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The influences of family
Bullying and violence in schools
Bullying in public schools
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“Move it you fat cow,” demanded the little boy behind me. Most onlookers would have noted that the speaker was not exactly in a position to criticize a classmate’s weight as he was not lean in any way, but no one would dare challenge the class bully. “Just shut up, David!” I exclaimed, raising my voice to the shrill pitch only a nine-year-old girl can achieve, my tightened fists shaking. A barrage of superbly rude words flew out of his mouth, but verbal assault was nothing new to me. In previous months, David had made sure that I was well experienced in receiving abuse. Nearly every day at recess from the start of my fourth grade year, and at any other opportunity as well, David would strut over to me, flanked by two or three of his friends, to call me a variety of hurtful names. Some of the more common insults included “ugly” and “stupid,” neither of which, I now realize, were remotely true. Despite my outward appearance of calm and endurance, David’s comments pierced my subconscious like the long, thick needle of a syringe filled with insecurities. I was a child who took everything seriously, whether it was a math test or a silly joke. The lesions he forged on my mind and self-confidence oozed with poisonous anxiety. I became angry and withdrawn, a frightened animal licking her wounds, glaring at innocent passersby as though they had inflicted her injuries. Every time David uttered an abrasive comment, every time one of his friends called me a rude name, I would grow more and more suspicious of my peers and ever distrustful of the things they said to me, always searching for underlying insults in their words. I would lash out at people who didn’t deserve it, hissing like an angry cat and spewing awkward insults... ... middle of paper ... ... He was just a stupid boy trying to make me react, so the logical choice was simply not to visibly react. My strength of will overpowered the irrationality of my emotions and I overcame the impulses that threatened to take over. "That's nice, David," I said, my tone even despite my shaking hands and the prickling heat creeping up my neck. I kept this up for days until, eventually, David wearied of taunting me and left me alone. Today, I wonder how his immature antics got to me so much, but I realize that I was very much a different person then than I am now. When my feelings were hurt, I reacted without thinking, and that was what triggered my childhood anxiety about social situations, but if it weren’t for those hardships and the people who gave me a difficult time, I would not have the inner peace, emotional security, and self-confidence I have today.
David Berkowitz was born on June 1, 1953 to a single unwed mother and immediately into adoption. He was adopted by Nat and Pearl Berkowitz, a loving Jewish couple unable to have children. Throughout his childhood, David was repeatedly informed that his birth mother had died during childbirth and these were his new parents (Essene, 2000). David had a relatively normal childhood; his parents loved him dearly and showered him with gifts on numerous occasions. However, he was socially uncomfortable, and possessed a low self esteem, David had frequent violent episodes in which he would often turn over furniture and throw temper tantrums.
A loss of David’s innocence appears during his killing of a magpie. This “it can be done in a flick of the finger”. The particular significance about this plays an important part in his as he considers that he also is capable of committing such unfortunate yet immoral things. “Looking in the dead bird’s eye, I realised that these strange, unthought of connections - sex and death, lust and violence, desire and degradation - are there, there, deep in even a good heart’s chambers”.
David is a professor and single father who comes from a liberal Jewish background. As the friendship between Reuven and Danny grows, both fathers try to reconcile their views with their sons and with their own understanding of the Jewish faith. Unlike Reb Saunders, who never exchanges a single word with his son except over their discussion of the Talmud, David encourages Reuven to be outward in expressing his feelings and emotions–thus leading to a much closer, stronger, and more intimate relationship between them. Reb Saunders deliberately raises a barrier of silence between himself and his son because he believes that with a brilliant mind such as Danny’s comes a cold "ugliness" that is only shattered ". by suffering one’s own pain, by turning inside oneself, by finding one’s own soul" (Chapter 18, page 278).
Other examples of physical abuse which David received included the never ending punches from his mother when she felt they were acceptable, when in truth, they were for pure pleasure. Also, the burning incident his mother performed on him because “[He] made [her] life a living hell!” and it was “time [she] showed [him] what hell [was] like!” (Pelzer, 28). This incident David depicted for the reader included his mother forcefully placing his arm above a burning flame upon the kitchen stove. The physical abuse David endured was one in which he would never forget. Luke and Banerjee state that children who are abused physically are more likely to develop “problematic peer relationships” aside from their peers who do not receive maltreatment. David is an
The traumatic effect of the physical, mental, and emotional abuse marked Pelzer’s life. Through a psychological point of view, it is visible that there are many ways the abuse affected David. David was mistreated in ways that made him wonder why. I was also left feeling perplexed and sometimes feeling frustrated, I wanted to know why David 's mother singled him out for her abuse. Then, I realized that this was the same frustration David has lived with most of his
Puberty hit me early, but not in the way that it does for everyone. I was fat and sweaty (hence the nickname Piggy), making me an easy target for John Sorenson and his followers. It would have been easy for me to punch one of them, but I usually never resorted violence. So, instead of standing up for myself, I endured it for five long months. Our counselors told us embracing the names would make the bullies stop, but it didn’t. Jason didn’t employ this same method with Maggot, and I can see why; accepting a nickname is self defeating. It was May of sixth grade when I snapped. We had our quotidian after-school kickball game, but today was different because it was sixth grade versus seventh grade. We had called it the last inning, saying that the next run would win when I came up to kick. Of course I was heckled with Piggy and the oinking and squealing, but if anything, that just encouraged me to kick the shit out of the ball. On the second pitch, I smacked the ball into the outfield and rounded second base. With no outs, I elected to stay at third and was accepting a high five from one of my teammates when the rubber kickball slapped me in the back. I turned to see where the bullet came from and saw John five yards away oinking and yelling, “You’re out! Go back to the dugout… or should I say pigpen?” That was it for me. I cocked my elbow back and let my arm guide my knuckles to his left brow, costing him seven stitches. I did
David was known to dangerous jobs because of his strength. On one particular occasion he was fixing a barn, and he happened to fall from a great height and at first was proclaimed unhurt.3 For several days, he had a headache which progressively got worse and those several days turned into weeks. Soon he was diagnosed with a fever by a doctor and the only way to cure him was if blood was drawn. This affected Clara greatly because from a young age she had formed a very strong and unbreakable bond with her brother.3 This bond enabled her to remain by her brothers side day and night, and she “learned to take all directions for his medicines from his physician (who had eminent counsel) and to administer them like a genuine nurse.”3 She took care of him for two years until he was sent to a doctor for treatment. During this particular incident, was when she willingly let go of her own needs to meet her brothers needs.3 Caring for her brother gave Clara a purpose and after he was healed “instead of feeling that my freedom gave me time for recreation or play, it seemed to me like time wasted, and I looked anxiously about for some useful occupation”3 this what helped her come to the conclusion that helping others helped her get rid of the shy and timid nature that had held her back for so long. Her shy and timid nature was caused by a speech impediment she had known as a lisp. Her lisp caused her to feel self-conscious and insecure disabling her from talking to people but with the help of her family Clara was able to overcome it. In an attempt to help Clara overcome her fear, her parents sent her to a boarding school, believing that Clara would lose her timid characteristic if thrown amidst strangers.3 After Clara was sent home for not eating was when she realized the importance of overcoming her timid nature as
Like so many innocent, selfless girls, untouched by the world, I forgave him. The pain dispersing through my body reminded me that I was strong and all I needed to do was heal. I would cry without tears at first, the sadness inside me so intense, that the hollowness in my heart would weigh me down. My heart’s deep hollowness was so immense, that the loudest shrie...
David was in the seclusionary time-out room for physical aggression as well as verbal aggression towards a female staff. He had taken his tee shirt off and had torn it into long narrow strips, which he used to tie around his neck and to tie his hands and fingers together and still attached to his neck. His arms were flexed upwards towards his neck in order to make the strips reach both.
One thing that really bothers me is how much I changed. I used to play games all day, not focus on school, wouldn't get in serious trouble, and was very innocent compared to my present day self. There are cons and pros of my past self compared to how I am currently. I am more happy of how I am now then I am before. As time changes, so do I and I can not stop that. What’s done has already been done and can’t be changed so you always have to look towards the future and never the past. The past will not definite who you are today unless you let it. I would have never expect that I would be transferred to a continuation high school in my freshman year. It is a bad thing to many people, but I am thankful that I am sent to it because I will learn
He still could not speak, but eventually he managed to murmur some words in a way David used to do.
is a fight just to survive for the next day . As a child David is taught a very harsh way of
Life in the middle school and high school was not easy for me. I had become an introvert, I still didn’t know how to be social, and I had very few friends. I was teased for being very quiet, and some people insinuated that I’m scared of fellow people. On the other hand life at home was difficult. My mother had become so bitter and pleased her was next to impossible. She became very harsh with my brother and me, and we were always scolded for even the smallest mistakes. Once in a while, my father would come for us and take us to the city he lived. I would look out of the windows as we drove out of town and would imagine how life in another city would feel like. I looked at the skies, and all I saw were promises of a better future. All my life I had lived in San
is a fight just to survive for the next day . As a child David is taught a very harsh way of
...saw that bad experiences in life should not turn you into a cold person and allow your heart to become guarded.