Tag Archives: rage

August 11, 2024 · 1:00 am

Medea – Child Murder as Revenge

File:Medea - A. Gentileschi.jpg

“Medea” by Artemisia Gentileschi (c. 1620), Private Collection, Source https://www.conceptualfinearts.com, Author Stephano Pirovano (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

In Greek mythology, Medea infamously kills her children in order to hurt her unfaithful husband Jason [1][2].  The play by that name was first produced in 431 BC, and has more recently been viewed through a feminist lens [3A].

But child murders are not a thing of the past, and not limited to the stage.

Partner Revenge

“Filicide” is the deliberate killing of a son or daughter for any reason [4A].  A special category of filicide involves the killing of one’s children as revenge on a partner or spouse [5].  Often, such murders are occasioned by infidelity or suspected infidelity.

Those who murder their children out of a desire to harm the other parent view children as mere objects, the means to an end [4B][6A].  Mothers are more likely to kill children during infancy; fathers, more likely to kill children aged 8 y.o. and above [4C]. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Filed under Child Abuse, Child Molestation, domestic abuse, domestic violence, Emotional Abuse, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Violence Against Women

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 12, 2024 · 1:00 am

BOOK REVIEW: Yeshiva Girl

Set in a Jewish household and written in the first person, Yeshiva Girl by Rachel Mankowitz is a novel on the difficult topic of incest.  It is well worth the read.

The book’s main character, Isabel, is a 15 y.o. girl grappling with the range of emotions the trauma of her father’s sexual advances produced in her.  Not surprisingly, the sexual abuse and family dysfunction profoundly impact her sense of self-worth.

Rachel tells this poignant story in a simple, straightforward manner.  We experience Isabel’s isolation, her confusion and inner turmoil.  We come to know her sorrows, anxieties, and disappointments.  We feel her suppressed rage.

What distinguishes this book is the author’s examination through Isabel’s eyes of the place of religion in sexual abuse.  Isabel’s father professes to be an observant Jew, yet clearly feels no compunction about molesting her.  Her mother and grandmother have not rescued her. Continue reading →

27 Comments

Filed under Child Abuse, Child Molestation, Emotional Abuse, Justice, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Rape, Religion, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

October 19, 2014 · 1:00 am

Surviving the Fire

Read the blogs of child abuse victims and those concerned for them.  Somewhere along the line, you will find mention of what the abuse damaged or destroyed outright.

Our innocence.  Our childhood.  Our peace of mind.  Our self-confidence.  Our self-esteem.  Our ability to trust.  Our capacity to select loving partners, and sustain healthy relationships.  Our faith.  Our voice.

And from far too many, the abuse took their very lives.

For many of us, what the abuse left behind was isolation, grief, anxiety, depression, rage, and a permanent sense of violation.

Unfortunately, that we will never be the women (or men) we might have been is not helpful information.  We are who we are…marked by these scars.

In some sense, the scars are our badges – if not of honor exactly, then certainly not of shame.  We were the ones sinned against, not the ones sinning, no matter how we were made to feel about the torture inflicted upon us.

As with the veteran who has lost a limb to war or the woman who has lost a breast to cancer, this is simply our reality now. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Justice, Neglect, Physical Abuse, Prostitution, Religion, Sexual Abuse

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,