes the use of false or misleading information concerning green marketing by companies to compel consumers to buy their products on the perception that the company is environmentally friendly. It involves the misleading use of green marketing to endorse a false perception that the company products or policies are environmentally friendly. Green washing has been growing in the recent years mainly due to the increasing demand for green products. Due to increasing concerns about global warming, consumers are increasingly demanding for economically responsible products (Hart, 1997). Companies that seek to survive have no option but to either provide these products or to fake them. Another reason why green washing is growing is due to the fact that the sales of green oriented products have increased. A study carried out in the United States showed that in 2007, 328 products labelled â€Å"environmentally friendly† were launched by major manufacturers. This was a significant increase as in 2002 only 5 products were labelled the same (Bansal Roth, 2000). The rise of green products in the market has forced companies to undertake green washing in order to compete effectively. Another reason why green washing is growing is that the communication of environmental messages is still not controlled by any industrial wide standards. Companies are free to disseminate information about their environmental policies without any restrictions hence they can provide misleading information at will. The final reason why green washing is common is that government action and regulation is still pending. An analysis by HSBC on passed and pending economic stimulus packages of 15 countries reported that over US $3 trillion is intended to stimulate economies for the next ten years (Bazzillier Vauday, 2009). A large percentage of this money will support environmental objectives. This situation has resulted in the increase of lobbying which in turn has resulted in a situation whereby companies have to hunt tactical opportunities that do not conform to their messages on environmental friendliness. Ways of Carrying out Green Washing There are several techniques of green washing employed by companies. Although only a few literatures exist on the subject, the basis of identifying these techniques is that proposed by the TerraChoice Environmental Group. The group did research on the manners with which companies mislead consumers about their environmental friendliness and came up with six ways which they dubbed â€Å"the six sins of green washing. † The first sin is â€Å"the sinof hidden trade off†. This involves the attempt by companies to promote a product as green by using only one environmental attribute or an intolerable narrow set of attributes disregarding other more important environmental issues. Although the claims are not false, they portray a â€Å"greener† picture of the product which cannot be supported by a full environmental analysis. The second sin is â€Å"the sin of no proof. † This involves all information disseminated by a company about environmental friendliness but cannot be validated by easily accessible supporting information. According to a study by Bazillier and Vauday (2009), communication of full CSR activities by companies to customers is impossible. As a result, two types of information communicated to consumers exist, hard and soft information. Hard information is that which can be verified by customers but tends to be costly while soft information is that which is readily available to consumers but cannot be verified.

Shakespeares Macbeth - The Character of Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth Character Shakespeare The character of Macbeth is not an easy one to understand. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is praised by many people as being a hero when he has defeated the Norwegians. The captain says: "Brave Macbeth "When Duncan hears the news he adds: "o valient cousin "and "Noble Macbeth ". However Macbeth is becoming tied up with things that are not good. The three weird sisters said they would meet with him. When the three weird sisters do meet with Macbeth and Banquo: "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Glamis! ", " All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor! ", "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee that shalt be king here after. "Macbeth knows he is the Thane of Glamis but how can he be the Thane of Cawdor, the Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous life and becoming king is just unthinkable. This gets Macbeth thinking about what they mean. At the start of the play the audience hail Macbeth as a hero but as he begins to think about murdering the king the audience feels he isn't so heroic after all, and they begin to dislike him. We learn from Lady Macbeth, the person who knows him best that he is too nice to be able to kill anyone especially the present king: "is too full o' th' milk of human kindness, "says Lady Macbeth. She then devises a plan to kill Duncan while he is staying with them. Duncan has arrived and is having dinner. Macbeth leaves and decides not to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth accuses him of being less than a man for not killing him. Macbeth is not a natural born killer, Lady Macbeth has to persuade him to murder the king; he is initially reluctant to do such a deed: "We will proceed no further in this business: "Macbeth says this because he thinks he might become king without killing the present king, it might just be fate. But Lady Macbeth then begins to persuade him and soon a chink forms in Macbeth's armour. Macbeth says: "If we should fail "which shows us that Macbeth has once more changed his mind this shows us that he is very unwilling to murder Duncan. Once Duncan is asleep and Macbeth is on his own he sees a dagger before him. Shakespeare's Macbeth - The Character of Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework Macbeth Character Shakespeare The character of Macbeth is not an easy one to understand. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is praised by many people as being a hero when he has defeated the Norwegians. The captain says: "Brave Macbeth "When Duncan hears the news he adds: "o valient cousin "and "Noble Macbeth ". However Macbeth is becoming tied up with things that are not good. The three weird sisters said they would meet with him. When the three weird sisters do meet with Macbeth and Banquo: "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Glamis! ", " All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor! ", "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee that shalt be king here after. "Macbeth knows he is the Thane of Glamis but how can he be the Thane of Cawdor, the Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous life and becoming king is just unthinkable. This gets Macbeth thinking about what they mean. At the start of the play the audience hail Macbeth as a hero but as he begins to think about murdering the king the audience feels he isn't so heroic after all, and they begin to dislike him. We learn from Lady Macbeth, the person who knows him best that he is too nice to be able to kill anyone especially the present king: "is too full o' th' milk of human kindness, "says Lady Macbeth. She then devises a plan to kill Duncan while he is staying with them. Duncan has arrived and is having dinner. Macbeth leaves and decides not to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth accuses him of being less than a man for not killing him. Macbeth is not a natural born killer, Lady Macbeth has to persuade him to murder the king; he is initially reluctant to do such a deed: "We will proceed no further in this business: "Macbeth says this because he thinks he might become king without killing the present king, it might just be fate. But Lady Macbeth then begins to persuade him and soon a chink forms in Macbeth's armour. Macbeth says: "If we should fail "which shows us that Macbeth has once more changed his mind this shows us that he is very unwilling to murder Duncan. Once Duncan is asleep and Macbeth is on his own he sees a dagger before him.

A short story – The tranquil night wind

The tranquil night wind whistled gently, puffing though the strands of my hair as I slept. The luminous amber streetlights outside twitched as they projected a silhouette of tall, lofty trees prancing in the serene wind through my windows onto me. The sky was clear and the stars were easily visible as they twinkled through the night. After a day of unbearable heat and hard work done, I was in a very satisfying sleep but had awoken through instinct where I had felt that something was irritating me. I felt like I had forgotten to do something and my brain wouldn’t stop reminding, but what was it reminding me? That’s the question. I tried to ignore it but my mind wouldn’t stop sensing a feel of discomfort. I finally decided to get up and try to resolve the matter and investigate what was going on. I approached my door and just before I went to grasp the door handle I felt a slight shock run through the palm of my right hand. I abruptly pulled away and froze for a minute. It was dark and gloomy in my room so I decided to turn on the lights. With caution I flicked on the light switch and was surprised to not feel any more shocks. the luminous light bulb from the ceiling of my room glistened so luminously that I went blind for a few seconds and I just stood there rubbing my eyelids as they couldn’t cope with the sudden illumination of the room. Feel quite dizzy, I continued to attempt to open the door. I vigilantly stretched out to reach for the door handle again and this time I successfully held it firmly without any shocks. Maybe it was just my mind playing up with me? I mean, it was 3am in the morning and I wasn’t feeling too bothered as I investigated what felt wrong. I twisted the door handle but it didn’t open. I tried to twist it open again but it didn’t seem to open. At this point I was furious; I took a deep breath and pinched myself to make sure this wasn’t just another horrid dream, unfortunately it wasn’t. I took a big step back away from my door and charged towards it whilst I firmly clutched the handle and dragged it mightily. It still didn’t open. I roared in fury. I screamed for my parents but I got no reply. I repeated but this time for my siblings but I stood there without a response. No words could explain the rage I was in. I shrieked once more and I irately jolted my door which countered with a massive bruise to my foot . I fell to my feet with my head on the ground, tears recklessly flowing down my face. This wasn’t the day for someone to mess with me, not at all. I got back up on my feet and as I loomed towards the window, I heard a whisper which said â€Å"it’s just you and me† in a sonorous demonic voice followed by an awkward cackle. I brusquely stopped and jumped with fear. I hastily dived under my bed and snatched the broad metal pole I had hidden under there. I got back up and spent 2 or so minutes inspecting my room looking to see if by any chance it was anyone. Was it my conscience? Was it something outside? Or was it really some sort of spectre really talking to me? I scuttled to my open window and took a pro longed gaze outside to see if anyone was out†¦there was nobody. It was an opaque, pitch black night with the white stars twinkling above. The roads were ever so quiet. Who would be out at this time? I guess I did hear something after all, 3am in the morning and my mind seems to be playing with me; I couldn’t even open the door to go and get some water or anything else refreshing. I turned away from the window to retry the door again†¦and I heard a really deafening thump. I jerked in fright and my heart was thumping so hard that I could see it beating out of my t shirt. I gradually rotated myself towards the direction of the noise with my heart in my hands. All four windows in my room had pounded shut. Coincidence? I’m starting not to think so. I stood there in awkward silence for a good 5 minutes. Why me? I stepped foot to approach the windows and the lights flicked off. I squealed worse than those in an intense horror movie; this wasn’t no movie this was reality and I don’t know what was happening. I couldn’t see anything but a slight shadow of something behind me, shortly after that I felt a cold, icy hand on my shoulder. As I turned around, my vision instantly went blurry and I couldn’t see much but I could see something similar to a white spirit with gleaming red eyes. I fainted.