Lesson 29
- Toil: Bekerja keras, bersusah payah, capek
- Blunder: Kesalahan besar, kebodohan, kekeliruan
- Daze: Kebingungan, kebingungan, kepayahan
- Mourn: Berduka, berkabung, meratapi
- Subside: Mereda, surut, menghilang perlahan
- Maim: Melukai, merusak, membuat cacat
- Comprehend: Memahami, mengerti, menangkap
- Commend: Memuji, menghargai, memberikan penghargaan
- Final: Terakhir, akhir, penentuan
- Exempt: Dikecualikan, tidak termasuk, dibebaskan dari
- Vain: Sia-sia, percuma, tidak berguna
- Repetition: Pengulangan, pengulangan kata, pengulangan tindakan.
For years, a furniture salesman from Connecticut, Mitch Kurman, has toiled ceaselessly for the passage of a youth summer camp safety bill. Why? Because his son David was drowned when his canoe overturned in the raging waters of the Penobscot River. The camp counselors leading the trip were inexperienced, had blundered into dangerous waters, and had no life jackets for the canoers.
The tragedy naturally dazed Mr. Kurman. But rather than merely mourn his loss and wait for the painful memory to subside, he began a campaign that took him on hundreds of journeys to speak to governors, senators, and congressmen. He had learned that 250,000 children are injured or maimed annually in camp accidents. It was hard for him to comprehend why we have laws that outlaw the mistreatment of alligators, coyotes, birds, and bobcats, but we have no law to prevent disasters for children in summer camps.
Mr. Kurman was commended for his efforts wherever he went, but he received only trifling support from the lawmakers. One bill, requiring people to put on life preservers when they took to the water, died in the final reading. Another such bill exempted private ponds and lakes, exactly the waters where most summer camps are located. At first, even a bill calling for surveying camp safety conditions was defeated. Mr. Kurman’s struggle so far has been in vain, but he continues his battle to avoid repeating the accident that took his son’s life.
Echoes of Redemption
In the bustling city of Emberfall, where the cadence of progress marched alongside the echoes of mistakes, the tale titled “Echoes of Redemption” unfolded. The protagonist, a laborer named Thomas, lived a life defined by toil in the shadow of a colossal factory that loomed over the city.
Thomas, burdened by the consequences of a past blunder, toiled day and night to support his family. His days were a daze of repetitive labor, the rhythmic clinks of machinery drowning out the subtle cries of his worn-out soul. Emberfall, once a beacon of innovation, had become a city where the echoes of progress masked the silent struggles of its working class.
One fateful day, tragedy struck. A catastrophic accident at the factory, caused by a managerial blunder, plunged the city into a collective state of mourning. Thomas, having narrowly escaped the disaster, found himself at the epicenter of a calamity that exposed the cost of relentless toil and the consequences of corporate negligence.
As the city mourned its losses, Thomas, scarred and disillusioned, became a reluctant symbol of the price paid by the working class. The once relentless machinery, now silenced by the tragedy, allowed the echoes of the factory’s missteps to subside into the collective consciousness of Emberfall.
Thomas, driven by a newfound purpose, sought to comprehend the depth of the injustice that had befallen his fellow workers. His quest for understanding led him to a network of activists, each scarred by the relentless cycle of repetition and the callous disregard for their well-being.
In the face of adversity, Thomas emerged as a voice for the voiceless. He spoke passionately at public gatherings, condemning the systemic issues that had led to the blunders and tragedies plaguing Emberfall. The city, once indifferent to the plight of its workers, began to commend Thomas’s courage in confronting the harsh realities of their daily existence.
The final act of Thomas’s journey unfolded as he, along with the united workers, demanded justice for those who had perished and those left maimed by the factory disaster. The once exempt ruling class now faced the relentless tide of public opinion, and Emberfall stood on the precipice of transformation.
As the legal battle ensued, Thomas’s perseverance bore fruit. The corrupt practices that had perpetuated the cycle of toil and tragedy were exposed. The ruling class, once ensconced in vain opulence, found themselves held accountable for the pain they had inflicted upon the city.
“Echoes of Redemption” became a rallying cry for workers’ rights, a tale of resilience in the face of tragedy, and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, the echoes of change could reverberate through the corridors of power. Emberfall, having confronted its past, stood poised for a future where the echoes of progress harmonized with the collective heartbeat of its people.
