ipl-logo

Rhoda's Role In 'The Bad Seed'

709 Words3 Pages

A study shows that as many as 47% of male inmates and 21% of female inmates have Antisocial Personality Disorder (WebMD). People with ASPD have shown to be very charming and witty, while also having the capability to lie and exploit others without caring. It is also common for someone with ASPD to act rashly and put themselves or others in danger without feeling guilty. There is a large debate on whether people who suffer with ASPD are a victim of it because of how they were raised, or if genetics plays a role in the disease. With much research and scientific evidence, it can be proven that ASPD is caused by a genetic link.
There have been many cases where criminals, murderers in particular who have been diagnosed with ASPD. A majority of …show more content…

Her grandmother was Bessie Denker, a well known murder, who also started when she was young. Monica and Tasker would describe her as “the most amazing woman in all the annals of homicide. She was beautiful, she was brainy, and she was ruthless. She never used the same poison twice.” (1.2.23) Rhoda is also known for her notorious lying. Her mother has gotten tired of her lying and constantly confronts her about it: “Come here Rhoda, look me in the eyes and tell me. I must know.” (1.3.40) Rhoda has even been kicked out of her own school for her actions: “You’re not going back to Fern School next year. They don’t want you any more.” (1.3.40) These actions all point to ASPD, she has been accused of murdering people as well as being kicked out of her own school. Her behavior and lack of feelings point to her having a disorder. Even when a classmate of hers was murdered, by her, she never felt any guilt or remorse. All she wanted from Claude was the penmanship medal that she didn't win. All of these actions point to Rhoda suffering from ASPD, which she received from her grandmother. There is a lot of evidence comparing Rhoda and her grandmother’s behavior. These examples prove that Rhoda received this trait from her grandmother, a well known murder. It further confirms that ASPD is a disease that is inherited genetically, not caused by someone’s

Show More
Related
1766 Words | 8 Pages

Looking at the other main popular implications of homicide in the Victorian era, homicidal tendency from nervousness and insanity seems plausible. Clifford was said to be under immense stress and pressure in his bar exam preparation and busy work life. He was also noted to have been showing signs of “nervousness” in the weeks prior. This theory would likely be rejected by the Redpath family due to the hereditary nature of insanity, admitting to Clifford possessing an unstable state of mind would make the family genetics seems unhealthy. However, this theory is unlikely to be true: Clifford appears to have been a happy, well-rounded, and mentally healthy individual.

Read More
718 Words | 3 Pages

Even though the narrator for the first chapter is Orleanna, and the last chapter is Ruth May, Ruth may seems to be responding to the wishes of her mother. Orleanna tells Ruth May to be the eyes in the trees, and this is exactly what Ruth May ends up telling Orleanna she is doing. In the first chapter, Orleanna shows hints to the reader about guilt, and how to deal with it. The audience notices that Orleanna has guilt from something very personal, but it is unknown what it is from.

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

One time, even a woman said she would choke her with her scarf. Also, when she was on her way to school, she would always pray for god to forgive those people, but one day when she forgot to pray, she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, between her and the people, she just started praying in front of them, and some people even looked like they were prepared to go and kill her right at that moment. Before Ruby started school, people were acting so violent, that the US Government had to send marshals to walk with Ruby to and from school. Like I told you before, Ruby had to take a test to see if she was able to go to the school. Well at first her father didn’t want her to take the test because she would’ve suffered bullying, but she took the risk and took the test, and even

Read More
641 Words | 3 Pages

Sufferers are not generally violent but can become very scared and upset during episodes. Symptoms include intermittent psychosis, experiencing hallucinations and having unusual beliefs (delusions). Other symptoms such as lack of motivation and becoming withdrawn, are generally more long-term. Both genetic and environmental causes are thought to be responsible. Both prosecution and defence agreed that Brady had narcissistic, paranoid and antisocial personality disorder, but his defence team claimed he no longer shows signs of being schizophrenic or

Read More
805 Words | 4 Pages

She grows old with the self-condemnation of staying with Nathan for as long as she did, for if she mustered up the courage to leave the Congo earlier, Ruth May would not have died. Ruth May’s plea for Orleanna to forgive herself, just as Ruth May has forgiven her, presents the possibility of repentance for anyone, no matter how great of consequence their mistakes are. Though she never passed the age of 6, Ruth May seems to have learned better than most the importance of finding strength from and learning from wrong-doings. Urging her mother to “Move on. Walk forward into the light”, Ruth may passes along her own moral reassessment to anyone whom will listen, telling the error in letting so-called sins weigh down ones self forever

Read More
810 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction and Summary: Chapter 11 focuses on the individuals with mental illness and the criminal justice system. Every year there are hundreds of thousands of individuals with mental illness who are arrested. The past decade a lot of the state hospital and mental health facilities have been shut down for lack of funding. Many of the seriously mentally ill are roaming the streets. The serious mental illness regarding this chapter would include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression.

Read More
1811 Words | 8 Pages

Since that bitch ratted her out, Racine didn’t fuck with bitches no more. Cops hauled her stock and Roxie away; but there was more where that come from. When Roxie was released from jail Racine took her back. She thanked Robert afterwards through steel bars because his loyalty to her got her off with a $300.00 fine. She remembered what Robert told her during that last

Read More
556 Words | 3 Pages

In his book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson delves into the disconcerting issues of the United States’ extremely corrupt legal system and widespread, heartrending mass incarceration and extreme punishment. Stevenson’s eloquent writing style and captivating stories draw in readers and opens eyes to the recondite, yet extremely important issues with the criminal justice system. The overarching theme of Stevenson’s book is that the current justice system fails time after time, and causes much unwarranted hardship for countless innocent people. Through cases of racial minorities, women, the mentally ill, juveniles and more, this book explains the epidemic of unjust mass incarceration in the United States.

Read More
1151 Words | 5 Pages

Due to him being declared mentally incompetent, he was not able to take part in court and was sent to a mental hospital for ten years until he was able to participate in a trial. After trial, he was sent back to the mental institution where he spent the rest of his life. Antisocial personality disorder is difficult to treat and it depends on the case and severity of the patient. There is not currently a drug that has been approved to help treat this disorder, but there are medications to treat symptoms such as depression that are a result from of disorder. Therapy is the most common form of treatment for this disorder, but it is not always effective.

Read More
1120 Words | 5 Pages

While Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter certainly tells a compelling story, the novel also acts as a psychological study of sorts; delving deep into the minds of complex and troubled individuals. Each main character; Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, is confronted with their own predicament to which they all react distinctively. Their responses to Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin are constructed by their own distorted perceptions of the world due to the mental illnesses they are all troubled by. Each character’s method of retaliating, coping, or succumbing indirectly reveals the illogical patterns within their mind. In Hawthorne’s

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

All of these reasons and the fact that Ruth is willing to do this prove that Ruth is the most dissastisfied character in the play so

Read More
898 Words | 4 Pages

Similarly, Raphaela appreciates Ruth’s welcome to the school, as being new is difficult for her. At a school with distorted hierarchy, emotional support is crucial. So, Ruth provides Raphaela a place where she could feel comfortable. Despite her appreciation, Raphaela often compares her bravery to Ruth’s.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

It may be that the disorder was influenced by either nature or nurture, or both could influence it. The debate about whether a person is born a criminal could go in a lot of different directions. One could say that a person is a criminal because of their nature and what their parents passed down to them or another could say that only a person’s nurture influenced them to do things that made them a criminal. What most people say is that a person does things that make them a criminal because of both their nature and their nurture. They do things based off of what they got from their parents as well as what environmental factors influence

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

Antisocial personality disorder is described to be the tendencies to disregard and violate the rights of others around them. (Psychologytoday.com, 2017) There are many symptoms to look at for the mental illness. The DSM-5 lists many traits that people carry with them when having the illness much like Randle McMurphy. Randle was arrested and sent to work on the work farms for statutory rape.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

Silence of the Lambs Mental Health Analysis Silence of the Lambs explores the life of a psychiatrist with antisocial personality disorder who has a connection to a serial killer that is under investigation. While some of the characteristics presented in this movie correlate to those on the DSM-V for a person with antisocial personality disorder it creates a stigma and fear against people with mental illnesses. During the interviews Hannibal Lector shows many symptoms commonly observed in people with antisocial personality disorder and the facility shows the lack of resources and therapy for antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Main Characters and Their relationship in the Presented Environment Lecter was interviewed by a training FBI agent Starling in a case of an old patient of

Read More

More about Rhoda's Role In 'The Bad Seed'

Related Topics

Open Document