Literacy Analysis
Daron Seals
Mr. DiTommaso
Advanced Composition
4/18/13
Literacy Analysis Essay For years child abuse has occurred in real life, and continues to happen in today’s society. David Klass brings up this issue in his novel “You don’t know me”. The setting of the novel takes place at John’s home, and in his school. It begins with the main character named John, who is an emotionally and physically abused boy that feels misunderstood and alone. David Klass uses John as a troubled teenager to show a realistic depiction of how abuse can and does happen.
The narrator of the story, John, starts off by saying “You don’t know me at all. You don’t know the first thing about me. You don’t know what happens when you are not here with me” (Klass 2). Apparently, John mentions that first in the book, because he can’t communicate with his mother. She doesn’t know that her son is constantly abused by her boyfriend, because she’s away working at her full-time factory job. As a result of being left at home with his step-father, while she goes to work, John feels depressed and abandon. He thinks that his mother won’t believe him if he tells her about her boyfriend. So to cope with that, he uses imagination to give different characters in the book nicknames. John does that because he thinks no one knows, or cares about him.
For instance, John renames Bill Beanman, a friend of his, to Billy Beezer. His band teacher, Mr. Chase is renamed, Mr. Steenwilly. However though, they do care about John. Mr. Steenwilly shows concern towards John, is when he asked him “John, it’s none of my business, but is everything all right at home” (Klass 25). Mr. Steenwilly asks him that question, because he sees bruises on John’s arm and shoulder, so he
Mr. DiTommaso
Advanced Composition
4/18/13
Literacy Analysis Essay For years child abuse has occurred in real life, and continues to happen in today’s society. David Klass brings up this issue in his novel “You don’t know me”. The setting of the novel takes place at John’s home, and in his school. It begins with the main character named John, who is an emotionally and physically abused boy that feels misunderstood and alone. David Klass uses John as a troubled teenager to show a realistic depiction of how abuse can and does happen.
The narrator of the story, John, starts off by saying “You don’t know me at all. You don’t know the first thing about me. You don’t know what happens when you are not here with me” (Klass 2). Apparently, John mentions that first in the book, because he can’t communicate with his mother. She doesn’t know that her son is constantly abused by her boyfriend, because she’s away working at her full-time factory job. As a result of being left at home with his step-father, while she goes to work, John feels depressed and abandon. He thinks that his mother won’t believe him if he tells her about her boyfriend. So to cope with that, he uses imagination to give different characters in the book nicknames. John does that because he thinks no one knows, or cares about him.
For instance, John renames Bill Beanman, a friend of his, to Billy Beezer. His band teacher, Mr. Chase is renamed, Mr. Steenwilly. However though, they do care about John. Mr. Steenwilly shows concern towards John, is when he asked him “John, it’s none of my business, but is everything all right at home” (Klass 25). Mr. Steenwilly asks him that question, because he sees bruises on John’s arm and shoulder, so he