| abstract | This creative dissertation is divided into two distinct sections. The first section, or scholarly research piece,
begins with a definition of domestic violence and identifies that there are four types of abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and
sexual abuse. Domestic abuse has been around since Adam and Eve, however this paper refers to abuse that has happened within the last century. This
paper then takes a historical look at domestic violence. The eleven myths of domestic violence are explored and these myths help to define domestic
violence. The myths help diagnose what qualifies as abuse and debunk common misconceptions about intimate partner violence. The first half also
explores the question why tell a short story rather than a novel, film or other literary device. There are a plethora of domestic violence stories
to choose from, and it is difficult to pick up the newspaper or turn on a newscast without the mention of domestic violence. So why tell more stories?
It has been suggested that we need to rework old stories or write new stories using the third person, rebirth plot line to illicit political action, raise
awareness and elicit empathy. The second half of this paper focuses on fourteen non-fiction short stories of twelve women and two men who have been the
victims of domestic violence. Although all of the stories are based on true stories, names have been changed to protect identities. The majority of the
stories are told in third person point of view.
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