Dave Pelzer - a Child Called "It"

Last but not least, what made Pelzer leave the house when he was 12? What made Pelzer leave the house was the teacher because they found out that his mother was clearly abusing him and the principal Mr. Hansen called the police and he had to tell the truth to the police officer Mr. Smith. After Dave told Mr. Smith he them called his mother telling her that he will not be going home today because he will be the custody of the san Mateo juvenile department. After that Dave was free and left the school

He was often punished when his brothers weren 't, even if they were doing the same thing. He was able to be adventurous but instead was stuck with guilt. Throughout his years he also faced the emotional toll of abuse in many ways. One way his mother did this was by no longer calling him by his name, and not referring to him as a human. Dave states in his book, “that death would be better than my prospects for any kind of happiness. I was nothing but an “it”.” Children and adolescents go through a stage where they are trying to figure out who they are. With an abusive mother who takes away your identity it would be really hard to figure out who you are and you would be confused on what roles to play. Erikson’s stages emphasize family and culture. Erikson noted that psychological conflicts, especially in childhood within families, affect people lifelong.

The relationship between Dave and his father is defiantly flawed, at moments Dave would question why his father would not aid him or protect him against his mother. “Father was my only hope, and he did all he could to sneak me scraps of food. He tried to get Mother drunk, thinking the liquor might leave her in a better mood. He tried to get mother to change her mind about feeding me. He even attempted to make deals, promising her

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.

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.

The first factor that played a role in the continuation of abuse in Pelzer’s life is alcohol. His mother started to increase the intake of alcohol, she drank. Dave’s mother had a drinking problem when she began to associate drinking alcohol with getting rid of her problems as a wife and mother. Pelzer explains that his relationship with his mother drastically change. The mom’s behavior became worse when her husband went to work and she spend her entire time laying on the couch , dressed in her bathrobe and watching television. She only movement was to only use the bathroom, getting more drinks or heating left over foods (Pelzer, pg. 29). Through the progression of Pelzer’s life , his mother drank heavy. Most of the time her day was spend drinking. Pelzer’s father contributed to the increase of abuse that Dave receive. He passive allowed his wife do whatever she wanted with Dave because he was tired of battling with his wife. This became a moment of realization for Dave when he figured out that there was no one to advocate for his rights at the

The definition of abuse is when someone uses cruel and violent treatment to negatively affect a person repeatedly. Abuse can come in a variety of ways, such as psychological abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and one of the most common yet overlooked is sexual abuse. In the book A Child Called IT, David Pelzer writes the story of his childhood. A child whose whole life was surrounded by abuse, his mother would beat him and hurt him in such a way that she left him almost dead in several occasions. Sharon olds wrote a series of poems that all seemed to link up together after reading them consecutively. I go back to May 1937 is dealing with changing her existence, Little things is about focusing on enjoying small things,

Dave Pelzer is the survivor of the third worst case of child abuse in California 's history. Dave grew up with his two brothers and two parents. Catherine, Dave 's mother, loved to cook exotic meals for her family and decorate their home in creative and imaginative ways each holiday season. She was full of energy, often taking her kids on tours of downtown San Francisco while her husband was at work as a fire fighter, exposing them to Golden Gate Park and Chinatown. Once, while on a family camping trip, young Dave was watching the sunset when he felt his mother embrace him from behind and watch the sunset with him over his shoulder. "I never felt as safe and warm as at that moment in time," he recalls.

Dave Pelzer biography, “A child called ‘It’” is about himself when he was a young boy. Throughout his book he explains his horific expirances of being being beaten, starved, and torchured by hsi unstable mother. And shows how that has changed him, yet he was able to push through and turn his life around. One point the story really brings out is how cirten events can make or change who someone is.

Dave Pelzer has endured so much in his past. The years of abuse that seemed like a never ending maze of torture, were like a routine of beatings to him. The wicked games that his mother played on him and the bizarre ways of practicing them, felt like an eternity for a 12 year old boy. Nevertheless, for every darkest storm there is a shining ray. The ray of hope that has fueled Pelzer's motivation to strive for the best, for his freedom, and for a brighter future. Pelzer's journey to finding the power to continue begins by acceptance; accepting the fact that he is an abuse victim. Once the acceptance has been initialized, the healing process begins to take place.

Dave’s childhood was a horrible one to say the least. Dave’s Mother was a drunk who beated him, starved him, and did many more horrendous things. It wasn't always bad though; he was approximately 3 when his mother was a wonderful woman. Dave’s father was a firefighter who cherished his wife and children. They had many pets, such as exotic fish and a turtle named “Thor”.

I slowly back away from the table. I peel off the sticky gloves and rip away the mask, swallowing the cold air. I am numb to the pain in my body, as I turn to escape that room. I speed away. I shove open the door to the bathroom, yank on the sink, and splash the ice water on my face. My breathing is labored from the effort, and my face is red and shiny from the sweat as I stare down at my shaking hands. I want to rip them off: my hands that didn't push hard enough, didn't pump his heart enough, or got tired too quickly. I clench these hands until the knuckles are white, and then I keep clenching. My nails dig into my palms, scraping away the skin and drawing blood; my body is still numb to the pain. I slowly unclench my fists and gently place them into the sink. With the cold water gliding over my hands, I reach over and squirt soap into my palms and scrub. I keep furiously scrubbing, trying to remove my skin from under my nails, washing away the sweat and the stench of burnt hair that remind me of the events that have just

“A Child Called “It”” is a riveting autobiography about the early childhood of abuse survivor David Pelzer. His story takes place in the year 1973, where he lived in a California home just outside of the San Francisco Bay area in Daly City. A time is recalled where David had the perfect life, with camping trips, special day trips with Mother, and extravagant holiday meals. Everything seems to be perfect, until one day things get out of control.

Dave had three brothers who never once were abused; his mother chose only to torture him. Throughout his terrible childhood, Dave somehow managed to maintain a hopeful outlook on life and somehow kept his will to survive.

A 3-month-old baby boy suffered through an attack that left him with severe burns to his face and body. The torture that he was put through didn't stop there, he had also been beaten with multiple fractures found on his small body.