The Return Essay
Seiji Shaw
In Andrey Zvyagintsev’s The Return, a father, who has been gone for twelve years, suddenly returns to his family. He decides to take his own two children, Ivan and Andrei, on a fishing trip, and on the way, disciplines them in many lessons of life. These lessons range from principles of responsibility to surviving in the wild. Although this disciplining may seem like good parenting, there are still examples in which the father is less of an admirable person. In the end, he is inconsiderate, badly behaved, and most of all, abusive toward his own children.
One of the most important qualities of a good parent is consideration towards a child. This quality enables the parent to create a sense of safety and understanding in his or her parent-child relationship. However, when a parent forcefully imposes his will on an already uncomfortable child, he can gradually break the bond that they share. In The Return, Ivan’s father does just that - he forcefully imposes his will upon his son to call him father. This scene plays out in a car, where Ivan keeps on complaining about small disturbances. In the end, Ivan’s father forces him to submit by acknowledging him as father instead of some random person. This may seem like a petty argument, but the fact that the father doesn’t consider Ivan’s own feelings indicates the qualities of subpar parenting. Although it is true that a parent always wants his or her child to acknowledge him or her as a parent, it still is frowned upon to suddenly force a child to acknowledge, especially when that child still doesn’t have any positive feelings towards his or her new guardian yet.
Another quality of a good parent is the ability to exert self control in situations where chi...
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...ve guardian. Even though these things, with the exception of abuse, may not amount to much, when put together, they can have detrimental effects on any kind of child. The father’s indifference toward Ivan was what first set the parent-child relationship off course. The bad examples shown afterward did not help mend the relationship at all, but instead made it even worse. Finally, the abusive axe punishment was what finally broke the parent-child bond between Ivan and his father. All of these actions drove Ivan to be suicidal, which in the end, resulted in his father’s death. If Ivan and Andrei’s father were actually considerate, more behaviorally adequate, and less abusive, a fate like death wouldn’t have happened. However, these qualities, in the end, did create the downfall for their host - they gradually ate at the parent-child relationship until it was no more.
The dynamic between parents and children condition what the child will think and follow through with. It is important that child and parents establish an appropriate relationship that can guide them through their life.This struggle between parents and children as discussed in In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the life of wealthy Christopher McCandless is chronicled, and what may have drove him away to traverse the wilds of Alaska, which ultimately lead to his demise. Jon Krakauer takes the reader on ride explaining the damaged relationship between christopher and his parents using specific events and words, this shaped Christopher into the person that went into the woods to find new horizons. Krakauer does this by introducing his purpose.
some parents may end up feeling that their parenting skills are not on par with other parents of
In Fathers and Sons, Turgenev reflects the theme of fatherhood, with love and affection shown between Bazarov and his father Ivanovich, Arkady and his father Nikolai and also Nikolai and his small son Mitya. In comparison, Shelley in Frankenstein labours on the abandonment of the monster by his creator. In effect, Victor is the father of his ‘son’ the monster and he has abandoned him at his ‘birth’. This showing of paternal love in Fathers and Sons and the abandonment of it in Frankenstein shows an important comparison between the two novels.
A parent’s parenting styles are as diverse as the world we live in today. Nowadays, parents only want what is best for their children and their parenting styles plays a crucial role in the development of children which will in the long run, not only effect the child’s childhood years, but later prolong into their adult life as well.
“Fortunately, children do not need “perfect” parents. They do need mothers and fathers who will think on their feet and who will be thoughtful about what they have done. They do need parents who can be flexible, and who can use a variety of approaches to discipline.” - James L. Hymes, Jr. this quote, I can say, is physically very true. If it wasn’t my father who was rigorous to...
A parent is worth more than what is stated in “How Much Do Parents Matter?” To a child, a parent is their entire world. A parent is there to support, raise and build up a child. They are there for protection and guidance. When you think of the word ‘Parent’ what comes to mind?
...e treated his family. The kids were raised in an environment of fear and punishment. This affected every relationship, even with other children, they had established. Being bound to one’s culture is not necessarily a bad thing. The kids are disciplined and respectful, at least in the presence of other adults. The problem with the father was not understanding that some values are expired and do not fit society's norms. Traditions that bring families together should be kept not the opposite. Since society's norms are constantly changing, we have to keep traditions alive that correlate. Good traditions and cultural values should be passed on from generation to generation not the traditions that bring children down.
A father ultimate role is to maintain structure in his household. However, in the One Hundred Years of Solitude the role of patriarchy has reverse int...
A few years ago, the psychologist “Baumrind” came up with four different parenting styles that discuss the Warmth-Control relationship between parents and their children. The four parenting styles are; Authoritarian parenting, Authoritative parenting, Permissive parenting and Uninvolved parenting. The next paragraph will demonstrate the relationship of a parent “Ralf Hitler” and his son “Bruno” through a story that is taken from a movie called “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”. Additionally, this story was studied in order to understand the parent’s action and the child’s reaction, and predictably, match and compare the result with what Baumrind assumed.
The boy appears to play the role of the responsible adult more so than the father does. The boy has typical signs of a child from today’s broken family relationships; he does not want to disappoint either parent. The boy s...
middle of paper ... ... outward acts of disapproval when expected to accomplish a task, and seldom follow thru with a given chore. Successful parenting may be judged by many different standards. Raising a child to be a respectful, mature, and independent adult requires a great deal of effort. There are several parenting styles, and not all lead a child to reaching their full potential.
It can be said for most parents that they want their children to grow up to be successful contributing members of society. Being a parent is a difficult, yet rewarding task. But why do some types of parenting result in juvenile delinquency while others find success. There are four generally recognized parenting styles and are categorized: authoritarian, permissive, neglectful, and authoritative. This essay will break down the various styles, its type(s) of discipline and effectiveness.
Every parent has different methods in raising a child. The way a child is raised has a tremendous influence on his or her whole life. Some parents believe in having a more lenient and friendly relationship while others believe in being more severe and oppressive. As shown in Dead Poet’s Society, overbearing parenting results in open defiance and can have deleterious results. In Dead Poet’s Society, the character Neil Perry’s father’s austere, uncommunicative and dictatorial relationship with Neil led to Neil’s demise.
(Baumrind 1971, 1991 as cited in Kopko) that, “positive parenting is warm but firm.” Youth should be given a certain degree of freedom but need to be encouraged to exercise this freedom within the accepted social norms and limits. The reason for setting such limits is to educate and inculcate a sense of self-discipline and positive values in the child. The more a child learns to control their behavior the better their self-esteem, as they know that they have achieved certain positive values. As a result, they feel more positive about other people as well as themselves known how to interact and conduct themselves appropriately when dealing or interacting with other people. (Heinsler,
Another thing that parents do is not correctly discipline their children. What they think is a punishment, is really a reward to the child. For example the child is becoming annoying to the parent; the parent will then give the child either a cellphone or a tablet so that the child will become distracted. By doing this time...