A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

The responses listed within this writing are about the firsthand experiences that are described within the book A Child Called “It” written by Dave Pelzer. Although there is an overabundance of examples of abuse, neglect and maltreatment given in this book, the support listed is narrowed down to give the best samples of why a reader may feel these specific situations occurred. Each segment will be discussed and explained fully so that the reader is able to grasp why each specific reference was selected.

This paper evaluates how David Pelzer develops in his memoir, A Child Called “It”. Pelzer is evaluated using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model demonstrates how Pelzer’s environment impacted his development greatly. Pelzer is greatly influenced through others by how they treat him. Throughout this memoir, Pelzer is in the concrete operations stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The reader is also able to see Pelzer’s development from preconventional morality to conventional morality using Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning.

Words and actions have a large impact on the way you work with the world around you, they have the ability to make you feel indescribable emotions in every way. The poem “Little Boy,” written by B.H. Fairchild begins as a young boy questions his father’s hurtful past, as the speaker demonstrates that he asked the questions as he would’ve asked if he ever saw “Dimaggio or Mantle,” and develops into an examination of a lifeless relationship between father and son. In the poem the little boy’s persistent focus on the father’s brutal past reveals a case of PTSD from his involvement in WWII, and how it affects the advancement of an already bad and unsteady and unchanging relationship of a father and son.

Dave Pelzer’s book, “A Child Called It” (1995), chronicled the unforgettable accounts of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California’s history. The book is an intriguing, yet intimidating journey through the torturing childhood of the author, himself. The child, Dave Pelzer¸ was emotionally and physically tormented by his unstable mother. He was the victim of abuse in his own home, a source of ridicule at his own school, and stripped of all existence. This book left me in suspense as I waited with anticipation for the end of this little boy’s struggle to live. Throughout this paper, I will focus on the events that took place in this book and discuss my personal feelings and the effects this story had on me.

He was used to live in his brother’s shadow, but when the boat accident happened to them, he was the only one to survive. As he was always indentifying himself the less important one, he considered it was wrong that he was the one who would still have a life. As a result of nervous breakdown, he tried to kill himself with cutting his wrists in the bathroom, fortunately his father found out and save him. Then he went to the psychiatric for four months. When he comes back, there are still issues he needs to deal with.

Imagine getting physically abused by your own mom for many years. This story is about a boy named Dave Pelzer. Dave Pelzer got under fed and abused by his mom. Dave's Mom was as mean as the devil. Whenever his dad came home, she didn’t want him to see her abusing David and comes up with an excuse for why he is hurt. His brothers ignore David so that they don’t get hurt or abused. Dave’s mom calls him “It” and “The Boy” because she says that he is a “bad boy” and doesn’t like him. In the story, A Child Called “It”, written by Dave Pelzer, the main character, Dave Pelzer, demonstrates that in life we should sometimes let go and make the best out of life. In the beginning of the book, Dave was dependent on his parents.

One of the most traumatizing child abuse cases in Californian history occurred to a boy named David Pelzer. During the majority of his childhood, Pelzer was severely mistreated and abused by his alcoholic mother and absent father. The young boy endured such tragedy and heartbreak from the rejection of his own family for almost a decade. His life story was later shared in his profound autobiography called A Child Called It. The author himself takes you on a journey to first handedly experience the neglect he once suffered. Throughout the novel, there is an evolution within the protagonist that gives him the strength to finally break free.

I read the book A Child called “It”. I loved this book it really spoke to me in a manner of taking my family life for granted and taking everything I have for the best because in all reality it could be worse. This book takes place in Dale City, California during the 1970’s.

     The book A Child Called “It” was written by Dave Pelzer. “In the years before I was abused, my family was the “Brady Bunch” of the 1960s. My two brothers and I were blessed with the perfect parents. Our every whim was fulfilled with love and care.” These are Dave’s words about his family before he was abused by his mother. Dave Pelzer has experienced a truly extraordinary life. As a child, he was abused by his alcoholic mother, which included physical torture, mental cruelty, and near starvation. Upon Dave's rescue, he was identified as one of the most severely abused children in California's history. At age 12, Dave's teachers risked their careers to notify the authorities and saved his life. Upon Dave's

The novel, The Child Called “It”, a true story by David Pelzer who presented the idea that hope and patience can get you through the toughest times of your life, including the times where you want to give up. Pelzer was forced to become the victim of his mother’s abuse after a drastic change in his family. March 5th, 1973 in Daly City, California is where the book starts, and where David’s life changes. He’s taken to the nurse after he arrives late to school to talk about the new marks his mother gave him, and as usual he is forced make fables about how he got each scar. The nurse starts to realize that he keeps using the same lies to protect himself, knowing if he told the truth, there would be a cruel consequence behind it. That’s when the school staff takes actions and helps David escape his mother’s abuse.

His mother basically used him and abused him for her own amusement. She treated him as if he was her personal slave boy. She made him do all of the work around the house and even some work that made no sense for him to be doing. She made him do some really unnecessary task. She did not allow for Dave to speak or be around anyone but her and the time he spent with her mainly consisted on her torturing him. His mother did not always allow him to eat but when she did he was only allowed to eat the scrapes from the trash as he cleaned. Dave had no one to turn to. Even his father who tried helping him in the beginning gave up fighting the mother. Dave was truly alone and the abuse was simply excused by Dave’s mom as punishment for him for being such a bad kid. Dave’s father once tried to safe him and remove him from the clutches of his mother but this only made the abuse worse. She moved Dave out to the garage where he was made to sleep and she took away all his possible means of getting food. The only place she could not control his food was at school because of this Dave began stealing food from his classmates’ lunch boxes. When he was caught his mom was outraged about having to meet with the school and this only fueled her outrageous abuse towards him.

Dave’s mother, Catherine, would decorate the family’s home for each holiday and enjoyed cooking different meals for the family. His dad was often away for days at a time due to work, yet loved his family. However, things started drastically changing with his mother. She begun to drink heavily, and became short tempered. Dave quotes himself as the most difficult of his siblings, and believed this to be the reason his mother singled him out to be abused whenever he was “bad.” At first Dave’s father protected him from the abuse, but eventually he begun to ignore the abuse. Dave’s punishments initially consisted of slaps, pushes, head slamming and making him repeat “I’m a bad boy!” The abuse only worsened, as Dave grew older Catherine begun withholding food from Dave, isolating him from his brothers, forcing him to eat feces and poisonous substances, and made him wear the same outfit for 3 years. She furthered his abuse by calling him “the boy” or “it,” instead of his given name and ordering the other boys to abuse Dave.

Courage. Strength. Two words, that define something everyone has deep down-that everyone needs to use, to survive in our world. In the book A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer, the main character David/Dave has to have courage to have courage and strength to overcome his personal issues with his mother. Who is known for being the abuser in one of the worlds worst child abuse cases--and David was the child she abused. She did many cruel and horrible things to him. Some were so bad it was life threatening. In the book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, the main character Auggie has a genetic mutation, which affects how his face looks, and makes it look different from others. He has never gone to a school before, but is starting school for the first time, at Beecher Prep. Middle School. He does fine with the actually work in school, but has some trouble with school bullies. So Auggie

The author's purpose in A Child Called it, is to show the perspective of an abused child. The Author of this book was abused when he was a small child. The book shows that if the readers are abused, they can survive it and get out of there by reporting the authorities. Do not be scared, just tell the truth and you can be sent to a better home with better care. Dave wanted the readers to see what happens behind closed doors.

“A Child Called It”, is a true story of the author, Dave Pelzer from age 4- 12. Pelzer narrates his past and tells the story about a young boy who is beaten, starved and tortured by his mother. Dave encounters inhumane actions and abuse from his mother and almost death. He was beaten every day, was only fed every now and then and had to wear the same clothes 24/7, therefore smelling really badly. Dave was forced to be the family slave and would receive punishment if he didn’t complete his chores on time. These punishments became more cruel and brutal as time went on.