Sicked: The True Story of a Lost Childhood

Sicked: The True Story of a Lost Childhood Sickened by Julie Gregory â€Å"Oh, God, Jewelly, you are burning up, just burning up. I better call the squad. Grandma is serious, her face etched in worry and hovering inches from mine. Her fingers spread my eyelids apart, looking for signs that she can report to the hospital. Maybe I am feeling something in my tummy. Maybe I do have a fever. What does it feel like, Grandma? Am I sick, Grandma?† (18). This passage hints that early on Julie was abused by not only her mother, but her grandmother as well. Grandma Marge had given Julie a piece of candy and then convinced Julie that she was sick. From the line, â€Å"What does it feel like, Grandma?† the reader gathers that Julie does not know how she feels and only begins to feel sick after being told she is sick. Although Julie is only three, the event this passage describes is the beginning of her abuse. After reading this passage, I began to wonder if MBP was genetic. Julies grandmother displayed the same behaviors as did Julies mother. I also wondered if Julies mothers behaviors were initially in response to Grandma Marge telling her that Julie was sick. The similarities between Julies mother and grandmother means that MBP is either genetic or can be observed and repeated. However, later in the memoir, Julie proves that she will not follow her mothers behaviors and treat her children that way. â€Å"I look between both of them. What is a headache, exactly? Is it when my eyes hurt? Is it when Im dizzy on the bus? Im trying to guess, hoping its the right answer,† (26). This passage represents the struggles Julie must face at each doctors appointment in an effort to please her mother. Here, Julie does not even understand what a headache is. Throughout her story, she sights various occasions in which she does not understand what the doctors or her mother say. When Julie says she is trying to answer correctly, she must guess at what her mother wants to hear. Julie lies to doctors so her mother will not get upset. I can not imagine having to lie about my health and the fear Julie faces. If Julie tells the truth, her mother may return home yelling at her father. If Julie lies about her symptoms, she will be forced on medication she does not need which could make her ill. Julie is an innocent girl, and this passage causes the reader to empathize with Julie and wish to grab her hand and help her. â€Å"And Mom was always on the lookout for cruelty to animals. If we were driving along the highway and there was a black trash bag puffed up and knotted at the top, full of trash someoned thrown out their window, shed pull over and have me run out and check to make sure it wasnt full of kittens,† (58). This passage is ironic because Sandy is against animal cruelty, but does not realize how she abuses her own daughter. Sandy feels she needs to care for everything and make it well and healthy. With the animals, she would take them into her home, such as the farm dogs, and feed them. However, she would abuse them by breeding and selling their puppies for extra money. With Julie, Sandy would inflict symptoms of illnesses on her in order to take her to the hospital or doctors office and make her better. The irony of the situation is that Sandy does not realize her illness and continues to inflict pain on others, whether it is Julie, animals, or her future step children. â€Å"I pride myself on how little space I take up. I am going to shrink and shrink until I am a dry fall leaf, complete with a translucent spine and brittle veins, blowing away in a stiff wind, up, up, up into a crisp blue sky,† (63). This passage explains the emotional toll Julie has suffered from her mothers abuse. Julie wants to disappear into the sky and not be alive. I cannot imagine a girl at about the age of twelve wishing not to be alive. The imagery used in the passage is beautiful as well. Julie realizes how weak she is with brittle veins and a tiny body, yet she takes pride in it. I wonder if she takes pride in being small because then her mother can keep pretending she is sick or because the thinner she gets the closer to disappearing. This passage is Julie speaking of not only her physical state but her mental state as a result of her mothers abuse. â€Å"Lets get one thing straight, Sandy. He growls low. ‘Youre going to leave Daniel Joseph Gregory the Second alone from now on. Thats my boy in there, he cracks her wrist against the counter like rock candy, her cry twists my stomach, ‘and my boys just fine,† (78). This passage is important because it reveals that Julies dad knows that Sandy is hurting his daughter. I think that he realizes that it is too late to help Julie, but he still has a chance to save Danny. Although Dan Sr. is an aggressive father who often appears not to care about his children, I think by standing up for Dannys health he proves that he does care about his children as do all fathers. However, I think Dan beating Sandy will not stop her from abusing Danny. She has a disease that she cannot control, and all Dan really is doing is scaring Julie with her mothers screams and harming Sandy. â€Å"At last, Ill just take one medication that will fix everything. Ill have friends, be in sports, go to movies. Momll be happy; she wont have to stay at home or clean up after old men or foster kids. And Ill be a real kid and not miss school anymore,† (98). This passage discusses Julies feeling when she hears that the doctors finally know what is wrong with her. The passage reveals that Julie is far from numb of her illness and her mother. She says that she wants her mother to be happy. Throughout each doctor visit, Julie pretends to have symptoms in order for her mother to be happy. She must lie and suffer. Julie loves her mother because she does not realize the abuse she is receiving; she is so convinced that she is ill. Julie dreams of being normal, being able to do well in school and have friends. I pity her for not being allowed a real childhood because her mother is ill. Julie does not deserve it. This passage is heart breaking as well, because the reader knows that the treatment will not save Julie, and Julies hope will be crushed. â€Å"Well, honey, I just cant see my little girl go out there in a bathing suit and get laughed at. You got no tits, no hips, no ass, Sissy. You look terrible in a bathing suit. Kids are cruel, sweetie, theyll just make fun of you,† (154). This passage characterizes Julies father as loving yet harsh. Dan does not want Julie to be embarrassed and laughed at, however does not know how to deliver the message. He harshly criticizes her body, which cannot help Julies self esteem. I found the situation ironic as well. At first, when Dan took Julie into the bedroom, I thought he was going to molest her. Later, once Julie has a new job set up at the hospital, I think that maybe Dan was trying to help Julie get out. At the hospital, Julie was offered counseling and help. Throughout Julies story, the character of her father troubles me because he seems to want to help Julie yet is easily manipulated by Sandy. â€Å"I look in the largest mirror. Shes a natural beauty. Im a sickened beauty. Im beautiful, but with an inch-thick layer of sick covering me,† (201). This passage is Julies revelation and the beginning to her rebuilding. Julie realizes what she really looks like and how sick she is. She no longer prides her self in her lack of space. Julie sees that she is beautiful just hurt from the abuse of her mother. The house of mirrors will help Julie see herself become stronger and healthy. Julie is on her way to becoming a self sufficient woman and eventually be able to confront her mother about the pain she caused her. Book Analysis: â€Å"Munchausen by proxy may be the single most complex—and lethal—form of maltreatment known today,† (v). Julie Gregorys memoir, Sickened is a heart-wrenching story of a child affected by Munchausen by proxy and the deadly abuse she receives. Gregory does a spectacular job pulling an emotional response from the reader while granting the reader a complete understanding of MBP. With each paragraph and each situation Julie faces, the reader is more engaged into Julies character. Sickened is a true story, therefore the reader is more connected with the story. Through first person narrative, the reader gains Julies thoughts about her illnesses and understands how Julie is trained to believe she is sick, even when she is not. Julies feeling of wanting to please her mother and taking migraine medicine causes the reader to want to come into Julies life and save her. For example, when Julie is going to court to press charges against her parents, Julies father convinces her that she is being tricked and her parents are the ones pressing charges on Julie. One wants to tell Julie that he is lying, but Julie believes him and does not testify. When Julie finds the truth out, the reader wants to reach out and hug her. Julie is always so alone and leaves the reader helpless wanting to erase the pain Julie suffers. The doctor visits and recollections of her daily family life supply the reader with an understanding of how MBP affects the child and how the mother acts with MBP. Julies mother takes her to various doctors trying to convince each that Julie has a serious illness. Julie is often confused not understanding why she must be shaved or what a headache is. MBP is a terrible form of abuse which convinces children they are ill and leaves children unaware of how to take care of themselves. When Julie leaves home, she only knows to eat cake batter. Gregory retells her story supplying the reader with an appreciation of her strength and an understanding of MBP and the torture of Julies childhood. Sickened is a well written memoir which any reader would enjoy reading. The emotional responses from the reader cause the reader to continue to read Julies story in hope that she may get help and escape her mother. After finishing Sickened, words of Julies journey sink into ones head and the power of the story sets in. MBP is a powerful disorder and living with it creates a powerful story which all should hear.

African philosophy Essay

In a class there is a learner with low interpersonal skills. The learner is withdrawn and doesn’t seem to be integrating with other learners in class activities. The key point as a teacher is how to encourage the learner to be more self-confident in and out of a classroom environment. The issue for the learner may be behavioural, a home issue or a negative attitude, causing the inability for the learner to work with peers in the classroom. The method of counselling would be applied through African philosophy. The focus placed on the learner by giving him/her a deeper understanding of themselves and to build a sense of community in the classroom. Hopefully this may establish an identity and give the learner the ability to approach life in a holistic manner. The teaching style applied may be contributing to the non-involvement of the learner. An indication would be made to the learner to understand that they cannot exist alone. Thus building a better out-look for the learner thr ough the teachings of African philosophy embodied in the word Ubuntu, which means humanity. African philosophy is focused on a joint well-being of that community. The individual can be Umuntu because of that community. â€Å"No man is an island†. An individual is who they are because of past generations and people around them in that community. African philosophy is about being able to build communities and give people a sense of identity and a sense of belonging. In many ways it encourages individuals within that structure to be humble and also allows one to have a profounder acceptance of ourselves. African Philosophy enables one to enquire about the importance of tradition and the values they equip an individual with. The concept Ubuntu is a focal point in African philosophy, which cannot just be reduced to tradition practices. African philosophy is a technique to adjust one’s life, which is focused on a western way of existence. It enables that individual to simplify the human experience. African philosophy is embodied by religious and moral beliefs of the African people as a continent. By any means this concept shouldn’t be watered down to a simple form. It embodies the views on life and methods or ability to question its own traditions. This philosophy gives us insight on what it is that makes us human beings. Ethno-philosophy contains communal customs, which enables Africans to be Africans. (poems, taboos and  religions). In my mind this is what gives specific cultures their identity and a sense of pride. The questions of who I am and where do I come from, easy to answers. The oral tradition of izithakazelo gives a lot of African people identity and family history. I am who I am because of my community. Henceforth â€Å"Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu† Sage philosophy is gear for indigenous thinkers, who didn’t have the benefit of modern education although they are thought to be critical thinkers. They are able to use their judgement based on an inborn insight and understanding of their environment. These are the people who question the authority of those in power in specific communities. It allows decision and ideas to be thought out and critical looked at to see what will benefit the community. As a country it is vital we develop critical thinking at all levels of education and society. Allowing us a country to questions ideas, that makes states function. These people specifically in South Africa are thought to be problem causes as they have views which differ from those in authority and communities. The critical thinkers represent those who cannot voice their views because of fear or any other oppression methods. The capacity to scrutinize your surrounding and have the understanding  certain components will not benefit the great community. We continue using methods of western civilization and see the effects they have at higher levels of society and expect them as the norm. If we live in Africa we need to focus upon things that set us apart. African philosophy should be introduced at schools. This would help learners acquire critical thinking skills and give them a sense of community. The principles of African philosophy are also adapted by leaders who have been educated in western philosophy such as empiricism, existentialism and existentialism. Thus as unique African philosophy maybe or can be connected to elements of western teachings. Critical thinking in essences is investigating consistent and suitable understanding of the world. The saying that says information is power, although that information has to be insightful and instil skilful thinking that helps an individual to understand what to believe or how to react. An individual that think  critical is able to inquire by asking the correct questions and is able to logically reason through information. They are then able to reach unfailing and dependable answer about the world and environment. Critical thinkers are able to look for issues that have a great imbalance, ask questions and present answers that may challenge the old ways and systems in place. In general most people are geared to be led and there fore don’t challenge authority figures in their societies. One downfall is those individuals aren’t able to think for themselves and tend to drift with the stream and rely upon those in power. To be a critical thinker gives you the ability to be an individual in society who contributes and has an understanding of what makes the society function. The advantages instilling into individuals is a sense of community and how one should be governed and led. At the core of this philosophy is Ubuntu that focuses on caring, sharing and forgiveness. Humans exist and grow by developing relationships with others. â€Å"I am because you are† Things western may not be suited for all Africans or Africa. The sad case is most Africans have adapted the western life style and the sense of Ubuntu has lost meaning especially with the youth. The disadvantage of the African philosophy is that it doesn’t challenge power structures and is unable to accept women and men as equals. It doesn’t encourage critical thinking and ignores the needs of the individual and accepts cruel superstitious practices. African society tends to have strong beliefs in the natural and supernatural and doesn’t differentiate between the two. (e.g. female circumcision and witch hunts) Bibliography Higgs, P & Smith, J. 2013 reprint. Rethinking our world. Cape Town: Juta. W. Lawrence Neuman. 1997,1994,1991. Social research methods. 160 Gould street, Needham Heights, Ma 02194. Allyn & Bacon.

Historical Reference Essay

â€Å"A favorite theory of mine to wit, that no occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before, and perhaps often†(Twain). This quote from a famous writer, Mark Twain, talks about how he believes that history can and does repeat itself. Mark is saying that everything takes place for a reason and has occurred sometime before in history. This idea of history repeating itself is present throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The book is about a dystopian society where firemen actually light fires to burn precious books. In this society, the majority of the people believe that books are worthless and that every book should be burnt to ashes. The people of this society do not think for themselves and in many cases hardly think at all. Throughout Fahrenheit 451 many events occur that have also occurred sometime in our society, which parallels the theme of history repeating itself between the book and our society. While book burning is usually associated with Nazi Germany, its roots actually extend far back into the ancient times. For example in 212 BC, the Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti burned all the books in his kingdom so that history might begin with him (Freedom to Read). In 460 AD Omar the caliph ordered for over 200,000 volumes in the library of Alexandria to be burnt in a vast bonfire (Mullins). Then in 1933 in Nazi Germany, enormous bonfires spread across Berlin burning thousands of books (Schwartz). â€Å"Do you ever read any of the books you burn?† He laughed. That’s against the law! Oh. Of course† (Bradbury 8). This quote from Fahrenheit 451 shows that in this society books are never in any circumstances read. These illustrations indicate how book burning is not a onetime thing and that it first started with government restriction. Likewise in Fahrenheit 451 before the books are burned to ashes, the leaders in the government restrict or censor certain material, which is also shown throughout many instances in history. Nowadays many popular books are deemed unhealthy for children to read that adults in the past read various times (Freedom to Read). Books like Huckleberry Fin and Harry Potter are banned in schools libraries (Mullins). In Fahrenheit 451 the government bands books to try and make everyone of every race pleased. â€Å"We read the books and then burn them afraid they would be found† (Bradbury 152). In medieval France the King never allowed for books to be read, unless he said that they could (Mullins). Also in 1720 the Church of England banned Robinson Crusoe and discouraged its members from reading it (Mullins). These examples show that throughout many times in history, restriction on books existed and may have lead to other actions such as war. Besides book banning and burning, Fahrenheit 451 also shows that war can and does repeat itself over and over again. In the BC time period Plato the famous philosopher said, â€Å"Only the dead have seen the end of the war† (Plato), which justifies that war, was present thousands of years ago. â€Å"And it looks like we’re doing the same thing, over and over again† (Bradbury163). War in our country started with The French and Indian War, the American Revolution, then the Civil War, then the World Wars, and many more (Moore). In fact nowadays we cannot stop seeming to try and fight in wars in other countries, which leads to unnecessary deaths of our soldiers. A war is always going on somewhere because humans can never seem to just get along (Moore). Over and over again, war attempts to solve problems throughout history and that is why war can be considered a historical recurrence. It is very apparent that historic recurrence is going to happen through war, book banning, and book burning. History proves over and over again that we can hardly solve any problems without war. Book banning and burnings have happened since early times when leaders like kings and popes want control over their followers. History is bound to repeat itself and we as humans may not recognize it, but regardless it will happen. As a famous quote says â€Å"Smart people learn from their mistakes, but the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others† (Mull). History can repeat itself in many ways seen, and unseen to people. It is what people learn from it that can help us not make the same mistakes again in the future.

Napoleon Bonaparte, A Great Leader, The Politician,...

Napoleon Bonaparte, soldier, general, politician, tyrant, emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte was a great many things. He ended the French revolution, bringing stability and order to a country stricken with chaos. He accomplished civil reforms that other countries could only dream off in matter of a few years, restoring financial stability, reformed the education system, instituted an extensive program of public works, centralized the governmental systems which is still in effect today in France, and settled disputes with the almighty Catholic Church, the list of his great accomplishments go on and on. Napoleon was born to Carlo Buonaparte, a Corsican lawyer, and his wife Letizia Ramolino on August 15, 1769. The Buonapartes were descended from minor Italian nobility of Tuscan origin, who had come to Corsica from Liguria in the 16th century. He had an elder brother named Joseph, and six younger siblings, Lucien, Elisa, Louis, Pauline, Caroline and Jerome. During his infant years civil strif e surrounded him, the people of Corsica were rising up against the French occupiers, originally his family had sided with the nationalists, but after their leader Pasquale was forced to flee, Carlo turned his coat and sided with the French. After his betrayal he was appointed a plush job as the accessor of the judicial district of Ajaccio. The job allowed him to enroll his two sons Joseph and Napoleon in France s College d’Autun and in May of 1779 he was admitted into the military academy atShow MoreRelatedOrigins Of Putin s Political Idea s And Strategies3703 Words   |  15 PagesRussian leader Vladimir Putin has political ideals and strategies that closely mirror those of previous troublesome and infamous historical figures that lead their different countries and factions to territorial expansions, and the inevitable fall of themselves as leaders, dictators and tyrants. Though Putin is his own man and is able to follow his own path there are many similarities between his actions and the actions of two different leaders that are infamous for different reasons, the leaders that