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Fiesta 1980,

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Fiesta 1980 The story, Fiesta, 1980, is one that closely resembles my own childhood. The characters, their actions and experiences each hold similarities to my parents and sisters. For example, my mother was an alcoholic and abusive toward us kids just as Papi was toward his children. In the story, Papi says, “Don’t you mirror me” whereas my mom would say, “Don’t you give me that look”. One previous step dad was like Mami in that he would remain quiet until things got out of control. Only then did he speak up usually with little results before backing down again. The character of Madia reminds me of my little sister who closed her eyes and cupped her ears whenever there was trouble. My little sister, like Madai “was too scared to open …show more content…

I don’t understand the urge to hurt someone physically, mentally, or emotionally despite frequent occurrences and can only hope that I never put someone in a position that would cause such grief and pain. In the text, Why do people abuse?, the authors state that “some abusers learned to abuse from their parents” and that “abusive behavior can also result from mental or health disorders”, which is derived from many different problems, including alcoholism. I for one understand abuse because “abuse situations must be lived in and experienced before the internal logic makes any sense”. In the article, Abuser & Victim…Alike, the author argues that both the abuser and the victim share responsibility for their situations. This is only true if we choose to believe that such people voluntarily stay and allow the abuse to continue. In this sense, some truth might exist, however, we must remember the lack of control felt by each victim, as well as the emotional torment they experience that serves to trap them in their current situations. Alternatively, it would be difficult for the author to validate such a claim of shared responsibility if the abused were a child, disabled or mentally handicapped person. To a certain degree, the author himself contradicts his previous statement when he comments that “abusers have all the power”. Not all victims can stand up to their abusers. Past experiences or fear of escalating violence are powerful

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