SCENE SUMMARY 1
Cooper warns: Violet, Pete, Sheldon, Amelia, Addison, and Sam about Charlotte’s return to work and not to treat Charlotte any differently. Of course after Cooper tells them this they had to do what he told them not to do, and that was act weird and nervous around her. Charlotte picks up the vibe from them all and bites their head’s off about if they are going to act nervous around her then they should just leave her hell alone.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 1
This is the excuse Charlotte needed because the truth was; she just wanted to be left alone so she can try to forget abut what happened to her. That is very understandable because I know that after my attack I just wanted to be by myself and deal with it in my own way. However my own way was to keep it hidden from the world and pretend it never happened.
SCENE SUMMARY 2
Charlotte tries to move on and tackle her problems head on by facing her St Ambrose Office where the attack happened to her. Pete walks in and tries to examine her injuries. An injury on Charlotte’s back is still very nasty and sore and she has yet to tell Cooper about it but she can’t.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 2
Facing the truth about anything is very hard but to acknowledge you were brutally attacked and raped is another thing. It’s definitely not easy to accept any kind of bad situation you have had to overcome in life and to be reminded of it every day is even worse. Because she was victimized at work where she goes every day, it will mean that it will never leave her entirely and it will be a horrible reminder of something she just wants to forget about. Luckily for me mine happened at a place where I hardly ever went too before my attack so I am grateful for that, but Charlotte’s is unfortunate.
SCENE SUMMARY 3
Charlotte and Cooper are in bed together with a big distance between them. Cooper tries to get close to her and as he tries to touch her, she flinches and bluntly says ‘No! Don’t touch me!’ Cooper backs off and asks her what he can do for her and she tells him he can get close next to her but no touching.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 3
I understand exactly how Charlotte must be feeling because not only is she physically pained, she is also mentally and emotionally hurt too. She can’t bring herself to tell Cooper how she really feels because she is trying to be the strong one and prove that her attack has not broken her. It also makes it hard because she has not yet told Cooper the whole truth about what happened that night. Cooper feels helpless and doesn’t know what he can to help her get through this. He knows why she won’t let him touch her, because it was a man that ‘robbed her’. I know exactly how Charlotte feels by referring to people as she was ’robbed’. If you really hear those words come out of a survivor’s mouth, it doesn’t just mean ‘robbed’ in the sense of material things, but also by the sense of control and identity of one’s self. So in reference to Charlotte I believe it symbolizes she had her control and power of being a strong woman robbed and she doesn’t know how to get it back.
SCENE SUMMARY 4
Charlotte tries to face her St Ambrose Office where the attack happened to her one more time but this time Violet tries to talk with her. Violet tries to explain that she too knows what it is like to be victimized as she confesses to Charlotte that she too is a rape survivor. This time Charlotte doesn’t say anything to Violet but we can see the pain in Charlotte’s eyes when the word Rape comes out of Violet’s mouth.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 4
Facing where the attack happened for any rape survivor just one time is a big deal, but to go back again in one day like Charlotte does, is extremely remarkable and brave. I know I could not have done that and it has already been over a year now since my attack. I still have not had the courage to go back to where my attack happened so I am pleased that she has already. What Violet said to charlotte was good advice but for Charlotte it was too soon to hear and I understand that. Charlotte is going through the denial stage and it is very hard to admit the fact you have been raped. I completely understood Charlotte’s reaction to Violet’s suggestions because if someone knew at the time of my attack and did what Violet was trying to do to me I would have reacted in the same way. By Charlotte telling Violet she should stop shrinking her and she can’t tell people how to run their own lives, was Charlotte telling her she just wants to be left alone and she will deal with it in her own way.
SCENE SUMMARY 5
After Violet leaves Charlotte’s Office, Charlotte’s very overwhelmed by what she heard that it triggers how she is feeling about her own attack. This lead Charlotte into a rage and trashes her office to pieces with her one good arm. She then breaks down and cries it all out.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 5
Charlotte reacts by trashing her office where the attack happened because it is the only way she can communicate how she is feeling. She has never been good at the talking thing and so this was a way she could let out her feelings of frustration and anger over the ordeal. It was her breaking point, as she knows she cannot escape what happened to her and she knows it will always be apart of her. She isn’t good at asking for help but after this she realizes that she cannot do this by herself. I know what that is like because when I was in her position after my attack, I had none to turn too either. The only way I could manage mine was by hiding myself away from the world and that is what I did. I got real good at it too and every time someone tried to get close to me I would push them away and not let them in or know the truth. Since coming forward 2weeks ago about being raped, I have learned so much about myself and know that there are many people out there who want to help people like myself live a normal happy life. We deserve to be happy and suffering in silence is not the way to go.
SCENE SUMMARY 6
Addison is feeling so overwhelmed by Charlotte’s attack that the one promise she mad to Charlotte she can no longer keep it quiet, so she tells Sam in confidence. Once she told Sam, he hinted to Violet for her to talk to Charlotte, and then once Violet was convinced Charlotte was raped, she then passed her information on to Pete. Addison also shared her information to Sheldon in the elevator. Everyone seems to know of the truth about Charlotte’s Attack except for poor Cooper.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 6
I feel for Addison, I really do, because finding out someone you know has been raped is hard to manage. I know that when I told my friend the other day, she could not believe it. She told me she thought I was acting strange this past year but didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to ask me. If I was in Addison’s position I do not think I could have told anyone especially when the victim/survivor told me not. However, some people just can’t handle hearing that kind of information and I am assuming Addison is probably one of them. It’s a shame Cooper will be the last one to find out but it usually works out that way because I know that first hand. Several months later after my attack, I met a lovely man who I trusted with my life but the whole time we went out I never told him what happened to me. He never knew and that was why I think our relationship never worked out, because I would freak out if he got too close to me, and he never understood why. I used to tell him that I wanted to wait until I got to know him better but I knew that it was a lie. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to tell him the reason why but maybe if I had, we would still be together now. At the start of our relationship I was total Charlotte, very controlling and strong. I was trying not to let the attack affect my life but as I became very unwell from stress I started to slowly loose my identity. Now I’m wondering if by hiding my attack has made me a stronger or weaker person. I know that I am more of an agitated, stressed, anxious, angry, hurt, frustrating, and expressive person because of it but after coming forward I now feel free. I feel like a new woman, and a very proud one at that.
SCENE SUMMARY 7
Cooper thanks Charlotte for pulling strings on one of his patient’s treatment in St Ambrose Hospital. Cooper tells Charlotte that even though she wants to be left alone, he can never do that because they are engaged and he loves her so much. Charlotte can’t communicate what she wants to say to him so instead she reaches for his hand and grabs it.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 7
When Cooper tries to reach out to Cooper by expressing to her that he will never leave her alone really moved me. This is something that makes me wish I had told my boyfriend when we were going out as the only reason why I never told him was that I thought he would run for hills if he knew the truth about me. The only way Cooper knows how to be there for Charlotte is by his kind words because he knows Charlotte is not ready for him to physically touch her just yet. When Charlotte responds by grabbing Cooper’s hand it was a way of her reaching out to him and reassuring him that she is glad he is there for her. Charlotte is not good at communicating verbally so she shows him with a simple gesture. It’s very hard to communicate to your partner about something so traumatic as being brutally attacked and with a personality like Charlotte it’s even harder. It’s harder for Charlotte because everyone as a strong person knows her. By her showing everyone that she is not okay, is showing everyone that she is weak even though she isn’t. Charlotte hates to be seen as vulnerable and as a person who struggles with that myself I too never show my true feelings. Since finding out about the rape story two weeks ago, it was the first time I have cried since my attack. I mean I never even cried when my boyfriend broke up with me, and that is saying something. When I did cry after finding out about Charlotte’s awful encounter I cried for a solid 12hours in my room. When I watched 4x07 for the first time I cried throughout the entire episode because it brought back my own attack. I’m glad I watched it though because it helped me deal with my own encounter and now I have been so open about it that it has helped others come forward now too.
SCENE SUMMARY 8
Amelia tries to reach out to Charlotte by offering her help with pill craving because Amelia is a recovering Pill Addict too. At first Charlotte refuses she needs any kind of help from her but in the end after trashing her office, she runs to Amelia’s help and pleads for Amelia to go to a meeting with her right away.
SURVIVOR’S POINT OF VIEW 8
When Amelia first spoke to Charlotte, Charlotte was trying to show she needed no help from anyone and that she is strong enough to work through it by herself. Amelia respected her enough to walk away but offered her assistance whenever charlotte was ready. If I had been open and had told someone about my attack at the time it happened then I would have had someone like Amelia to help me too. When my rape took place I was a recovering alcoholic and the night of the attack I decided to celebrate my 1year alcohol-free anniversary by having an alcoholic drink. Except that one, didn’t turn out to be just one, it turned out to be over twenty. That one slip up I made has cost me severe pain and if only I had a friend that night that encouraged me not to drink then maybe my rape would not have happened. However what’s in the past is in the past and I cannot change what happened. All I can do now is look to the future and make it a happy one, well try too anyway. I am so proud of Charlotte when she finally admits for help and runs to Amelia for it.
Asking for help is a huge step for a rape survivor especially someone like Charlotte because it is admitting that it happened to you. So please for all those rape, assault and abuse survivors out there who are still silent don’t be because you don’t have to be alone. Please contact www.rainn.org and get the help you need and deserve. Us survivors need to stick together. If you would like support from a survivor’s point of you then please contact me on natasha.hagan@hotmail.com or on facebook if you feel that is better for you.
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