I Buy Book for Free and Here's How. . .

I don't think there's one person on earth who doesn't enjoy free things. I know I LOVE free things. In fact, you could sum my personality up with synonyms such as a cheap scape, penny hoarder, frugal, or even overly intense money-saver. I'm always looking for deals and steals, especially with books. Being eighteen and all, I'm not exactly rich and I have an unfortunate habit of buying books and music all too often. However, I have discovered a new method of affordability for myself: it's called Swagbucks.

What is Swagbucks, you might ask? 

Swagbucks is a search engine that earns you points every time you search the web, watch videos,

answer polls, play games, Et Cetera. These points are called Swagbucks. Once you accumulate enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for gift cards. My favorite gift cards are the ones for Amazon, Ebay, and PayPal. However, you can purchase gift cards to use at several popular retailers such as Nike, Longhorn Steakhouse, iTunes, and more!

How Do I Sign Up? 

Signing up is free and easy and you can do so HERE. Once you do this, you can quickly earn points by completing your profile and making Swagbucks your default search engine. You also earn more points by adding the "SwagButton" browser extension to your web browser.

How Do I Earn Points? 

Browsing the Web

This is my main method of earning Swagbucks because I'm already surfing the web anyway. You won't receive points every time you search but once you get going, you'll likely make between 15-50 Swagbucks a day. The thing about this is that you're already doing it anyway, so you mine as well be compensated for it.

Shopping Online 

Next to searching the web, this is my second favorite way to earn Swagbucks. In fact, you can make a lot of Swagbucks quickly doing this. This is very similar to cash back from Ebates where you earn rewards by shopping through their links. There are hundreds of stores affiliated with Swagbucks, including Amazon, Ebay, and Walmart.

If you install the SwagButton, it will alert you every time you go to a site that you can earn Swagbucks with.

Surveys

I can't give you a voucher for these because I don't like taking surveys but Swagbucks has several from which you can choose from if you qualify. From what I've seen you can make anyway from 3 SB to 300 SB, depending on which one you choose. However, the more Swagbucks offered, the longer the survey.

Videos

Sort of like YouTube, Swagbucks has its own collection of videos to watch and even more awesome is you get paid to watch them! I don't really take the time to watch them but I've heard of people making tons of Swagbucks using this method.

Coupons

What? Swagbucks offers coupons too?! Yup. It's true. For example, if you use a Swagbuck's coupon for $0.15 off of a product at the store, you'll get 15 SB. Seems like a sweet deal to me! Just make sure you actually use the coupon or else you won't receive any Swagbucks.

Referrals 

Another excellent way to earn Swagbucks quickly is through referrals. Swagbucks will provide you with a special link that is connected to your account and you can share it via Facebook, Twitter, email, on your blog, or wherever. Every time somebody signs up through your link, you earn 10% of the Swagbucks your referral earns. . .for life!

Finally. . .

How to Get the Cha-Chings (cashing out)

As I mentioned above, Swagbucks pays in card retailers to tons of different places. My personal favorite would be PayPal because that's essentially free money that I can spend anywhere.

1 SB equals about $0.01, so 100 SB=$1.00, 500=$5.00 and so on. I've personally earned over $200 with Swagbucks which I have spent on a multitude of things, particularly books. Unlike other point redeeming websites, it's actually really easy to earn points. About every two to three week, I earn $5.00. I'll admit, it can sometimes be frustrating--especially when you just start--to make Swagbucks. However, once you get into the swing of things and hopefully get some referrals, you'll find yourself making Swagbucks much faster.

Swagbucks is one of the best money-maker websites I've ever found and it has helped me afford the things I couldn't binge on before like books and music. Now I get them for 100% free for something I was already doing anyway. I'm not saying you're going to get rich using Swagbucks but it's nice to have an extra $5-$10 each month that you can spend on whatever you want.

In fact, between Swagbucks and a few other free point redeeming programs I actively use, I was able to buy $85 worth of Christmas gifts last year with only $5 out of my pocket. I think The Krazy Koupon Lady and The Penny Hoarder blogs would be proud of me.

Now, I'm very excited to share this opportunity with you. I promise that Swagbucks is not a scam and is very much free. I've been using it for over two years and I've never had any issues.

Finally convinced? You can sign up here.

Learn How to Avoid Writers Block (for the most part)

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There is no doubt: writers' block sucks. It's a writers' worst nightmare, especially when all you want to do is write that darn book. Some people might claim they know the cure to writers' block but don't believe them. There is no such thing. It's as simple as: if you write, you're going to experience it. However, I have discovered a method for myself that helps ward off the wall for a longer period of time. I call it. . .(drum roll please). . .The Outline.

Everybody has a very different method for planning their plots out. Me? I write a partially detailed synopsis of each chapter in a notebook. The first time I ever wrote a book, I didn't write an outline, which consequently happened to be my worst mistake ever. I spent months rewriting the plot because I was an idiot and didn't have a plan. Not to say that writing without a plan is bad. I think it honestly depends on how you write best so if winging it works for you, use it, even if it doesn't work for me. The next novel I wrote (keep in mind that I haven't published any of these novels yet), I was somewhat wiser and decided to at least attempt to outline. Call it cheating if you'd like, but the book I wrote during NaNoWriMo was actually planned during the entire month of October. For each chapter, I would write the synopsis of what major events happened and I would also occasionally write out a brief version of a scene if I knew what it would entail. For this reason and only this reason, was I able to breeze through my NaNoWriMo book in a month and a half. Okay. So, maybe it was more like draft 1.5 but I completed it and that's what counts.

In the conclusion of all things, this method seemed to keep writers block from plaguing me quite so often. Of course, no matter what, writers' block is still inedible and happens to the best of us. I still have my days where I want to bang my head off a wall and chuck my Mac out the window. Also, creating an outline may not help you with writers' block as it has helped me. All writers have different methods and ways that they go about things. However, if you are having troubles, I sincerely hope this post will help you. Just remember, even if you only squeeze out 100 words that you'll probably end up deleting later while editing, it's still considered progress. Just keep writing!

Here Is Why I Had Greater Expectations for "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Brief Synopsis of Great Expectations from Amazon: In this unflaggingly suspenseful story of aspirations and moral redemption, humble, orphaned Pip, a ward of his short-tempered older sister and her husband, Joe, is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman. And, indeed, it seems as though that dream is destined to come to pass — because one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In telling Pip's story, Dickens traces a boy's path from a hardscrabble rural life to the teeming streets of 19th-century London, unfolding a gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, and love and loss. Its compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride.

PLEASE BEWARE THAT THERE ARE SOME MINOR SPOILERS BELOW:

Many will claim that Great Expectations is arguably one of Charles Dickens best books ever written. I could hardly agree less. The great classics aren't always easy to read and can be very bland on occasion. However, I usually enjoy them. Unfortunately, there was something about Great Expectations that didn't strike me quite right. It was much too wordy, the plot was very mundane, and the characters felt dull and useless. I read the full, unabridged version which made me want to bang my head off of the table as soon as I was done dipping my head in ice water because the font was too small and the pages felt infinite. It was a miracle I was able to even finish.

It's a true wonder that the description that Dickens implied in the book didn't put me to sleep. For eternity, it felt that he would describe something completely irrelevant or that at least didn't require quite so much detail. I didn't know that you could describe a room with so many unnecessary adjectives. After I mentioned this to the librarian at my local library, she chuckled and then explained to me that Dickens was paid by the word, so you were guaranteed a highly unnecessary amount of adjectives and adverbs. How I didn't drift off while reading it, I'll never know.

I have only one word to describe the entirety of the plot: lifeless. Everything about it felt dull. The story was so dragged out that I had trouble following the motive of the plot and didn't even recognize that it was a love story until halfway through. I think there are plenty of other folks who would beg to differ with my opinion, but I felt that hardly anything provoking happened. The only thing I had to look forward to was discovering the identity of Pip's benefactor. Towards the end of the middle, there was some suspense, I suppose, as Pip found out he was in danger. He also never seemed to stop thinking of Estella and you would wonder if they would ever become a thing. Otherwise, it was dull, dull, dull.

Lastly, the characters were much too mundane for my liking. The most interesting individual was Mr. Jaggers, the attorney, but that was only because he took action in situations. Pip was a boring, timid man who often observed but never reached his hand in the matter. This bothered me on more than one occasion because although he was able to step up into a higher social class because of his sudden luck of coming into possession of a great wealth, he didn't do a thing! The other characters weren't much better. Mrs. Havisham was a whiny woman in despair who wore nothing but a tattered wedding dress to express how depressed (like my rhymes?) she was that her fiance double-crossed her before they married. Estella had a remotely interesting aura, I suppose, but she wasn't physically present throughout the majority of the book and was a very heartless individual on top of things. Unfortunately, Pip had an unrequited love for her. Man, Pip! You could have at least told her that you loved her before she got engaged.

In conclusion, reading this book felt like sitting through an eight-hour lecture on statistics. I understand that Pip had the same great expectations as everybody does with his dreams of wealth, true love, and total happiness. However, I just couldn't appreciate the book the same way I appreciated Pride and Prejudice or Gone With the Wind. I had much greater expectations (see what I did there) for this classic and I don't understand why so many people think its charming or original. The length between anything that even remotely sparked my interest was much too long, most of the characters couldn't think for themselves, and the plot wasn't very entertaining. Do I regret reading Great Expectations? No. I like to read things just to say that I read them but I'm not so sure I want to put myself through the torture of reading another book by Charles Dickens ever again.

How To Build More Complex Characters In 20 Questions

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Writing a novel is a complicated process. I've written one and am in the midst of trying to figure out how to go about publishing it (a story for another day). Next to plot, characters are the most important thing you have going because a plot without characters is really no story at all and a story with underdeveloped characters is equally as bad. My suggestion is that you build a character profile portfolio with all of your characters. 

If you live with the struggle of only being able to build underdeveloped characters or just feel as if your character needs more spice, try answering these 20 questions about them.  Even if you never even use a certain detail in the book such as so-and-so's favorite ice-cream flavor, it doesn't matter because your character has already crossed over the one-dimensional line into something better. 

Creating Characters In 20 Questions:

1. If you were walking down the street and saw your character for the first time, what would be your first impression? Is he/she simply stunning or a total creeper? Has a strange walk? Emits the faint scent of lemons as you pass by? 

2. What is your character's general physical appearance? In your profile, describe with lots of detail and single out the most important qualities. Does he/she have a long but off-centered nose (a possible sign that it might be broken)? Small, slender hands? A pink scar barely seen behind the ear? 

3. What does your character wear? Likes to wear pink? Only wears tattered Chuck Taylors with a hole in the toe? Wears sweatshirts all the time?

4. What does your character sound like? Does he/she sound like she was raised in the streets of New York City? Is their voice pitchy or deep? Sounds like he/she smokes a pack a day? 

5. Does your character accept the standards of his/her day when things go wrong? 

6. Does your character make the best of his/her day?  

7. What is your character's earliest most important influences? A teacher who taught the daughter of a dysfunctional family to read? A blind piano instructor who inspired a disabled student to pursue his/her dream? Even someone as simple as a favorite band or their parents. 

8. What is the most important thing to your character? A physical item of possession? A significant other? A feeling? 

9. What does your character fear the most? Arachnaphobia (that would be me)? Rejection? Death? 

10. How does your character handle competition, defeat, and lost? Does your character fall to their knees and sob until the sun falls from the sky? Do they hold up their head high and march on with pride? 

11. How does your character react towards children?

12. How does your character react in general? Does he/she become easily angered? Weepy? Overly sentimental?  

13. Does your character know why he/she behaves the way he/she does or is it a subconscious thing?

14. What does your character desire the most? True love? Fame? A black belt in karate? 

15. What does your character need the most? 

16. What is your character's worst quality or flaw? Being a know-it-all? Overconfidence?

17. How will your character change? Will he/she be stronger or weaker? Did your character learn a valuable lesson and if so, how will he/she use this lesson to make good? 

18. What is your character's full name? 

19. What is your character's major conflict? 

And finally. . .

20. What are the little details about your character? Favorite foods? Favorite color? Celebrity crush?

You don't have to answer all of these and you can even make your own questions but I find spending time getting to know your characters in this way is just as important as plotting. Suddenly, you'll find that they have a personality, depth, and qualities all their own. In fact, I usually even write a biography about their life starting from the day they were born up until present time in my novel.

I'll admit, when I first began writing my first novel, Caged (due to published soon), I was an inexperienced idiot and didn't create detailed character sketches, which resulted in a lot of problems, In another novel I'm writing, things went much more smoothly because I took as much time to develop my characters as my plot.

Of course, everybody does things differently, but I hope this helps you in your writing journeys as
much as it has helped me.

Post-NaNoWriMo--3 Key Writing Rules That Will Make You Win

NaNoWriMo ended a few weeks ago for me and when I reached that 50,000 word milestone, I was elated. I wasn't sure whether I had it in me to write another book. I know there are many good and bad things said about NaNoWriMo, but I did it because I wanted to feel involved and have some kind of incentive--a motivation--to write this new novel I've been tentatively plotting in my head for a year. However, I learned something very important: I cannot write a novel in a month.

I have precisely half of a first draft begging to be finished on my Macbook. Still, I've made a promise to myself that I will finish it.

As it was my first time participating in NaNoWriMo, I had to conduct some research prior to participating and I'm glad I did. It helped me keep on track and create rules for myself.

I thought I'd share some of my personal NaNoWriMo rules:

Plan

Plan your NaNoWriMo project out. Whether it be a short synopsis, a detailed summary, or a full blow detailed outline of each chapter like I did, just do some planning. Establish your characters a little and have at least a partially clear idea of what you're writing about. A murder? A zombie apocalypse? A girl who has to go on a journey to save her friend from the depths of Hell (that's actually a real book--EXCELLENT read!)

I grabbed a notebook (and pen) and over the course of two months, I wrote a summary for each chapter that I knew would happen. It didn't fill in my entire plot, but it helped me stay on track.

Keep A Writing Schedule

I do actually have a finished novel that I'm FINALLY looking into getting published. When I tell people this, sometimes they say that they wished that they had time to write a novel or that maybe one day they will. The truth is, you will never have time unless you make time. Prioritize. TV or write? Look at Facebook or write? Knit or write? You have more time than you think and with NaNoWriMo, make a schedule, stick to it, and write everyday that you can. No excuses.

Just Write 

I honestly think the hardest part about writing a novel is finishing it. I know people who start a book and it's great for the first chapter or two, then WHAM! They don't know what to write or they just think that their writing sucks, or even more irritating is the intense urge to go back and edit.

My advice: don't do it! Don't go back and edit until your first draft is finished. Just write, no matter how bad you think your work is. I once made the mistake of going back to edit an unfinished first draft in a past writing project. It created problems because how can you edit the beginning if you don't even know how it ends? If you have this problem, know that it is a "writer thing." I can nearly guarantee you that every writer in the world experiences this at one time or another.

Even right now I'm experiencing that terrible feeling in my gut that every sentence I write in my NaNoWriMo novel is a collection of the worst sentences ever.

Conclusion

Just write. Don't look back. You can do it.

An Essay I Wrote for the DAR Christopher Columbus Essay Contest--Joining Christopher Columbus On His Voyage to the New World

Last year was my third year participating in the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). I won the local division and earned first place in the state of Maine. I unfortunately did not place in the regional division. 

The topic was: "Joining Christopher Columbus On His Voyage to the New World."  

As I approached the docks, I inhaled the crisp, salty scent of the sea. The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, revealing that dawn had arrived. A jittery excitement coursed through me as my eyes fell upon the sight of the three beautiful ships that would set sail very soon. They went by the names of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

The docks bustled with crewmen and I aided in loading last minute cargo onto the ships. The entire time, a tense knot was drawn in my stomach because I knew what was out there and I was neither naive nor foolish. Being a seasoned seaman, I was very aware of the dangers—and the prosperity—that could be found at sea. Finally, a warning call was given and I hurried to board the ship I had been assigned to: the Santa Maria. As I stepped on the ramp I took a deep breath. A pang of sorrow engulfed me at what I was leaving behind; my family, land, comfort, and more. Even worse was the sense of knowing that I might never come back home.

As I came aboard, I caught the resilient gaze of the man who was commander of the three ships. His name was Christopher Columbus. He nodded at me and I returned the nod, trying to act as if I were as fearless as him.

Once all the men were aboard, we prepared to depart. Columbus began directing orders and some of the men started to pull in the ropes. I aided with setting the sails to accommodate with the direction of the wind. A few of the men on the port began to bellow out a tune that reflected sorrow and hopefulness. Before long, our voices echoed across the harbor.

Next thing I knew, our ship was sailing. The Niña and Pinta trailed at a safe distance beside us and our captain called out commands. Although my hands were occupied from handling the functions of the ship, my thoughts were elsewhere. This was my first voyage with Columbus but I had gone on many other voyages before. However, something about this one seemed different. I’d heard rumors of Columbus’s trials in gaining permission to sail. He had confronted Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand with his proposal of finding a new trade route to Asia.

As expected, the first day at sea was very ordinary and the weather was fair. There was nothing in the world that could replace the panorama of adventure that being out at sea gave you and this day was no exception. Furthering ourselves from shore, we went to work. The captain posted the lookouts and the rest of us were posted forward and another in the round-top. At eleven o’clock, we were served our first meal on the ship and it was the only hot meal we received that day. Throughout my watch, we scrubbed the decks until they were clean and clear, trimmed the sheets and braces, and when there was nothing else to do we scrubbed the rails, made spun yarn, and began chafting gear out of old rope and overhauled the gear. As I labored, I thought about the riches I might gain from this journey. Tis a seaman’s greatest hope! I laughed at myself. Such daydreams were for fools. Besides the hope for great wealth that might never come, my other desire was for a daring adventure.

At three PM, the first dogwatch was set; the second dogwatch just after sunset; and before nightfall watch, all hands were called to evening prayer. Afterward, the pages slammed a great wooden dish upon the table and we were provided with a meal of ill-cooked, stringy salt meat. Everyone grabbed his share and I attacked my own with my sheath knife, downing everything with a glass of watered wine. The chatter was cheery but I knew that within weeks the men would begin to complain for the things that they couldn’t have. Tis a hard life at sea. Once our meal was finished and every bone was left as clean as ivory, we changed shifts.

Once night had befallen, I searched for a place to sleep. With no bed we had to sleep on the hard floorboards above deck. However, I was weary. I stuffed up some cloth and laid it beneath my head as a pillow. As I lied down to rest, I pulled a thin, burlap sheet over my body but it did little to warm me. As I attempted to fall asleep, I listened to the sound of the water that lapped gently against the side of the ship and the potent smell of salt in the air. I eventually fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

I awoke the next morning to men yelling and cold water being splashed onto my body as a wave fell over the rails. I jumped awake, only to find that my clothes were soaked and the sky had turned black while I’d been asleep. A giant clap of thunder startled any remaining sleepiness from me. As I wondered how I’d slept through so much, I ran to the starboard where many of the men wrangled with the ropes that held the sails up. A flash of lightning illuminated the fierce waters that waged war with us. More water spilled over the rails and I nearly fell as it rocked the ship violently to the side. Everything onboard was soaked and to the dismay of many of us, water leaked below deck where the food was stored.

However, every storm eventually runs out of rain. The wind died down and the clouds scattered. A dry wind came through, drying the ship out. We had to spend the entire day recovering from the storm. When the storm first cleared, I went to pump out the foot of water which had accumulated below deck. Fortunately, most of the food hadn’t been destroyed by the water. Afterward, I went above deck to help mend the sails and pull them back up. Later, I grabbed a bristled brush and assisted in cleaning and clearing the water from the decks.

Since the day had started off chaotic, we had our mid-day meal late. Columbus came to us then and praised us for our adeptness in keeping the ship intact. We then bowed our heads in a prayer and gave thanks to the good Lord who had delivered us safely from the storm.

After the mid-day meal, I took the shift in the round-top. I watched the horizon with interest and observed the other two ships that sailed beside us. As a soft sea-breeze ruffled my hair and clothes, I thought about how this wouldn’t be my last adventure. Although I was fit, had sturdy hands, and could tie a seaman’s knot in less than a minute, I knew that these skills had not been given to me for no reason at all. Neither had my courage to keep coming out to sea been without cause. 

I was born for this.    

                                                              

Bibliography

“Columbus de Gama and Zheng He: 15^th Century Mariners Crash Course World History #21.” Produced by Crash Course, U.S, YouTube, Web. www.youtube.com

“Columbus Ships Crew. “ Web. www.christophercolumbusev.com

“Columbus Ship Replica.” YouTube, Web. www.youtube.com

Covert, Adrian “6 Tools to Sail the High Seas Like Christopher Columbus.” 10 Oct. 2011. Web.   www.gizmodo.com

“Glossary of Nautical Terms.” Wikipedia. Web. www.wikipedia .com

Morison, Samuel Eliot “Admiral of the Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus.” Canada. Little, Brown & Company, 1942. Print.

Morton, Donna G. “What Navigational Tools Were Used in the Year 1400.” 2 June, 2014. Web. www.ehow.com

Smith, Tiffany A. “How Did the Faith and Courage of Christopher Columbus Bring to Mankind a New World.” Nov. 2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are my past essays for this contest: 

"How Do Americans View Christopher Columbus and George Washington Today?"

"How Did the Faith and Courage of Christopher Columbus Give to Mankind a New World?"

An essay I wrote—How Did the Faith and Courage of Christopher Columbus Bring to Mankind a New World?

In 2012, I wrote this essay for a contest by the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and submitted it, unsure of what would happen. I was rather surprised when I received a letter nearly six months later that I was second place in the state, only two points away from going to the Regionals. 

“How did the faith and courage of Christopher Columbus give to mankind a new world?”

Imagine you’re standing on the grand, marble stone steps of the Lincoln Memorial, thinking about all of the great things that President Lincoln accomplished before his death. He was the man who after all signed the Emancipation Proclamation that stated that all the slaves in the states were to be freed. Perhaps it’s not a famous man like President Lincoln but your great, great grandfather who bravely fought in World War II and now has a plaque in his honor in some great hall. Whoever it may be, you must think, what do they all have in common? It is these things: faith, indomitable spirit, and courage. They come together and shape the true character in a man. Many, many men and women alike have portrayed true character and courage to reach a goal. If you can recall the countless names of the men and women who have reached out and made history in the United States of America, you must know that they had to have high faith, indomitable spirit, and courage. Of course, the United States and all of North and South America wouldn’t be where it was now if it weren’t for a man named Christopher Columbus. Maybe to you he is known as the explorer who sailed from Spain and found the Americas but he is more than that. He is a man who made his mark on the world.

Not much of Columbus’s childhood is known. It is believed he was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. Columbus came from a middle class family and had little education. His father was known to be a wool weaver and also owned a cheese stand in which Columbus worked in as a child. However, as many other young men his age did, he began his life as a sailor. Oblivious to Columbus, this is where his dream began. By the time he was an adult, he had an avid experience in sailing. Columbus came back home and married “Dona” Filipa Moniz Perestrela and had his first child, Diego Colón. Sadly, his wife died at the birth of Diego Colón.

Now for some time, there had been discussion of a westward route to Asia by sea. After his wife’s death, Columbus became interested in this idea and studied books and maps on the matter. He later married Beatriz Enríquez de Arana and he had a second son, Ferdinand Columbus. In 1484, Columbus sought support from King John II of Portugal to voyage across the high seas in search of a westward route. Unfortunately for Columbus, he refused the request.

This undoubtedly offered Columbus frustration. Even so, he refused to give up and after an innumerable amount of effort and time he eventually found support from King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. They made an agreement that Columbus would receive ten percent of the profit made from the voyage(s) and also to have the authority to govern the lands he discovered.

Columbus is known to make four important voyages in his lifetime. As he sailed bravely across the seas, it had not likely crossed his mind just how famous these voyages would make him in the future or how it would precisely affect mankind. Some would say he is only renowned for being the man out of the many other explorers who happened to be lucky enough to come upon the Americas. To others, however, it is not just a coincidence.

On his first voyage he took three ships, the Pinta, Niña, and the Santa Marìa. After several days at sea, they spotted landfall and before long they landed at an island in the Bahamas which Columbus named San Salvador. Believing he had found India, he called the natives there Indians.

On his second voyage, he brought with him 17 ships with 1500 men. He explored five different islands before coming to Cuba, which he thought was actually China. He attempted to govern the natives who lived there but was unsuccessful. Therefore, he journeyed back to Spain to report to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand five months later.

On May, 1498, Columbus was once again approved to take on a third voyage. He took with him six ships and before long he landed in Hispaniola on December 5. Sailing further, he sailed downward making landfall in Trinidad. The next day they reached the mainland, accordingly, discovering South America. The expedition then sailed across the Caribbean to Santa Domingo, meeting an unexpected hindrance: The colonists of Santa Domingo were in revolt. Since Columbus had requested that he governs the lands he discovers, he tried to do so but was soon forced to face the royal commissioner Francisco de Bobadilla. He detached him from the government and sent Columbus back to Spain in chains, only to be freed by royal command.

Columbus adorned a fourth voyage on May, 1502. He sailed back to Santa Domingo, but this time, he was denied permission to land, despite the coming of foul weather. Columbus was right being worried because as it was, a terrible hurricane passed through bestowing chaos through the area. When the storm elapsed, Columbus only found minor damage on his four aging ships and soon afterwards they were able to set sail again. Regrettably for Columbus and his crew, they were not fortuned with ideal weather. The four ships, weather beaten and old, would be a challenge to sail back to Spain. As a result, Columbus had to make a decision. He decided to abandon his four ships and so they became marooned in Jamaica for a little over a year.

Columbus did eventually make it back to Spain and lived to be fifty-four years old. He died on May 20, 1506 in Valladolid, Spain. Although he wasn’t essentially the first to discover the Americas, he was the first to bring back the news to the rest of the world that there was a new world out there, across the seas. When Columbus died, he died believing he had found Asia.

Because of Columbus’s discovery of the New World, the era of exploration and colonization began. Europeans migrated to the Americas, colonizing Canada, the United States, Mexico and the South American nations. For Europe, it was a substantial discovery because not only did it prove that there was land among Europe and Asia, but it endowed a possible new life for those who wanted it.

Nonetheless, Christopher Columbus was a brave man with a great mission. Regardless of the difficulties he faced he never gave up. He had to face rejection for funds to take on his first voyage; he had to conquer sickness, unpleasant weather and the many other hardships that transpired while sailing; he had to confront rebellious colonists. There was likely an hour when Columbus felt like giving up, but he didn’t. He persevered. We wouldn’t be where we were today if it weren’t for him. He gave us the intuition to create history because he created history himself. With his high faith and indomitable courage, he gave to us a new world where there was opportunity to build a story, a story about mankind, where sufferings and triumphs shaped us into today’s society.

Bibliography:

Rosenberg, Matt. “Christopher Columbus: A Biography of the Explorer of the Americas.” Education. Geography. About.com. geography.about.com/od/christophercolumbus/a/Columbus.htm

Ghare, Madhavi. “Christopher Columbus Biography and Life Story.” Buzzle.com. www.buzzle.com/articles/christopher-columbus-biography-and-story.html

Grolier Family Encyclopedia, Vol. 5. “Columbus, Christopher.” Pp. 114-116

“Christopher Columbus: The Untold Story.” Understanding Prejudice. Social Phycology Network. Understandingprejudice.org. www.understandingprejudice.org/nativei9/columbus.htm

Minster, Christopher. “The First New World Voyage of Christopher Columbus (1492). Education. Latin American History. About.com. latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/latinamericatheconquest/p/columbusfirst.htm

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“Christopher Columbus Biography.” Columbus Day. 123Holiday.net. columbus-day.123holiday.net/Christopher_columbus.html