In the fall of 1970, a girl emerged out of the shadows of terrible abuse and seclusion. This girl, under the pseudonym of Genie from the media and researchers, would go on to fascinate people alike. Her story was tragic and evoking, and would transform the view on the perception of language. Russ Rymer, in Genie: A Scientific Tragedy, tells of the unearthed 13 year old who had been kept imprisoned since the age of two by her abusive father, Clark. Clark was a miserable and unfortunate man and was much older than Genie’s mother, Irene. He had no interest in having children, and showed that clearly with the punishment he ensued on Genie. After Clark concluded that Genie was “mentally retarded,” he trapped her in her room either strapped in …show more content…
They helped take care of her and researched on her potential. They analyzed Genie under a multitude of linguistic questions about vocabulary, environment, and the possibility of innate language. Genie was unable to speak full sentences, but had been making some progress since her discovery. There were arguments over who should care for Genie, especially because this was such a rare occasion. Butler, Genie’s teacher was granted temporary custody after exposing her to rubella. After her petition to become her foster mother was denied, Genie moved in with Rigler and his family, where it is believed she made some successful breakthroughs in learning to draw, sew, study sign language, and take part in speech therapy. Curtiss would frequently take Genie outside and expose her to the world. After four years, the Riglers’ could no longer care of Genie because the grant used to take care of her ran out. The funding was not supplemented again, and Genie then moved to several foster homes, and even lived with her mother for a short period. The foster homes were often abusive, a seemingly common theme in Genie’s life, which regressed Genie’s development. Genie seemed more like a science experiment than a person after a time. According to the author, “Genie had gone from