The Lottery Rose

1. The Lottery Rose By Connor Bolinder

2. Child Abuse In America • In 1999, approximately 3,244,000 children were reported because of abuse to Child Protective Services • Approximately 1401 children died as of 1991 because of abuse and neglect • 18000 children are permanently disabled due to abuse each year

3. Like Many Children, Georgie… • Was neglected, which often leads to children running away and/or starving • Was abused physically, which lead to his hatred towards everyone else • Was abused emotionally, leading to his hatred towards everyone that reminded him of Steve

4. How it changed Georgie • Honestly, do you know anyone as psychologically messed up as Georgie? • He hated everyone, he swore at age 7, he threatened to kill people, he tried to set fire to a teacher’s car, and his great wishes were for many people to die brutal deaths. His young mind was twisted in a horribly devilish and somewhat sadistic way.

5. Road To Recovery • Unfortunately, Georgie brought his rosebush home one day and was beaten within an inch of his life by Steve • He was then taken to a Catholic Private School to live in safety. He was surrounded by friends and people who cared about him (genuinely cared about him when sober, not like his mother who never stopped drunkenly babbling about love). He began to open up and stop hating everybody.

6. An Unsteady Recovery • Georgie loved his rosebush more than life itself. He needed to have it planted in Ms. Harper’s garden, which reminded him of his flower book, the most important thing to him before he won his rosebush. • He tried to plant his bush in the garden late at night, but ruined some of Ms. Harper’s flowers. She then threatened to throw the rosebush into an incinerator. Georgie obviously was not to happy, and he hated Ms. Harper with every fiber of his being. • If you ask me, that isn’t a very good way to get over an anger issue.

7. Georgie Discovers Happiness • Georgie found happiness with Robin, gardening, and later reading. He begins to like everyone that he knows, except Ms. Harper. He refuses to accept that she is not evil and he still hates her for threatening to hurt his rosebush. • Though, in the back of his mind, he wishes that he didn’t have her as an enemy.

8. The Recovery Is Complete • After the play, Georgie makes up with Ms. Harper. He believes that Ms. Harper is his real mother. • Robin dies at the lake and Georgie sings at his funeral, but cannot stay. He runs away and is taken back to the school. • Later that night, Georgiedigs up his rosebush and takes it in a wheelbarrow three miles away to the cemetery and tries to bury it at the foot of Robin’s grave. Ms. Harper shows up and helps him. He accepts that she is not his mother, but still likes her and accepts her as a good person.

9. Special Thanks to: • www.yesican.org/stats.html: Abuse and Neglect info. • Irene Hunt For Providing such a wonderful book • Bill Gates for the invention of Microsoft Powerpoint • Ms. Hendley for this assignment, which is why any of this happened in the first place • Fictional Characters Steve and Ms. Burgess, who gave Georgie his colorful life • Ms. Sims the Grocery Store Clerk for giving Georgie the Lottery Ticket • And you all for being such a great audience. Except for you four in the back. You know who you are. You were just terrible. Don’t pretend to be innocent. Now just shut your mouths.