Abstract:

Child abuse is one of the leading problems of modern times and that is why it has been a prevalent subject in literature and especially in drama recently. It may be caused by physical, emotional, or sexual harm. It is very common and can happen anywhere regardless of culture, ethnicity, or income group. Child abuse may be encountered in different forms for example physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual abuse. Sexual abuse of the children is the purposeful disclosure of a child to sexual action the child is not able to comprehend or agree to, meaning a child is enforced or forced to talk about sex related activities by another person. Child neglect comes into existence when the ones who are legally in charge of taking care of the child intentionally or recklessly do not provide the basic needs of a child. In our study, we will analyze Five Kinds of Silence by Shelagh Stephenson, an in-yer-face theatre play of 2004, in terms of child abuse and its results. Through the play, Stephenson tells the story of Mary and her daughters Susan and Janet whom their wicked father, Billy, has abused physically, emotionally and sexually. We will focus on the effects of child abuse and its results especially on his daughters.

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