Almost six in ten (56%) Indigenous women have experienced physical assault while almost half (46%) of Indigenous women have experienced sexual assault. In comparison, about a third of non-Indigenous women have experienced physical assault (34%) or sexual assault (33%) in their lifetime. Loanna Heidinger. In the memoir In My Own Moccasins, Helen Knott, the author and protagonist, shares her journey of self-awareness and healing despite the many traumatic events she endures. Throughout Helen's life, she turns to alcohol and various other substances to numb the pain of sexual assault throughout her life. Helen's son Mathias, plays a key role in allowing Helen to overcome the hardships and finally realize her self-worth and begin to start the journey …show more content…
This is a significant loss of Indigenous culture as it forces Helen to lose relationships and distance herself from her culture and the people in it. Thirdly, Helen is starting to experiment with substances to numb her pain. “ I giggled and wiped the coke from my thirteen-year- old nose and walked out into the darkness” (181). In Helen's life, she begins to lose control over her life and feel as though she is not in control of herself anymore. Helen is losing her innocence and her self-worth, which forces her to use other substances to make up for the loss. She is lacking support from her family and her peers as she has nobody to tell her that what she is doing is detrimental to her.This causes Helen to be able to sympathize and aid others who are in the same situation as she was once in and help them overcome these hardships over time. Even though Helen experiences disturbing events which leads her to lose herself and use alcohol and other drugs to make up for that loss, her son Mathais allows her to start her healing journey. Helen's son Mathais allows her to heal and become a better person for herself and for her son. Helen's son Mathais allows her to start the healing
“Picking up the pieces of their shattered lives was very, very difficult, but most survivors found a way to begin again.” Once again, Helen was faced with the struggle of living life day-to-day, trying not to continue feeling the pain of her past.
All through the times of the intense expectation, overwhelming sadness, and inspiring hope in this novel comes a feeling of relief in knowing that this family will make it through the wearisome times with triumph in their faces. The relationships that the mother shares with her children and parents are what save her from despair and ruin, and these relationships are the key to any and all families emerging from the depths of darkness into the fresh air of hope and happiness.
“Well, Alice, my father said, if it had to happen to one of you, I’m glad it was you and not your sister” (57). Even though Alice was the victim of the horrid crime, she had to stabilize her own emotions, so that she could help her sister cope with this tragedy. Throughout Alice’s childhood, Jane struggled with alcoholism and panic attacks. “I wished my mother were normal, like other moms, smiling and caring, seemingly, only for her family” (37).
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
The misfortunes Jane was given early in life didn’t alter her passionate thinking. As a child she ...
Drugs is one of the themes in this story that shows the impact of both the user and their loved ones. There is no doubt that heroin destroys lives and families, but it offers a momentary escape from the characters ' oppressive environment and serves as a coping mechanism to help deal with the human suffering that is all around him. Suffering is seen as a contributing factor of his drug addiction and the suffering is linked to the narrator’s daughter loss of Grace. The story opens with the narrator feeling ice in his veins when he read about Sonny’s arrest for possession of heroin. The two brothers are able to patch things up and knowing that his younger brother has an addiction. He still buys him an alcoholic drink at the end of the story because, he has accepted his brother for who he really is.
It is about a young married woman, Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition and a shock can kill her immediately. Her sister, Josephine, was careful not to upset Louise when her husband, Brently Mallard, died in a train accident. Louise cried and went to her room. However, Louise felt happy, even though the situation was tragic. In addition, she realized that she gained freedom from a depressing marriage and from her dominating husband.
Today, Native American women continue to be victimized and remain vulnerable targets within, their communities, reservations, tribal law enforcement agencies, and federal law enforcement agencies. In order to restore peace and justice for Native women we first need to have critical and substantive discussion regarding all aspects of sexual assault on r...
Helen is a single mother in a time it was very hard to rise up a child
To begin with, in the drama, “Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth,” Anne exhibits acts of resistance that contribute to Indigenous freedom and equity. This emerges following the abduction of Grace/Janice at a young age, where Anne is furious at the authorities and changes the law around adoption of Indigenous children. To illustrate, the text states, “‘It's too bad you never knew your mother better. From what I heard, she really kicked up a fuss after you were taken, once she stopped being afraid of the authorities. I guess taking your child away can really change that fear into anger.
She continues in this sequel to talk about the abuse she faced and the dysfunction that surrounded her life as a child and as a teen, and the ‘empty space’ in which she lived in as a result. She talks about the multiple personalities she was exhibiting, the rebellious “Willie” and the kind “Carol”; as well as hearing noises and her sensory problems. In this book, the author puts more emphasis on the “consciousness” and “awareness” and how important that was for her therapeutic process. She could not just be on “auto-pilot” and act normal; the road to recovery was filled with self-awareness and the need to process all the pieces of the puzzle—often with the guidance and assistance of her therapist. She had a need to analyze the abstract concept of emotions as well as feelings and thoughts. Connecting with others who go through what she did was also integral to her
Jane then goes on to live at Lowood School. While at Lowood Jane meets a young girl named Helen Burns. Helen taught Jane many things about life and religion. Jane recalls a time when Helen was scolded for not cleaning her nails or washing her face. Mrs. Scatherd, throwing out the fact that the water was frozen proceeded to punish Helen by smacking her on the back of the neck with a bundle of twigs. Jane is amazed at Helen’s ability to accept the punishment, eventhough it was not Helen’s fault.
She survives the death of her best and only friend, Helen Burns. She is strong and does not wilt under the pressure of life. Even when life is cruel, it cannot quite kill her spirit or her desire to be alive. Jane breaks away from the traditional woman. The one who needs protection and shelter from the harsh world.
When Jane is shunned by Mr. Brocklehurst in front of the entire Lowood population, Helen is the one person that does not immediately judge Jane. In fact, she makes her feel more comfortable in a place that is filled with punishment and hypocrisy. Though Lowood does not truly feel like home, Helen is able to provide Jane with not only all the compassion she needs as well as support and respect. This is one of the first loves Jane experiences on her journey and it allows her to become more open to the love she finds in her future endeavors.
She feels like she can finally be accepted by someone for who she really is. Jane, ever since she was a little girl, could never accept unjust punishment and is baffled by Helen's reaction to such. Helen is a stoic and regards punishments as necessary mending for her faults. She tells Jane that forgiveness is key and to return bad with good.