The Burning Bed" tells the story of Francine Hughes, a woman form a small town in Michigan, who after having just been beaten by her ex-husband, James “Mickey” Hughes, poured gasoline around the bed that he was passed out drunk in and set him on fire. The film recounts their tumultuous marriage and the years of abuse that Francine suffered before feeling that murder was the only option to save herself and her children. Detailing more than 12 years of abuse in the Hughes household as well as Francine’s murder trial, which was one of the most sensational in Michigan’s history, this film recounts a case of such brutal spousal violence and created the rallying point for a growing movement to change the laws and social services available to victims
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The sociological concepts that are addressed throughout this film are diverse and varied but provide excellent fodder for anyone wishing to delve into this area study. I feel that the initial concept that must be considered when analyzing this story is the culture of the community in which in occurred. The broadest definition of culture is the common practices, language, beliefs, and behaviors of any group of individuals within a geographic area or who have a common connection which brings them together. The culture in rural America during Francine Hughes’ lifetime was fraught with practices that were counterintuitive to the situation that she found herself dealing with. Francine was raised the same as many children at that time and in that place, she was born into a large family that was plagued by poverty, which was a common problem in rural communities at that time. Nonmaterial culture in rural regions of America proved to further exacerbate societal ills like domestic violence by propagating a “don’t ask, don’t tell” …show more content…
The criminal justice system is the bureaucratic organization that is responsible for enforcing the laws within a society, the court system that judges a person accused of committing a crime, and the prison system that contains guilty offenders. Another bureaucracy that would play a prominent role were this scenario to play out in today’s society are the social service agencies that have been established to enforce domestic violence laws and statues that were instituted in part because of this story. Francine Hughes went to the police and other social service agencies in an attempt to get help, the portrayal of these attempts paint a vivid picture of the changes that this country has seen since 1977. The way domestic violence is dealt with today is a far cry from the days when Francine Hughes failed to get help. There were few, if any, shelters available to the victims of domestic violence and today police can and usually do make an arrest without having to witness abuse or rely on the victim to press charges. Francine couldn 't get Mickey to leave even after she was granted a divorce; current law allows victims to obtain personal protection orders to keep their abuser away. Although this film served as a catalyst for enormous changes within the social services system, it initially
The sociological concepts that are addressed throughout this film are diverse and varied but provide excellent fodder for anyone wishing to delve into this area study. I feel that the initial concept that must be considered when analyzing this story is the culture of the community in which in occurred. The broadest definition of culture is the common practices, language, beliefs, and behaviors of any group of individuals within a geographic area or who have a common connection which brings them together. The culture in rural America during Francine Hughes’ lifetime was fraught with practices that were counterintuitive to the situation that she found herself dealing with. Francine was raised the same as many children at that time and in that place, she was born into a large family that was plagued by poverty, which was a common problem in rural communities at that time. Nonmaterial culture in rural regions of America proved to further exacerbate societal ills like domestic violence by propagating a “don’t ask, don’t tell” …show more content…
The criminal justice system is the bureaucratic organization that is responsible for enforcing the laws within a society, the court system that judges a person accused of committing a crime, and the prison system that contains guilty offenders. Another bureaucracy that would play a prominent role were this scenario to play out in today’s society are the social service agencies that have been established to enforce domestic violence laws and statues that were instituted in part because of this story. Francine Hughes went to the police and other social service agencies in an attempt to get help, the portrayal of these attempts paint a vivid picture of the changes that this country has seen since 1977. The way domestic violence is dealt with today is a far cry from the days when Francine Hughes failed to get help. There were few, if any, shelters available to the victims of domestic violence and today police can and usually do make an arrest without having to witness abuse or rely on the victim to press charges. Francine couldn 't get Mickey to leave even after she was granted a divorce; current law allows victims to obtain personal protection orders to keep their abuser away. Although this film served as a catalyst for enormous changes within the social services system, it initially