1 / 26

A Child Called “It”

A Child Called “It”. By: Dave Pelzer. Dave Pelzer. Born December 29, 1960 Joined the Air Force at age 18 He is a part of the alumni group (John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Anne Bancroft, Orson Welles, Elvis Presley, Walt Disney and Nelson Rockefeller)

adli
Download Presentation

A Child Called “It”

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. A Child Called “It” By: Dave Pelzer

  2. Dave Pelzer • Born December 29, 1960 • Joined the Air Force at age 18 • He is a part of the alumni group • (John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Anne Bancroft, Orson Welles, Elvis Presley, Walt Disney and Nelson Rockefeller) • Dave was the only United States citizen to be awarded as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World in Kobe Japan. • Buckcherry dedicated ”Rescue me” and “A child called it” to Dave Pelzer's book

  3. Characters • Dave Pelzer • Catherine Roerva (Dave’s mother) • Stephen Pelzer (Dave’s father) • Ronald Pelzer (older brother) • Stan Pelzer (older brother) • Kevin Pelzer (younger brother) • Mr. Ziegler (fifth grade teacher)

  4. Protagonist • Dave Pelzer • Worst child abuse case in California • His mother abused him • Smack, hit, burn, starve, stab, etc. • His father was never there • His brothers would go along with their mother

  5. Antagonist • Catherine Roerva • An alcoholic • She abused her son • Make him clean to possibly get some food • Make him strip down and burn him on the stove • Have him eat dirty dippers from his younger brother • Be in a “gas chamber” of Clorox and ammonia

  6. Favorite Character • Dave Pelzer hands down • He suffered through a lot of abuse • He tried to save himself • Delaying his abuse • Steal food from school, trash cans and stores • Try not to do anything “mother” didn’t like • He stood up to his mother

  7. Least Favorite Character • Catherine Roerva • Abused Dave • Made excuses for Dave’s bruises • Had Dave be the families slave • Made him sleep in the basement with an army cot for a bed • Etc.

  8. Plot Summary(Exposition) • His family once was happy • Described as the 1960’s Brady bunch • Daly City, California • They had many pets • Dogs, cats, fish, and a tortoise

  9. Plot Summary(Rising Action) • Dave’s mother and father begin to drink and both become alcoholics • Dave’s mother began to abuse him little by little • Dave’s father never abused him physically but mentally

  10. Plot Summary(Climax) • Dave’s mother changes • She went from putting Dave into a corner to more drastic punishments • Examples: • Forcing ammonia down his throat • Smashing him into objects like mirrors, tables, etc. • Stabbing him with a knife • Starving him for days • Burning him on the kitchen stove

  11. Plot Summary(Falling Action) • The teachers and nurses start to realize the truth • They begin to try and help Dave • At first it only made things worse • His mother abused him more when she got phone calls from the nurses and principal

  12. Plot Summary(Resolution) • Dave is rescued • He was taken out of the house at age 12 • Mr. Ziegler was the main one who helped David out • Dave Pelzer was put into foster care

  13. Setting • 1960’s • Daly City, California • Most of the abuse took place in his home • His parents would take the family to Chinatown, San Francisco for vacation

  14. Themes • Ability to overcome remarkable odds • “Mother” would abuse David yet he lived through it and is teaching the world about child abuse. • Alcohol abuse • Dave’s parents abuse their body with alcohol and things turn out extremely bad. • Hero figures • Dave was saved by his teachers, nurse and principal. He will never forget the day he was free from his mothers abuse.

  15. Rating • I give this book a 10 • This book was extremely emotional • It shows that people should notice more about child abuse and not let it pass you by • Dave is an amazingly strong person to be able to overcome this abuse at such a young age

  16. Child Abuse

  17. Statistics • Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States alone • About five children die everyday • Three out of four are under the age of four • A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds • Estimated annual cost of child abuse in the United States is $104 billion. • All from (Childhelp,1959-2009)

  18. Statistics

  19. Statistics • 36% of women in prison were abused as a child • 14% of men in prison were abused as a child • Over 60% in drug rehabilitation centers were abused as children • About 30% of abused children will abuse their kids as well • About 80% of 21 year olds that were abuse have one psychological disorder • All from (Child help,1959-2009)

  20. Consequences of abused children • 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy • 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile • 2.5 times more likely to develop alcohol abuse • 3.8 times more likely to develop drug addiction • All from (Child help, 1959-2009)

  21. Consequences of a child abusers A state may require a parent to accept parenting training or assistance • The state may remove the child from the parent’s home • The state may have the child go to an adoption center instead of foster care or a relatives home • All from (Legal Research, 2010)

  22. Physical signs of child abuse • Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, etc. • Bite marks • Anti-social behavior • Problems in school • Fear of adults • All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

  23. Emotional signs of child abuse • Apathy • Depression • Hostility or stress • Lack of concentration • Eating disorders • All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

  24. Sexual signs of child abuse • Nightmares and bedwetting • Drastic changes in appetite • Over compliance or excessive aggression • Fear of a particular person or family member • Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts • All from (Child Welfare, 2010)

  25. Child abuse video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv52n2jmGlY

  26. Work Cited "Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions." Child Welfare Information Gateway. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. Dave Pelzer's Official Website. Web. 12 Feb. 2010. "Legal Consequences of Abuse - Lawyers.com." Family Law Attorney, Lawyer, Attorneys, Lawyers and Legal Research Information - Lawyers.com. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. "National Child Abuse Statistics - Childhelp." Welcome to Childhelp - Childhelp. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. Pelzer, David J. A Child Called "it": One Child's Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, Fla.: Health Communications, 1995. Print. Welcome to the Official Website of Catholic Charities of Dallas, Texas. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. "YouTube - Don't Look Away: A Child Abuse Awareness Video." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

More Related