ipl-logo

A Child Called It By David Pelzer

1319 Words6 Pages

Child abuse is a topic that is found in the general population, but is an underestimated problem. Abuse is evident both physically, psychologically, sexually, or even in the form of neglect. For example, in the memoir A Child Called "It", David Pelzer’s experiences of abuse by his mother are shared as well as his road to help. Although the majority of his experiences are physical, the emotional effects of abuse he faces are evident as he views himself in a way she has taught him too, and slowly loses hope and faith of a future or of being loved by anyone. There are many ways to help suffering children in the world, and some of it can even be done by starting at home. The facts are astounding but often unknown. According to the …show more content…

She physically harms him by making him drink ammonia, starving him, almost drowning him, burning him, making him eat dog food, making him eat his own vomit, and even stabbing him at one point in time (Pelzer, 1995). Emotionally, she makes him think it’s his fault by telling him he is a bad boy and deserves being punished to the point where he wants to protect her and has no self esteem (Pelzer, 1995, p. 11). During all of this, David’s father does what he can to help David, but in the end, when he finds his marriage ruined, he leaves, leaving no one there to protect David (Pelzer, 1995). Finally, an alert school teacher notices the repeated bruises, and with the help of the nurse and principal, frees David once and for all (Pelzer, 1995, p. …show more content…

96). Even though neither of these methods are ideal for handling the trauma of having an abusive parent, keeping it inside and pretending it didn’t happen is just as bad and could lead to psychological problems if never addressed (Pelzer 1995, p.

Show More
Related

  • Robert Cormier Quotes Analysis

    1723 Words  | 7 Pages

    Reading the news, just to come across the sad story of a young child who injured his parents. The child was regularly abused, emotionally and physically, and badly injured the mother and father in attempt to get away. When reading this story, the child is not looked down upon, but instead pitied because of the poor lifestyle this child was provided with. The parents were injured, but are looked at with angry eyes, no pity involved. This effect, consisting of disregarding actions and placing the blame on another individual, is extremely evident in books of Robert Cormier.

    Read More

  • Childhood In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

    103 Words  | 1 Pages

    When society thinks of the word “childhood,” they imagine it as a precious time for children to be in school and freely play, to grow and learn with the love and support from people dear to their hearts. It is also known to be a cherished period where children are to be innocent and live carefree from fear. However, in the context of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, childhood is viewed as a tough hardship that Jeannette and her siblings have overcame, and the memories they carry has greatly impacted their lives that it has molded them to who they are

    Read More

  • How Does Dave Pelzer Characterize Substance Abuse

    583 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book A Child Called “it”, by Dave Pelzer, Catherine, Dave’s mother starves Dave as punishment. After the incident with burning David on top of a stove, Catherine resorted to other forms of abusive punishments like hitting him and starving him. I predict that Catherine will continue to abuse Dave until someone in his school recognizes his injuries. Throughout the book, Catherine has done so many abusive things to Dave with the proof of scars,marks,bruises and etcetera.

    Read More

  • The Undercover Parent By Harlan Coben

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Harlan Coben’s article “The Undercover Parent” (2008), the author claims that parents should protect their children by getting spyware on their devices to protect them from the dangers of the Internet. Coben supports his claim by first providing an illustration of what most people think when they hear the word “spyware” and then giving an example of why you should get spyware to protect your child. The author’s purpose is to persuade parents of teenagers so that they get spyware to protect their children because he first thought it was bad, but then he saw the good of it. Coben writes in an informational and conversational tone for parents to understand him in order to protect their children against the dangers of the internet.

    Read More

  • Case Study: A Child Called It And The Lost Boy

    1677 Words  | 7 Pages

    Dylan Jones Classic Case Study: Dave Pelzer Child Psychology In the novels A Child Called It and The Lost Boy the author Dave Pelzer, describes in great and horrific detail the abuse, trials, and tribulations he faced while growing up and what he had to do to overcome it all. These novels show very well how the cognitive and physical development affects a child. It was from the ages of four to twelve Dave suffered extreme mental, physical, and verbal abuse from his alcoholic mother.

    Read More

  • A Child Called It Essay

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    Valeria Oceguera Violence in the family Professor Hoffman February 23,2017 A Child Called ‘It” A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer is a story about a child named David, who is a victim of abuse from his mother and tells his story of how he struggles to stay alive, search for food and the problems he has in school. David lives with his mother, father and brothers, but at the end of the book, he feels a strong hatred for his family and a strong hate for the people who knew about the abuse, David also regrets being born and questions if God exists. There are many health issues that happen when abuse happens to a child specifically and these include, “suicidal thoughts, eating disorder, PTSD can develop from a childhood of abuse.”

    Read More

  • Abuse In The Glass Castle

    1101 Words  | 5 Pages

    While victims of child abuse are able to grow into successful adults, their traumatic experiences follow them forever. As John Balguy states, “Whatever parent gives his children good instruction and sets them at the same time a bad example, may be considered as bringing them food in one hand and poison in the

    Read More

  • The Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

    528 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Child Called “It” In the novel The Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer. In the book the main character Dave experiences what it is like to be abused. In the beginning he talks about how it all started and by the end, he finds a way to escape.

    Read More

  • The Child Who Walks Backwards Analysis

    763 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the poem, “The Child Who Walks Backwards”, Lorna Crozier discusses the cover up of parental abuse in narrative style of poetry. Lorna Crozier expresses the point of view as if someone is observing the abuse from the outside, specifically the neighbor to the mother and child. The poem proclaims that the son of a mother constantly runs into things and sleep walks during the night which supposedly were the causes for the marks and injuries that appeared on the young boy. Upon closer analysis, it comes to realization that the child is the victim of abuse. Parental abuse is something that everyone should be wary about because a lot of parents abuse their children and force them to be silent about it.

    Read More

  • The Wounded Heart Book Report

    1067 Words  | 5 Pages

    For instance, for this student, before reading this book, I would categorize this different types of abuse differently, from more severe to less severe, and perhaps giving less importance to those I viewed as less severe. But it is important to understand that for each of these victims, each abuse was very serious, very severe, and they should be treated equally. This book is also a great source of understanding for those who were perpetrators of abuse, especially against children, it will help them to understand the consequences of their actions, and how perhaps once act, have completely changed the life of a child. This book is also important to parents and those who work with children, when we, as adults understands the risks that children, adolescents and any person who is not able to protect themselves are facing, we hopefully can be more vigilant of children, women and any possible

    Read More

  • The Boy On The Wooden Box By Leon Leyson

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Boy on the Wooden Box Paper The author’s name is Leon Leyson. Leyson was born in Narewka, Poland. He was a survivor of the Holocaust. He had 3 brothers and 1 sister.

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination And Social Imagination

    1018 Words  | 5 Pages

    A very close cousin of mine grew up in a home in which his father would physically and emotionally abuse his mother and himself. He was in and out of hospital due to the beatings given to his mother by his dad would sometimes land her in hospital. He struggled to cope in school and matters worsened when his father grew sick and eventually passed on because his mother blamed him for their loss. In the end he moved to an orphanage, but he never recovered from the trauma of his childhood. This family problem is not unique as there are a lot of children and parents that have depression, this

    Read More

  • Child Of Rage Documentary Analysis

    1039 Words  | 5 Pages

    The short documentary “Child of Rage” presents an example of how experiencing abuse as a child can shape the child later in life and how some children can recover. The intrafamilial abuse that Beth experienced as a one year old affected her behavior later in her childhood when she was adopted. Beth was also able to recover from some of the effects of the child abuse she experienced once she was separated from her adoptive family and taken to a special home. Beth experienced intrafamilial abuse at the hands of her biological father after her mother passed away when she was one.

    Read More

  • What Is The Setting Of A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dave Pelzer: A Child Called It The book that I have chosen to complete a book report about is called “A Child Called It.” The author’s name is Dave Pelzer. He wrote this book because he was abused and wanted to inspire many kids who are going through the same thing he went through.

    Read More

  • Innocent Children In Night By Elie Wiesel

    242 Words  | 1 Pages

    How could one treat an innocent child so cruel? During the time of the genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million people from the Jewish population, children were the main target. By looking at the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, one can see through the use of imagery, diction and conflict that innocent children were starved abused separated from their family,and killed during the Holocaust, which is important because young innocent children should never have to be deprived of their childhood. First, children of the Holocaust were abused or beaten for any wrong move that they made or even attempted to make.

    Read More

More about A Child Called It By David Pelzer

Open Document