Road Beyond Abuse Analysis

As I watched the documentary “Road Beyond Abuse,” I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. From disgusted and disappointed to impressed and joyful, I felt it all. It truly disturbed me to hear about the experiences both Michael McCain and Johnnetta McSwain endured. I was disgusted that no one protected these innocent children from being verbally abused, beaten, raped, and left to fend for themselves. It was shocking to hear that these children withstood this amount of abuse from their family members until they were teenagers. Unfortunately, I was not surprised that Johnnetta and her sister Sonya fell into prostitution as well as substance abuse because living on the streets was to be expected due to their upbringing. In Michael’s case, it was heart wrenching to see him falsely confess to abusing his sister solely because he was overwhelmed by the fear of his father. Although he had been separated from his parents for some time, it was upsetting to imagine the kind of differing emotions, both angry and devastated, Michael experienced after finding out of his father’s murder and suicide. Although the stories of their childhood gave me similar feelings to what I have when I hear of any abuse, it was a breath of fresh air to hear of the successes of two victims. I was taken aback

She succumbed to drugs and prostitution at a young age. Although it was unclear as to if Sonya was currently drug-free in the documentary, it was evident that she still carried emotional distress from her past. Besides the obvious differences in success between the sisters, Sonya definitely depicted resentment and heartache at her situation whereas Johnnetta was smiling through the interview. A key factor of Sonya’s failure was the belief that she was not worthy of anything better. By holding onto the anger from her harrowing childhood, she undoubtedly lacked the self-confidence and will to change her