Essay On Corporal Punishment In Bastard Out Of Carolina

The use of corporal punishment should not be permissible throughout the United States and in most other countries around the world as historical ways are changing. The definition states this kind of act as whipping, caning, spanking, or beating of another person. In Bastard Out of Carolina the beating of Bone by her stepfather Glen shows that although some people agree that these beating should not take place, they still continue. Bone’s aunts’ and uncles’ do not condone the violence, while her mother lets it continue because of her love for Glen. The controversial subject discusses that this punishment justifies some acts, as the other side points out that it is an invasion of human rights. If the legal system does not protect it’s people

The belief that corporal punishment should be banned is sensible in order to protect the wellbeing of children, as well to do justice onto those who do not recognize the mental and physical damage it does to their victims. The safety of children is a very important issue and it is directly related to the novel Bastard Out of Carolina. In the book Bone struggles with the strength to tell others around her about the abuse that she experiences from her step-father Glen. When children experience physical punishment from adults, it is inexcusable in court. If the idea of making corporal punishment okay were to become sensible in guardians’ eyes, there would be many cases that would allow some innocent children to be abused by who they depend on. A summary from the Encyclopedia of Motherhood states, “Nearly half of all physical abuse victims are 7 years old or younger” (Child Abuse from Encyclopedia of Motherhood 1). The thought of a 7 year old girl defending herself for something that she did not know was in the wrong goes to show that the physical

Human rights are described in the Encyclopedia of Human Rights as laws “that requires that everyone be treated as a human being, possessing inherent human dignity. This dignity requires respect for the physical and psychological well-being of persons” (Corporal Punishment 1). In Allison’s novel, there is a lot of violence that goes on not only between Glen and Bone, but also Glen and the Boatwright family. After finding Bone with bumps and bruises on her legs from being harassed by Glen, the Boatwright brothers decide that the need to “teach Glen a lesson”. While Rayene and Anney are comforting Bone, she states that “We listened to the noises from the porch. Those thuds were Daddy Glen hitting the wall. Those grunts were his. Those curses were my uncles’” (Allison 247). Even in this case, I do not believe that a violent punishment makes the most sense for grown men. The beating of another person and violating their rights as a human will make no positive effect in the mind. There is revenge to a certain degree and that revenge should be served worse than what is expected. By the Boatwright brothers beating Glen up, he knew it was going to happen. If they would have used alternative methods such as telling the police, they may have not only saved Bone from being abused again, but prevented Anney from