Child Abuse
Jamie Kichler
Freshman Composition
December 1, 2012
Bastard Out of Carolina: Child Abuse At least 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made every year involving more than 6 million children (sometime multiple children in a report). Every ten seconds, there is a new report of child abuse in America (Childhelp). It has been a controversial issue as to what punishment should be brought to those who know of a child being abused, but does not report it. To carry knowledge of a child being abused but failing to report it should consequence in subjection to imprisonment, equal to that of the abuser. Abused children should be brought to a caring, adoptive family or to other family members who show love for the child, and it should never be an option for the abusing parents (if parents) to regain custody of their children. When the abuse is not reported, the abuser may continue the abuse, abuse other children, and the children might one day abuse their own children. In Bastard Out of Carolina, the main character, a child named Bone, is abused often. The abuse started at the age of seven, when she was molested in the vehicle by her stepfather while waiting for the birth of their evidently stillborn son. “He pushed my skirt to the side and slid his left hand down between my legs, up against my cotton panties” (Bastard Out of Carolina, page 46). After losing his job, the abuse becomes more frequent and aggressive. He would beat her, molest her, and in the end he raped her. Glen did not distribute his abuse to other children, including his other stepchild Reese. He only beat and molested Bone. According to the movie Bastards Out of Carolina, Bone dropped a pitcher of ice tea at the house of Daddy Waddell (Glen’s father). He becomes angry, and tries to hit Glen. Glen shoves his father away, saying “You can’t hurt me anymore old man”, suggesting that Glen was once abused by his father (Bastard Out of Carolina, Dir. Anjelica). An experiment was done in
Freshman Composition
December 1, 2012
Bastard Out of Carolina: Child Abuse At least 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made every year involving more than 6 million children (sometime multiple children in a report). Every ten seconds, there is a new report of child abuse in America (Childhelp). It has been a controversial issue as to what punishment should be brought to those who know of a child being abused, but does not report it. To carry knowledge of a child being abused but failing to report it should consequence in subjection to imprisonment, equal to that of the abuser. Abused children should be brought to a caring, adoptive family or to other family members who show love for the child, and it should never be an option for the abusing parents (if parents) to regain custody of their children. When the abuse is not reported, the abuser may continue the abuse, abuse other children, and the children might one day abuse their own children. In Bastard Out of Carolina, the main character, a child named Bone, is abused often. The abuse started at the age of seven, when she was molested in the vehicle by her stepfather while waiting for the birth of their evidently stillborn son. “He pushed my skirt to the side and slid his left hand down between my legs, up against my cotton panties” (Bastard Out of Carolina, page 46). After losing his job, the abuse becomes more frequent and aggressive. He would beat her, molest her, and in the end he raped her. Glen did not distribute his abuse to other children, including his other stepchild Reese. He only beat and molested Bone. According to the movie Bastards Out of Carolina, Bone dropped a pitcher of ice tea at the house of Daddy Waddell (Glen’s father). He becomes angry, and tries to hit Glen. Glen shoves his father away, saying “You can’t hurt me anymore old man”, suggesting that Glen was once abused by his father (Bastard Out of Carolina, Dir. Anjelica). An experiment was done in
Bibliography: "National Child Abuse Statistics." Childhelp. N.p., 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. "Penalties for Failure to Report and False Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect: Summary of State Laws." Child Welfare Information Gateway. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. Glasser, M., I. Kolvin, D. Campbell, A. Glasser, and I. Leitch. "Cycle of child sexual abuse: links between being a victim and becoming a perpetrator." The British Journal of Psychiatry (2001): 482-94. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. Allison, Dorothy. Bastard Out of Carolina. 10th th ed. New York: the Penguin Group, 1992. Print. Doak, Melissa J. Child Abuse and Domestic Violence. Farmington Hills: Gale, 2009. 1-112. Print. Leigh, Jennifer J., Ron Eldard, and Glenne Headly, perf. Bastard Out of Carolina. Dir. Anjelica Huston. 1996. DVD-ROM. Williams, Heidi. Child Abuse. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 126-72. Print.