A Child Called It Essays - The Man Who Was Almost A Man,

A Child Called It Title: A Child Called ?It? Author: Dave Pelzer Number of pages: 181 Date of Publication: 1993 Summary: A Child Called ?It? is a story based on a real life boys tribulations with his mothers shocking abuse. When he was younger Dave and his family were considered the ?perfect? family. Then, all of a sudden his mother and father started drinking and had problems in their relationship. Dave started getting the worst treatment imaginable. His mother all of a sudden treated him as a nobody or an ?It?. His father wouldn't do anything about it and it made Dave hate him. She did many horrible things to him that he will never forget. He had two other brothers but they didn't get any of their mother's harsh beatings or tortures. David's mother would starve him weeks at a time without giving him even a morsel of food. He had to steal food from stores and the school to survive. One day he stole hot dogs from the school cafeteria and someone caught him. When he got home his mother made him puke it up and then eat it again. She almost went to the extent of making David eat his baby brother's feces. Another incident was when David was cleaning the kitchen floor for his mother. She all of a sudden stormed into the kitchen and started yelling at him. ?You've made my life a living hell!? she sneered. ?Now it's time I show you what hell is like!? Right after she said that she took him by the arm, turned on the gas stove, and burned the flesh on his arm. She then proceeded to make him take off his clothes and lay on top of the flames. She tortured him for no reason except for her own sick pleasure. She would also make him drink ammonia, wear tattered clothes, sleep in the garage, and she even went to the extent of stabbing him and not taking him to the hospital. This story ended with David saying the Lord's Prayer and praying for God to save him from his living hell. The sequel to this book is called ?The Lost Boy.? Rating: 9 Evaluation This is one of the best, yet saddest books that I have ever read. There is so much reality in this book, but I never knew that reality was ever this awful. It brought me to a realization that I have never known before. It is extremely sad that something like this really did happen. The points that I will be evaluating are my least favorite character, how the author (Dave) described his mother, and how the author described the setting. My least favorite character would have to be the father. Yes, the mother was just as bad, but she would beat Dave right in front of her husband and he wouldn't do anything about it. It made me feel like if he really loved his son he would have taken him away in his arms and never let him return. He kept telling Dave that he would take him away, but it never happened. The story made me cry whenever Dave's father wouldn't help him out when he was being tortured by his mom. The main reason that he is my least favorite character is that he was supposed to be the protector of Dave, not a scared little wimp that stood in a corner while his flesh and blood was being beaten. The way that Dave described his mother was actually pretty shocking. He didn't describe her with as much venom as I thought he would. If that would have been me I would have described her with so much bitter hatred that it would have been 100 pages longer. In one conversation he had with his mother he said, ?I know you love me mother because you brought me into this world, and I love you .? That statement made me so mad because she had just beaten him up him and he said that. I would have been filled with so much hatred I wouldn't have even been able to talk, let alone say that I loved her. In a way I admired him for saying that

Argument Analyis of Racist Speech

Argument Analyis of Racist Speech Personal view In his writing titled ‘on racist speech’, Charles. R. Lawrence III clearly portrays himself as a dissenter probably setting the tone for his argument. It is indeed clear that Lawrence’s opening remarks already indicate the contentious issue at hand. As a renowned scholar, Lawrence addresses racist speech especially within the university and campus environment. There is no doubt that racism is the catalyst for racist speech that is; a conspicuous but silent issue as Lawrence puts it on college and university campus.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Argument Analyis of Racist Speech specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Racist speech on campus There is another angle to which Lawrence connotes racist speech. In introducing the rights as enshrined in the constitution, Lawrence’s intention is an attempt to qualify racist speech as a tenet within the constitution which guarantees freedom of speech. In his opening remarks, Lawrence proudly describes himself as a dissenter yet a consumer of the first amendment which also legally qualifies and legalizes his argument. However, as Lawrence advances in his argument â€Å"the problem has been framed as one in which the liberty of free speech is in conflict with the elimination of racist speech† (61). It is indeed evident as the writing advances on that, the law and scholar contributions have so far been ineffective in providing protection to blacks and other minorities; as guaranteed in the constitution. A case of segregated education system is the point of reference by Lawrence and the Brown versus Board of education case is used by Lawrence to amplify the conflict that exists between the first amendment and the racist speech. Lawrence’s opinion is that, the constitution remains lenient in as far as racist speech is concerned. The contention as Lawrence asserts is that on one hand â€Å"we understand the ne cessity of eliminating the system of signs and symbols that signal inferiority of blacks †¦ proclaiming that all racist speech that stops short of physical violence must be defended†(62). The tug of war in Lawrence’s mind is even clearer in his assertion that, â€Å"the Supreme court has held that words which ‘by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of peace’ are not prohibited by the first amendment† (62). However, on the other hand the first amendment gives leeway to colossal amount of speech which includes racist speech. While the case of Brown versus Board of Education on segregated system of education is worth revisiting. Lawrence points out that, â€Å"courts have held that offensive speech may not be regulated in public forums† (62). Ironically the effect this has for example on the university campus is that minorities or blacks will confine themselves to common rooms or locations where they do not encounter racist speech. However, this silently promotes segregation on ground of race where one will now go to common rooms with people of the same race or minorities on campus.Advertising Looking for essay on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lawrence’s dilemma advances is based on â€Å"commonly advanced argument against the regulation of racist speech†¦we recognize that minority groups suffer pain and injury as a result of racist speech but we must allow this hate mongering for the benefit of the society as a whole† (63). In his strongest assertion yet in this argument, Lawrence concurs that â€Å"there can be no meaningful discussion of how we should reconcile our commitment of equality and our commitment to free speech until it is acknowledged that there is a real harm inflicted by racist speech† (64). As far as it goes, there is a delicate balance between first amendment a nd racist speech as Lawrence puts it. On the surface racist speech has far reaching detriment to the society and its promotion in the name of upholding the first amendment is a great irony. Albeit freedom of speech is upheld constitutionally, tenets within the same law appear conflicting and therefore the racist speech issue remains far from over. It is without a doubt that policy makers at the university level continue to grumble with this issue. However, the skew that results from the interpretation of the law invokes in Lawrence’s mind the need to â€Å"strike a balance against the regulation of racist speech† (64). The understanding here is that, the cost of this balance should not be borne by a few as it presently is the case. Conclusion The argument that racist speech should be handled in light with the first amendment leaves a lot at stake. Charles Lawrence has ingeniously considered this issue at the university and campus level though it generally covers the wh ole fabric of the society. The initial conclusion to draw from this argument is that; racist speech will remain an emotive issue until a critical analysis of the present law is undertaken and amendments made. Lawrence proposes a dissenting stand to start with. This will be achieved through resistance of government regulation on speech.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Argument Analyis of Racist Speech specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a reader I am fully persuaded that Lawrence’s argument was correct. This argument provokes a clear conclusion and also encourages everybody to re-think how democratic space has been used to ironically advance inequality. Work Cited Lawrence, Charles. The debate over placing limits on racist speech must ignore the damage it does to victims. Chronicles of Higher Education. Chroninicles, 1989. Web.