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Child abuse is the malicious maltreatment of a child by his or her parent, guardian, or any other adult who is responsible for said child. There are different forms of child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect (Barnett 2005). In the book, “A Child Called It”, demonstrates different forms of abuse. It illustrates the life of Dave Pelzer, a young boy who was physically and psychologically abused and neglected by his mother. During the time of his adolescent years, his case was listed as one of the most severe recorded child abuse cases in the entire state of California.
In A Child Called It, the author, David Pelzer, mentions the abused he endures that went unseen for quite some time, although much of his
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The one on one time that you that a parent spends with their child is very important. Children need a loving home environment and this is a determining value in what a child’s ability to socialize will be. Parental stress and violence can relate to delinquency. Also, chapter 9 talks about School and delinquency. The school is the first social institution beyond the household (Thompson, 2012). I could not imagine being rejected at home then having to attend school and be teased. Pelzer was bullied. Parental rejection is a great factor in leading to delinquency. Also, family violence is related to problematic youths (Thompson, 2012). As illustrated in the book A Child Called It, Pelzer was rejected by not one but both parents. His mom abused him physically but because his father did not intervene this was another form of abuse. This was an amazing story but it broke my heart. I probably would not have read the book if it were not for this class so I am happy that I was able to. The sad thing about it is that this type of situation happens every day and some children do not make it out of the situation. The fact that Pelzer was able to survive the abuse and be strong enough to write his story is very
Dave Pelzer’s book “A Child Called ‘It’” told his story of growing up in an abusive household. Pelzer’s family at first was just like any other, his parents loved each other and their children and they would do many fun activities together. As time progressed a change happened and his mother began to always punish Pelzer rather than any of the other children. The small punishments soon began to grow and become more and more serious. Soon, Dave’s father and siblings could not help him out of fear that their mother and wife would turn on them. Dave was banished to the garage where he would have to sit at the bottom of the stairs waiting until his mother called him to do his chores. Usually Pelzer would be starved for very long periods of time
A Child Called “It” is a story based on a real life little boy’s tribulations with his mothers shocking abuse. The first part of Dave's life was idyllic in his memory--he says his family was "the Brady Bunch"--a loving mother and father with whom he enjoyed wonderful holidays and a happy trip to the Russian River. Everyone on the outside thought that David’s family was perfect. No one in their neighborhood would have suspected anything was wrong. All that changed when Dave was in first grade. For no known reason, his mother singled him out from his siblings and began abusing him. The abuse began relatively mildly. When he and his brothers did something wrong, Dave was the one to receive punishment--at first simply banishment to the corner of a bedroom. Then, his mother began spending her days watching TV and drinking beer. Easily irritated, she yelled at Dave for the slightest reason, or sometimes for no reason at all. Soon, instead of making him go down to the basement, Mrs. Pelzer smashed Dave's face against the mirror, then made him repeat, over and over, "I'm a bad boy! I'm a bad boy!" He was forced to stand for hours staring into that mirror. Dave's father soon joined The Mother, as David called her, in her drinking. He, too, knew David was a "good boy." He did not join in the abuse, but he did not to stop it, either. David was treated like a slave in his own home. His mother treated him as if he wasn’t even a member of the family like a nobody or an “It”. She first referred to him as, “The Boy, then it quickly changed to It”. Nobody at his school liked him, they called him "Pelzer Smelzer" because his mom never washed his clothes and made him wear the same thing every day. After school, o...
'You are a nobody! An It!?(Pelzer 140). These were the raw, disheartened remarks that came from the disgusting coldhearted mother's mouth. These painful hurting remarks at her son was how the book got its title and that's what interested me in reading this book. A Child Called 'It', by Dave Pelzer, is a life-changing story about, a young boy who is starved, beat, and tortured by his mother and her cruel games, yet he manages to turn his life around when he grows up. This young boy uses his faith, self-discipline, and will power to overrule his mother's destruction and life damaging obstacles.
The author is attempting to teach the readers that no one should treat people this badly. David is an innocent child and does not deserve his bad childhood. David does not even do anything wrong, and his mother continued to treat him like an object. Pelzer succeeded in telling how cruel the mother is. He also teaches that people can be cruel to each other, and that it is important to teach people that kindness can go a long way. The whole book discusses his childhood. Pelzer wrote some sequels to tell the rest of his child life for the interested readers.
A Child Called It depicts David Pelzer’s life and his incredible will of survival from an “It” to a man. David was emotionally and physically abused up until the age of 12, by his mother (Catherine) who was not only an alcoholic but a master of defamation. The cruelty David endured at the hands of his mother led him to believe he was nothing more than a worthless misfortune; he began to despise himself even more and started to believe that he was the cause of the abuse he suffered.
According to Papalia and Feldman, an estimation of a tragic 905,000 cases were received by child protective services in response to about 3.3 million referrals regarding maltreatment within six million children in the year of 2006. One of the six million children include, David Pelzer. David, in his awe-inspiring novel, A Child Called It, takes the reader upon an unfortunate path as he reflects upon the deplorable life struggles he experienced from the cruel actions of his abusive alcoholic mother. Despite the never ending struggles throughout his daily life at such a young age, David learns to become resilient as time progresses. Keeping in mind that writing this autobiographical
Children have often been viewed as innocent and innocent may be a nicer way to call children naive. Since children’s lives are so worry free they lack the knowledge of how to transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. Their lack of knowledge may be a large part of their difficulties growing up, which could be a few rough years for many. In books like the boy in the striped pajamas the story is told from the point of view of a little boy, this way we get a full view of how innocent he is. In this book the writer shows the reader first hand how a child viewed the holocaust and how his innocence cost him his life. Then in books like the perks of being a wallflower Charlie is a teen whom is struggling with the transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. In this book the writer gives a first hand look at how difficult it can be to transition into an adolescent. Charlie has many difficulties in this book; he is in search of his identity and how to fit in.
Dave Pelzer’s book, “A Child Called It” (1995), discussed unforgettable accounts of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California’s history. The book is a captivating, yet intimidating journey through the torturing childhood of the author, himself. The child, David (Dave) Pelzer¸ was emotionally and physically tormented by his mother who was unstable and addicted to alcohol. He was the victim of abuse in his own home, a source of ridicule at his own school, and stripped of all existence. This book left me in suspense as I waited with anticipation for the end of this little boy’s struggle to live. Throughout this paper, I will focus on the events that took place in this book and discuss my personal feelings and the effects this story
The term child abuse was once as rarely heard as that of pink elephants. However rare the term has once been, it is now a term used consistently throughout the news and various other publications today. Along with the progressing decline in society's morals, has come the rapid increase of crime. One such crime is child abuse. Although child abuse is common, the act is defiling. As a result of the abuse, children who fall victim to this often need psychological treatment and counseling. Often, the child is never the same as he or she once was before. The dictionary defines child abuse as: "the physical, or emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children" (Dictionary.com). Everyday thousands of children are the victims of this abuse. The abusers range from parents, friends, total strangers, to even day-care workers.
[7] Section 25 voluntary of the C (S) A 1995 to section 73 (4) of the
A Child Called "It", by Dave Pelzer, is a first person narrative of a child’s struggle through a traumatic abused childhood. The book begins with Dave telling us about his last day at his Mother’s house before he was taken away by law enforcement. At first I could not understand why he had started at the end of his tale, but after reading the entire book it was clear to me that it was easier to read it knowing there indeed was a light at the end of the dark tunnel. This horrific account of extreme abuse leaves us with a great number of questions which unfortunately we do not have answers for. It tells us what happened to this little boy and that miraculously he was able to survive and live to see the day he left this hole which was his home, however, it does not tell us why or even give us a good amount of background with which to speculate the why to this abuse.
...it really is. This story wouldn’t be recommended for children due to it’s unsuitability towards younger readers. There are plenty of curse words and scenes of violence that may be not for the faint of heart. Plus, it would be best if he doesn’t end up asking you what does that dreaded n-word mean unless it is unavoidable when people on the internet decide to put in that one song that had gained plenty of popularity originating in an imageboard site where people post pornographic images and call each other names. Somehow if there is a way for people to archive articles like this. Hands down, I am anticipating anything from Tracy Kidder due to his outstanding writing and inspiration. I would recommend Tracy Kidder’s writing to friends for when they get bored. Being such an amazing writer must have been tough as hell. The story and the writer both are worth checking on.
Child abuse is a very serious problem that continues to happen all over the world. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, defines child abuse as a failure to act as a parent or caregiver which results in physical/emotional harm, sexual abuse, and in some cases death. There are many different types of child abuse such as emotional, physical, neglect, and sexual. With each type of abuse there are warning signs you can spot before it is too late. When a child is abused there is a huge possibility that it can cause them to have many long term effects.
More and more children are committing delinquent crimes and we have to figure out what is the root to all of these crimes. Bad parenting does have a relationship with juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is the committing of criminal acts by a young person, especially one below the age 18. Kids under the age of 18 need guidance and good parents in their life because we are so young and have a lack of experience in certain situations. Nowadays parents influence their children to do things that would be considered bad and could land the child in jail, which isn’t good at all because the most important person in the child’s life is helping them make bad choices that could cost them their lives. Since a parent guides the child, molding him
Did you know many people commit child abuse, child neglect, and also sexual abuse? The type of things parents or caregivers do is neglect their loved ones like they don’t love them anymore. Child abuse is one of the most outrageous things in the world, knowing both the facts and some children’s stories might change your life for the better. In this research paper you will read what child abuse is, what can happen to a child who is being abused, and who a person can contact if a child is being abused.