Social Awareness Project Part 3: Social Issues in Independent Reading Books

            In my independent reading book Impulse by Ellen Hopkins there are many social issues that take place. One of the biggest issues that I think takes place is neglect. In the book there are three characters that are in a mental facility, they are all there because they tried to kill themselves. Out of the three characters, Tony, and Conner, are both in this facility because they were neglected. Tony’s mother didn’t take care of him at all, and he basically just lived on the streets. Conner’s mother just cared about what people thought of her, and her family. Although from the outside it seemed like she was a great mother, and he did have name brand clothes, and a big house, and he was by no means living on the street, his mother could really care less about him.

            When Tony was little he didn’t live on the street, he lived with his mother. Still his mother did not take care of him, and he ended up in jail. When he got out he came home, and nothing was different, so he just left. His mother didn’t try to stop him; in fact she was happy not to have to take care of him. He was clearly neglected because his mother simply just didn’t care of him, and his father left when he was a baby, so he was just never around. No one took care of him, no one even feed him. In the book he even says that at least in jail, he got three square meals a day, which was better than what he got at home.

            Conner seemed to have everything a kid could want. His parents were fairly wealthy, and he, unlike Tony, had plenty of clothes, and food, and toys and whatever other material thing he wanted. He even had a nanny to take care of him when he was little. Although, the nanny basically replaced his mother, because his mother never even held him. Conner was a jock and a football star; he had perfect grades, and was extremely talented and popular. But all his parents cared about was what other people think. Like I said earlier Tony was in the mental facility because he tried to kill himself, he did this by shooting himself. When his mother found him on the floor, bleeding to death, she wasn’t crying of freaking out, she was mad. Mad because other people would think her family was crazy now. She doesn’t really care that Conner’s hurt, she cares that people will judge her now. Conner’s father is a little more sympathetic than his mother, but still neglected his son. He was never there and, was always working. Also, like Conner’s mother, he really only cared what other people thought. Conner’s mother doesn’t even let Conner take his medicine, when he comes home to visit. She says, “…no meds. My expectations are high that you can return to a normal life. That won’t happen if you’re constantly stoned. Are you strong enough to make it through the weekend without propping yourself up with antidepressants?” (471-472). Conner’s mother is so concerned trying to be normal, and fit in, that she won’t let her son take the medication he needs. Medication that without could possibly drive him so crazy, to the point were he did try and kill himself again. Although this does not seem like neglect, Conner’s mother really is neglecting him. She is doing these by ignoring what he needs to stay alive, and not providing him with that.

            To neglect someone is to fail to care for someone properly, both Tony, and Conner’s parents are clearly doing this to them. Neglecting a child is a crime. Neglecting a child so much that it causes serious emotional of physical harm, or soon to be serious harm, or death, is considered a federal crime. Anything less than that is still a state crime. In both these cases, there is serious neglect to the point of a federal crime. Both these kids clearly have serious emotional damage, making it a federal crime. So far in this book neither of these kids parents have undergone any charges for neglect, when looking at the federal law, both of these kids sets of parents committed a federal crime.

            It may seem that Tony had it way worse than Conner, and Conner was barley even damaged by this, but he was. They were both severely neglected, and both sets of their parents should be arrested. Conner’s mother obviously did not care for him properly, he didn’t fulfill the duty of being a child’s caretaker, and neither did his father. They caused him so much emotional damage that he was at the point of trying to kill himself. Tony’s mother did the same, and his father abandoned him, which is also a form of neglect. This also brought Tony to try and kill himself due to his serious emotional damage. Both of these kids suffered from neglect, making this an important, and big social problem in Impulse.

Look at previous posts for a larger description of Impulse

Research on Neglect: http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/define.pdf

Read Two Articles About a Specific Subject

           For this assignment I read two articles that had to do with child abuse. One of the articles was more based on what to do about child abuse, and how to report it and take care of it. The second one wasn’t just about abuse but neglect also. It was about a four year old girl who died because she wasn’t feed, and was badly abused. The two were very different. Although they both had a story that took place, the first one was more like a small anecdote, trying to say how to deal with a situation. The second one on the other hand, was a full on story. It didn’t talk about what you should do, just what happened. A heart-breaking story about a little girl that died to abuse and neglect.

The first article I read was How Best to Protect Children by Ilana Sherer. It was about a Pediatrician who was faced with the challenge of reporting a seventeen-year-old girl who was abused by her father. She had to report her because it was the law, although she wasn’t sure it was actually the right thing to do. The girl begged her not to report her father, because she was afraid not of what her father would do to her, like most people are when they report abuse, but that her father would never forgive her. In her culture, if you did something wrong you got hit, and that was how it worked. The doctor new and understood all of this, but at the same time was required by law to report her. Even though she did, nothing ever happened. The father was never punished, and someone only went to the house once, a month after the abuse was reported. Even though the doctor was hesitant about reporting this case, she thought it was horrible that it was not taken care of. They simply accepted the lie told, and moved on. She said how from them on she followed every case she reported, keeping in touch, and a close eye on who ever was handling the abuse. This article really makes you think about what you would do; especially if you didn’t have to report what you think could be abuse, especially if asked not to. Also how well caseworkers take the cases they’re assigned to.

The second article I read was called A Bleak Life, Cut Short at 4, Harrowing From the Start By N. R. Klienfield and Mosi Secret The girl in this article was continuously beaten, and was tied into bed at night. She was forced medication she didn’t need, to substitute for the medication she did need that she didn’t receive. She was also starved. This girl was eighteen pounds, and four years old, half of what she should be. I think this article really showed how terrible child abuse and neglect is, and how bad it can get. It shows this by proving that child abuse doesn’t just mean having to put up with some bruises now and then, in many cases it leads to death. Every day 4 people die of abuse and neglect. This girl was a contribution to those people. This really shows you child abuse is a serious matter, and has to be dealt with. In this story people did take percasiouns because child abuse was suspected. Child protective services were contacted, and someone was supposed to be going and checking up on the kids. That person failed to come, and said he did. He is also being charged with homicide, along with his supervisor. This shows how strongly people take child abuse and how strongly it should be taken. Although the person from child protective services, failed to complete his duty it is still taken strongly by everyone else. In his case, not doing his job lead to criminal charges, in almost every other profession, this wouldn’t happen, but just because child abuse is so serious it did.

First article: http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241-0-1593&artno=0000317641&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=Child%20abuse%2C%20Law%20and%20legislation&title=How%20Best%20to%20Protect%20Children%3F&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N


Second article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/nyregion/short-bleak-life-of-marchella-pierce-emaciated-4-year-old.html?pagewanted=1&ref=marchellapierce

Social Awareness Project Part 2: Two-Voice Poem

Bold- together

Italics- first person

Underlined- second person

I feel alone

At school, no one talks to me

At home, they’re never there

When I have to be with them

They laugh and call me names

They beat me till I’m numb

I only feel right

When I’m at home

When I’m at school

Then

I get to be with my family

I get to be with my friends

Still, they ask me what happened

“Why are you upset?”

“Where did your bruises come from?”

They expect me to talk

I say I’m just tired

I say I’m just clumsy

They believe me

I go

Home

To school

And it happens again

My two-voice poem is about two kids. One who's family beats him, but has good friends at school and one who gets bullied at school, but his family loves, and cares about him at home.  Both these boys have a hard time, and a difficult life, but one clearly has it worse than the other. This would be the first boy, who gets beat at home. When writing my poem I was really trying to compare the two, but at the same time not make one that much worse than the other, because there isn’t that big of a difference between the two. But at the same time, I really wanted there to be a clear difference, and it clear to see what is going on with who.

I picked to right about child abuse and bullying, because I think the two go hand, in hand, and I think that although one is worse than the other they are both bad. Also my subject during class was bullying, and the song I did for the first part of this social awareness project was about child abuse. Child abuse is a form of bullying; it is just a child being bullied by an adult, or someone who really should know better. When people think of bullying they think of bullying in school, not about child abuse, although like I said, they are the same thing.

Impulse

                      The book Impulse by Ellen Hopkins is about three different teenagers, who are put in a mental facility. They have all tried to kill themselves, but none were successful. The book takes place from all three points of view, and switches constantly. Like all of Hopkins books it is written in the form of a poem. All the characters have several problems and reasons for being in the facility. Tony tried to overdose on pills and kill himself. He is gay, and hasn’t been accepted. His boyfriend died, and his dad abandoned him as a little kid. His mother will do anything for money, including prostitution, and doesn’t care at all about Tony. He has been in the facility for about two weeks longer than Conner and Vanessa, who came on the same day. Conner shot himself, but it didn’t kill him. He appears like the perfect person, with the best life from the outside, but is really broken on the inside, where people can’t see. His family completely neglects him, and just care about what people think of them. They really just don’t care about him at all. Vanessa has always cut herself, but this time went so far as to almost cut her whole arm off. Her father is in Iraq. He mother died, partly because Vanessa refused to call 911, making it her fault.

I think Tony is by far the most interesting character. I think this because he is the character with the most history, and components to the reason he’s in the mental hospital. He clearly seems to be not only the most complex character, but also the most willing character. For example he obviously had the hardest life before trying to kill himself. Everyday he got made fun of for being gay. On top of that he had to deal with the death of his very serious boyfriend. Also, as I said earlier he was abandoned by his father, and neglected and mistreated by his mother. He was even sent to Juvey when he was little, but at the point I am in the book we don’t yet now why.

An example of how Tony is the most willing character is that he actually doesn’t seem to hate being in this facility. He participates in class, and during group and private therapy sessions. He is the only one of the three that isn’t talking about getting out as fast as he can, or trying to play the doctors. It seems like he’s well when he’s not. I think being here to him is better than being home, and he honestly wants to get better. This makes him the most willing, because he is the only one so far really trying to get better, and improve.

            I think all of these reasons overall makes him the most interesting character. He by far has the most history, and seems to have the most reason for being here. Not that there is a good reason to try and kill yourself, but if you were in each one of their shoes, Tony’s seem to be the worst. He also is the only character that really wants to get better, and who doesn’t absolutely hate being in the facility, like Conner and Vanessa. He not only is the most interesting character, but also just seems to be the best person. Seeing how he reacts to everything and his overall attitude, especially based on where he came from, he definitely seem like the best and most interesting character.

Social Awareness Project Part 1: Reflection on Song About Child Abuse

"Luka"

My name is Luka

I live on the second floor

I live upstairs from you

Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night

Some kind of trouble. some kind of fight

Just don't ask me what it was

Just don't ask me what it was

Just don't ask me what it was

I think it's because I'm clumsy

I try not to talk too loud

Maybe it's because I'm crazy

I try not to act too proud

They only hit until you cry

After that you don't ask why

You just don't argue anymore

You just don't argue anymore

You just don't argue anymore

Yes I think I'm okay

I walked into the door again

Well, if you ask that's what I'll say

And it's not your business anyway

I guess I'd like to be alone

With nothing broken, nothing thrown

Just don't ask me how I am [X3]

My name is Luka

I live on the second floor

I live upstairs from you

Yes I think you've seen me before

If you hear something late at night

Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight

Just don't ask me what it was

Just don't ask me what it was

Just don't ask me what it was

And they only hit until you cry

After that, you don't ask why

You just don't argue anymore

You just don't argue anymore

You just don't argue anymore

The song Luka by Suzanne Vega is about a boy who gets abused by an adult, probably a parent. He is saying how he can’t tell anyone, and you can’t really fight getting abused. He also covers up, and hides what’s happening and his injuries. He lies about what’s going on, and how he got hurt. Luka makes up excuses for his bruises, for example in the song he says, “Yes I think I'm okay I walked into the door again…” This shows how he is pretending that he is fine, and nothing happened to him, it was an accident.

The meaning of this song is that so many kids in the world get abused by their guardians, or even other adults, and never say anything. Sometimes there are even people who see the bruises, or hear the screaming, and the ask, and they put in some effort  into helping, but they don’t say anything. Child abuse is a very big problem throughout not just the country, but also the world. Many countries turn a blind eye to it, and encourage corporal punishment, which is to cause deliberate pain to someone or something physically, as a punishment.

America truly tries to prevent child abuse, and to help people who are getting abused. Corporal punishment is very much discouraged, and is illegal for anyone who isn’t a legal guardian of the child. There are agencies to help people who are getting abused, and to prevent abuse. It is even the responsibility of any personal that works in the school, to report anything they see that could suggest that a child is being abused, such as bruises, or cuts. In fact many people do report child abuse now a days, and are trying to help people. Around 3.6 million reports are made a year about child abuse, and more and more are being made every year.

I think child abuse is a horrible thing. In most cases, it is even parents taking out their anger on their kids. At the same time I understand how Luka in the song, and thousands of kids all over the world, don’t say anything about being abused. They don’t want to live in foster care, they are scared of what the person hitting them would do if they found out they told, scared they no one would believe them, and a lot of time they still really love the person who is hurting them, and wouldn’t want them to get in trouble. But, still child abuse is a horrible things, and it is important for people to tell because in most cases, it just gets worse and worse. An average of four people in America alone, die of child abuse and neglect every day. That 1,460 people a year whose parents of guardians are the cause of their death. About 24% of them are for abuse. 

http://member.preventchildabuse.org/site/DocServer/Child_Maltreatment_Fact_Sheet_2005.pdf?docID=221

My Two Favorite Blogs

Out of the people in my group, I have to say once again my two favorite blog posts are Alli's and George's. 

Alli's post was extremely creative, and really brought you into the book. It showed the connection, and relationship between the characters. The letter really helped you understand this. She explained why she thought the relationship was important, and the letter also helped you see this. In the end she connects it to the world outside the book, and brings out the lessen not only from the relationship of the characters, but from the whole book.

George’s did a great job of once again connecting two books in his post. This time the books were from the same series. Although I have not read either of these books, I was able to clearly see what he was talking about- the change in the character from one to the next. He supported his statement with text evidence and did a very good job proving, and backing it up. Overall I think it was executed very well. 

Burned

All She Ever Really Wanted

All she ever really wanted was someone to love her, someone to know her, someone to hold her

All she ever really found was someone to mistreat her, someone to deceit her, someone to beat her

All she ever really showed was the anger surrounding her, the love hidden deep inside her, the pain all around her

All she ever really knew was her way of life, no the Mormon way of life, no her father’s way of life.

All of that really changed the summer she stayed with Aunt J., the summer she became herself, the summer she met Ethan

All she ever really wanted she gained that summer, they both held her, knew her, loved her

But as quick as that came it went, all that love was ripped right out from under her

I think in this poem I describe many aspects of this book. I show that what she wants is somebody to love her, and to take care of her, while no one in her life does. Not even her parents really love her. According to her dad she’s just another kid, who should have been a son. In the book she also does try a little to look for someone to love her and she meets Derek. They go out for a little and he tricks her into thinking he has feelings for her. Her parents don’t really take care of her, but they expect her to take care of her six little sisters. On top of her father is an alcoholic, and when he drinks, he beats her mother, and soon starts to beat her, and one of her sisters. She is a Mormon, but learns that she really doesn’t, believe in the Mormon beliefs, but is still forced to follow the Mormon rules, and expectations. So since Derek wasn’t a Mormon, she had to pay very series consequences when her parents found out about them. Ultimately she was sent to her Aunt J’s. for the summer.

She thought having to be there the whole summer would be afoul, but it turned out to be amazing. Her Aunt J. truly cared about her and loved her, something she had never experienced before. Also, while she was there, she met the love of her life, Ethan. The only problem was he was not a Mormon, someone her father would never accept. So when she came home after the summer it was extremely hard for her to transition back to her own unloving, life. It became worse though as she found out she was pregnant with Ethan’s baby. Pattyn knew, that her father would stop at nothing to punish her, and even if he didn’t kill her, which he might, he would definitely kill Ethan. So her plan was to run away with Ethan. While driving, they got in a car crash. Both Ethan, and her baby died. Everything she loved, she lost.

My Two Favorite Blogs

Out of the people in my group, I think my two favorite posts were George's and Alli's. They both had very original ideas about what their posts were about, and they both executed them very well.

In Alli's post she including a poem in her post, which was not only a great poem, but really related and described her book. She read between the lines, and had a whole new perspective on the book. Instead of talking about the main plot, she talked about the relationships in the book, showing more than what you would know from just reading the blurb on the back of the book. Just from reading her poem, and her descriptions of the book I really had no idea it was a mystery, I thought it was just a regular book about relationships. I have not read this book, but I was really able to see what she was talking about. 

In George's post he compared his book to another book. He gave great background information for each book, using a lot of text evidence. There was a lot of information on each book before he compared the two books, so before reading the paragraph with the similarities between the two books, you already knew what they were. He really organized the post well, and provided all of the background information and text evidence for each book he needed to make his point clear. 

This Lullaby

       

 I feel like the book This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen really differs from all the other books written by Sarah Dessen. In this book the character is bold, sure of herself, not shy; very different from all the other characters in Sarah Dessen’s books. For example in What Happened to Goodbye, The Truth About Forever, Someone Like You, and Keeping the Moon, all the characters are shy, quiet, and keep to themselves, unlike Remy in This Lullaby. In all of these books the girls are either thrown into an unexpected situation, or in a new, unfamiliar place. All of these girls learn to overcome their shyness, and become very close, and even open to a new group of people they are introduced to. They overcome their fears.

In This Lullaby however, the main character Remy’s friends are always saying how strong Remy is and how she always has the upper hand in every relationship that she is in. Then Remy meets Dexter. He is completely unlike anyone she has ever gone out with before, and she enters a whole new world with him. Then, instead of coming out of her shell in this book she goes back in. She is unsure of where this relationship would take her and what would happen. Then she comes out of her shell just enough to realize that she is actually letting Dexter in. She is so scared by this that she dumps Dexter. Latter she realizes that she liked being with Dexter, and letting him in and opening up was worth it.

Throughout this whole book Remy is very strong, very sure, and very able to speak her mind. But then towards the end of book she is exposed to a situation that makes her unsure of herself, and doubt herself, really for the first time. Of course she regains her confidence, but it is definitely in a much different way. In this book though, the way Remy is so sure of herself isn’t necessarily good. She is too sure and confident, not willing to open up. Then when she becomes doubtful of herself, it still isn’t very good, but it’s better. The reasons she’s doubtful is because she’s trying new things, but she isn’t willing to let herself really go, and trust. Then she realizes that she hasn’t been sure, and needs to be, but she picks the wrong way. She picks to go back to her old, unwelcoming, too confident self. As being this self she learns that she liked it better before, and gets over her fear of letting people in. By the end of the book, she starts letting other people in again. But his time she is sure of what she is doing, and that this is what she wants. 

So unlike the other girls in the other Sarah Dessen books, Remy starts out confident. But like the other book she is scared. It just doesn’t come out to later. It is always there, but she covers it up so well with how sure she is of herself that you can’t tell. Making such a different perspective from any other Sarah Dessen book. Overall I think this was a really nice spin from her regular stories.