In Chapter 5 of the textbook, it states “child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/ or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development of dignity in the context of a responsibility, trust, or power” ( Pg. 130). The movie “Precious”, which is an adaptation of the novel “Push” by Sapphire, touches on every aspect of this definition of child abuse, and although this is a movie, unfortunately it is a reality for 6 million children in America. Any part of this movie at any given time can relate to any aspect of child abuse, but I have chosen specific parts for specific examples. From the very beginning of the movie, anyone can see the abuse that was going on, but the first line that stuck in my mind for a long time after the scene was gone is when Precious started the new alternative school and when asked to state her name and something about herself she replied,” I have never spoken in class before”. She was then asked by her teacher how that made her feel and she said, “this class makes me feel, here”. That statement in itself sums up one of the major effects of child abuse. Precious at 16, has never felt loved and this in turn has affected her emotional and psychological health. For someone to say that they feel, “here”, it’s like them saying that they suddenly feel present, visible and that they suddenly
The third image is that of the welfare mother… the new version that sees the welfare mother as breeding animals who have no desire to work, but are content to live off the state (Woodard Mastin, 273). This character is typically not a major or supporting character within the story. This stereotypical black woman is part of a protagonist’s hardship that they must overcome in some way. One example of this character in popular culture is from the film Precious, which was released in 2009. In this film, the protagonist, Precious has been impregnated by her father twice and if forced to live with her abusive mother. Both women in these film represent this stereotype of the welfare mother but her mother is the one who depends on the government’s help to support herself. In one scene, the mother tells Precious that she needs to quit school and go to welfare to get the help she needs to support her family. In reality her mother only wants the food stamps and other government help for herself. She still receives some welfare from Precious but wants more now that precious has two children. In another scene, she explains through a voice over that her mother collects the welfare for her children as well as herself. A social worker then enters the scene to ask about the child and the mother’s work finding status, she tells her that she has tried finding work but has not been successful (Precious). But in other scenes during the film she is just sitting in the house
The term child abuse was once as rarely heard as that of pink elephants. However rare the term has once been, it is now a term used consistently throughout the news and various other publications today. Along with the progressing decline in society's morals, has come the rapid increase of crime. One such crime is child abuse. Although child abuse is common, the act is defiling. As a result of the abuse, children who fall victim to this often need psychological treatment and counseling. Often, the child is never the same as he or she once was before. The dictionary defines child abuse as: "the physical, or emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children" (Dictionary.com). Everyday thousands of children are the victims of this abuse.
Throughout the movie Precious, there are several times when the audience witnesses trauma and its effect on Precious’ life. These traumatizing events include sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse. When people go through these events, their mind will find ways to cope with their situation. These coping mechanisms are depersonalization, derealization, detachment, and dissociation.
The film Precious directed by Lee Daniels is a solemn movie dealing with the unfortunate truths of everyday life for some individuals. The film staring Gabourey Sidibe who plays the main character Clarice “Precious” Jones along with co-stars Mariah Carey and Leni Kravitz is based in the Ghetto of Harlem in the year of 1987. Precious is a sixteen year-old illiterate morbidly obese teenager whom has grown up in the Ghetto of Harlem in a dysfunctional family. Her mother Mary verbally and physically abuses her and uses her as her personal servant while her father Carl also abuses her and has impregnated her twice. Early in the movie it is stated that Precious’s first child is named “Mongo” short for Mongoloid and suffers from
The movie “Precious” detracted by Lee Daniels, is set in Harlem in the 1987. It is about an about an African American teenage girl named Clareence Precious Jones but she goes my Precious through the movie, who is played by Gabourey Sildibe. Precious is an overweight, illiterate, is a victim of incest, and who has two kids as a result of incest. Precious life has been very painful for her and difficult but the only way that she can escape her life is by day dreaming. Lee Daniels use daydreaming as a therapeutic coping mechanism throughout the movie. Lee Daniels shows us that there are four different seines that Precious use daydreaming to help her escape her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), father, and other people that abuse her. The Anxiety, Panic and Health say that “Sigmund Freud, felt that only unfulfilled individuals created fantasies. That daydreaming and fantasy were early signs of mental illness.
The movie Precious, is drama-based film that tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Claireece Jones (Precious). Unfortunately, she is struggling with her family, the school system and with her own internal emotions. Her mother despises her due to Precious having two kids from her father. She was kicked out of her high school had to go to an alternative school to get her GED. Precious also is struggling with her internal emotions and capabilities, she has been raped, verbally and physically abused. Some of the main characters that influenced Precious’s life are Miss. Rain, her English teacher at the alternative school and her mother Mary.
.) As Dr. Perry states, “the stress response system originates in the lower parts of the brain and help regulate and organize higher parts of the brain; if they are poorly organized or regulated themselves, they dysregulate and disorganized higher parts of the brain”
When you think of the word “poverty” or “poor” what comes to mind? Some think of hunger, minorities, dirty areas, women, and homeless people. What about when you hear the term “abuse”? For most people, abuse means physical; getting beat up or hit. Although abuse can mean getting beat up or hit, there is far more that follows. Abuse can take on many forms like physical, emotional or sexual. The film Precious by Lee Daniels, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, encounters not only the obvious sexual abuse but physical and emotional abuse as well. Precious starts off with Claireece Precious Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe, at her school in Harlem. She is called to the office because the principal has found out she is pregnant…Again. Kicked
The ecosystem perspective can be defined as using a person’s family, social conditions, living situations, and even culture to help intervene and impact there life in a positive way. The subject that I want to focus on is the movie Precious. This movie is based the story of a sixteen year old girl Claireece Jones. She was continually raped by her biological father and has birthed two children fathered by him. This movie goes through the struggle to raise her daughter, (who suffers from down syndrome), and make her life better. She has trouble overcoming the struggles of her daily life, such as poverty and the neglectfulness of her parents. In an environment that is nothing but struggles and socioeconomic downfalls, she wants to overcome it all. She has help from a teacher and a social worker who really want to help her change her life for the better.
What is child abuse? From the word “abuse” we can understand that it is some sort of a maltreatment of a child, causing harm and damage both to his physical and psychological well-being. At the Federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) describes child abuse and neglect as: “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” Child abuse is a very substantial and widely spread problem in U.S. affecting children of any age, gender, race, background or income, with more than 1.8 million investigations done every year and on average, killing more than 5 children every day. The main issue of child abuse is that the abuser is usually someone a child loves or depends on (a parent, sibling, coach, neighbor, etc.), who violates child’s trust putting personal interests first, therefore official numbers of how many children suffer maltreatment might be not accurate enough as remarkable amount of these cases go unreported. Each case of child abuse is unique, with a lot of individual factors involved, nevertheless, we can distinguish some of the common causes, such as poverty, lack of education, depression, mental or physical health
The movie Precious, is based off of the novel Push by Sapphire. In this movie, there is a 16 year old girl named Precious. She is pregnant with her second child from her father, still in junior high, and is morbidly obese. Not only that, but is continuously abused by her mother and father; verbally, mentally, and physically.
“The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” states’ that “child abuse is the leading cause of death in children under the age of eighteen.” Child abuse occurs when adults inflict violence and cruelty upon children. Abuse is any willful act that results in physical, mental, or sexual injury that causes or is likely to cause the child to be physically, mental, or emotionally impaired. Abuse happens to children of any age, sex, race, religion, and social status.
There are many things in our society today that unfortunately go overlooked. One such thing that is overlooked is the number of children who are being abused. Unfortunately these children are going through life not knowing whether or not their parents will loose their temper and perhaps kill them. There are many types of child abuse, such as physical, sexual, and emotional. Physical abuse is physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, choking, hitting, burning, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child. Sexual abuse includes activities by a parent or caretaker such as fondling a child's genitals,
Child abuse is a very sensitive issue that needs to by carefully handled. Child abuse is defined as a no accidental injury or pattern of injures to a child for which there is no reasonable explanation.
Child abuse consists of any act or failure to act that endangers a child’s physical or emotional health and development. A person caring for a child is abusive if he or she fails to nurture the child, physically injures the child, or relates sexually to the child (Robins). Child abuse is broken down into four major categories: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Aside from the abuse itself, the cost of the tragic events costs the United States billions of dollars each year. Every day, approximately 4 children in the United States die resulting from child abuse and the majority are under 5-years-old (Fromm). There are many organizations that promote preventative measures in reducing child abuse. If nothing is done,