Mural.ly for Domestic Violence

Letter to the Editor

Horry County Schools Early College High School

2050 Hwy. 501 E

Conway, SC 29526
September 19, 2013

Editor in Chief

The Sun News

Letter to the Editor

P.O. Box 406

Myrtle Beach, SC 29578

Dear Editor in Chief:

My name is Kirsten Presnell. I am a sophomore at Early College High School in Conway, SC.

I am writing to address the topic domestic violence.

Domestic Violence can be sexual, physical, or emotional abuse to someone’s partner. Domestic Violence should not be happening. This is a very strong topic and needs to be addressed very quickly. Many women and men get beaten to death because of the altercations between the couple. People in abusive situations within the relationship are not in control and feel as if they are stuck like a lost puppy not knowing where to go or what to do.

 The community should have homes so they can have help available. Every victim deserves someone that they can trust and turn to when things go awry. No one deserves to be put in difficult situations like domestic violence and they need help getting out of them, because after all it is not their fault that they are getting abused.

Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate your help and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Presnell

Narrative Poem

Kirsten Presnell

English 2- Block 4

Ms. McKoy

9 October 2013

Love is not Abuse

Sirens ringing in my ear,

Crawling out my eye is a red tear.

I reflected on what happened as medics were trying to save me,

I’m just glad that I got away from him and now I’m free.

There’s blood on my lip,

From that hard kick.

I remember all of the good times, I was his wife,

But he tried to take my life.

I needed to be loved but instead I was a victim of abuse,

And I was not amused.

He was PUNCHING and KICKING!

I was BRUISING and BLEEDING!

How could you beat someone you love?

I thought of that as he shoved.

The carpet burned like fire as I fell to the ground,

That was the hardest pound.

Blood drips from my head,

He just watches instead.

The paramedics try to heal me,

Maybe it’s just not meant to be.

He beat me as bad as a coyote would kill an animal,

I’m sure he broke my mandible.

I have been hurting on the inside as well as the outside for many years,

And of course I shed a lot of tears.

I do not deserve this treatment,

To everyone I met I tried to be sweet.

So many hard things I have been put through,

This is much worse than the flu.

Maybe God wants me in Heaven,

When he punched me I thought of that as I had fallen.

Sirens are ringing in my ear,

Crawling out of my eye is the last red tear. 

Exploratory Essay

Kirsten Presnell

Ms. McKoy

English 2-Block 4

11 September 2013

The Fight Against Domestic Violence

            Approximately 1.3 million people each year are abused by their intimate partner. Out of that 1.3 million, 15% are male victims. (Domestic Violence and Abuse) Having children is a vast risk factor while in an abusive marriage for this can result in the offspring becoming abusers meaning it may jump from generation to generation. Domestic violence can also be sexual assault. One in six women and one in thirty-three men have been a victim of an attempted or completed rape. Domestic violence is when two people are in an intimate relationship, but one individual tries to control and sometimes abuses their partner. I chose this because I want to see things change and get better throughout the community for the reason that domestic violence should not be acceptable and needs more control over it.

            Children can have long term effects as a result of witnessing abusive situations within their parents. In the U.S, 75% of battered women admit that their sons or daughters are either physically abused or sexually abused. If the kids are not being abused, 90% of them are witnessing the violent outbursts between their parents, specifically 3.3 million. (Domestic Violence Facts) Daughters, whose mother was in a harmful relationship, are six times more likely to be sexually abused than girls that come from non-abusive homes. Either way, domestic abuse can be extremely harmful to the entire family, so authorities need to get more involved.

         For many years, South Carolina has been ranked in the top 10 states for having the worst cases amongst domestic violence. “I think a lot of people don’t realize it, but domestic violence is not just a criminal justice system problem. It’s a community problem,” Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault Executive Director Ellen Hamilton said, “I think we look to the criminal justice system to fix what is basically a relationship problem.” Ellen Hamilton believes that domestic violence is a community problem and I feel that people, whether it is the authorities or the public, need to help and get involved to protect citizens. Government truly needs to get involved and especially protect the children in these heart wrenched homes.

            I chose to do this topic because I feel that it is an enormous deal in America. People need to help control it. I do not have domestic violence in my home nor have I ever seen it happen in person, but I do know how giant the topic has gotten. Millions of people get abused by their partner in the world. However, if everyone came together to fix this problem it may be solved. Magazines, newspapers, or even talk show hosts have brought the topic to the public’s attention to help stop it or at least decrease it. Should the government become more involved in domestic violence cases involving children? Children are one of the biggest victims in situations like this, and they never asked to be in a home that would be so painful. If the national government would not want to help the abused person, they should at least help the kids that do not deserve to be in those kinds of terrible circumstances. I believe that the national government should make safer places for the victims so they will have somewhere to go when they are helpless and hurt.