Going into depth on the horror and traumatizing events that had taken place during their times at residential schools, the films "We Were Children" and "Unrepentant" express the short-term and long-term effects by the survivors. Many survivors admitted to drug and/or alcohol abuse, some even attempting suicide multiple times. The concept of residential schools has been a major issue in both enactments, where young Aboriginal children were forced out of their homes to live in schools administered by the government in conjugation with religious churches. As expressed in the films, creating such direful schools that were in fact chronically underfunded and accommodated bad living conditions, had been created as a way to assimilate Aboriginal children
…show more content…
Also known as being the most damaging kind of abuse, Aboriginal children were emotionally scarred as it was constantly meted out in the residential schools. They had to face much humiliation and ridicule by staff, also known as the people who were supposed to be taking care of them. Between both documentaries, survivors retell their tails on the emotional punishments they were given, such as being stripped to their underwear for trying to run away, taunted by the nuns, and called derogatory names that were usually targeted towards their race. In both films, survivors mention that during their time in the residential schools, they have been belittled for their skin color; having been told by nuns that they should "burn in hell if you are a dirty savage" and were forced to wash their bodies repeatedly because they were not "white enough." The mental trauma was severe on the Aboriginal children, and they were forced to live their lives with the same …show more content…
As spoken throughout both of the films, the repercussions of the torture Aboriginal children had to endure effected them long-term by giving them the idea that adults exert power and control over children through physical punishments. Families had been torn apart by violence, and students were ultimately less prepared for life. Within both films, witnessing the abusive cycle that was inflicted on their future children was because the survivors had never experienced nurturing or adequate parenting which led to many subsequent complications. Facing such traumatic events, the sense of worthlessness that was instilled on students had manifested in the rate of alcohol abuse among survivors. In "We Were Children" Lyna Hart mentions "alcohol became our best friends as we grew up because it was the one thing that let us forget our terrible experience." Also like Lyna Hart, Virginia Baptist says "a lot died from being alcoholics." Alcoholism became a frequent matter that shaped the lives of survivors and impacted them negatively as an attempt to hide from the memories that clog their thoughts. The use of the intoxicating liquid had not only impacted their generation, but also devised stereotypes towards the Aboriginal communities. Other than alcohol abuse, the impact that residential schools had also left survivors traumatized. In "We Were Children," Lyna Hart says "I am a grown woman and I
Also known as being the most damaging kind of abuse, Aboriginal children were emotionally scarred as it was constantly meted out in the residential schools. They had to face much humiliation and ridicule by staff, also known as the people who were supposed to be taking care of them. Between both documentaries, survivors retell their tails on the emotional punishments they were given, such as being stripped to their underwear for trying to run away, taunted by the nuns, and called derogatory names that were usually targeted towards their race. In both films, survivors mention that during their time in the residential schools, they have been belittled for their skin color; having been told by nuns that they should "burn in hell if you are a dirty savage" and were forced to wash their bodies repeatedly because they were not "white enough." The mental trauma was severe on the Aboriginal children, and they were forced to live their lives with the same …show more content…
As spoken throughout both of the films, the repercussions of the torture Aboriginal children had to endure effected them long-term by giving them the idea that adults exert power and control over children through physical punishments. Families had been torn apart by violence, and students were ultimately less prepared for life. Within both films, witnessing the abusive cycle that was inflicted on their future children was because the survivors had never experienced nurturing or adequate parenting which led to many subsequent complications. Facing such traumatic events, the sense of worthlessness that was instilled on students had manifested in the rate of alcohol abuse among survivors. In "We Were Children" Lyna Hart mentions "alcohol became our best friends as we grew up because it was the one thing that let us forget our terrible experience." Also like Lyna Hart, Virginia Baptist says "a lot died from being alcoholics." Alcoholism became a frequent matter that shaped the lives of survivors and impacted them negatively as an attempt to hide from the memories that clog their thoughts. The use of the intoxicating liquid had not only impacted their generation, but also devised stereotypes towards the Aboriginal communities. Other than alcohol abuse, the impact that residential schools had also left survivors traumatized. In "We Were Children," Lyna Hart says "I am a grown woman and I