Now, the word “trauma" is subjective to one's experience, but we know where the source of the trauma came from: the “mission.” The theme of trauma is developed throughout the novel, revealing the lasting effects of the residential school system. For example, the story line of Maise shows her struggles as she never recovered
Silent Echoes of Trauma “The pain was roaring in him and he only knew one way to quiet it” (Wagamese 222). In Medicine Walk, author Richard Wagamese highlights the perpetual effects of trauma. Readers follow the protagonist, Franklin Starlight, a 16 year-old Indigenous Canadian boy, whose father, Eldon Starlight, is dying. As his dying wish, Eldon and Franklin go on a medicine walk, where Eldon reveals why he's been absent in Franklin's life. Through storytelling, Eldon unveils a lifetime of traumas
The focus of this paper is the core concept that traumatic events may cause changes in one’s family life, reminders the traumatic experience, and other adversities in relation to the trauma. Amarika, an 18-month-old girl, was with her mother in the park when a stray bullet from gang violence hit Makisha, Her mother. This initial event caused many changes in Amarika’s life. Makisha had complications from surgery and had to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time. When Makisha was to return home, the family also faced the distress of her rehabilitation.
Andersons cases was not the only case were a person was convicted of a crime and was later exonerated, when the DNA evidence came to light. According to Clare, 2012, Cornelius Dupree was in prison for 30 years in Texas, for a rape he did not commit, but one witness identified him as the criminal. Derrick Williams spent 18 years of his life behind bars for a rape charge and was later exonerated due to DNA. Johnny Pinchback was released from a Texas prison after 27 years behind bars. He was proven not guilty by the DNA evidence that proved the witness had misidentified him as the perpetrator.
Historic trauma stems from relocation, disease, residential schools, the Indian Act, and racial policies meant to assimilate and eradicate Aboriginal people (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Contact between Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginals facilitated the spread of epidemic diseases which lead to the Aboriginal population collapse (First Nations Health Council, 2011). Daschuk, Hackett and MacNeil (2006) note that different severities of diseases experienced by First Nations were directly related to the new realities of the First Nations peoples as they struggled to adapt to the world of the colonisers including economic dislocation, political changes, and changes from traditional diets all created the perfect environment for breading diseases. The government and churches actively colonized and controlled Aboriginal peoples by eroding all Aboriginal systems including “spirituality, political authority, education, health care systems, land and resource access, and cultural practices” (First Nations Health Council, 2011, p. 13). It is important to recognize that colonial structures have purposely sought to “eliminate Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous governments and Indigenous constitutional orders” (Ladner, 2009, p. 90).
In the end of the story one of the girls heals from the trauma she experienced all those years ago, but the other girl still has that trauma in her head, and she still hasn’t gotten over it, it still wanders in her head. The article “Adulthood revictimization: looking beyond childhood trauma” talks about revictimization in adulthood from childhood trauma. In the story of The Thing in the Forest, the girl that wasn’t able to overcome what happened in her childhood when she grew up, so she went back to the forest to try to understand it all. In the article it says, “A dose–response relationship has also been reported, with exposure to multiple forms of childhood trauma associated with an elevated risk of developing a psychiatric disorder” (Cotter 1). This explains basically how childhood trauma affects adulthood, another quote states, “Evaluation of childhood trauma is clinically useful for identifying those people at elevated risk of adverse long-term physical and mental health outcomes.
A person experiences trauma when they are faced with an event or incident that is traumatic or dangerous and results in long-term negative effects. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda, a victim of sexual assault, attempts to overcome the trauma she has experienced. Melinda has adapted both positive and negative coping mechanisms to cope with the hardships she has experienced. Melinda uses healthy and unhealthy coping strategies to help heal the trauma she faced. Firstly, one of Melinda's negative coping mechanisms is cutting her wrist.
Child abuse is a topic that is found in the general population, but is an underestimated problem. Abuse is evident both physically, psychologically, sexually, or even in the form of neglect. For example, in the memoir A Child Called "It", David Pelzer’s experiences of abuse by his mother are shared as well as his road to help. Although the majority of his experiences are physical, the emotional effects of abuse he faces are evident as he views himself in a way she has taught him too, and slowly loses hope and faith of a future or of being loved by anyone. There are many ways to help suffering children in the world, and some of it can even be done by starting at home.
Events in people’s lives can have a myriad of effects on them. A person can become lost, transform into a better person, or ignore the events altogether. The choice of how to react often matters more than the event itself. The occurrence can also change the people’s views on life and cause them to have a different destiny. If the traumatizing event is never acknowledged however, the value and growth of the experience will be lost.
In order to more clearly understand the situation of Native American women who are the main interest of this research, a strong theoretical framework of this study needs to be considered. 1.3.1 Historical Trauma. Native Americans have been historically traumatized from their negative experiences being ousted and relocated from their homeland throughout history. Unlike personal trauma, their people’s historical trauma is focused on their collective trauma as families, and this trauma has been passed and even amplified from one generation to the next (Brave Heart and Debruyn, 1998; Campbell and Evans-Campbell, 2011). This affects both the people’s collective and personal identity formation and relationship patterns in successive generations
A has taken place. Some people would flee from this event, while others may jump right in and lighten such misfortune. But how would you deal with it? Would you run away to isolate yourself, or willingly face it and move on? Traumas in life can bring us down or lift us up, depending on how we choose to deal with it.
Even if the victim may not recall everything that occurred, they may still experience triggers. According to Matsakis, “Even if trauma survivors suffer from an amnesia, they still are able to react to triggers consciously or unconsciously. Present day sights, smells, actions, feelings, and people involved in an incident can recreate the event” (Matsakis 114). Present day occurrences can recreate a very realistic reenactment of the traumatic event. Although I hadn’t been driving an actual car, motions of the vehicle itself made me feel as though I was back in the rolling golf cart once more.
Good Will Hunting is an American classic written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The film, starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck; follows a 20-year-old South Boston laborer named Will Hunting. Although Will Hunting, an unrecognized genius, finds trouble after assaulting an officer the incident leads Hunting to a deferred prosecution. Hunting then becomes a client of a therapist (Robin Williams) and studies mathematics with a renowned professor (Stellan Skarsgard). By result of the therapy sessions, Will evaluates and revaluates the relationships with his best friend, girlfriend, and himself.
Throughout The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh, Kien struggles to deal with the trauma of being a soldier in the Vietnam war. He had to witness many of his friends and all of his platoon die, while he survived. Bao Ninh uses Kien’s excessive drinking and violence to demonstrate trauma in The Sorrow of War. Trauma affects everyone different, but many people use the same strategy as a solution to this problem.
However, other individuals that suffer the same fate can never forget and replay the memory in their mind like a haunting film that has no end. Questions such as :can repressed memories be trusted? And why do some people repress memories? These questions I shall attempt to answer herein. Please note the study examined focused on sexual abuse, having been a victim of sexual abuse in the past this was the one article I finally settled on.
