" I began to give up on god, i felt he must have hated me . "

"Father leaving left me so sad that i buried myself in a pile of rags and cried"

David began to feel let down once he felt his father had given up on him. His father lied to him saying that he and David would soon leave this house, which caused hatred for his father.

"Don't worry," he'd say. "Some day you and I will both get out of this madhouse." I knew father hated living at home, and I felt that it was my fault. (Pelzer, 102)

"Lucky bastards! Why doesn't she take turns and beat up on one of them for a change?"

"One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me. He had dark black circles around his eyes, and his face and neck were beet red. Father's once rigid shoulders were now slumped over."

"I wanted to be with him forever and I cried inside because I never knew when I was going to see my Father again."

"Don't worry", he'd say. "Some day you and I will both get out of this madhouse." I knew father hated living at home, and I felt that it was my fault. (Pelzer, 102)

I felt as though a bomb had exploded deep in the pit of my stomach.I thought I would throw up.It had suddenly occurred to me why mother had changed the day before; why she had been so nice to me. I felt like a fool. because I had fallen for it . I was so hungry for love that I had swallowed the whole charade.

One evening towards the end of her "game", after i had finished my chores, Mother slammed a plate of food in front of me. the cold leftovers were a feast to my eyes. It seemed to good to be true. "Two minutes!" Mother barked. "You have to minutes to eat. That's all." Like lightening I picked up the fork, but the moment before the food touched my mouth, Mother snatched the plate away from me and emptied the food down the garbage disposal. "Too Late!" she sneered.

I was absent .

I was absent .

"When Father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy"(Pelzer, 103).

After awhile, Father didn’t even stay home on his days off. He would come in for only a few minutes. After seeing my brothers, he would find me wherever I was doing my chores and say a few sentences, then leave. It took Father no more than 10 minutes to get in and out of the house, and be on his way back to his solitude, which he usually found in a bar. When Father talked to me, he’d tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy.

"My hope deteriorated and I began to believe that my life would never change." pg 117

"I buried myself in a pile of rags and cried " page 104

"Dont worry , he'd say someday you and i will get out of this mad house" it reflect to how dave sees his father as hi trig to help but not being around causing an antomologist to his father

"Mother had another favorite game for me while father was away... she put a bucket, filled with a mixture of ammonia and clorox, in the room with me and closed the door" (Pelzer 107)

Don't worry, he'd say. "Some day you and I will both get out of this madhouse." I knew father hated living at home, and I felt that it was my fault - Page 102

"One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me. He had dark black circles around his eyes, and his face and neck were beet red. Father's once rigid shoulders were now slumped over."
page 103

"one day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. the change in father frightened me. He had dark black circle is around his eyes, and his face and neck were beet red...."

On page 102 david talks about how when he did he evening dishes his dad would help him. They would hold secret conversation. After awhile his mother told his father to stop helping david. Without a fight his father stopped helping him. David was angry and sort of not surprised because he said all good things in his life never seemed to last.

"One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me. He had dark black circles around his eyes and his face and neck were beet red. Fathers once-rigid shoulders were now slumped over. Gray had begun to take over his jet-black hair, Before he left that day I threw my arms around his waist. I didnt know when I would see him again"

Lucky bastards! Why doesn't she take turns and beat up on one of them for a change?

"Dont worry , he'd say someday you and i will get out of this mad house". This shows a moment when David was filled with hope but then let down. He ran out of hope when he realized that his father was not going to get him out of the situation that he has been in for a long time. Eventually this becomes true when his father leaves and does not come back for David. Not only does David feel like he was let down, but also he feels that there is no hope for him. It is horrible what David has to go through!

"The change in Father frightened me. He had black circles around his eyes, and his face and his neck were beet red......... But that day father's leaving had left me sad". pg 103. This made David depressed and sad because his mom was going to hurt him more when the father is gone

"When my father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile,but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy."

David was let down by his father. "During one period of time when father was away, mother starved me for 10 consecutive days". David's father left him when he needed him most.

"When father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy." David was let down by his father every time he would tell him this because it was a tease. David knew his father wouldn't really go against his mother and actually leave. He knew it was too good to be true

After awhile, Father didn’t even stay home on his days off. He
would come in for only a few minutes. After seeing my brothers,
he would find me wherever I was doing my chores and say a
few sentences, then leave. It took Father no more than 10
minutes to get in and out of the house, and be on his way back to
his solitude, which he usually found in a bar. When Father
talked to me, he’d tell me that he was making plans for the two
of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I
knew it was a fantasy.

page 103

After finishing my chores that day, I rushed downstairs. I had been ordered to wash my ragged clothes and another heap of smelly rags.. But that day, Father's leaving had left me so sad that I buried myself in the pile of rags and cried. I cried for him to come back and take me away.

"he made excuses to the family, but I didn't believe him. I often shivered with fear". Chapter 6 pg 101

One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me. He had dark black circles around his eyes and his face and neck were beet red... Gray had begun to take over his jetblack hair. Before he left that day, I threw my arms around his waist. I didnt know when I would see him again.
Page:103

Fathers leaving had left me so sad that i buried myself in the pile of rags and cried. I cried for him to come back and take me away .... During one period of time when father was away mother starved me for 10 consecutive days. Pg 103.

"When Father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy." - found in chapter 6 "while father was away" on pg 103

"Someday you and i will get out of this mad house" (Pelzer, 102)

The passage that I chose was "Don’t worry,” he’d say. “Some day you and I will both get out of this madhouse.” I knew father hated living at home, and I felt that it was all my fault. I told him that I would be good and that I wouldn’t steal food anymore. I told Father I would try harder and do a better job on my chores. When I said these things,he always smiled and assured me that it wasn’t my fault." This made David seem hopeful and at the same tim lost because he just wants to be free from his mother's jail and beatings.

I turned away. All my respect for Father was gone. The savior I had imagined for so long was a phony. I felt more angry at him than I did at Mother. pg 56

warm place where he had slept. I imagined that I could hear him long after he was gone. And when I accepted the fact that he was truly gone, I had a cold, hollow feeling deep in my soul. I loved my Father so much. I wanted to be with him forever, and I cried inside because I never knew when I was going to see Father again.

Absent yesterday.

"One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me."
Page 203

"Alone in the garage, I felt I was losing control of everything. I craved food. I wanted my father. But more than anything, I wanted just an ounce of respect; one little bit of dignity." (Pelzer 106)

"After awhile, Father didn’t even stay home on his days off. He would come in for only a few minutes. After seeing my brothers,he would find me wherever I was doing my chores and say a few sentences, then leave"

"After awhile, Father didn't even stay home n his days off. He would come in for only a few minutes. After seeing my brothers, he would find me whenever i was doing my chores and say a few sentences, then leave. it took Father no more than 10 minutes to get in ad out of the house, and be on his way back to his solitude., which he usually found in a bar. When Father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside I knew it was a fantasy." (Pelzer 103)

"One day he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me. He had dark black circles around his eyes, and his face and neck were beet red. Father's once-rigid shoulders were now slumped over. Gray had begun to take over his jet-black hair. Before he left that day, I threw my arms around his waste. I didn't know when I would see him again." (Pelzer 103)

"With every passing moment my willpower became weaker. I no longer dreamed of a superman or an imaginary hero who would come and rescue me. I knew that fathers promise to take me away was a hoax.I gave up praying and though of only living my life one day at a time." (Pelzer 117)

On pg 102-103 it shows that Dave's father was helping him with the dishes. Later, the mother tells the father to stop helping him, claiming that he spends to much time with Dave and not enough with the family. After that, his father just gave up with out even putting up a fight.

"Well.. you ah...you better go back in there and do the dishes"

"One day, he knelt down to tell me how sorry he was. I looked into his face. The change in father frightened me."

"When Father talked to me he'd tell me that he was making plans for the both of us to leave. This always made me smile,but deep inside i knew it was a fantasy." ( Pelzer 103)

pg 103 "...Father's leaving had left me so sad that I buried myself in the pile of rags and cried. I cried for him to come back and take me away."

i love father so much .I wanted to be with him forever and I cried inside B/c .I never knew when I was going to see father again

"By October, my morbid life was in full swing. Food was scarce at school. After school I had to run to the house and spill the contents of my stomach to mothers inspection." This quote shows that David was living a hard life, and agrees with Jen Siliato's quote "My hope deteriorated and I began to believe that my life would never change." in a state that David was beginning to give up. He tried an tried to make the best of what he had, but he had nothing. And his life was making a rapid change for the worst.

Like in Reshay Bailey's passage it showed that he was let down by his father when he would leave the house and give him false hope that he would return and take him away. He later on learned this and realized that he had to survive on his own. "Water was my only means of survival...would carefully suck the cold metal until my stomach was so full I thought I would burst."

"Mother tore off my clothes nad ordered me to get into the tub. I got into the tub and laid down. A cold fear raced throughout my body. "Lower"! mother yelled. "Put your face in the water like this"! She then bent over, grabbed ny neck with both hands and shoved my head under the water. Instinctively, I thrashed and kicked, trying desperately to force my head above the water so i could breathe. This passage shows a form of survival from David. It relates to Lizette's passage about how his father had plans for them to leave, but David knew it would only be a fantasy. This shows that David knew that he would never escape and he had to try his best to survive.

"I felt she would snatch the plate away again, so I moved with a purpose. I didn't give Mother a chance to snatch it away like she had the past three evenings. So I grabbed the plate and quickly swallowed the food without chewing it."

As seen in the quote made by Megan Davis, David is forced to learn to survive on his own because his father was no longer there to protect him.

"Dont worry , he'd say someday you and i will get out of this mad house"

i agree with Gary golub first because these other kids arent even gettng beat up only david is. His wil power grew strong which made him able to survive in this harsh enviroment the only thing going for him was food and hope. the anevidable fact that david was prenumtually abused was substancail to the fact that his atibolic mindset made dave feel he was the victim of the situation of the dividend and his survival right on his own making his father the antogonist because he is never instaquencel there to quagmire the situation of dave meloncholy set of mind in layersof hat and abuse and i have seen this on page 103 where he has given up on his father

"I settled back into my routine and relied on my solitude to keep me going." (Pelzer , 126) David has been dissapointed by everyone he loves, even the father that was his "superman." Now David has no one. Just like Shannon's passage, David comes to the realization that he is on his own, that his father is no longer going to be there to help him survive. His father has change d and it is a change for the worst. The only way he will survive is from himself and his solitude. He can not and will not survive without becoming the hero to his own life.

In "A Child Called It" David is quoted saying "With the start of school in the fall, came the hope of temporary escape from my dreary life" shows David being able to survive by getting away from the disaster at home and finding a somewhat normal childhood while at school. Even though life at home was terrible it began to get even worse like Sean said, David was easily let down by his father when he did not stand up to David's mother when he was told not to help David clean the dishes anymore. David's father was his last hope of happiness and now that is completely gone.

"After a while father didn't even stay home on his days off. He would come in for only a few minutes. After seeing my brothers, he would find me wherever i was doing my chores and say a few sentences, then leave. it took father no more than 10 minutes to get in and out of the house, and be on his way back to his solitude, which he usually found in a bar. When father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside i new it was a fantasy" just like Reshay had quoted earlier

I agree that Vickie Prevosti's quote expresses Davids fight for survival. Once David's father stopped coming home he was left to fight on his own.
"Without a fight, Father gave up. Mother now had complete control over everybody in the household. After a while, Father didn't even stay home on his days off.He would come in for only a few minutes."

I thought I would be mothers slave as long as I lived. With every passing day,my will power became weaker.I know longer dreamed of superman or some imaginary hero who would rescue me. This quote shows how david gave up on being saved since his father left home. I agree with Shara joy Aya quote " buried myself in the pile of rags I cried. I cried for him to come back

"Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!"

This shows survival because after David stuffed his face with the scraps that his mother left him. His mom called him a pig but he didnt care. David stopped caring about stuff like that because all he wants is food and to be able to survive. The passage Alex Lore chose can relate to my quotation because David fell for her game the first time but this time he is thinking more about surviving and getting the food. This time he had his guard up and tried to beat his mother in eating before she throws it out.

I thought I would be mothers slave as long as I lived. With every passing day,my will power became weaker.I know longer dreamed of superman or some imaginary hero who would rescue me

"My hope deteriorated and I began to believe that my lif would never change. I thought I would become mother's slave for as long as I lived... I gave up on praying and thought of only living my life one day at a time." This quote would also go along with what Calvin said. The mother was torturing him, and not feeding him. He didn't care what she would feed him, he just wanted to eat. He gave up on caring and was just trying to survive one day at a time.

Page 123

" Even though i wasn't allowed to play with the others, i felt a little safer when Shirley and mother were friends.". this quote shows David's will for survival by always looking for a place to be a little bit safer even if it wasn't really a safe place as said in kim Zarate's quote.

"By Christmas, my spirit was drained. I detested being home during the two-week vacation and impatiently awaited my return to school. On Christmas Day I received a pair of roller skates, but as it turned out, the skates proved to be just another tool for mother to get me out of the house and make me suffer."
--- p.120---
This quote shows how even though he has no school and no way to get away from his mother, he's still determined to survive the vacation that he dreaded. This quote would go with Kim Zarate's quote on when Dave's father left him because he had no clue on when for them two to leave. His father had let him down and Dave is forced to try and survive on what was left of him.

"I totally disconnected myself from all physical pain. Whenever mother struck me it was as if she were taking her agressions out on a ragdoll." page 131
This shows how David had to live in order o survive he had to pretend like his mother couldnt upset him. This quote relates to Jennifer Siliato's quote "My hope deteriorated and I began to believe that my life would never change." pg 117 because David gave up all hope on his "family"

"Having to wait in the cold bathtub, shivering to keep warm while they ate popcorn and listened to Mother's tales made me want to scream." (p.119) This passage goes along with Megan Davis's passage of how he was let down by his father, because it shows how he is no longer even part of the family, and the hopes of running away with his father were a fantasy.

"Dont worry , he'd say someday you and i will get out of this mad house". This shows the motivation given to David by his hard working selfish father. He tells David this as David is completing his chores in order to earn food. This motivation could be a form of foreshadowing, considering he gets out of his situation alive. The only thing his father does is disappoint. He leaves and does not come back for his endangered son. This passage shows his survival because he had to survive while being alone and without help from his father. His father leaves after words of advice, which left David alone in a war against his junkie mother.

pg. 107 "So i grabbed the plate and quickly swallowed the food without chewing it...."You eat like a pig!" Mother snarled. I bowed my head, acting as though I cared. But inside I laughed at her, saying to myself "Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!" This passage shows David's will to survive. It ties with Gilana's post because it connect to his will of survival with food. David's mother tricked him in both situations. In this one she gave him a time limit to eat the food but took it away from him.

"Even though I wasn't allowed to play with the others, I felt a little safer when Shirley and mother were friend."
This quote would also go along with what Sean Geissler said. Without David's father around, Mother had a lot of control over him. After Father left, Shirley became somewhat of a savior to David, but once ties between her and Mother broke, David's comfort went down. He wanted to survive deep down, it's human nature to want to live. Without anyone to protect him, David has to survive because no one else is there for him. Not Shirley, not Father, no one.

"I laughed at her saying to myself saying to myself ' F*#@ you ! say what you want i got food' "
he had a will to survive and he wanted to beat his mother and he had to because he was alone like Adrian manger said "without a fight, father gave up. he now had complete control over everyone in the household."so he had to fight .

"Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!" This quote shows David's will to survive and how he refuses to give up no matter how rough things get between him and his mother. He was left alone with no food to fantasize about his future and his father taking him away. David was used to being let down, not only with mothers games about food and chores but also by his father, his own superman. This quote goes along with what Selina Woods stated because even though Davids father was telling him he planned to leave and get them both away David knew what the reality of the situation was.

"Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!"
This quote shows David's will to survive because that was his only time to be able to eat and have food in front of his face. He took his chances and no matter what, he was able to eat. He actually won his mother's little mind games and got what he wanted.

One evening towards the end of her "game", after i had finished my chores, Mother slammed a plate of food in front of me. the cold leftovers were a feast to my eyes. It seemed to good to be true. "Two minutes!" Mother barked. "You have to minutes to eat. That's all." Like lightening I picked up the fork, but the moment before the food touched my mouth, Mother snatched the plate away from me and emptied the food down the garbage disposal. "Too Late!" she sneered.
Just like Alex Lore's quote, i agree because he failed to eat the food his mother gave him the first time he played that game. He learned his lesson and actually stuffed all the food in his mouth before his mother snatched the dish away from him.

"Sitting in the cool air in the backyard, on the steps. I could hear the sounds of mother feeding m brothers. I didn't care. Closing my eyes, I could see the smiling face of my new teacher. That night as I sat outside shivering, her beauty and kindness kept me warm." (Pelzer 116)

"I thrashed and kicked, trying desperately to get my head above the water so i could breathe. Her grip was to strong. Under water I opened my eyes. I could see bubbles escaping fro my mouth and floating to the surface as i tried to shout. i tried to to thrash my head from side to side as i saw the bubbles getting smaller and smaller. I began to feel weak, in a frantic effort i reached up and grabbed her shoulders. My fingers must have dug into her because mother let go." pg112
This passage shows that david is willing to fight for survival, this proves that he hasn't yet abandoned all hope. this also relates to joe mesinas quote, david won his fight for food and he won his fight to escape drowning. David still has the will to live even after all the abuse and neglect that he has faced.

I thought I would be mothers slave as long as I lived. With every passing day,my will power became weaker.I know longer dreamed of superman or some imaginary hero who would rescue me. This quote shows how david gave up on being saved because his father left. I agree with bola because David feels abadoned and lost his will to be free.

"Water was my only means of survival. When I filled the metal ice cube tray from the refrigerator, I would tip the corner of the tray to my mouth. Downstairs I would creep to the wash basin and crack the faucet tap open. Praying the pipe would not vibrate and alert mother, I would carefully suck on the cold metal until my stomach was so full it would burst." This quote shows Dave's determination to survive. Like Joe Messina said that Dave tries all he can to get food and water.

"even though I wasn't allowed to play with the others, I felt a little safer when shirley and mother were friends. This goes along with andrew casale's because andrew also talked about the will to survive on his own.

After finishing my chores that day, I rushed downstairs. I had been ordered to wash my ragged clothes and another heap of smelly rags. But that day, Father's leaving had left me so sad that I buried myself in a pile of rags and cried. I cried for him to come back and tak eme away. After a few minutes of self-comfort, I settled down and began scrubbing my "Swiss CHeese" clothes.

pg 103, "when father talked to me, he'd tell me that he was making plans for the two of us to leave. This always made me smile, but deep inside knew it was a fantasy" i think that his father let him down because this father was his protector and when he left, david felt lonely and scared. his will to serviveis greater now because if he dies david feel that his mother would win, so david wants to live and prove to his family that he is strong.

"i settled back into my routine and relied on m solitude to keep me going" (pelzer 126). David began to rely on himself because of the fact that his father let him down. "Mother put an end to father helping me with the dishes... Without a fight, Father gave up". This shows when the David began to feel let down.

"Fuck you! say what you want, I got the food!" This shows David's inner will to survive no matter what David's mother does to him.. Since David has no one to turn too, he is left with himself. David depends on himself and only himself. This inner survival can relate to Gabby Lafata's quote " The change in father frightened me." The relation between the quotes show, since David looks to no one anymore he is left with himself and is frightened since his father was the last one there. Now he has to depend and fight for himself.

"So I grabbed the plate and quickly swallowed the food without chewing it. Within seconds, I finished eating all that was on the plate and licked it clean." -pg.107. This quote explains David's will to survive because it shows how determined he is to have food. David's mother plays cruel tricks by grabbing the food before David gets a chance to eat it. However, he outsmarts his mother by eating the leftovers quickly. No one is there for him, therefore he must come up with ways to find food. This quote is similar to Alex Lopes quote.

page 115
when school started there was a substitute in for the first 2 weeks of school. she was a young nice teacher who would give out ice cream to the good students at the end of the day o friday. david didn't get any ice cream on the first friday, so the next week he tried so hard to be good just so he would get it the next friday. this shows how hard he tried for his own benefit. he couldn't rely on any one but himself to get food for him to survive.
mat t' quots some what shows that just one positive comment by his dad before he left, made him smile and have hope for his own future. he then knew ho would survive with the help of his dad

" I no longer dreamed of superman or some imaginary hero who would come and rescue me. i knew that fathers promise too me was a hoax. i gave up praying and thought only of living my life one day at a time. his shows Dave's will too survive without his fathers help and without depending on his father to be his hero anymore, as stated by Loida Cruz Pg 106

"I passed the time by counting to myself. I started at one and stopped at one thousand. Then I started over." This quote relates to Jon's quote " Like all good things that happened to me, mother put an end to father helping me with the dishes... without a fight father gave up" because Davids father gave up on him, he had to fight for himself and counting down to make time pass was his way of surviving alone.

"I bowed my head, acting as though I cared... Say what you want! I got the food!" (pg 107) This quote shows that David's will to survive increased as he tried to beat his mother at her own games. This is shown in the passage posted by Alex Lore.

"Hour passed and my skin began to wrinkle. I didnt dare touch any part of my body to try to warm it. I did raise my head out of the water, far enough to hear better. Whenever i heard somebody walk down the hall outside the bathroom, I quietly slid my head back into the coldness."

James Casella's post is similar to mine because he shows the techniques he had to use in order to survive mothers games. He post a different strategy Dave use during a different "game" mother made him play.

"Shirley was kind to us and treated us as we were her own children." ( 121) I felt as if he felt protected and wanted so that makes him survive. People like to feel wanted it makes them feel warm and happy. Since he's own mother didn't want him he was happy that Shirley did. It's like what Andrew S. said he needs protection from someone since he's not getting it from his mother then Shirley could take the place of it. Having someone to care about him makes him feel like he could survive and perceiver.

"Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!" (Pelzer 107) This quote was posted by Katherine Kelly. It shows that David didn't care whether his mother was making fun of him or not. He had the will power to survive her cruel games.

"I passed the time by counting to myself. I started at ne and stopped at a thousand. Then I started over" This shows that Dave does whatever he can to pass time. He does this to, in a way, escape the 'madhouse' he is in. This is relevant to Alex Manger's quote because they both demonstrate his hatred for his home and shows how he wants to escape.

" fuck you, say what you want i got the food"
This show david will to survive, that he could no longer let his mother words break him down that by letting her break him, and end him will mean he win. This is similar to nick B. quote.
" I knew if I wanted to live, I would have to think
ahead. I could no longer cry like a helpless baby. In order to survive, I could never give in to her. That day I vowed to myself that I would never, ever again give that bitch the satisfaction of hearing me beg her to stop beating me."

"Fuck you! Say what you want! I got the food!" (pg 107)

this quote shows how david wants to survive and how he wont ive in to his mothers abuse which she likes to call her games.

To survive her new game, I had to use my head. Laying on the tiled floor I stretched my body, and using my foot, I slide the bucket to the door. I did this for two reasons: I wanted the bucket as far away from me as possible, and in case Mother opened the door, I wanted her to get a snoot full of her own medicine. I curled up in the opposite corner of the bathroom, with my cleaning rag over my mouth, nose and eyes. Before covering my face, I wet the rag in the toilet. I didn’t dare turn on the water in the sink for fear of Mother hearing it. Breathing through the cloth, I watched the mist inch its way closer and closer to the floor. I felt as if I were locked in a gas chamber. Then I thought about the small heating vent on the floor by my feet. I knew it turned on and off every few minutes. I put my face next to the vent and sucked in all the air my lungs would hold. In about half an hour, Mother opened the door and told me to empty the bucket into the drain in the garage before I smelled up her house." Tieing this to Haywards post from yesterday, this shows David fought hard to survive because his mother locked him into a room with poisonous gases that could kill him, although Dave was in the room with the gases he fought and did not give up. He fought to survive until his mother let him out of the bathroom filled with the smell of amonia and bleach.

"I settled back into my routine and relied on my solitude to keep me going." this quote shows his will to survive. Since he does not have anyone else to rely on he has to rely on himself to survive. because according to Andrea puno's Quote, "Alone in the garage, I felt I was losing control of everything. I craved food." (Pelzer 106), he felt alone.

"There came a time when it didn't do me any good for father to be home because .... .. I gave up praying and thought only of living my life one day at a time." This shows dave's will to survive and his giving up on waiting for his "hero" just as Nicole quoted earlier based on pg. 109

" So I grabbed the plate and quickly swallowed the food without chewing it. Within seconds I finished eating and then licked the plate clean. " You eat like a pig" Mother said. I bowed my head down , acting as though I was scared. But inside I laughed at her, saying to myself, "Say what you want!I got the food." (Pelzer 107). This showed that David fought for survival, because his father didnt bring him food or help him anymore. This shows what Andrea quote,"Alone in the garage, I felt I was losing control of everything. I craved food. I wanted my father. But more than anything, I wanted just an ounce of respect; one little bit of dignity." (Pelzer 106). Davids will to get food with out his fathers help shows his will to survive against all odds.

On page 112, I chose the passage, "Under the water, I opened my eyes. I could see bubbles escape from my mouth and float to the surface as I tried to shout. I tried to thrust my head from side to side as I saw the bubbles becomIng smaller and smaller. I began to feel weak. In a frantic effort, I reached up and grabbed her shoulders," because it shows David's will to survive and him wishing his protector was there which was his father just as Megan Davis's quote shows on page 103.

''even though i had begun to accept my fate. i never felt as alone as when my father left'' pg 127 .
Nancy galbo - " I began to give up on god, i felt he must have hated me . "

this shows that davids will to survive was getting stronger. He started to deal with how his life is going to be till other wise but whats hurting him the most is that his father that was once his everything is turning into nothing due to him letting the mother control him.

pg " I curled up in the opposite corner of the bathroom with my cleaning rag over my mouth, nose and eyes. ...I felt as if I were locked in a gas chamber." This passage shows that David's actions and feelings toward surviving comes intinctively to him. This is similar to Nick Martucci's quote, "I submerged my head, keeping my nostrils barely above the surface of the water. I felt like an alligator in a swamp." These quotes represent and state that David's survival skills are instinct as he replicates animal like survival when he was in the bathtub.

"I knew that I wasn't going to be fed that night, or the next. Since Father wasn't home, I would have a bad weekend. Sitting in the cool air the backyard, on the steps, I could hear the sounds of Mother feeding my brothers. I didn't care. Closing my eyes, I could see the smiling face of my new teacher. That night as I sat outside shivering, her beauty and kindness kept me warm." (Pelzer 116)

This quote shows that David didn't need the food his mother clearly expresses because he survived on thinking about the kind substitute teacher, who gave David the only ounce of kindness and warmth he didn't get from his mother, his siblings, and especially his father. Since his father wasn't home very often now, he had to use the kindness from his substitute teacher to live on as a protector. This is related to Katherine's quote on age 103 where David's father completely gives up and gives the mother complete control of the house. This also shows that David's father wasn't a protector for David anymore.

"I knew that I wasn't going to be fed that night, or the next day. Since father wasn't home, I would have a bad weekend. Sitting in the cool air in the backyard on the steps, I could hear the sounds of Mother feeding m brothers. I don't care. Closing my eyes, I could see the smiling face of my new teacher. That night i sat outside shivering, her beauty and kindness kept me warm." This shows how his father left him alone at home with mother, abused David leaving in the cold and not feeding him. I agreed with Justina K response how his mother stick his head in the cold water to freeze and not able to breath. His father was never home even though he knew it was happening.

For nearly ten days i had gone without food. I had just finished the dinner dishes when mother repeated her "you have two minutes to eat" game. There were only a few bits of food on the plate. I felt she would snatch the plate away again so i moved with a purpose. I didn't give mother a chance to snatch it away like she had the past three evenings. So i grabbed the plate quickly swallowed the food without chewing it. Within seconds, i finished eating all that was on my plate and licked it clean. "You eat like a pig!" Mother snarled. I bowed my head, acting as though i cared. But inside i laughed at her, saying to myself, "F*** you! Say what you want! I got the food!" This shows Dave's will to survive because he began learning what his mother was going to do next, he started to study her techniques. This ties in with what Larry said about getting food without having his father around.

" So I grabbed the plate and quickly swallowed the food without chewing it. Within seconds I finished eating and then licked the plate clean. " You eat like a pig" Mother said. I bowed my head down , acting as though I was scared. But inside I laughed at her, saying to myself, "Say what you want!I got the food." (Pelzer 107). This quote basically represents the struggle Dave went through when trying to fight for his survival. He clearly had different strategies to fight for the food he needed.
" I knew if I wanted to live, I would have to think
ahead. I could no longer cry like a helpless baby. In order to survive, I could never give in to her. That day I vowed to myself that I would never, ever again give that bitch the satisfaction of hearing me beg her to stop beating me." This is the quote chosen b one of my classmates that once again describes the idea of how Dave struggled for his fight for survival. Although these were two different passages from the novel, they still continue to relate to the same main idea on how David fights for survival.