"Alyssa Lies" and the many other cases that go unreported

Sarah High

Professor Thomas

SEGL 101

November 2, 2012

“”Alyssa Lies” and the Many Other Cases That Go Unreported”

            In the year 2006, when nationwide child abuse was on the rise, country artist Jason Michael Carroll wrote a very heart touching song, “Alyssa Lies.”  Jason struggled for over a year to get this song completed.  He battled whether he should write it or not.  His friend had written a poem on child abuse which triggered his first response to write this song.  The following day he saw a news report of a case on child abuse ending in death. (Tucker) In his heart, he knew that God was telling him this song needed to be written, but his mind just couldn’t grasp the words that needed to be on the paper. 

            As the narrator, Jason Michael Carroll uses strong storytelling and very touching language to unfold a secret that his daughter’s friend Alyssa is keeping.  By repeating the verse, “she lies to cover every bruise” listeners of this song know that Alyssa was abused at home.  Not only does he do this with the words he chose but also by the tone in his voice.  He puts an abundant amount of emotion within the song.  When you listen to the song you can hear his hurt, almost like you are living his life with him.  When he first sings, “I had the worst night of sleep in years as I tried to find a way to calm her fears,” you can understand his pain for not only his daughter’s feelings but for Alyssa.    

            The song begins with his daughter meeting a new friend at school on the playground.  He makes it evident that his daughter is upset with the verse, “But she came home with tear-filled eyes, and she said to me ‘Daddy, Alyssa lies.’” (Azlyrics)  The father doesn’t think much about the situation, but his daughter continues saying “Alyssa lies to the classroom, Alyssa lies every day at school, Alyssa lies to the teachers, as she tries to cover every bruise.” (Azlyrics) Jason Michael Carroll continues in the song with him hearing his daughter praying for him, her mother and Alyssa.  His daughter prays to God about Alyssa, “I know she needs you bad.”  The father loses sleep that night because all he could think about was his daughter’s friend.  He knew that he had to do something to help.  Come Monday morning when he brought his daughter to school everyone was upset, and she kept asking him why.  He goes on to tell his daughter, “Alyssa wouldn't be at school today, cause she doesn't lie in the classroom, she doesn't lie anymore at school, Alyssa lies with Jesus, because there's nothin' anyone would do.”  (Azlyrics) Although Jason Michael Carroll doesn’t come right out and say it, he uses powerful and heartbreaking alludes to the fact that Alyssa was abused and beaten to death. 

            He constructed this song to not directly say it, but uses strong descriptions for the audience to believe it so this would be a more powerful song.  He wants his listeners to understand how heartbreaking child abuse is without giving details of this little girl’s life at home.  e waThroughout the song he repeats the verse, “Alyssa Lies” for it to literally mean that she lies to cover up her situation.  But towards the end of the song the exact words change their definition.  They change to, “Alyssa lies with Jesus because there is nothing anyone would do.”  He uses allusions to show that Alyssa dies.  When he changes the meaning of those words, he paints a clear picture as to how big of a problem child abuse is.  So many cases are just like Alyssa’s and go unnoticed until it is too late. 

            I have found that there have been many cases just like Alyssa’s that could have been prevented.   The year “Alyssa Lies” was recorded there were 1,530 reported fatal child abuse cases.  Many times the Child Protective Services were not contacted by the schools or neighbors, or the protective services only minimally looked into the situation just to leave the child in the home.  Out of 20 million cases reported to authorities yearly, about one-third of these cases were reported as abuse.  Most of the cases that weren’t standing during the first report wound up getting reported back to authorities. (“Every Child Matters”)     

             Each state has individual laws for child abuse.  Because of this many children like Alyssa have been left in their abusive homes.  But according to the Federal Government on the website “Every Child Matters,”

                        “Fatal child abuse may involve repeated abuse over a period of time (e.g.,                                    battered child syndrome), or it may involve a single, impulsive incident(e.g., drowning, suffocating, or shaking a baby).  In cases of fatal neglect, the child’s death results not from anything the caregiver does, but from a caregiver’s failure to act.  The neglect may be chronic (e.g., extended malnourishment) or acute (e.g., an infant who drowns after being left unsupervised in the bathtub).”

Although we don’t know the kind of life that Alyssa had to live on a daily basis, we can only imagine the horrible things she went through.  She had bruises on her that she worked so hard to cover up, which Jason Michael Carroll clearly states.  She obviously suffered from child battered syndrome.  If only Alyssa’s new friend would have come along a little sooner, maybe her life would have been saved.

            There are many factors in a person’s life that may lead up to abusing a child.  This song really makes you think about Alyssa’s situation.  Was she living in major poverty?  Or did her mother or father suffer from severe depression?  Maybe Alyssa was abused because her parents didn’t know how else to parent because that is the way they were raised.   A parent might start abusing the child because of frustration, overly disciplining, lack of bond, or because that’s the way they think life is supposed to go. (Marika) 

            Alyssa was showing signs that abuse had taken place at home.  The biggest thing she had was repeated unexplainable bruising that she hid from everyone around her.  Children may also become withdrawn from people around them, start wetting the bed, become angry towards others, school performance may decrease, and may find excuses to stay as long as possible at school. (Phillip)  When Jason Michael Carroll sings the first verse, “My little girl met a new friend just the other day, on the playground at school between the tires and the swings,” (Azlyrics) makes Alyssa seem like she was being withdrawn from her classmates, like she was sitting between the two watching the others play.  So many red flags were there, but just like many other children Alyssa’s abuse went unnoticed.

            I found a very heart touching case that happened In March of 2007.  A four year old girl Summer was brought into the hospital by her father and pronounced dead.  The little girl was subjected to severe child abuse after moving in with her father and his girlfriend.  She was punished with a shock collar, severe beatings, and her head would be dunked under water for not obeying.  When she arrived at the hospital almost 100% of her body was covered in bruises.  An autopsy was done and showed that her cause of death was Pneumonia and internal bleeding. (KXLY) 

            On August 21, 2002 a twelve year old boy from North Carolina was found dead on his bedroom floor.  Investigation shows that his father, who is a registered sex offender, and his step mother tortured him for the four months he was living with them.  The boy had lost over thirty-five pounds because he was kept from eating.  The step-mother kept a written journal of the boy’s behavior for the father.  He would punish the boy according to what the step-mother said he did.  The boy was beaten with a belt and whips, hit with a golf club, and chained to his bed at night.  A neighbor had heard the boy, but failed to give detailed information to the authorities.  Because the proper steps to protect this child were not taken, he died from several wounds including a bleeding brain and a torn kidney. (Coronado)

            Both of these children were a real life “Alyssa” and there are many more subjected to fatal abuse that can be prevented.  The father took time to think about what he should do just like any other person would, but the harsh reality is not every child has extra time for you to think.  But because of Jason Michael Carroll writing this song many children heard it in time and came forward to their teachers at school about abuse happening at home.  Because of his powerful writing skills and strong emotional vocals he touched many hearts and saved lives.  If child protection was a priority, there would be fewer children like “Alyssa” in the song, “Alyssa Lies.”  Children wouldn’t have to lie to their classmates and teachers, or try to cover every bruise.  Less would end up lying with Jesus, because there was nothing anyone would do.  

 

             

             

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                  

 

 

Works Cited

Azlyrics. “Alyssa Lies" lyrics." JASON MICHAEL CARROLL LYRICS. 01 Nov. 2012

Coronado, Ramon. "Man Found Guilty of Beating Son to Death." Weblog post. Chris Cejas         Memorial. 25 Mar. 2007. 21 Oct. 2012

Every Child Matters. Rep. no. 2nd Edition. Every Child Matters Fund, Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Oct.             2012.

Marika, Kauppi.  Anne, Leena. Vanamo, Tuija. Karkola, Kari. Merikanto, Juhani.  “Fatal Child     Abuse: a study of 13 cases of continuous abuse.”  Mental Illness 2036-7457 (2012):  Vol.       4. Issue1.  p5-9.  Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2012

KXLY. "Prosecution Reveals New Evidence in Child Abuse Case." You Tube. 04 Nov. 2008.      Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Phillips, Noelle. "Advocates, Politicians Renew Stand against Child Abuse in SC." South Carolina Network of Children's Advocacy Centers. "The State", 24 May 2012. Web. 20   Oct. 2012.

Tucker, Ken.  “Country Style Touches Tear Ducts.” Billboard 00062510 (2/3/2007). Vol. 119.      Issue 5. Academic Search Complete.  Web. 15 Oct. 2012

"Alyssa Lies" Pop Culture text analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLh5vbBLpxI



"Alyssa Lies"
By: Jason Michael Carroll
My little girl met a new friend just the other day
On the playground at school
Between the tires and the swings
But she came home with tear-filled eyes
And she said to me, "Daddy, Alyssa lies"

Well I just brushed it off at first
'Cause I didn't know how much my little girl had been hurt
Or the things she had seen
I wasn't ready when I said you can tell me
And she said

"Alyssa lies to the classroom
Alyssa lies everyday at school
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries to cover every bruise"

My little girl laid her head down that night to go to sleep
As I stepped out the room I heard her say
A prayer so soft and sweet
"God bless my mom and my dad
And my new friend Alyssa"
Oh I know she needs you bad because

Alyssa lies to the classroom
Alyssa lies everyday at school
Alyssa lies to the teachers
As she tries to cover every bruise

I had the worst night of sleep in years
As I tried to think of a way to calm her fears
I knew exactly what I had to do
But when we got to school on Monday I heard the news

My little girl asked me why everybody looked so sad
The lump in my throat grew bigger
With every question that she asked
Until I felt the tears run down my face
And I told her that Alyssa wouldn't be at school today

'Cause she doesn't lie in the classroom
She doesn't lie anymore at school
Alyssa lies with Jesus
Because there's nothing anyone would do

Tears filled my eyes
When my little girl asked me why
Alyssa lies
Oh daddy, oh daddy tell me why
Alyssa lies




I chose to do this song, "Alyssa Lies"  because it is speaking about child abuse.  Child abuse is a major problem in current time.  There are many children that abuse goes unnoticed and end up dying because of it.  Sometimes it can be stopped if someone knows, but a lot of the time people dont know if they should get into other's business, but just like in this case, if it were brought up sooner, it could have been stopped.  This song was also based on a true story, It really makes me cherish my children so much more!

I would like to research why Jason Michael Carroll wrote this song, did he know this little girl personally? 

I want to know more about child abuse cases, on average how many annually are reported and how many end with homicide.  Are there any cases in South Carolina?

why is there so much child abuse in current time?

final draft of summary and analysis of chapter 5 in the book SWAY

Sarah High

Tasha Thomas

SEGL 101

October 12, 2012

Summary and Analysis of “The Bipolar Epidemic and the Chameleon Effect” Chapter 5 in “Sway”

            In Sway, The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, The Brafman brothers are breaking down many examples of ways people can and are being swayed.  People act irrationally without recognizing what is going on.  Ori and Rom Brafman are even trying to sway their readers into believing that everyone acts irrationally.

            In chapter five the brothers use many examples of the sway diagnosis bias and labeling.  The focus is on the epidemic of bipolar diagnosis in children from 1994 to 2003.  In each example they are saying that whether we label people negative or positive, they are going to take on whatever their label is, and are also saying that people are swayed into how they treat others based on their labels.  The Brafman brothers are calling this the Pygmalion effect, taking on positive traits that others assigned to them, and the Golem effect, which is how we take on negative traits.  In this chapter of Sway, many of the examples they use are clear illustrations of diagnosis bias, while others can be controversial or just don't fit in under this type of sway.

           .

            Using the bipolar example is very impressive.  The authors went into extensive detail with this, showing many examples of research on it.  When things like bipolar came out into the public through media and research, eyebrows were raised and people started to ask more questions about it.  But I’m wondering if these children and adults were already showing symptoms of bipolarism and didn’t want to ask the doctors about it because they felt they would be judged?  Or when the media focused on it, they thought it was ok to question their minds?  “Primed to be on the lookout for bipolar disorder, psychiatrists started seeing it everywhere they looked.”(94)  So, maybe it was that the psychiatrists doing the research that were trying to sway these patients into believing that they suffer from bipolar and other mental disorders because of a little bit of emotion in their lives.  If this is the case, the patients were labeled bipolar and this shows what the Brafman brothers are calling the chameleon effect.

            When the authors talked about the medication usage to treat bipolar, and it showed that research proved that the medication only worked a minimal amount of time, I think this was brilliantly put into this chapter.  “It turned out that when all the studies were aggregated and all the data meticulously analyzed, SSRIs were no more clinically effective than placebos in making patients-either kids or adults-feel better"(96-97)  This really showed me that patients were truly being swayed to believe they were bipolar.  The majority were not actually chemically and hormonally bipolar.  In the end, they were diagnosed and started acting the part.

            Another example they used was putting military members from Israel into “command potential” categories versus them taking their comprehensive tests and comparing their scores with the categories they were put into.   The commanders were trying to prove that once labeled something, you will start acting it.  Yes, this is true.  But when it came time for the soldiers to take this written test to acquire their new knowledge on what they learned while at training, the military members tested on what they were labeled. It is quoted, “Without realizing it, the trainees had taken on the characteristics of the diagnoses ascribed to them.”(99)  Is it because the training officers didn’t want to waste their time giving quality and equal training to those who they were told didn’t already show major potential, or is this just how the soldiers really were?  Had the soldiers not been diagnosed certain ways, maybe all of them would have gotten equal training and tested to their true potential.

            The most interesting example is when researchers had men call women with only given a bio and a fake picture of them.  The conversations went as well as what the men thought the women would be based on the picture.  I don’t understand why men think because a woman is beautiful she would be more outgoing and easy to talk to, or because a woman is just ordinary she would be somewhat dull.  But this shows me true labeling.  “Once the men formed this opinion, it affected every aspect of how they interacted with the women.”(103)  When people have certain opinions of others that’s how they start to be treated.  The way you treat others, is the way they will start to feel and begin to interact.  People feed off another’s feelings towards them.  So, of course if a man calls a woman and is short with her and not very engaged in the conversation, the woman won’t be either.  This section in the chapter is perfect for showing that when labels are put on people, because of the actions of others, those being labeled will become what others think they are.

            However, when senior citizens were given a test to see if the way they felt about old age would actually affect them later on in life, I am not seeing how this example is good for this type of sway.  “Negative and external feelings about old age, in other words, can actually make people physically age faster.”(105)  I understand that if you constantly are speaking negative about things, that’s the way life will turn out, but when you find something positive in every situation, there will be more positive outcomes.  The more stress you bring into your life, more stress is to follow.  But how is this being swayed by labeling or diagnosis bias?  Maybe these elderly people just aged well or aged a little more quickly.  I can see this being swayed by their emotions, in that their emotions have affected their overall internal being.  If you say it, it will be, but not labeling.  I feel like the authors should have gone into more detail with this example to help the audience understand where they were coming from.

            The “Love Bridge” is a section that I found very interesting.  It is showing a different side of the sway being portrayed.  Is it merely saying that the men crossing the shaky bridge are more adventurous than others?  And by saying this, they are being labeled as go getters and risk takers.  But by saying the only reason the men called the woman was because their adrenaline and heart rate were elevated, because of the rush, I don’t necessarily agree with. “Physiologically speaking, the adrenaline rush you experience in such a situation is the same feeling of excitement you experience when you develop a crush on someone.”(108)  These men have already been said to be risk takers, so I believe most risk takers would take a chance at a phone conversation with a woman, regardless of walking across this enormously high bridge or not.

            Although throughout this chapter, I would have liked to have seen more detail about the studies done, I believe that Ori and Rom Brafman have proven that the sway of labeling and diagnosis bias exists.  Ori understands the mind and how people think, while Rom is a deep thinker and can pick apart other’s thoughts.  They both have the background to do the research, and by the end of this chapter, they have given enough evidence to say that “we’re all psychological chameleons,” (109) who are always swaying and being swayed.

struggling

I have been looking all weekend for a song choice!  I am sturggling so much with this.  I have thought of a few options, but I just cant decide on what to do!!! 

summary and analysis of chapter 5

Summary and Analysis of “The Bipolar epidemic and the Chameleon Effect” Chapter 5 in “Sway”

            In SWAY, The irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, The Brafman brothers are breaking down many examples of ways people can and are being swayed.  People act irrationally without recognizing what is going on.  Ori and Rom Brafman are even trying to sway their readers into believing that everyone acts irrationally by being swayed. 

            In chapter five, the brothers, use many examples of the sway of diagnosis and labeling.    The focus is on the epidemic of bipolar diagnosis in children from 1994 to 2003.  More examples they use are putting Military members into “command potential” categories versus them taking their comprehensive test and comparing the scores with the categories they were put into; another test was given when researchers had men call woman with only given a bio of them and a fake picture.  The conversations went as well as what the men thought the women would be based the picture.  Senior citizens were also given a test to see if the way they felt about old age would actually affect them later on in life.  And then there was the research of the “love bridge.”  They are saying that weather we label people negative or positive, they are going to take on whatever their label is.  The Brafman brothers are calling this the Pygmalion and Golem effects.  Each example they give they are trying to prove that people are swayed in how they treat others based on their labels and that people start acting the part once they are labeled.

            I do believe if you are told that a person acts or is a certain way, you are going to treat them that way and not form your own opinion of them, and as far as being diagnosed with something, if you are told it, you will start acting it.  There are many instances in life to justify this.  If a woman is told they are beautiful every day, and details of a woman’s beauty are pointed out, she is going to be swayed to do everything she can to be beautiful.  If a teacher is told nothing but negative things about a student they will be getting, that teacher will already have an opinion that this student has nothing positive about them.   In this chapter of Sway, they give many more examples of this, but some that they use are great, while others can be controversial or just don’t fit in under this type of sway.

            Using the bipolar example is great.  The authors went into great detail with this, showing many examples of research on it.  When things like bipolar came out into the public through media or research, eyebrows were raised and people started to ask more questions about it.  But I’m wondering, Is it that these children and adults were already showing signs of bipolar and didn’t want to ask the doctors about it because they were too scared to be different and judged, but when the media focused on it, they now thought it was ok to question their minds, or did they read about the signs and think they now have bipolar?  Or is it that the Psychiatrist doing the research was trying to sway these patients that they suffer from bipolar and other mental disorders because of a little bit of emotion in their lives?  If this is the case, the patients were labeled bipolar and now show the symptoms of being bipolar.

             When the authors talked about the medication usage to treat bipolar, and it showed that research proved that the medication only worked a minimal amount of time, I think this was brilliantly put in this chapter.  This really shows me that patients were truly being swayed to believe they were bipolar.  The majority were not actually chemically and hormonally bipolar.  In the end, they were diagnosed and started acting the part.

            During the military testing, the commanders were proving that once labeled something, you will start acting the part.  Yes, this is true.  But when it came time for the soldiers to take this written test to acquire their new knowledge on what they learned while at training, the military members tested on how they were labeled.  It is quoted, “Without realizing it, the trainees had taken on the characteristics of the diagnoses ascribed to them.”(pg. 99)  Is it because the training officers didn’t want to waste their time giving quality and equal training to those who they were told didn’t already show major potential, or is this just how the soldiers really were?   Had the soldiers not been diagnosed certain ways, maybe all of them would have gotten equal training and tested to their true potential.

            The most interesting example used is the test where the men are given a bio and a fake picture on a woman and asked to call them.  The phone call was based purely on this picture.  I don’t understand why men think because a woman is beautiful she would be more outgoing and easy to talk to, or because a woman is just ordinary she would be somewhat dull.   But this shows me true labeling.  When people have certain opinions of others that’s how they start to be treated.  The way you treat others, is the way they will start to feel and begin to interact. People feed off of one another’s feelings towards them.  So, of course if a man calls a woman and is short with her and not very engaged in the conversation, the woman won’t be either.  This section in the chapter is perfect for showing that when labels are put on people, because of the actions of others, those being labeled will become what others think they are.

            When the elderly were asked their opinions on what old age meant to them, I am not seeing how this example is good for this type of sway.  I understand that if you constantly are speaking negative about things, that’s the way life will turn out, but when you find something positive in every situation, there will be more positive outcomes.  The more stress you bring into your life, more stress is to follow.  But how is this being swayed by labeling or diagnosis?  Maybe these elderly people just aged well or aged a little more quickly.  I can see this being swayed by their emotions, in that their emotions have affected their overall internal being.  If you say it, it will be, but not labeling.  I feel like the authors should have gone into more detail with this example to help the audience understand where they were coming from.

            The “Love Bridge” is a section that I found very interesting.  It is showing a different side of the sway being portrayed.  Is it merely saying that the men crossing the shaky bridge are more adventurous than others?  And by saying this, they are being labeled as go getters and risk takers.  But by saying the only reason the men called the woman was because their adrenaline and heart rate were elevated because of the rush, I don’t necessarily agree with.  These men have already been said to be risk takers, so I believe most risk takers would take a chance at a phone conversation with a woman, regardless of walking across this enormously high bridge or not. 

            Although throughout this chapter, I would have liked to have seen more detail about the studies done, I believe that Ori and Rom Brafman have proven than the sway of labeling and diagnosis exist.  Ori understands the mind and how people think, while Rom is a deep thinker and can pick apart other’s thoughts.  They both have the background to do the research, and by the end of this chapter, they have given enough evidence to say that “we’re all psychological chameleons,” who are always swaying and being swayed. (pg.109)

Digital story

response on my narrative

As I wrote my narrative, I realized how emotional I was about my life.  I enjoyed writing it, and it meant a lot to me to be able to reflect on my past.  My past has made me what I am today, and I take pride in knowing that I came from a very hard life, and am going to break the cycle of the unknown. I take pride in my children, and in the fact that my grandmother's influence has made me determined to teach my children.  I really mean it, if it weren't for my grandmother, I dont know where my children would be today, for that matter, I don't know where I would be today.  I feel very blessed to say that I have her as a mentor so to speak.  I believe I elaborated on my experience and showed how much my grandmother means to me.  I do feel though, that I could have described my feelings while my grandmother read to me, I didnt think about that until now, but feel like it would have made more sense if I would have connected my feelings as she read to me to the feelings of me wanting to change.   But over all, I feel like I met the assignment and that my voice and passion came through in my narrative.