Marie And Her Sons

The article “The Case of Marie and Her Sons” by Daniel Bergner is very relevant to the historical material we are discussing. This is because many of the issues discussed in the article originate from structural problems in America, and the root of the structural problems can be found in America’s history. To begin with, the reason the issues in the article exist is because of this struggle between the powers of the government and the rights of the individual. The fight to define what the welfare state looks like in America has been going on since the Industrial Revolution. Even before that, in Europe, there has historically been this concept of the “noblesse oblige”, which is that the aristocrats in society have an obligation to take care …show more content…
This concept started with the English Poor Laws in the 1600s. The result of this dichotomy is that there is a popular belief that some deserve to receive help and support from the government - such as children or those with disabilities who are helpless and cannot reasonably work - and some people do not, because it is thought that they should be able to support themselves if they would just work a little bit harder. This concept of deserving and undeserving poor is very relevant in America today, and it shapes the way that many people view those who are impoverished. It is incredibly relevant to the article. Marie’s children are seen as angelic, helpless creatures who need to be saved. The toys that the children gave Annette Johnson, the social worker in charge of their case, are featured prominently in her cubicle, and everyone in the Stamford office of Connecticut's Department of Children and Families seems to adore not only Marie’s children, but also all of the children they help support. One social worker mentions fondly an adolescent she helped recover from alcoholism who is soon to be attending her …show more content…
As mentioned, some of the social workers were very sympathetic to her desire to keep her family together. Johnson herself felt that it might be possible for the family to stay together, and wanted to work towards that goal. But her superiors felt differently, believing that Marie was too unstable to be a fit mother and that while she was doing well, they did not have faith that she would be able to deal with the pressure of parenthood. While Johnson struggled with this concept, she eventually came to terms with it, saying: “I think of my role now as saving children's lives, not just helping families” (Bergner 2006). Thus, it was decided to move towards finding adoptive families for Marie’s children and terminating her parental