Jim Simmerman, the writer of “Child’s Grave, Hale County, Alabama,” was born on March 5, 1952 in Bolder, Colorado. Simmerman spent the most of his childhood traveling since his father was in the military. In 1978, he became an instructor at Northern Arizona University. He then left to earn a master’s degree at the University of Iowa, but he came back to continue his previous job. On June 29, 2009, Simmerman killed himself because of a debilitating illness he had (Bruner para.
Throughout the true story “One Child” by Torey L. Hayden, I have learned much about the behaviors of the students and been able to relate some of my own experiences to the book. I read the 1980 copy of the story. Torey Hayden teaches a self-contained special education classroom of 9 children, with one full time aide, Anton, and a student helper, Whitney. Anton, prior to this job has never worked with children before, let alone children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Over time they become a great team, despite the numerous challenges with the students.
The book I have been reading is A Child Called “It”, by Dave Pelzer, who was put through some horrid times throughout his childhood. The point that I’m at in this book, Dave doesn’t have a relationship with either of his parents now and it really hurts him. The moments he is put through will never be forgotten no matter how hard he tries. It’s a terrible feeling to have when all you do is wonder the next move your mom will make on you and how painful it will be. It’s unimaginable just to think about David’s life.
At home, this behavior is mirrored in their father, a brutish and domineering man who uses physical violence against not only the three boys but their mother as well. As the narrator describes certain scenes and events that he witnesses between his parents, there is a certain poignancy in how the children try to understand how their father treats their mother. “The faucet poked into the base of her spine, and it must have hurt her, all of it must have hurt her, because Paps was much bigger and heftier, and he was rough with her, just like he was rough with us. We saw that it must hurt her, too, to love him” (Torres 48). The boys are able to relate their own abuse at the hands of their father to the way their mother is treated, further supporting their beliefs that this is how the world works and normalizing the relationship between violence and love because of how present it is in their home.
Monsters have always been perceived as creatures with petrifying characteristics. They are often described as dire, dreadful, and horrendous. An individual deemed as a monster by an entire community must have committed atrocious acts; however, the unnamed protagonist in Margaret Atwood’s short story “Lusus Naturae” was considered monstrous by the entire faction despite neither committing such acts. The protagonist, who’s suffering from an illness called porphyria, was disdained and classified as a monster merely because of her looks—her yellow eyes, pink teeth, red fingernails, and long dark sprouting hair around her chest and arms. Even though her outward appearance is comparably peculiar with respect to the appearance of typical humans, one cannot basically imply that she is a monster.
The short story PAIN is an intriguing, yet sorrowful narrative that draws the reader towards the theme of abuse. The story is told from the perspective of a teenager, who deals with abuse from their intoxicated father. For the majority of people who are abused, they are impacted physically, mentally, and emotionally and the short story PAIN certainly describes the life of someone who is abused, which is shown through the protagonists eyes. Some people who are abused, often are physically harmed as a way of proving they have power over the victim. In the story the father used his nearly finished liquor bottle, and his belt as a way of having power over his child.
In the poem, “The Child Who Walks Backwards”, Lorna Crozier discusses the cover up of parental abuse in narrative style of poetry. Lorna Crozier expresses the point of view as if someone is observing the abuse from the outside, specifically the neighbor to the mother and child. The poem proclaims that the son of a mother constantly runs into things and sleep walks during the night which supposedly were the causes for the marks and injuries that appeared on the young boy. Upon closer analysis, it comes to realization that the child is the victim of abuse. Parental abuse is something that everyone should be wary about because a lot of parents abuse their children and force them to be silent about it.
Valeria Oceguera Violence in the family Professor Hoffman February 23,2017 A Child Called ‘It” A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer is a story about a child named David, who is a victim of abuse from his mother and tells his story of how he struggles to stay alive, search for food and the problems he has in school. David lives with his mother, father and brothers, but at the end of the book, he feels a strong hatred for his family and a strong hate for the people who knew about the abuse, David also regrets being born and questions if God exists. There are many health issues that happen when abuse happens to a child specifically and these include, “suicidal thoughts, eating disorder, PTSD can develop from a childhood of abuse.”
Who is this toddler that toddled to the graveyard? Neil Gaiman never presented the readers Bod’s name before he came to the graveyard because he wanted the reader to know the final name of the child. It affects the story because the reader may have been wondering what his name was. It may have kept the reader in suspense. He did a good job about this because he probably didn’t really want the reader to learn his former name.
1. What kind of book is this? List three evidence of this. - I believe my book is entertainment. This man is telling the world how is life was when he was younger.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, the historical setting of Nazi Germany is of key importance. Although the novel is fictional having it set during a time period of such significance, such as Germany under the Nazi regime, gives a sense of reality to the book. This is important as this connects readers to the plot line as they understand the setting.
The short documentary “Child of Rage” presents an example of how experiencing abuse as a child can shape the child later in life and how some children can recover. The intrafamilial abuse that Beth experienced as a one year old affected her behavior later in her childhood when she was adopted. Beth was also able to recover from some of the effects of the child abuse she experienced once she was separated from her adoptive family and taken to a special home. Beth experienced intrafamilial abuse at the hands of her biological father after her mother passed away when she was one.
Upon reading Jeffrey Kluger’s In Praise of the Ordinary Child, I became quite intrigued. This article which was featured in the Times magazine, discusses parents thinking their child is extraordinary and causes the child to be at a disadvantage. When Kluger says, “Judging by the behavior of modern parents, we are living in a Lake Wobegon nation, where all children are above average, destined for the professional and educational 1%—if they work hard enough” he introduces the problem (2015, p.54). What this means is that society is telling children they can be the top 1% of the societal stratification if they only work hard enough.
The experiences people go through impact the way the see world and those around them. Children are raised by their parents and witnesses to the triumphs and failures. When the age comes many often question their parent’s decisions. Some may feel bitterness and contempt while others may feel admiration and motivation. The “Sign in My Father’s Hands” by Martin Espada conveys the feeling of being treated as a criminal for doing the right thing.
Essay 2 Abuse, friendship, growth and love are central themes in Michelle Magorian’s novel Goodnight Mister Tom, as it traces a young evacuee’s,William Beech’s, developmental growth from a deprived, abused, discouraged child to a confident and happy boy. One learns that William’s abnormally weak appearance mirror his mental condition as a vulnerable character. Williams religiously fanatical mother’s unsympathetic fostering and abuse has led him into becoming illiterate, terrified as well as introverted and with a distorted understanding of morality. In this essay I will argue that Little Weirwold works as an allowing setting, providing Willie the freedom and the proper help he needs in order to develop and bloom, both physically and mentally.