Dolores Claiborne :: essays research papers

The Eclipse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the day of the full eclipse, Dolores Claiborne’s life changes forever. True, it had been changed by events beyond her control long before this fateful day, but she chooses this day to end her husband’s life so she and her family can go on living. Steven King masterfully weaves this tale of love, abuse, and denial in his novel, Dolores Claiborne, which was later turned into a movie directed by Taylor Hackford. Although the movie adaptation of the novel follows the story line very closely, there are a few changes made, such as the role of Dolores’ daughter, Selena, the intended audience to Dolores, and the importance of Salena being raped by her father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Salena plays an important role in both the book and the movie, her roles in each are different. In the book, she is dependent on her mother until the point when her father begins to sexually abuse her. She then withdraws from everyone and tries to forget about the fact that it ever happened. In the movie, however, Salena has come back from New York to defend her mother after she has been accused of killing Vera Donovan. She has developed a drug abuse problem, just like her father. Salena is the reason for many of the scenes throughout the movie, as she is remembering them and discussing what really happened with her mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In both the novel and the movie, the story of the eclipse and the events leading up to it are told in a flashback. The difference is that in the novel, Dolores is telling her story to the police in the form of a confession. She wants to get it all out of her conscious so that she can be cleared of killing Vera Donovan. In the movie, however, she is talking to Salena, who doesn’t remember all of what happens, or is in denial about most of what happened. Many of the present time scenes in the movie are of Dolores trying to convince Salena that this really did happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yet another important event in both the book and the movie is when Dolores finds out that her husband has been sexually abusing their daughter. It is at this time that she decides to kill him, after some prompting by Vera Donovan. She takes drastic measures in planning her husband’s â€Å"accident.† In the movie, however, the abuse is only acknowledged.

A Boy Called It

The deficits David Pelzer will have to overcome according to biological and environmental foundations and emotional and social development will deal primarily with the neglect he suffered as a child.This environmental history will play a major role and an obstacle at being accepted into new schools, new families and in any future job he holds.   He will have to come to terms with the ‘normal’ relationships children and parents have as opposed to his neglected childhood upbringing by not only his mother, but the social service system and foster families.The way in which David experience mental health is through the actions of his mother.   His mother, Catherine Roerva, tortured David both physically and emotionally by not even considering him a son, or a human being but an ‘it’.As such her mental health made it impossible for her to raise her child and instead her disease (and her alcoholism) made her torture him, not feed or clothe him and basically not treat him as a son not to mention a person, â€Å"SMACK, mother hits me in the face and I topple to the floor.   I know better than to stand there and take the hit.   I learned the hard way that she takes that as an act of defiance, which means more hits or worst of all no food.I regain my posture and dodge her looks as she screams into my ears†(Pelzer 3).   To a young child, such experiences of mental health make it detrimental to truly experience anything normal for his sense of normalcy is warped due to his exposure of these horrific experiences.Although David did have one of the worst childhood abuse cases in the state of California (he was caged in the basement, not allowed to eat, and was threatened physically almost daily) he did end up in the child welfare system where he tried to adjust to a new life outside of his mother’s abuse.Finally at the age of 12 David was taken from his mother’s care thanks to the help of school teachers and other authori ties and at that time he entered into the social welfare system through foster care.   In this system David experienced other types of both horrible and kind human activity for which he goes into detail with his other book entitled The Lost Boy: A A Foster Child’s Search for the Love of a Family.On the issue of biological deficits, David Pelzer may have to face the fact that his mother neglected him after he was born,Genetic counseling is a communication process designed to help couples assess theirChances of giving birth to a baby with a hereditary disorder and choose the best course of action in view of risks and family goals.As such, David’s mother, given the choice may not have had her son because of her own actions which was detrimental to his health.   In David’s case, it is not a hereditary disorder but more of an environmental disorder that he has in him.Works CitedPelzer, David. (1995).  Ã‚   A Boy Called It.   HCI. 1995.Wall, Charles M. (April, 1975). Child Abuse: A Societal Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with Educational  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implications. Peabody Journal of Education. 52 (3). 222-225.  

Human Rights, By John Wyndham - 1589 Words

There really is no true or perfect human image yet society these days expects people to look and act a certain way and people can be very cruel if a person does not meet these expectations. In the novel The Chrysalids written by John Wyndham and in reality presently, many human rights are violated and these rights will continue to be violated as long as humans exist and people continue to be cruel. In the town of Waknuk, certain people do not follow the human rights but instead they violate them. Throughout the novel, many characters rights are being violated such as the abuse and torture David faces, the intolerance towards woman like Sophie and Petra for being different. Throughout the novel, David, the protagonist is abused and tortured several times by his very own father, Joseph Strorm and his recently discovered Uncle, Gordon. David’s father is a strict believer in his religion and is unyielding on the subject of mutations and blasphemy’s. If anyone neglects to fo llow his beliefs and rules, he has serious consequences for them, like with David, once Joseph found out that David knows a blasphemy, he immediately subjected to abusing him for answers. David’s father continues to beat him until he receives the information he demands. David has been abused more than once by his father and this is evident when David says, â€Å"I knew well enough what that meant, but I knew well too, that with my father in his present mood, it would happened whether I told or not. I set my jaw,Show MoreRelatedHuman Rights Violations By John Wyndham1534 Words   |  7 Pages Human Rights Violations in The Chrysalids There are some rights that every human in this world is entitled to. These are called human rights and they define how a human should be treated, so that everyone is treated equally and no one is discriminated, or treated unfairly . Violations of these these rights include torture, slavery, discrimination and restriction of freedom, these are only some of the many violations. In today s world many people are discriminated and have their human rights violatedRead MoreHow Love Survived Admist Suffering in John Wydhams The Chrysalids1210 Words   |  5 PagesAmidst all the pain in John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids, there is love. This powerful human emotion has survived in the oppressing society of Waknuk. Wyndham portrays love among hardships to remind us that there is always hope for humanity, despite obstacles it may encounter. Through the Wenders’ sacrificial, unresentful devotion to their mutant daughter, through David’s discovery of reassurance and affection in his uncle amidst fear and uncertainty, and through the telepaths’ undying love for oneRead MoreThe, By John Wyndham1313 Words   |  6 PagesThe Chrysalids Essay â€Å"A man that puts himself on the ground of moral principle, if the whole world be against him, is mightier than all of them.† Morality is a major theme in John Wyndham’s novel The Chrysalids, but with morality, there is no definitive right and wrong. Human beings, seen as the most intelligent life force, like to believe that morals are easily determined, but that is far from the truth. To act in juxtaposition, to perform acts that the world would deem immoral, requires a certainRead MoreEssay about The Chrysalids - Discrimination827 Words   |  4 Pages‘The Chrysalids’ by John Wyndham is about an innocent boy with telepathic abilities living in an anti-mutant society. This boy, David, faces several challenges which made him realise of the ways of the world he is in. The main theme of the novel is discrimination and it can be seen from the society of Waknuk, Joseph Strorm and the setting of the book. The society of Waknuk is taught to follow the laws of God and the ’Definition of Man’ for they fear the punishment that they will receive if theyRead MoreThe Evil And Oppression Of The Innocent By John Wyndham1208 Words   |  5 PagesThe False Perfection The novel, The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, foretells of a futuristic story which unfolds about injustice and oppression of the innocent. In a dystopian world a group of eight telepathic children struggle to grow up undiscovered and when the time comes, to escape. A religious creed is set up â€Å"The Definition of Man† as a ‘purity standard’. As a result, people lived with much fear and self-hatred. The standard set one neighbour against the other in fear of another ‘tribulation’Read MoreThe Chrysalids, by John Wyndham 1153 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Chrysalids† by John Wyndham is a science fiction novel about a town that does not accept difference. The novel takes place in a post nuclear time in the community of Waknuk. It describes how human nature can be cruel and the act of acceptance which everyone strives for. David Strorm morally and emotionally grows throughout the novel through character, setting, theme and plot. Significant even ts that David experiences teach him both something about himself and the world he lives in. When he firstlyRead MoreDangers Of Being Different Than The Social Norm Through Symbolism, Diction And Conflict1345 Words   |  6 Pageshave to immerse yourself in the right group, in the group that can enhance your abilities. However, in The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, David is deprived of the opportunity â€Å"to fly with the eagles†. The society he is living in forbids him to be any different than the ‘written’ norm. The public’s strict mannerisms peak David’s curiosity. He discovers that if an individual is different than the rest they must suffer severe consequences. Hence, The Chrysalids by John Wyndham demonstrates the dangers of beingRead MoreThe Chrysalids by John Wyndham Essay906 Words   |  4 Pages The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham is a great novel in my opinion. It occurs in the future but it focuses on prejudices, intolerance and torture, issues that exist now and will always exist as long as we do. I believe the novel has a very important message for readers today. In the novel, The Chrysalids, and in reality presently, many human rights are being violated. First off, child abuse and torture is a major factor in the novel. Secondly, the intolerance towards the women of Waknuk, and howRead MoreEssay Aspects of control in The Handmaids Tale and The Chrysalids2467 Words   |  10 PagesAspects of control in The Handmaids Tale and The Chrysalids Margaret Atwood and John Wyndham both write of distopian societies within the science-fiction genre to explore the varying ways in which society can abuse authority in order to gain control. This violent and dehumanising repression is used to create vulnerability and fear among the society as a method of control. The writers use the narrators Offred and David to explore the response to oppression and bothRead MoreDiscrimination in The Chrysalids by John Wyndam Essay796 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout time, readers have learned many different lessons from their favourite books. In The Chrysalids, John Wyndam used his story to teach his readers valuable, lifelong lessons. He makes it evident to his readers that prejudging certain people is not right. Also, he relates how change is possible, but hard to achieve. More specifically, religion often influences one’s point of view. John Wyndam’s, The Chrysalids was written with a purpose that teaches his readers about discrimination, about how