The Devastating Suicide in Bone
In Bone, by Fae Myenne Ng, the character Ona Leong grows up in a Chinese-American family in San Francisco. Ona shared her home with two sisters that are extreme opposites, a mother who works in sweatshops and a father who works out at sea for long periods. Ona grew up loving every member of her family and each one of them believed that she was on the road to success. But on a day like any other, Ona commits suicide by jumping off of the thirteenth floor of the Nam building. Without any warning of her unhappiness, the family finds themselves only being able to guess as to why she would do such a thing. How did Ona express her unhappiness? And how does Ona's choice of suicide affect loved ones?
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Tragically, the decision to put ones own life to an end happened 31,142 times in 1994 alone, causing suicide to be the ninth leading cause of death in the United States (JAMA, 24, 974).
Much of what is told to love ones, prior to a suicide, depends on what the source of the unhappiness is. It was once stated in an essay by Mary Rose Barrington, "Many middle-aged people are heard to express the fervent wish that they will not want to live [in pain]" (Bender 116). They wish to be put out of their misery and therefore tell others so that their wishes can be honored. Ona commits suicide after her father, Leon, threatens to disown her for seeing a young man whose family Leon strongly dislikes. She grew up loving her father, and to be disowned by him would have been a major loss in her life; a loss considerably close to death.
When Ona was young, Leon enjoyed walking the streets of Chinatown with her. She had bells on her shoes so that even if she dared to take a step away from Leon, he would know by the absence of ringing bells. Many years later Leon and the Leong family went into business, and Ona fell in love with Osvaldo Leong, the son of Leon's business partner. After the business went under, Leon said Ona could not see Osvaldo again. Shortly there after, she went to see Osvaldo and Leon locked her out of the house. At that point, Ona began taking steps away from Leon, without a safety net of
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a fact sheet of statistics on suicide in the United States. In 2007, it is reported that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death. Furthermore, for every suicide committed, eleven were attempted. A total of 34,598 deaths occurred from suicide with an overall rate of 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. (NIMH, 2010). Risk factors were also noted on this report and listed “depression and other mental disorders, or a substance abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than ninety percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors (NIMH, 2010).”
Overall the suicide rate is extremely high. It is not the most sought after death, but it is the most efficient. I have known many people over my short 16 years of life who have wanted to kill themselves. I’ve been in the position to end my life many times, had best friends die, and watched them die. It is a horrible tragedy; suicide is a sorrowful disaster that needs to be addressed.
This is the beast of the emotions and is the one that rages on and hard. It can and does fuel the fires that burn the other emotions that surface in its place and those listed here. Anger is common towards the person who committed this sense act of suicide, and towards those you think should have and maybe could have prevented this act but understand this senseless act could have not been stopped. If a person wants to inflict a senseless act then they will and nobody can stop it. Lastly for anger this can and does sums it all up “the very person we love and lost is also the very person who murder the person we lost.”
Over 40 million Americans have been diagnosed with at least one mental illness (NIMH 2015), and 43,000 Americans commit suicide every year (NIMH 2014), with most of those deaths deemed preventable (Mann et. al 2005).
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death. At least 44,193 people by suicide every year. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has given more than $4 million in grants toward research for suicide prevention. It has reached more
Suicide is the 15th biggest cause of death in the world [1] killing 800,000 people a year worldwide. South
Everyone is vulnerable and susceptible to the usual heartbreak of life. Anne Sexton ' suicide was only one of many who desperately wanted to achieve an unrelenting wave of relief. For these existences, depression is like a war, you either win or die trying (Live or Die). "This is how I want to die"(). Anne Sexton is foretelling her battle with morbid sadness that continues to slowly consume, until the person drowns into a sea of burning anguish."....where one black-haired tree slips up
There is at least 113 suicides each day or 1 every 13 minutes. Suicide among males is the seventh leading cause of death and the fourteenth leading cause in females. Most suicides are with a firearm and are carried out with a “ Saturday night special”. (Dilaura,Cynthia DiLaura) “More than 90 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal. “ (Brady Campaign) There are a number of reasons why suicide occurs. Stress is the number one cause among our youth, bullies, peer pressure, depression, and abuse. 41,100 people committed suicide in the United States in 2013. Our young teens today does not take time to look deeper into there problem and to seek out a better solution. They are looking for a quick fix but not realizing once the trigger is pulled the result is final with no turning back. Most people who has attempted suicide is more likely to try a second attempt and most have an underlying mental illness. There is many warming that someone may be in a suicide crisis. We most learn how to see things through their eyes. No matter what one is facing in life or the difficult that lie ahead of them Nothing is worth taken your own
The poem “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” by Amiri Baraka uses vivid images of sights, sounds, and daily activities to symbolize a heartfelt story. In the poem, Amiri, is one of the African American slaves who is frustrated about the discriminatory treatment by whites. So frustrated he wants to commit suicide. The writer used transition words starting with “lately”, “now”, and “then” for each stanza. He was imagining how he acted before his death and how his daughter reacted to his death.
Attention Getter: Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. surpassed by accidents and homicide. (According to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention)
The researchers analyzed numerous surveys to determine when the rise of depression cases began and what may have contributed to the rising number. According to the 2017 report from Center for Disease Control and Prevention, depression and suicide are significant public health concerns with more than 40,000 Americans dying by suicide each year.
Approximately 117 Americans die every day to suicide and for every suicide there is 25 other unsuccessful attempts (Suicide Statistics, 2016). The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says that suicide is the 10th leading cause of deaths in the USA and that 42773 American dies every year. Research shows that suicide happens to any race, gender or age.
Hundreds of thousands of people die due to suicide every year. This number is estimated to double by 2020 should the current trend continue. The primary cause of these suicides is mental disorders and harmful use of alcohol - which in itself is a result of mental health related conditions. The World Health Organization reports indicate that 20% of the world 's children and adolescents suffer from one or more mental disorders and according to the Kim foundation, 57.7 million people in the US suffer from a mental health disorder.
The speaker of" Suicide Note" and Amy Chua's views are similar regarding knowing to meet the requirements of Asian parenting. On the other hand, the speaker of the poem distinguishes a difference, which shows in her decision to commit suicide. She feels that
Someone, somewhere, commits suicide every 18 minutes. You might never be able to tell who it will be, it could be the person sitting right next . Statistics reveal that approximately three million youths, between 12-18, have either thought about or attempted suicide in the past year. More than 1/3, actually succeeded.