Can you imagine growing up in the woods? Being raised by monkeys? Living without any guidance? Although the idea sounds ridiculous, and
maybe a little funny, it truly does happen.
The children who grow up in such environments are called feral children. A feral child is a human child who has lived
away from human contact from a very young age, and has little or no experience
of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language. For example, they may be unable to learn to
use a toilet, have trouble learning to walk upright after walking on fours all
their life, and display a complete lack of interest in the human activity
around them. They often seem mentally impaired and have complete trouble
learning a human language (if they eventually do). The impaired ability to
learn a natural language or any human skills in general, after having been
isolated for so many years is attributed to the existence of a critical period
for language learning. Feral children can be confined by humans (often
parents), often as victims of abuse and having grown up in the forced isolation
of cages or basements. They could also
be brought up by animals, or could even live in the wild in isolation, fending
for themselves.
One of the most famous feral children to have ever existed was Genie, a victim of extraordinarily severe abuse, neglect and social isolation up until the age of thirteen. When Genie was a baby, her father decided that she was severely mentally impaired. As a result, he disliked her and withheld her as much care and attention as possible. Around the time she reached the age of 20 months, Genie's father decided to isolate her completely, so from the age of 20 months to 13 years, 7 months, he kept her locked alone in a room. During this time, he almost always strapped Genie to a child's toilet or bound her in a crib with her arms and legs completely immobilized, and left her severely malnourished. The extent of Genie's isolation prevented her from being exposed to any significant amount of speech, therefore not acquiring language during childhood. Finally, Genie’s abuse came to the attention of Los Angeles child welfare authorities on November 4, 1970.
An older case, and also one of the most famous, was the feral child, “Wild Peter”, who grew up in the wild. He was “a naked, brownish, black-haired creature” captured near Helpensen in Hanover, England in 1724, when he was about 12. He climbed trees with ease, lived off plants, and was incapable of speech. He especially enjoyed to strip the bark from green twigs and to suck on the sap; but he eventually learned to eat fruit and vegetables. He was presented at court in Hanover to George I, and taken to England, where he was studied by leading men of letters. He spent 68 years in society, but never learned to say anything except “Peter” and “King George”, although his hearing and sense of smell were said particularly acute.
Connection is ultimately what makes up our human interactions. Our abilities to care, to love, to learn, and to communicate are what make life so valuable, and without such things, one would not be able to get the experiences that life has to offer.
One of the most famous feral children to have ever existed was Genie, a victim of extraordinarily severe abuse, neglect and social isolation up until the age of thirteen. When Genie was a baby, her father decided that she was severely mentally impaired. As a result, he disliked her and withheld her as much care and attention as possible. Around the time she reached the age of 20 months, Genie's father decided to isolate her completely, so from the age of 20 months to 13 years, 7 months, he kept her locked alone in a room. During this time, he almost always strapped Genie to a child's toilet or bound her in a crib with her arms and legs completely immobilized, and left her severely malnourished. The extent of Genie's isolation prevented her from being exposed to any significant amount of speech, therefore not acquiring language during childhood. Finally, Genie’s abuse came to the attention of Los Angeles child welfare authorities on November 4, 1970.
An older case, and also one of the most famous, was the feral child, “Wild Peter”, who grew up in the wild. He was “a naked, brownish, black-haired creature” captured near Helpensen in Hanover, England in 1724, when he was about 12. He climbed trees with ease, lived off plants, and was incapable of speech. He especially enjoyed to strip the bark from green twigs and to suck on the sap; but he eventually learned to eat fruit and vegetables. He was presented at court in Hanover to George I, and taken to England, where he was studied by leading men of letters. He spent 68 years in society, but never learned to say anything except “Peter” and “King George”, although his hearing and sense of smell were said particularly acute.
Connection is ultimately what makes up our human interactions. Our abilities to care, to love, to learn, and to communicate are what make life so valuable, and without such things, one would not be able to get the experiences that life has to offer.
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