Ile Ife (Nigeria) History and Archaeology

Ile-Ife (pronounced EE-lay EE-fay), and known as Ife or Ife-Lodun is an ancient urban center, a Yoruba city in Osun state in southwestern Nigeria, about 135 northeast of Lagos. First occupied at least as early as the 1st millennium CE, it was most populous and important to the Ife culture during the 14th and 15th centuries CE, and it is considered the traditional birthplace of the Yoruba civilization, of the latter part of the African Iron Age. Today it is a thriving metropolis, with a population of about 350,000 people. Key Takeaways: Ile-Ife Ile-Ife is a Medieval period site in Nigeria, occupied between the 11th and 15th centuries CE.  It is considered the ancestral home of the Yoruba people.  Residents made naturalistic Benin bronzes, terracotta and copper allow sculptures.  Evidence at the site shows local manufacture of  glass beads, adobe brick houses, and potsherd pavements.   Prehistoric Chronology Pre-Classical (also known as Pre-Pavement), ?–11th centuriesClassical (Pavement), 12th–15th centuriesPost-Classic (Post-Pavement), 15th–17th centuries During its heyday of the 12th–15th centuries CE, Ile-Ife experienced a fluorescence in bronze and iron arts. Beautiful naturalistic terracotta and copper alloy sculptures made during the early periods have been found at Ife; later sculptures are of the lost-wax brass technique known as Benin bronzes. The bronzes are thought to represent rulers, priests, and other notable people during the citys florescence as a regional power. It was also during Classic period Ile Ife that construction of decorative pavements, open-air courtyards paved with pottery sherds. The sherds were set on edge, sometimes in decorative patterns, such as herringbone with embedded ritual pots. The pavements are unique to the Yoruba and believed to have been first commissioned by Ile-Ifes only female king. The Ife period buildings at Ile-Ife were constructed primarily of sun-dried adobe brick and so only a few remnants have survived. During the medieval period, two earthen rampart walls were erected around the city center, making Ile-Ife what archaeologists call a fortified settlement. The royal center had a circumference of about 2.5 miles, and its inner-most wall encircles an area of some three square miles. A second medieval period wall encircles an area of some five sq mi; both medieval walls are ~15 feet tall and 6.5 ft thick. Glass Works In 2010, excavations were undertaken in the northeastern part of the site by Abidemi Babatunde Babalola and colleagues who identified evidence that Ile Ife was making glass beads for its own consumption and for trade. The city had long been associated with glass processing and glass beads, but the excavations recovered almost 13,000 glass beads and several pounds of glassworking debris. The beads here have a unique chemical makeup, of contrasting levels of soda and potassium and high levels of alumina. The beads were made by drawing a long tube of glass and cutting it into lengths, mostly under two-tenths of an inch. Most of the finished beads were cylinders or oblates, the rest are tubes. Bead colors are primarily blue or blue-green, with a smaller percentage of colorless, green, yellow, or multicolored. A few are opaque, in yellow, dark red or dark gray. Bead-making manufacturing is indicated by pounds of glass waste and cullet, 14,000 potsherds. and fragments of several pottery crucibles. The vitrified ceramic crucibles are between 6 and 13 inches tall, with a mouth diameter of between 3–4 inches, which would have held between 5-40 pounds of molten glass.   The production site was used between the 11th and 15th centuries and represents rare evidence of early West African crafts. Archaeology at Ile-Ife Excavations at Ile Ife have been conducted by F. Willett, E. Ekpo and P.S. Garlake. Historical records also exist and have been used to study migration patterns of the Yoruba civilization. Sources and Further Information Babalola, Abidemi Babatunde, et al. Chemical Analysis of Glass Beads from Igbo Olokun, Ile-Ife (Sw Nigeria): New Light on Raw Materials, Production, and Interregional Interactions. Journal of Archaeological Science 90 (2018): 92–105. Print.Babalola, Abidemi Babatunde, et al. Ile-Ife and Igbo Olokun in the History of Glass in West Africa. Antiquity 91.357 (2017): 732–50. Print.Ige, O.A., B.A. Ogunfolakana, and E.O.B.  Ajayi. Chemical Characterization of Some Potsherd Pavements from Parts of Yorubaland in Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Archaeological Science 36.1 (2009): 90–99. Print.Ige, O.A., and Samuel E.  Swanson. Provenance Studies of Esie Sculptural Soapstone from Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Archaeological Science 35.6 (2008): 1553–65. Print.Obayemi, Ade M. Between Nok, Ile-Ife and Benin: Progress Report and Prospects. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 10.3 (1980): 79–94. Print.Ogundiran, Akinwumi. Four Millennia of Cultura l History in Nigeria (Ca. 2000 B.C.–A.D. 1900): Archaeological Perspectives. Journal of World Prehistory 19.2 (2005): 133–68. Print.Olupona, Jacob K. City of 201 Gods: Ilà ©-Ife in Time, Space, and the Imagination. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. 223-241.Usman, Aribidesi A. On the Frontier of Empire: Understanding the Enclosed Walls in Northern Yoruba, Nigeria. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 23 (2004): 119–32. Print.

Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail - 1074 Words

An Analysis of Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was serving a prison sentence in a jail in Birmingham, Alabama for nonviolently protesting through sit ins and marches.. It was during this time that King, outraged by the criticism of his methods of nonviolent direct action, wrote one of the most thoughtful arguments for civil disobedience and direct action against unjust and immoral laws. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a poignant rebuttal to critics and clarified his argument, inspiring much of the American youth to rebel against the racial injustices occurring in America at the time. Martin Luther King’s arguments in Letter from Birmingham Jail are effective because they draw the reader’s attention to the dehumanizing nature of systematic racism and force them to consider the ethical implications of large scale racial discrimination through intense imagery, articulate through reasonable rhetoric the philosophy behind civil disobedience and why dire ct action is the only path to achieve racial equality, and use practical and logical arguments to methodically refute the arguments of the Alabama clergymen who criticized him. Perhaps one of the greatest paragraphs that Martin Luther King Jr. ever put on paper was his outline of the ethical implications of systematic racism in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, in which King describes with vivid imagery how he has seen â€Å"vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers† for theirShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1052 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscrimination is? A Rhetorical Analysis of Letter From Birmingham Jail It is known to all that Martin Luther King is a famous person in America, who strongly goes against the racial discrimination all the time. Here, in this letter, Letter from Birmingham Jail, it is easy for us to realize that racial discrimination appears and the non-violence action is still serious at that time. As a matter of fact, this letter is coming from the people in the Birmingham jail, stating their inner thoughts aboutRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Analysis850 Words   |  4 Pagesfriends. (MLK)† This quote from the inspirational civil rights leader captures the motivation behind his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† He wrote this letter in 1963--after he had been jailed--in response to southern white clergy who called his actions â€Å"unwise and untimely.† Although MLK utilizes many varying appeals and devices, Kairos and anaphora are the most forceful because they pressure the white clergy and stimulate guilt in them. MLK inserts kairos in his letter to pressure the white clergyRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Letter from Birmingham Jail1517 Words   |  7 PagesPonder Eng291-001 13 September 2013 Rhetorical Analysis Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† by Martin Luther King, Jr., is a letter in which King is writing to his â€Å"fellow clergymen† in a response to their recent criticism of the actions he was leading in Birmingham at the time. The letter was written in April of 1963, a time when segregation was essentially at a peak in the south. Birmingham, in particular, is described by King as â€Å"probablyRead MoreAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail785 Words   |  4 PagesWhile imprisoned in Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. received a letter from the local clergymen that condemned his actions calling them rash and extreme, in response Dr. King wrote his own letter back defending his decisions. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King introduces the idea of positive extremism as he attempts to convince the clergymen of the need for direct action in Birmingham, by showing the similarities in his own struggles and those faced by countless historical and biblicalR ead MoreCritical Analysis: Letter from Birmingham Jail1191 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis Essay â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† In arguing, writers use different techniques to effectively convey their message to their intended audience. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a response to A Call for Unity by eight white clergymen in which King’s presence in Birmingham and his methods of public demonstration were questioned. King’s letter was not only a response to his presence in Birmingham, but he also used the opportunity to address theRead MoreLetter from a Birmingham Jail Analysis1025 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"A Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King Jr. was written in the margins of a letter posted by the clergymen of Alabama at this time that sparked his interest and while he inhabited the jail cell for parading around without a permit. This time allowed him the ability to respond wholeheartedly to this cynical oppressing. King’s letter addresses specific points presented in the Clergymen’s and this direct response distinguishes Kingà ¢â‚¬â„¢s strong points through his powerful writing.   UnethicalRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Analysis1617 Words   |  7 Pagespeaceful protests in Birmingham, Alabama, he was jailed on accounts of â€Å"parading without a permit† (King 3). While in jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a response to â€Å"A Call For Unity,† written by eight white clergymen of Birmingham, regarding King’s actions as â€Å"unwise and untimely† (King 1). This famous response soon came to be known as â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail,† and is currently regarded as one of the best pieces of rhetoric ever written. Dr. King’s â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail† is thoroughlyRead MoreAnalysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail1058 Words   |  5 PagesLetters from Birmingham Jail, was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s response to an open letter from eight Caucasian clergymen in the state of Alabama who had condemned the actions of King Jr. and blac k civil rights leaders. Dr. King Jr. made an impassioned argument addressing the concerns of the clergymen and vigorously discussed shock at their response. His letter covered a multitude of factors clearly and succinctly in a stinging critique of the clergymen’s views. In his infamous letter, Dr. King JrRead MoreSummary and Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†1708 Words   |  7 PagesSummary and Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for protesting without a permit. The same day that King was arrested, a letter was written and signed by eight clergymen from Birmingham and titled â€Å"A Call for Unity†. The letter called for ending demonstrations and civil activities and indicated King as an â€Å"outsider†. On April 16, 1963, King responded to their letter with his own call, which has come toRead Moreâ€Å"Letters from a Birmingham Jail† Analysis of the Rhetorical Appeals1182 Words   |  5 Pagescreate a trustworthy bond with the audience, support his claim through reason, and create emotion in the audience that compels them to leap out of their seats and take action. Martin Luther King Jr. attempted to do this when he wrote an open letter while in his jail cell after a peaceful debate against segregation. His lettered response was guided at a statement by eight white Alabama clergymen saying that segregation should be fought in court and not on the streets. King uses a combination of three

Is Booking Travel over the Internet Causing the Decline of High Street Travel Agents free essay sample

Is booking travel over the internet causing the decline of high street travel agents? During the decade leading up to 2007, ways of buying tourism products as changed a lot. Ten years ago people choosing a holiday more often than not a package holiday, by going to the travel agent and choosing one from a number of brochures and after chatting with the travel agent. Many people still chose this method but a lot more people are buying packing holidays, more people now buy online, or over the telephone, through teletext. People tended to find it cheaper to and more flexible to buy their flights from one internet site, their accommodation from another and book a hire car with another site, rather than buying a package holiday out of a tour operators brochure. They are not always financially, protected when booking travel separately. Holidaymakers are turning their backs on the traditional high-street travel agent in favour of booking trips online, reports sundayherald. com. Between 2000 and 2004 there was an 11% drop in the number of bookings made at travel agents, with only 47% of overseas holidays now being reserved through a high street travel agency, according to figures from market researchers Mintel. Many people book breaks by phone, and just 31% of overseas trips were booked in person in 2004, says the report. The research shows that traditional sun, sand and sangria package holidays are the main type of trip booked on the high street, with just one in five domestic trips booked at travel agencies. Richard Cope, international travel analyst at Mintel, reportedly said consumer confidence in the internet was driving people away from booking in person. Mintels research shows that almost one in five UK holidays are now booked online, with consumers becoming increasingly confident about making their own travel arrangements. Mintel figures also indicated that, overall, more holidays are being taken. In 2004 65% of British people went on holiday, compared to 62% in 2000. Some 44% of holidaymakers now take more than one holiday a year, up 14% since 2000. Altogether, Britons took 43 million holidays abroad in 2004. http://www. m-travel. com/news/2005/10/number_of_booki. html Technological changes within tourism surround several different factors from medical advances to the innovative space tourism. Similar to tourism, technology is an ever changing and sometimes unstable business. Better communication, transport and safety have encouraged new consumers to the industry. Improvements in water supply, medicine and knowledge have meant areas are opened up which were not possible before technological advances. In today’s society in which a consumer wants easier, quicker and cheaper service only technology has helped tourism fulfil the customers demand. Another massive effect on tourism is the rapid increase in online booking that has given consumers more opportunity to make a holiday. Through technological advances, online booking has been one of the biggest factors in affecting tourism, leisure and recreation in today’s world. There were 37,600,000 Internet users in the United Kingdom (representing 62. % of the population) in March 2007, according to Internet World Stats. This was up by 144. 2% compared to 2000. (Internet World Stats, March 2007) and a new Google Survey has shown that surfing the web has topped watching television as Britain’s favourite past time. On average residents in the UK spend 164 minutes online every day compared to 148 minutes watching television (Daily Mail, Friday 10th March 2006). This shows how much the internet is now an integral part of life and has had an effect on other aspects influencing the tourism business. More and more people are now booking their holiday on the internet, as many people are looking for a better priced deal than they’re being offered by their travel agent. Both holiday and airline bookings have not dramatically rose in sales from the travel slump of 2001-02 due to the massive consequences of September 11th and the threat of terrorism which has increased (it saw similar slumps although smaller after the Madrid bombings and 7/7 terrorist attacks). The Iraq war, the SARS/bird flu epidemics and very consistent hot European summers have persuaded the usual long haul travellers to stay at home. This has seen a loss in sales and therefore profits causing one of the hardest aviation crises of the industry. The number of job cuts that were announced in 2003/04 was well over 100,000 according to BBC News, November 2005. Routes had been slashed and several European carriers were barely clinging to life. The turmoil in the industry went from Aer Lingus to XL Airways, but times were changing and the industry needed something new. Survival tactics started to emerge and online travel started to show evidence of bucking this gloomy trend. The Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), as cited in a May 21, 2002, Financial Times article had cited for many years that online spending was increasing and predicted it to triple at the end of the decade. Looking at e-commerce data overall, the firm counted travel as the biggest online sector, followed by electronic products and apparel. IMRG also said British shoppers were buying larger and more expensive goods online, such as furniture and kitchen appliances. This showed a large gap in the sub-market that needed to be exploited. Online Travel Spend ($bn) Europe N. AmericaU. K 20002. 4 6. 4 0. 20015. 8 11. 00 1. 8 200212. 7 18. 7 3. 7 Source: Datamonitor At the start of the boom these were seen as survival tactics by the airlines and the government also pushed for more progress in online booking to make the travel industry more prosperous. The economic realities forced travel companies to be more efficient in running their business. Websites, for example were able to promote the latest ticket prices, particularly at a time when they were being slashed on a day-to-day basis which was used to tempt travelers back into the air. Similarly travel sites e-mailed a wide ustomer base with relative ease to promote special deals. It is seen as the cheapest method of booking a holiday, the LogicaCMG (a marketing body) has said that phone bookings typically cost about ? 30 to service. By contrast net bookings cost around 75p. One of the biggest online travel sites Expedia, took an initial knock from 11 September, but then saw its transaction volumes recover by 80-85% during October. â€Å"Like every travel company, we experienced a downturn, but we then recovered a lot more quickly than the traditional industry† said James Vaile, managing director of Expedia in the UK. Online travel sites are also well positioned to exploit the recent procrastination by consumers in booking holidays. People are booking later than usual in recent years and the internet is seen as the obvious and natural place to hunt down last-minute bargains. As this bar chart shows travel sales online rose rapidly from 2006-2007 and it is expected to continue to rise to over $30 billion. The consumers weren’t only using the internet to book their holidays but also to research and gain knowledge of the destinations they wanted to go to. The search engines were flooded with searches over cheap flights, accommodation and new destinations (as shown in the rankings). From the bar chart below it shows that web-search is the preferred method of obtaining travel information with it being preferred nearly twice as much as personal recommendation, the second most preferred method. This is then followed by TV programmes, but the travel agents became the fourth option of consumers to collect travel information. Web-searches are high due to people liking to make their own decisions at their own pace and this can’t be done in travel agents where they are pushed, poked and pressured. This is unpleasant for the consumer and has changed the trend in which consumers went to travel agents for advice, whereas now they would rather use the internet. As this pie chart to the left shows the internet has had a huge impact on the booking of a holiday, with 79% of all booked holidays using the internet in the process. Also, the internet has seen a large increase in the number of â€Å"last minute business as many tourists feel it is better-placed and they can search for the best priced, most suitable holidays or excursions. Furthermore, since the growth of the internet, online advertising has been used as a huge marketing tool, where holiday and travel providers can target large quantities of potential customers and keep advertising costs low. This has also been used to great effect as they appear to be a successful method and an efficient way of gaining business from the wallet-conscious consumers, whereas high street advertising receives less notice. Moreover, the internet has caused the high street travel agencies to close, therefore creating job losses within the businesses. This is mainly due to the fact that more people are booking direct with the holiday providers, thus cutting out the middle man and saving money by doing the research and booking themselves. This is usually done by using the internet or telephone booking where the overhead costs are much lower as an outlet has to be staffed and incur running costs such as electricity bills and also because of the larger volumes of people that are able to access the service. A recent example of this is was in 2001, when Airtours, the UK’s largest tour operator had to cut one-in-seven of its high street branches in an effort to return to profitability. According to finance director David Jardine, around 120 shops going under the name â€Å"Going Places† were closed as the business stated that they were finding there was an â€Å"increasing trend in customers wishing to book direct. On the other hand, online companies such as Expedia. com have seen their profits on the rise over the past few years as would be expected, although they had not anticipated such a large growth. For the last three months of 2001, Expedia saw its net income surge to $19m according to BBC News, compared with a loss of $2. 6m in the same quarter of 2000 and also the firms evenues were in excess of $80 million for 2001, over double that for 2000, showing how quickly it has established itself as an efficient internet booking service. So in conclusion online booking for travel has dramatically changed tourism in the world. It has provided a less time consuming, cost effective and an overall efficient/productive method in organising tourism which has seen triggered a rapid rise in sales. Airlines are now recovering after effects that were unforeseen. BAA Limited, formerly the British Airport Association said seven UK Airports handled a total of 11. m passengers in August 2006 making it a record summer with the highest number of passengers ever recorded over a two month period. BAA also revealed here was a 6. 8% increase in passenger traffic for the 12 months to August 31st 2006. Bigger discounts and better security could tempt more people to book holidays online, a LogicaCMG survey (http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/technology/3939035. stm) found. However, the future of online booking although seen as prosperous can also turn, but due to the recovery in airline business they are starting to hit back. Prices are starting to rise and now you must book early to get the best price. The same survey revealed that online discounts were still not high enough to tempt potential customers onto travel websites and that the process was still too complicated for some consumers. A serious issue with online booking is the fear of fraud. Consumers are not convinced that any personal and financial information they hand over would be kept secure by online travel shops and this is slowing the potential growth that could occur otherwise. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) sees the online travel market having a long way to go before it replaces high street travel agents. ABTA estimates that by the end of 2007 online travel will be 17% of the UK’s ? 28bn travel market but this growth will only occur if trends continue as it relies on steadily growing numbers of people happy to book holidays online and as well as improvements in technology and the creation of better websites by travel firms. Issues over security, faults and complications need to be solved if this method of booking is to prosper.

picking cotton essay Essay Example

picking cotton essay Paper Let The Truth Finally Be Revealed Jennifer Thompson was a straight-A student at Elon University in Burlington, North Carolina. She had her life all planned out: maintain straight As, graduate with a 4. 0 GPA, and marry her boyfriend, Paul. Jennifer said frightened Who is that? Whose there? I said, Allowing myself to think it must be Paul, or someone playing a stupid joke (12). Then suddenly she looked and saw a stranger in her room. Before she knew it, she was getting raped. During her attack, she made sure she paid attention to her attackers features and his voice. The rapist began to hiss Shut up or Ill cut you! he hissed, while clamping a glove hand down her mouth (12). He proceeded to brutally rape her, with a knife at her throat. Im afraid of knives. I told him, l cant relax until you put it down. Can you put it outside? On my car? (15-16). Jennifer stayed as calm as possible, trying to remember as many details about her assailant as she could, until she managed to escape. She tried staying calm and having conversations with this man and stayed calm the entire time. When she had the chance and knew he wasnt there she began to run and was shouting for help. As she ran screaming to the top of her lungs a nice family opened the door and let her in. They took care of Jennifer and took her to the hospital. Through an inept summary and analysis of Picking Cotton, readers will be able to understand key points throughout the book, and determine why or why not they should pursue reading the book. After Jennifer got out of the hospital police were all over her case they detectives wanted to find out who would do such a thing? We will write a custom essay sample on picking cotton essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on picking cotton essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on picking cotton essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer So the police would have to take Jennifer down to the police department where she would meet with Detectives. As she got to the police department Jennifer went down to meet a sketch artist. Once the sketch was done, the lead detective on her case was Detective Gauldin. Detective Gauldin decided that it would be best if the department released the sketch on the local news. Jenifer was told, Detective Gauldin is going to lay down six photos of black male for you to look at. The suspect may or may not be included in these (32). As Jennifer looked at a few sketches she narrowed it down to two sketches. After she got to see a real picture of these men and she happened to pick the sketch of a man amed Ronald Cotton. Ronald had been in trouble with the police before. Jennifer began to say, When I looked at one photo, the image of the man performing oral sex on me came back so violently I thought I would be sick right there. The memory was to sharp and clear. This is the one, while she was pointing to the picture l think this is the guy. Its him, said Jennifer youre sure? asked Detective Gauldin positive said Jennifer (33). As Jennifer picked out the man who she thought raped her police began to look for evidence. The police department had identified, she icked out the one she recognized the best: Ronald Cotton, who already had a less- than-desirable record with the police. When Cotton was told of the charges, he went to the police station to clear his name, but instead he was arrested. Jennifer had to come fa ce to face with a couple of men selected by the police. When Jennifer walked in all she could think about was what would he do to her if he saw her pick him. Jennifer began to say in fear If he was here, now he knew what I looked like in broad Jenifer picked out Ronald Cotton Just like the sketch and picture. The detectives began to ask her Did he beat you? hey asked cut you? When I shook my head up, they shrugged. They were sorry it happened to me, but it Just didnt seem like that big a deal, because it was Just sex (39). Ronald Cotton was found guilty on January 18th, 1985 and sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years, on charges of first-degree breaking and entering and first-degree sexual assault. On top of all the things going on in her life Jennifers love life wasnt going to well either. Jennifer and Paul started to drastically separate slowly. They got into a huge argument over the rape. Their relationship changed so much after Jennifer had been raped. Paul wanted her to move back into town and Jennifer couldnt she never wanted to go back there. Paul wasnt very understanding about it. Jennifer stated, The relationship ended then, although we would continue to pretend it hadnt for several more months (40). DNA testing and eyewitness results can really show a lot and prove that someone really is innocent. Ronald did not really do this crime, and he was living in prison for a crime he did not commit. Keeping faith in God, Cotton underwent an eleven-year ordeal, being transferred from prison to prison. In prison he met a fellow inmate, incarcerated for the same crimes. His name was Bobby Poole, and he even resembled Cotton in appearance. Cotton requested that he and Poole go back to court to appeal his innocence. Jennifer, along with another woman who was raped the same night, again chose Cotton as her rapist and he was sentenced to two life sentences plus fifty-four years. As Cotton languished in prison, Jennifer remained tormented by the image of her attacker. She was eventually able to settle down and marry a man named Vinny. But right as she began to get comfortable, she was informed Cotton had requested a DNA test. Still confident that he was guilty, she agreed. A few weeks later Cotton was freed, after eleven long years in prison; it was Bobby Pooles DNA found in her rape kit, and Poole had confessed to the crimes. Jennifer was devastated, but she decided she wanted to meet Cotton. Ronald Cotton agreed to meet Jennifer at a church and, miraculously, forgave her. Since then, theyVe formed an unlikely friendship and have started travelling across the country advocating actual innocence investigation, hoping to prevent the Justice system from repeating the mistakes of their case. This rape truly impacted Jennifers life in many ways; such s she couldnt control her actions. For instance, she wasnt satisfied with herself and made poor decisions like drinking and doing drugs. Jennifer says, There wasnt much I could control about the way my life was going, but I could control whether I let my rage get the best of me (118). Jennifer tried to change her life around and she started to attend church. At the end when Ronald got released, they met at a church where Jennifer apologized to him. Jennifers father really got onto her about praying. Jennifer says My father and Diane were always on me to go to take up prayer (119). I would truly recommend this book to anyone because the story behind this book is so impacting and touching. You get to truly hear a story that you probably will never hear anywhere else. This book is very fascinating and leaves you speechless; by the time youre done with it all you can do is wonder and think wow I didnt know that could happen. You realize how anyone can make a mistake and how the eyewitness tests work and showed how many prisoners today could also not have committed a police, Judges and detectives that he was an innocent man through DNA and eyewitness testing. I dont think there has ever been a time that someone was able to get away and show they were innocent after being convicted and accused with what Ronald was accused of. The DNA testing showed that Ronald was innocent and the Bobby Poole did this. It is so interesting to see how something like this can occur and how identical these two men look. Jennifer was so sure that Ronald had raped her. She told the police and detectives that she was one hundred percent sure. It is truly incredible to see how our memory can even play games with us. Humans arent perfect and we think we know what we saw but our minds can play games. When Jennifer was told that she was wrong and that she picked the wrong person was probably very hard for her. I cant even imagine what went through her head when she heard Cotton didnt do the crime she thought he committed. When reading this, you Just want to keep reading to find out what happens to Ronald it is very interesting and catching. When finished with the book you think to yourself, my goodness it makes me so happy he is finally shown innocent. Then it warms your heart to know that Ronald and Jennifer become really close friends after all this that happened.