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Delia Owens, born in 1949, is an author and zoologist that grew up in Thomasville, South Georgia. As a young girl, Owens' mother encouraged her to explore in the woods "...where the crawdads sing", this is where her love for nature and inspiration for the book came from. Since then, Owens has considered nature her "true companion" and one of her "best friends".
From her love of writing and nature to her strong emotions about relationships, Where the Crawdads Sing heavily reflect Owen' as a person.

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The first timeline in Where the Crawdads sing follows a young girl named Kya who is based in an isolated marsh in North Carolina spanning the years 1952 to 1969. The second timeline is of a murdered young man named Chase Andrews, who is based in a fictional coastal town called Barkley Cove located in North Carolina.
Although simplistic, the swamp actually has deep meanings for both Owens, the writer, and Kya, the main character.
For Owens, the marsh symbolized her childhood. As a young girl, Owens grew up in South Georgia and would frequent the wilderness with bright marshes and darker swamps which she talks about in the book. She and her mother would spend time there, canoeing and camping. This created a long-lasting bond between herself and the wilderness that can be seen in the novel.
For Kya, the swamp represented her life. Not only did she grow up there, but she managed to live there without the supervision of adults, transforming from a young scared child to a self-sufficient and determined young woman. Mentioned earlier was the light/dark contrast for the settings. The light waterways where Kya moves around represents "love, family, and learning to unfold", and the darker marshes represent the "less desirable but essential human trait". Both of these characteristics are mentioned and battled against in the book by Kya.

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The Ted Talk from Monica Johnson talks about how people will choose to not claim funds just due to the pure difficulty. Think about that. There are people in this world who are basically willing to throw away money just because it "makes their life harder". If people have this notion about the most valuable exchange currency in the world, what stops them from having the same thought about children. How many adults in the world have abandoned their child just because it was "too difficult to raise them?".
Although this case is not exactly like Kya's because the rest of Kya's family had a valid excuse to leave, there are kids in the world that are abandoned just due to the fact that their parent/guardian was too lazy to take care of them. Johnson then talks about how we must learn to love and accept ourselves in order to love others. This sort of applies to Kya. In her case, she falls in love with a boy named Tate, learns how to read and write, becoming more independent. Eventually Tate leaves her and she moves on to another man names Chase. The relationship ends terribly but Kya becomes more determined to live alone, writes her own book, and becomes even stronger. Tate eventually comes home and we see how Kya has gone through so much and managed to become so independent. This proves Johnson's claim of loving oneself before loving others because as Tate returns, Kya is strong and now ready to love Tate in a real relationship.

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Believe it or not, it's often difficult to get people to claim abandoned funds, whether from a forgotten savings account, an uncashed check or a long-ago refund. Why is this? Unclaimed funds manager Monica Johnson posits that, as a society, we have been sucked into a throwaway culture, where we'd rather toss aside what's ours rather than deal with it. She shares her own heart-wrenching story of growing up unwanted and passionately asks that we recognize the impact we can make by embracing who we are and what we can do for others.

culture

relationships

family

About the speaker

Monica Johnson

Unclaimed funds manager

Monica Johnson is a manager of escheatment and unclaimed funds for UPS’s Corporate Tax Department, which means she connects abandoned funds to their rightful owner. As the founder of That Girl is S.M.A.R.T., a nonprofit that mentors young girls, she strives to help others reach their potential.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

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Monica Johnson: Can we end a culture of abandonment?

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Believe it or not, it's often difficult to get people to claim abandoned funds, whether from a forgotten savings account, an uncashed check or a long-ago refund. Why is this? Unclaimed funds manager Monica Johnson posits that, as a society, we have been sucked into a throwaway culture, where we'd rather toss aside what's ours rather than deal with it.

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In ancient Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a man that was half man and half bull. The monster was a result from when King Minos failed to sacrifice a bull to the god Poseidon who then cursed his wife to lust over the animal creating the poor beast that was doomed before even being born. After the birth, the Minotaur was locked into a magical labyrinth and was forced to fight with tributes then ate them as a meal afterwards.
The Minotaur's story relates to my question of "How does abandonment affect child relationship development" because we see that right after birth the Minotaur was abandoned and was never able to form relationships after that.
Thankfully, abandonment did not cause Kya from the novel to turn out the same, however, we see that abandonment does have long lasting effects and can completely ruin ones life, or at least that's what the Greeks think.

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This poem written by an unknown artist talks about the effects of being abandoned. Most noticeably in the poem are the references to nature and how it overtakes the broken down home. These references were actually why I decided to choose this poem, the heavy nature reference reminded me strongly of Where the Crawdads Sing because Kya after being abandoned, lives in a broken down shed that is taken over by nature.
This poem helped me answer my question of “how abandonment affects the ability to form relationships” because near the end, there is a line that says “Will I ever trust again” and after further analysis I believe that it means that once this person left the narrator, their ability to trust was completely diminished which then ruined the persons chance to form more relationships in the future.

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As of May 2022, there is a war raging between Ukraine and Russia. Hundreds of innocent kids are being killed or left at abandoned houses/orphanages as their parents try to flee either to no avail or barely making it through.
I chose this to be my first connection because I thought that it related closely to Where the Crawdads Sing. In the book, Kya's dad beat his wife, Kya's mom, for years, she eventually gains the courage to stand up for herself and leave. Kya is left abandoned with her father who is still terrible to her and is not a constant stable source in her life.
Similar to the abuse between Kya's parents is the relationship between Russia and Ukraine. Russia for years has bullied and beat upon Ukraine until one day Ukraine decides to stand up for itself. Full-blown war breaks out and the children that are neglected and left in the crossfires (which in the book would be Kya) are either killed or abandoned. The similarities between the book and the current state are extremely striking, creating a cause for concern for the children that are left behind.
This article helped answer my driving question because it allowed me to see a connection between the book and real life. From the real world, we can see the actual results of childhood abandonment and how it affects the development of relationships.

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By Kate Ainsworth and Caitlyn Davey

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Human rights groups say the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to thousands of disabled Ukrainian children being abandoned in institutions that can't look after them.

Human rights organisation Disability Rights International says it found children with severe disabilities tied to beds in overrun children's homes whose remaining staff were unable to cope.

Stay up-to-date on the Russia-Ukraine war

Take a look back at all of Thursday's updates in our blog.

Live updates

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Watch

Duration: 1 minute 41 seconds

An oil depot in the city of Makiivka outside Donetsk caught on fire during a shelling on Wednesday, causing one person to be killed and 10 seriously wounded. Raging flames engulfed four 5,000-tonne oil tanks after the attack.

Wives of soldiers plead for evacuation of soldiers in Azovstal

AP

The wives of at least two Ukrainian soldiers inside Azovstal have been in Rome pleading with the international community for an evacuation of the soldiers there, arguing they deserve the same rights as civilians.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment at the plant, told The Associated Press she went without word from him for more than 36 hours before finally hearing from him Wednesday.

He told her that Russian soldiers had entered Azovstal and "our soldiers are fighting, it is crazy and difficult to describe."

"We don't want them to die, they won't surrender," Kateryna Prokopenko said. "They are waiting for the bravest countries to evacuate them. We won't let this tragedy happen after this long blockade."

"We need to evacuate our men as well."

Ukrainian authorities have also demanded that Russia offer the Azovstal soldiers a safe exit - with their arms.

But experts say it would be nearly unprecedented for them to be simply allowed to walk free, not least because they could take up arms again and possibly cause Russian casualties.

25 civilians wounded in Kramatorsk - Russian attacks accelerate in south and east

After failing to capture the capital Kyiv in the early weeks of a war that has killed thousands and flattened cities, Russia has accelerated attacks on Ukraine's east and south.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the eastern region of Donetsk, says at least 25 civilians were wounded as Russian forces shelled Kramatorsk, and town some 180 kilometres west of Luhansk.

Mariupol military parade planned says Kyiv

AP: Alexander Zemlianichenko

Ukraine is accusing Russia of planning to hold a military parade in the destroyed city of Mariupol on May 9 to celebrate victory over the Nazis in World War II.

Kyiv says an official from Russia's presidential administration has arrived in the strategic southern port city to oversee plans for the Victory Day parade.

11 attacks 'repulsed' in Donetsk and Luhansk in past 24 hours, general staff of armed forces says

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says they hope to continue rescuing people from Azovstal.

Children with disabilities found tied to beds in homes after being abandoned

Human rights groups say the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to thousands of Ukrainian children with disabilities being abandoned in institutions that can't look after them.

Human rights organisation, Disability Rights International says it found children with severe disabilities tied to beds in overrun children's homes whose remaining staff were unable to cope.

One of the groups representatives, Halyna Kurylo says she visited an institution in the country's south west.

"They're not treated as human beings. They're only kept alive here. Even though they're in a safe place, their state will deteriorate because they are not getting any kind of stimulation, any kind of rehabilitation and this is further disabling them."

220 children killed in Ukraine since war began, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Danish parliament that Russian forces have killed 220 children since the start of the war in February.

He spoke to Danish parliament to mark 77 years since Denmark was liberated from German occupation, before addressing crowds in Copenhagen and Aarhus.

"On March 29, I told you that the Russian occupiers destroyed 773 educational facilities in our country, and today it is twice many - 1,584," he said.

"These are kindergartens, these are schools, these are universities. This is what the Russian army is fighting against in Ukraine. The invaders have already killed 220 Ukrainian children, and we do not yet know precisely what is happening in the occupied areas.

"Russia is not yet ready to stop the war. They still dream of capturing Ukraine and other European countries. They desire that freedom in Europe must disappear.

"But their dreams must not come true. The dream of peace must come true. Ours and your dream. Just like it was 77 years ago.

"How people will live on our continent is being decided right now, exactly in Ukraine."

(Reuters: Maxim Shemetov)

The Russian air force conducted a rehearsal of its annual Victory Day flyby on Wednesday, with one squadron flying over Moscow's Red Square in a controversial "Z" formation.

The "Z" symbol is associated with what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine and has become a symbol of the ongoing conflict, which Kyiv and the West see as an act of aggression.

A series of plane formations could be seen flying over the Russian capital ahead of Victory Day celebrations which are held annually in Russia on May 9 to mark the country's victory over Nazi Germany in the World War II.

The letter "Z" was initially seen, hand-painted on the side of military vehicles, but can now be seen widely in Russia, including on official buildings, regular Russians' cars and on social media as a display of support for Russia's offensive.

Military vehicles drove through the streets of Moscow later in the night, rehearsing for the parade as crowds stood watching behind barriers.

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Children with severe disabilities tied to beds as thousands were abandoned, human rights groups say - as it happened

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By Kate Ainsworth and Caitlyn Davey Posted , updated Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article abc.net.au/news/ukraine-russia-war-updates-putin-zelenskyy-mariupol-kyiv/101039760 Copy link Share Human rights groups say the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to thousands of disabled Ukrainian children being abandoned in institutions that can't look after them.

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In this picture, a pregnant mother covers her face as she puts her 4 kids up for sale, she sells the unborn baby as well. 

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During the Great Depression, thousands of families went into debt and claimed bankruptcy. To cover costs such as rent and groceries, parents were forced into dire measures such as selling their children to other people. These children varying in ages must have been extremely confused on why people they trusted and love abandoned them.
I said that this picture related to my book because as seen in the picture, these children are all very young and are being abandoned like Kya was by the rest of her family. Unlike Kya, these kids were sold rather than left, I feel like that must have hurt them more because their lives were traded for a mere monetary value rather than the safety of another.
This picture helped me answer my question because it allowed me to understand that abandonment is not uncommon, and was/is very noticeable in poverty stricken lands such as poor countries. Theoretically if these kids were able to be tracked down, I would love to know what are their family dynamics/relationships with their friends like and if they thought that the abandonment that their mother caused had a long lasting effect on their lives, and since they were different ages, did it affect them differently?