Reflection Essay

Reflection Time

                My observations from my writing journals and my blog posts showed that I had two different ideas of writing. My writing journals show that I took time to ponder and think about what I wanted to say and how effectual my feelings were when put into words. I feel that when I wrote about each journal prompt topic I was able to find something personal and heartfelt to write about. When it came to my blog posts, however, the writing was less than stellar when it came to my chosen topic of child abuse. When I came across items that had to do with child abuse that I thought were interesting or effective in reaching my audience, I didn’t really take the time to search out my deeper feelings on the topic, leaving my audience with a more superficial reading for each post. I guess I felt like the heart of the each post was more about the picture, video or article then about what I had to say about it. I know now that I could have done better, and taken the time to explore my feelings on a deeper level. Things are always more clear in hindsight.

                The experience of revising and work-shopping my papers were sometimes difficult to do, due to the fact that it requires accepting criticism with the way that I write. I know that it’s supposed to be productive, but at times, especially when words you want to express don’t flow in an adequate manner onto paper, it’s hard to stomach the critique. You’ve put all you have into it and you felt like it resonates and has feeling, then someone reads it and tells you it’s boring. Ouch! It definitely stings and I find that I am frustrated, like all of my time putting together a paper was wasted. I might as well have written nothing for all the good it did me. But then I realize I just need to understand that the workshops and revising are there to help me learn a better way of writing. That the criticism is not meant to tear me down, it has nothing to do with me personally. The criticism is there so show me how I can improve, do better, and show that I can write well thought out papers.

                Who am I? I think this is something everyone struggles to understand about themselves. How in the world could you put it into words a description of yourself? I could tell you a whole slew of things about me: that I love to sing; I don’t have a favorite color though I love rainbows; I’m impetuous yet compassionate; I love to star watch; I believe there aren’t enough years in my life to do all of the things I want to see and experience; and that I believe you can live a thousand lifetimes inside of a book. All of these things, and million more details make up me. It’s a good starting place, but I don’t think I can ever tell anyone who I really am. Cause I don’t really know. Every moment I am changing. I think this goes for all of people; We are beings who are in a constant state of change, being reborn though life experiences and ideas. We are like the mythical Phoenix, born and reborn for the ashes of ourselves. That is who I am. 

Judge Judy

I watched this thought it was excellent case of what a parent should do when child abuse is witnessed.

For some reason I could not get this video to load to this post. I tried to embed it as well, still wouldn't work. Saving the video to my computer and then uploading it to this specific post was the only way to make it easier for my fellow blog surfers.

I decided to not upload cause bloggers video quality isn't the best so I will just include the link. Go check it out. It's a great case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNXouhqlkic

Baby Briana

This is an older story that I remember reading about a little more than 5 years ago. Its the story about baby Briana.

<3

CC: 2012 Child Abuse Statistics Report

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cm_datasheet2012-a.pdf

Prevention: Child Abuse

Child abuse is everyone's problem. Prevention starts with you.

Video: Child Abuse Ad from Spain

I saw this on Wimp.com and had to have it on here as part of my blog. I am just wowed, literally wowed, by the amount of thought that went into this campaign! I don't have cable so I have no clue the kinds of ads that might appear on TV here in the US. I must give a shout out to Spain for putting this wonderful campaign together!

I loved the last 12 seconds of the video. The two statements, one geared to the child, and the other geared to the parent. I thought they were both very powerful!

The website that originally posted the video can be found here (through Google translation, as it is in Spanish).

06 09 2012 News surfing

I get up quite early most mornings, and today was nothing different. I got onto the computer and headed to my two favorite news sites.

Side-note*: I have always been really interested in the news even as a young child. Alright I'll admit I was interested in many things my peers weren't interested in. But in particular I loved watching the morning and evening news on my little 13in. black & white, bunny ear, t.v. I guess I just understood that what happens in one part of the country or world can effect everyone.

Back to my point, I was surfing through articles on Foxnews.com and came across this one by happenstance.

Here is the link to the original article posted in the LA Times.

This article produces two arguments that I would like to make, but probably won't get the time to do so in my final-school related blog/paper post. The first is that government agencies that are capable of helping all children like we, as a society, think they can. Many times children fall through the cracks whether its to to the work load of social workers or just general negligence on the follow-up.

My second point is that it seems that children are much more likely to be abused when they have a step-parent or their parent has a live-in boyfriend/girlfriend. My abuser was a step-parent. I had a friend who's step-parent was abusive. There was a very prominent case ongoing here in the Intermountain West, where I live, where the step-parent was involved in the murder of a child.That isn't to say that abuse doesn't happen with genetic parents, but to me, it seems that the prevalence of child abuse is higher with step-parents or the boy/girlfriend of the parent.



Just something I am working through in my head. :)

Abused Becomes the Abuser.

I saw this picture this morning. It perfectly illustrates my fear of becoming an abuser after being an abuse victim.  I am not sure if the statistic they use is accurate or correct. That 70% of abused children become abusers themselves. If the percent is, in reality, that high, I hope and pray that I am part of the thirty percent that doesn't continue the abuse cycle.

UNICEF Child Abuse PSA

         I was surfing around the net the last couple of days, and found this little gem of a video. There is no logos or ethos, this video is strictly playing on our emotions. I found that it worked well on me. I can totally relate to wanting to hide under the bed or blend into a wall upon hearing my abuser come home.

         I am finding more and more that child abuse awareness seems to be one of the main topic points for UNICEF. I was always under the impression that they worked in third world countries helping with education and nutrition of children. It makes me happy that this taboo subject is something that big organizations such as theirs is willing to take on.

May 22, 2013 Unicef Child Abuse Ad Review

           I am writing a review in conjunction with a rhetorical analysis on a UNICEF ad that has to do with child abuse. The ad shows a young African girl asleep in a simple bed with mismatched bedding. Her room is plain; the walls are bare and made of corrugated metal. The floor looks very hard, either made of concrete or dirt. A dozen tiny green toy soldiers in formation face a closed door, lit by the light coming into the room from under it.

            This ad has strong emotion for me. It really pulled at my heart strings to see those little soldiers standing there protecting this little girl from the monsters that come through the door. I was instantly transported to my own childhood and could feel the feelings of this small child. The belief is strong that our toys are there for us, to play with us, comfort us, and protect us.

I connected strongly to the idea of my toys giving me protection and comfort. I remember a specific instance after an abusive episode had occurred, where I held my small musical cat named Frufru, sobbed into her hair and rubbed her velvet covered nose with my hand, pleading for comfort and love. I look back now and remember that at that moment, I did feel love and comfort from this inanimate object. This toy that wasn’t capable of projecting those feeling back to me.

            As an adult I look at those little soldiers with sadness, knowing that this little girl likely has no defender who can protects her from her abusers. No parent, no older brother or sister, no neighbors, no friends to protect her. She is on her own, except for those little toy soldiers.

            The call of the ad is that we are all in charge of fighting against child abuse, whether we have children or not. I feel that the ad has a very powerful message that every person it’s meant to target will reflect on. I don’t think there is anything more they could have done to make the ad more powerful in its imagery. The point is clear it is our duty to protect children from abuse of all varieties. And that if we don’t help, who’s responsibility is it? Definitely not the child’s, and it’s not her toys job. It’s ours.

May 22, 2013 Retorical Analysis

 Protection by Little Toy Soldiers

 

           

            I am doing a rhetorical analysis on a UNICEF child abuse ad. The ad features a female child asleep in bed, nearby a bedroom door is closed. There is light that is coming through underneath the door illuminating a small squadron of little green toy soldiers in formation. On the door is written “If you don’t fight child abuse, who will?” with a link to the UNICEF website.

            I feel that the motivation of this ad is quite obvious when you read the words written on the door, without them it would appear that this might be any child’s room and they just happened to have left some toys on the floor. His motivation is to get other people to think about the different ways others can help fight against child abuse.

            The image’s claim is that children can’t protect themselves; They uses the toy soldiers as a way to show the child’s want and need of protection. She can’t protect herself, and the soldiers aren’t real, so they can’t protect her either. In reality, though, I imagine she believes in her imaginative child mind they can, and should protect her, because nobody else is going to. He plays on our emotions that children are helpless and we as adults are their only hope of protection.

            It’s hard to establish the credibility of UNICEF from this picture, but I know that it’s a world organization and the only thing that shows to me is that child abuse is a world wide problem.

            I would say this picture appeals to adults who, more than likely, are parents. They can all relate to the image of a innocent sleeping child, and how all small children at some point believe that their toys are real. In reality any adult is going to see this and want to help protect children but it is more focused on people of all ages who have children or had children.