What is Tara's first exposure to Shawn's violent side?

Tara soon had her own firsthand experience with Shawn's volatility when he, without warning, put his hands around her head and violently twisted it—to help pop her neck back into place following the accident, or so he claimed.

What chapter does Shawn abuse Tara?

Summary: Chapter 12: Fish Eyes

One day, when Shawn shows Tara the same bossy attitude he uses with Sadie, she rebels and dumps a glass of water on his head. Shawn becomes infuriated and physically hurts Tara, forcing her to apologize.

How does Tara feel about Shawn?

Tara tries to tell herself that Shawn's aggression and cruelty are new things, the result of his injury and forces beyond his control—in reality, though, she knows deep down that he has always been in this way, and she is just making excuses for him as she always has.

How did Tara begin to understand what Shawn had been doing to her?

Tara never fully feels certain of her memories until years later when she runs into a man in Utah who recognizes her last name and mentions Shawn. He says that he witnessed Shawn assaulting a young woman, and Tara takes this as confirmation that everything she remembers about Shawn is true.

What did Gene ask Tara to do that outraged Shawn?

The summer before Tara turns seventeen, Shawn is in a motorcycle accident. Tara is the only family member present and phones her father to ask what she should do. Gene tells her to bring Shawn home.

Swearing Violent Kids Have Broken Mom | Supernanny

Why is Shawn so abusive to Tara?

Shawn is very dominant, and motivated by his drive to assert power, especially over women. He abuses Tara after she starts to show signs of independence and self-confidence. Shawn is a bully who wants to crush Tara's spirit, and he is motivated by taking pleasure in breaking her spirit and getting her to submit to him.

How does Shawn abuse Tara?

Tara's story is artfully told and unrelentingly horrific. The youngest in the family, Tara says she was beaten and terrorized by her older brother (identified by the pseudonym Shawn in the book), who dragged her by the hair, choked her, twisted her limbs and verbally assaulted her while her parents turned a blind eye.

What did Shawn call Tara?

When Shawn notices Tara talking to Charles, he reprimands her for being “that kind of girl,” and “just like the rest.” He stops calling her Siddle Lister and starts calling her Fish Eyes—and when she wears lip gloss for the first time, he calls her a whore.

What derogatory term does Shawn call Tara?

Shawn calls Tara a derogatory term, “whore”. He uses this term to demean and belittle her, reinfo... Transcribed image text: Comprehension Questions for Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Chapters 19-24) 1.

What mental disorder did Tara believe her father had?

Tara takes an introductory psychology course, and, one day, as the professor lists some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder—"depression, mania, paranoia, euphoria, delusions of grandeur and persecution”—Tara is shocked to realize the symptoms perfectly describe Dad.

Is Tara's father bipolar?

Tara traces her life back to her parents meeting, showing how her mother's rebellion against a small-town sense of propriety propelled her into the arms of a serious young man who would grow into the towering patriarch of the Westover clan. It is suggested that he suffers from bipolar disorder with paranoid tendencies.

Is Shawn older than Tara?

Shawn Westover

While he can be tender and protective, he is also volatile and physically violent, especially against women. Shawn marries the much younger Emily, with whom he has two children. He is about 10 years older than Tara.

How much of Educated is true?

Although “there's a little germ of truth,” in “Educated,” the book falsely portrays the Westover family, Atkin said. “They are conservative, patriotic people. Tara says her father is a (Mormon) fundamentalist, which infers that he believes in polygamy. That's certainly not the truth.

Why does Shawn choke Tara?

Tara's father was sadistic and domineering, and her older brother Shawn (a pseudonym) assaulted her repeatedly — choking her to unconsciousness, dragging her by her hair, jamming her head into the toilet — to punish her for sassing, or for her "whorish" ways (such as talking to a boy).

Which brother abused Tara?

He is 12 years older than Tara. Shawn Westover (pseudonym): Westover's older brother, the second brother of the siblings, 10 years older than Tara. Shawn was physically, mentally and emotionally abusive toward Westover, and later to his wife.

Who saves Tara from Shawn in Chapter 13?

Chapter 13: Silence in the Churches

The next morning, Tara awakes to Shawn attacking her and calling her names, and she is saved from Shawn's rage by Tyler, who arrives unexpectedly.

Where did Shawn put Tara's head?

Shawn submerges her head in the toilet bowl as punishment when she pours a glass of water on him. Shawn and Gene constantly make Westover feel vulnerable and expendable. From a very young age, Tara is not protected by her family, she is instead endangered, constantly.

What derogatory term does Shawn call Tara and what do feel are his intentions when he uses it?

Tara is called a "whore" by Shawn, who uses a nasty phrase. By dehumanizing and belittling her with this phrase, he strengthens his hold on her.

What happens after Tara takes the ibuprofen Charles gives her for her earache?

After hesitantly taking the medication, Tara is shocked that her pain disappears. Tara returns to school, moving in with her new roommates, Robin, Megan, and Jenni. Robin helps Tara learn about some of the social norms she has not previously understood.

What is Shawn's real name in Educated?

Shawn Westover is the fictitious name Tara Westover gives to one of her brothers in her memoir Educated.

Is Educated a true story?

How she made that disorienting jump is the subject of her memoir Educated, out now from Random House. Westover's story is as much about her difficult childhood and what it's like to grow up on fringe beliefs as it is about seeing the world through the eyes of a singular, intelligent, and observant person.

Why does Tara end her relationship with Nick?

When Tara returns to Utah, she considers telling Nick the truth about everything, but she is still too ashamed. She hides the truth about her family from him. In September, Emily and Shawn get married, and Tara breaks up with Nick, because she doesn't believe she will ever be able to be honest with him.

When Tara told Dad about Shawn's previous abuse How did dad respond?

She reveals all her stories about Shawn's violence and abuse, but Dad demands proof. Tara tries to calmly tell him that he's already seen the proof with his own eyes, but Dad accuses Tara of coming home to “raise hell” and trying to put Shawn in prison.

Who sends Tara an email about Shawn?

Soon after she returns to England, Tara receives an email from her sister Audrey, who has decided to confront Shawn about his violent behavior. Faye reaches out to Tara to apologize for not having protected her and promises that she and Gene will deal with Shawn, which makes Tara feel closer to Faye than ever before.

What did Shawn do to Tara at the end of Chapter 12?

Tara still refuses to apologize. After a minute or so, Shawn lets her up—but then, using the technique he taught her back in Albuquerque, seizes her wrist and begins folding it backwards, incapacitating her. Tara at last apologizes. Shawn lets go of her and leaves the bathroom.