English 9, Lesson 120 – Northup Vs Eliza When Separated From Their Children

This week I started reading Solomon Northup’s autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave.  Northup was a free black man who was drugged and kidnapped into slavery.  Today, I am going to compare Northup’s reaction to being separated from his children versus Eliza, a slave mother’s reaction to being separated from her children.

Before Northup was kidnapped, he was very skilled with the violin and was asked to perform for a travelling circus one day.  He agreed and went to the ‘circus’, but he did not inform his wife or children as they were out of town.  This was a mistake as the ‘circus’ was a guise.  He was kidnapped, drugged, and shipped off to New Orleans as a slave who had “escaped from Georgia.”  During the whole ordeal the only thing on his mind were his wife and children.   

Unlike most people, Northup was still hopeful that he would be able to escape.  He was determined to escape and thought in terms of when and not if.  He was thinking of when he would be able to see his wife and children again.  Northup knew that he was a freeman and kidnapping a freeman was illegal.  He was convinced he would get justice one day.

Before Northup was sold to a master, he was kept with other slaves, one of which was named Eliza.  She had two children, Randall, who was ten years old, and Emily, whose age was never specified.  We only know that she was much younger than her brother.  Northup talked of Emily’s beauty for such a small child.  She had fair skin and smooth, silky hair.

During the slave auction, Eliza had tried to be sold to the same owner as her children, but failed.  Randall was sold to one master, Eliza to another, and little Emily was to be kept at the auction house until she grew up a little more.   Eliza’s master had attempted to buy Emily as well, taking pity on the woman, but the auctioneer refused to sell Emily.  Northup described how this ordeal affected Eliza.  She was no longer sleeping or eating well and she was not taking care of herself.  He noted how she started to get skinnier and less healthy looking.   

How come Eliza reacted so differently from Northup?  The answer is quite simple. Eliza was a born slave.  Northup was kidnapped into slavery.  While Northup knew he had rights and was convinced that one day he would be able to use those rights to get out, Eliza had none.  She was born a slave and therefore had no rights. 

I believe that Eliza also knew in the back of her mind that her children may be sold to cruel masters.  She also knew that the possibility of seeing each other again was very slim.  Not impossible, but not very likely either.  She would not know which state they would be shipped to or what would happen to them. 

While Northup would not be able to know what his children were doing and where they were, he could sleep peacefully knowing that they were free and their mother would be able to take care of them.  Eliza did not have this luxury.  Therefore she worried herself sick (literally).

As you can see, even though it seems like Eliza and Northup were in the same position, they were not.  Northup knew that he would see his children again.  Eliza knew that she would never see her children again.  That is what makes her story so heart-breaking.

Business 9, Lesson 120 – 15 Benefits of the Ron Paul Curriculum

In my last essay I listed five reasons to join the Ron Paul Curriculum based off of my personal experience.  Today’s essay is going to be slightly similar.  I am going to be listing fifteen benefits of the Ron Paul Curriculum.

Benefit One: the curriculum is self-taught starting 4th grade.  This teaches the child discipline and gives them a sense of responsibility.

Benefit Two: because the curriculum is self-taught, parents do not have to act as full-time teachers.  They can work from home or take care of the household without having to worry about their child’s school.

Benefit Three: the curriculum is self-paced.  The student can go at whatever pace they desire, resulting in a zero stress education.

Benefit Four: if the curriculum does not work out for a certain family they have 60 days to get a refund of their money.

Benefit Five: students are not required to use textbooks.  This saves money for the parents.  All books required for the courses are free on PDFs or can be bought from Kindle for under $10.

Benefit Six: speed reading is taught in ABC (Academic Boot Camp) and encouraged in all of the other courses.

Benefit Seven: weekly essays are required starting 4th grade.  This not only teaches the students how to write good essays, but it gives them plenty of opportunities to practice their skills.

Benefit Eight: there are forums for every course where students can talk to one another when they need help or get constructive criticism on their essays and/or speeches.  The forums also serve as a database of students’ essays, allowing future RPC students to get essays for inspiration when it is their turn to write.

Benefit Nine: RPC offers unique courses like Business (two Business courses in high school), Public Speaking, and Personal Finance.  Regular schools do not offer courses like these to high school students.

Benefit Ten: the curriculum is very easy-going and allows students to have flexible schedules.

Benefit Eleven: the curriculum is 100% online.  Because of this it is possible for the student to do schoolwork anywhere.

Benefit Twelve: there is no extra work to do after the class is over.  The student is given assignments to do after watching the videos and then that subject is done for the day.

Benefit Thirteen: RPC does not force students to do hours and hours of schoolwork everyday.  The maximum time a student can do school using RPC is 6 hours.  Of course they can do more if they wish to.

Benefit Fourteen: there is no age limit to the classes.  Unlike Public and Private schools, grades are not based on age but on the student’s knowledge.

Benefit Fifteen: everything is home-based.  There are no bullies or social drama other than the ones at home (aka siblings).

English 9, Lesson 115 – Did Thompson Provide Persuasive Evidence that South’s Slave System was Morally Evil?

This week I finished reading John Thompson’s autobiography.  Thompson was an escaped slave from the South and in his autobiography, he told his readers what it was like to live as a slave in the South.  In today’s essay I am going to answer the question, “Did Thompson provide enough evidence that the South’s slave system was morally evil?”

Thompson did not specifically say, word for word, that the South’s slave system was morally evil, but he gave enough evidence to prove it.

Example One

In the first few chapters of the book, Thompson talked about having his sister sent away.  I studied the Civil War a few years ago in History, and one of the things that disturbed me the most was how the slaves would be separated from their families and it was considered normal.  It was even more disturbing to see it from a slave’s point of view.  This is a personal belief of mine, but I think that families should stay as a unit and should not be broken up.  I feel that it is cruel to separate a family with no guarantee of them ever seeing one another again.

Example Two

Thompson described how harshly his masters would beat him and other slaves if they disobeyed.  He would also mention how many masters would beat their slaves for no reason besides entertainment.  Whether you were young or old, no slave was immune from the whippings.  Thompson recalled how one of his master’s young sons would come home from school and call all the young slave children to the yard.  He would order them to clean it, and while they did, he would whip them for no reason other than to see them bleed.  This is inhumane and evil.  The slave system not only bred racism, but also cruelty in white children and resentment in black children.

Example Three

Thompson escaped slavery as an adult with his friend.  He made it up North then out to sea because he still did not feel safe.  One of the things that deeply upset me was how Thompson did not die a free man.  Legally, he still belonged to the master he had escaped from.  You may be thinking that legal matters do not concern a slave once he has escaped and is on the open seas, right?  Yes, this is partly true, but can you imagine how Thompson felt?  He had to stay on the open seas if he wanted to remain free.  He could not go on land without the fear of being found, captured, and taken back down to the South again.  He died with the knowledge that he was legally owned by a man.  Can you imagine what it feels like to die knowing you were never free?  I find this completely and utterly evil.

Example Four

Slavery goes against everything that God has said.  God wants humans to start families and raise children.  The slavery system saw families as nothing but a source of more income.  God wants humans to worship and pray to Him.  Many masters would punish their slaves for worshipping God because it gave the slaves too much hope.  God wants humans to treat each other with kindness.  The slave system told people it was acceptable to whip a man as punishment.

Conclusion

As you can see, the South’s slavery system was horrible and morally evil.  In my personal opinion, nothing about the slave system was decent or acceptable.  I think everything about this type of slave system is morally evil and inhumane.

Business 9, Lesson 115 – Five More Reasons Why You Should Join RPC

For the past few weeks I have been learning about how to write compelling advertisements, and this week Dr. North used the Ron Paul Curriculum’s advertisements as real life examples.  One of the things I looked at was the 26 Reasons to Adopt the Ron Paul Curriculum Today (Not Next Term) . . . and 4 Reasons Not To article (https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/public/3346.cfm).  In today’s essay, I am going to be adding five reasons to join the Ron Paul Curriculum coming from a student who has been doing this curriculum since 5th Grade.

Reason #1: you can go at your own pace.  I have said this once, and I will say it again, home schooling is amazing because you can go at your own pace and follow your own schedule.  This is especially true for the Ron Paul Curriculum.  The schedule that each subject follows is four lessons of new material and one lesson of review (usually on Fridays).  But this can be customizable.  There are no hard deadlines except the ones that you set for yourself.  In my case, I started 5th Grade with the Ron Paul Curriculum three years ago and now I am more than halfway through 9th Grade.

Reason #2: saves time.  On the note of going at your own pace and setting your schedule, the Ron Paul Curriculum believes that students should not spend more than six hours in school per day (unlike the eight hour school days other children are subjected to).  The curriculum is designed in such a way that it is nearly impossible for a child to spend more than six hours if they do not want to.

Reason #3: life skills.  Many high schoolers say that majority of what they learned cannot be used in real life.  But the Ron Paul Curriculum offers many courses that will actually help the students in real life.  For example, 9th grade has the Public Speaking course, teaching students how to write and deliver speeches.  There are also two business courses teaching students about how to run a small business and how to advertise.  I was learning how to file taxes in America when I was in the 8th Grade!  Many students who have graduated high school cannot say the same.  These are real life skills that a person will need and use in real life.

Reason #4: blogging skills.  The Ron Paul Curriculum highly recommends each student have a blog.  It allows others to read the essays and get inspiration. It allows the author of the essay to get feedback, and it teaches the student blogging skills.  I have noticed that many RPC students have started their own personal blogs about their interests or hobbies.  Blogging skills are useful to have if the student ever wants to start a small business and needs a way to advertise it.

Reason #5: good note-taking skills.  All lessons in the Ron Paul Curriculum are pre-recorded videos, and usually require students to take notes which can be applied to essays at the end of the week.  This teaches students good note-taking skills, which is useful if the student wishes to go to college or in real life if they get an office job.

As you can see, the Ron Paul Curriculum teaches real life skills and makes education fun and easy.  I have no doubt that the skills I am learning today in this curriculum are ones that I will need and use in the future when I am an adult.

Business 9, Lesson 110 – Which of These Advertisements Conform to Joyner’s Standards of an Irresistible Offer?

For the past week I have been reading The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner.  In the book he talks about how to create an Irresistible Offer and how to sell it.  To create this special offer, the advertisement needs to answer four questions. What are you trying to sell me?  What will it cost me?  What’s in it for me?  Why should I trust you?  In this essay, I am going to be evaluating advertisements, given to me by Dr. North, and determine if they fit Joyner’s standards for an “Irresistible Offer.”

M&M Advertisement

The link:

The M&M advertisement only answered two of the four questions Joyner requires for is Irresistible Offer.  What are you trying to sell me and what’s in it for me?  They are trying to sell you chocolate candy that supposedly does not melt in your hand when you hold it.  The catch phrase was nice and the animation was obviously placed there to appeal to young children, but as a customer of M&M for over 10 years, I can tell you that these chocolates do melt in your hand and gets all over your white clothing (I am speaking from experience).

Radio Shack TRS-80 Computer

The link:

The Radio Shack advertisement answered all four questions asked, and in my opinion, meets Joyner’s standards for an Irresistible Offer.  The advertisement showed what they were selling and showed the price of the computer twice.  It listed all of the benefits and at the end mentioned that they were one of the biggest names for computers, implying that they are trustworthy since no company can become big if their products are shoddy.

Commodore

The link:

The Commodore advertisement answered three out of four questions, which I think is pretty good.  They showed what they were trying to sell and listed the price.  They also mentioned how the Commodore is convenient and can do the same thing as the office computer.

American Express

The link:

The American Express advertisement only answered one question, which is the “what are you trying to sell to me?”  The video was entertaining, and it caught my attention, making it possible for me to stay to the very end where they mention what they are selling.  But the advertisement does not mention how to get the item and does not list or show any proof of benefits.

Conclusion

Only two of these advertisements met Joyner’s standards.  I will say, the advertisements were fun and entertaining to watch, but only one gave buyers a sense of trust.  For me, when I see advertisements on TV or on YouTube, I always want to find some sort of reassurance that this product is worth my money.  If I saw these advertisements on the TV, I would only be tempted to buy the computer and M&Ms (but only because it is chocolate, not because of the advertisement).

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