General Introduction

This portfolio is focused on the theme Freedom: One of the greatest human struggles for
existence. However, the study also identified the types of freedom in addition to exploring the concept
of freedom. In accordance with the Merriam Webster Dictionary, freedom is the absence of necessity,
coercion, or constraint in choice or action. Struggle, on the other hand is defined as a task or goal
requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve. This theme was illustrated in both an exposition
section and a narrative reflective piece.
The exposition section comprised of a ten minute oral presentation on the theme identified and
various aspects such as the types of freedom and the history of human struggle for freedom were
explored. The ten minute oral presentation afforded the researcher time to highlight the types of
freedom and pinpoint the struggles that we as humans face on an everyday basis to be free.
This portfolio contains the reflective section; a narrative entitled The Rains Will Come which
explores the factors that can cause emotional chains to bind an individual, thereby restricting freedom.
This is followed by an analysis that evaluates the original narrative, giving detailed emphasis on
language resisters, dialectal variations, communicative behaviors and attitudes to language.
As it relates to the researchers interest in this theme; academically, the portfolio satisfies the
criteria of the internal assessment of the Communication Studies course. Personally, the theme interests
the researcher as she wishes to understand the struggles of the past in order to find answers outlining
the true meaning of freedom.

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Preface
The narrative The Rains Will Come is a tale about a girl who aspired to be a highly educated
and successful female in the competitive 21st century world of work. She spun her dreams and
aspirations around promises made by her father, who had separated from her mother and remarried.
The story climaxes when she moved in with her father and he went away on a trip, leaving her in care
of her step-mother. Reality hits as she faced emotional and physical abuse and she struggles with
emotional chains resulting from her step-mothers abuse. However, she recovered from her ordeal and
manages to fulfill her dreams, using her experience to become stronger emotionally.
The researcher wrote the story with the intent of informing the target audience, namely victims
of abuse, especially teenagers that they are not subject to remain emotionally trapped; they can
overcome their fear and use it as a stepping stone to become successful.
The Rains Will Come will be presented verbally to an audience in a graduation exercise or
school literacy fair. This method was chosen as it affords the use of visual and auditory means to create
a vivid image of the scenes in the story. A laptop and projector, along with a screen will be incorporated
in order to augment the presentation.

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