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roles of the nuclear family
role of the nuclear family
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The Nuclear Family Nuclear Family. Noun. A couple and their dependent children, regarded as a basic social unit (Abate and Jewell, The New Oxford American Dictionary). This definition has changed in both meaning and prevalence over time; it used to signify just a father, a mother, and their children, but now it’s become more inclusive to families who didn 't quite meet that description. Also, this set-up is far less common that it was, since rates of single parents have skyrocketed over the past 50 years (Tenenbaum, “Honor Thy Mother”). Despite this, the nuclear family is still the basic foundation of all familial relationships today. The novel Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is based on the lives (and deaths) of each member of a nuclear …show more content…
All four of these characters all share a flawed, yet close bond; at their core, they are fiercely loyal to each other even though they often disagree. Characters outside of this nuclear family, like Will Tweedy and Love Simpson, feel like outsiders since they can’t comprehend the complicated dynamics behind this group. In the novel Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, the characters Mattie Lou, Rucker, Mary Willis, and Loma all feel conflicted by their differences and natural loyalty to each other, which adds to the book’s tone of confliction and confusion. In the novel Cold Sassy Tree, author Olive Ann Burns demonstrated the bonds between the original members of the Blakeslee family: Rucker, Mattie Lou, Mary Willis, and Loma. For instance, after Loma’s husband commits suicide, her father and sister comfort her in the quote “Mama [Mary Willis] got up from the bed and put her hand on Loma’s arm. ‘Sugar, here’s Pa,” she said softly....As we filed out, he was …show more content…
The death of Mattie Lou brought on countless disagreements between Rucker and his daughters, especially since he remarried a much younger woman, Miss Love Simpson, only three weeks after their beloved mother’s death. Their reaction to this scandalous news was illustrated in the quote “[Rucker]‘I’m aimin’ to marry Miss Love Simpson.’ Mama’s [Mary Willis’] and Aunt Loma’s mouths dropped open and their faces went white..Aunt Loma’s face got as red as if she’d been on the river all day, but it was Mama who finally spoke. In a timid voice she said…(Burns 5)”. The theme of confliction, like how these women feel loyal towards both their father (they want him to be happy) and their mother (they don’t want her reputation to be tarnished) continues for the rest of the novel. His remarriage nearly tears the remaining members of the nuclear family apart. The reactions each daughter had to this news demonstrates their character: Loma’s immediate anger foreshadows many of her actions, and Mary Willis’ shyness continues on throughout the story. For instance, her natural sheepishness inhibits her from speaking up for herself, like when she wanted to go to New York City but her father and his new wife decided to take the trip instead. This is signified in the excerpt “Mama hurried down the stair steps, carrying a bright smile and her nicest petticoats an nightgowns to hang out for airing. I knew she could hardly wait to tell
Olive Ann Burns’ Cold Sassy Tree is a brilliantly written, simple story. The themes of family, prejudice and death affect all readers. Life is not always a “bed of roses”, but Burns uses humor to strip away the thorny problems and leaves only the beauty of the rose.
Kingsolver develops the story of a strong young woman, named Taylor Greer, who is determined to establish her own individuality. The character learns that she must balance this individualism with a commitment to her community of friends, and in doing this, her life is immeasurably enriched. Many books speak of family, community, and individuality. I believe, however, that the idea that Barbara Kingsolver establishes in her book, The Bean Trees, of a strong sense of individualism, consciously balanced with a keen understanding of community as extended family, is a relatively new idea to the genre of the American novel.
The novel challenges the contradicting sides of the expectation and reality of family and how each one contains a symbiotic relationship. The ideal relationship within families differ throughout The Bean Trees. Kingsolver focuses on the relationship between different characters and how they rely on each other to fill the missing gaps in their lives.
The novel, ‘A Tree Grows in the Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith explores the story of Francie’s fall from innocence and her coming of age. Francie eventually learns to value life more as she grew up. She experiences an assertion of life when the Americans initially enter the war that she must live each day the best she can. Francie aptly realizes that the minor issues in life that most people overlook constitute the much-needed happiness. The author underscores that Francie espouses desirable qualities from both her father and mother. Mary Frances Nolan is the daughter of second-generation Americans staying in Brooklyn and is the protagonist of the novel. Katie Nolan is Francie’s mom and hails from a family of strong women. Katie’s oldest sister, Aunty Sissy, is the only daughter of Mary Romney 's who has not learned to read and write. Aunty Sissy has the reputation of being perceived as an easy woman. Aunty Evy is Katie’s older sister and is portrayed as hard working and practical. Mary Rommely is Francie’s maternal grandmother who immigrated to America from Poland. Mary is a devout Catholic and believes in the supernatural. The paper lays a discussion about a heavenly tree, a tree of familial love that grows in Brooklyn, and that survives in any condition no matter how favorable or harsh it may be.
There were similarities between how the family dynamic operated in the film versus the text. The kinship system is similar to the U.S. system used today, which is bilateral, meaning both sides of the family of the parents are recognized. The nuclear family is the basic social unit composed of the mother, father, and children. Polygamous marriage was common among arctic people involving a second wife that was generally the sister of the first. Arranged marriages were also common between men in their late teens and women near puberty.Marriages were essential for survival due to the harsh environment.The film portrayed many interactions between family members involving husband and wife, father and son, mother and child, and between siblings. In
Cold Sassy Tree is a story written by Olive Ann Burns, taking place in a fictional town of the same name and narrated by the main character, Will Tweedy. It is a story of Will’s life experiences, including his Grandpa’s sudden marriage to a much younger woman, his first kiss, and being run over by a train. But before we can talk about that, we have to start from the beginning. Cold Sassy Tree begins with Will’s grandpa, Rucker Blakeslee, announcing to his family that he was going to propose to Love Simpson. This came as a great shock, not only because of the fact that she was a much younger woman, but also that Will’s grandma and Rucker’s wife, Matty Lou, had died only three weeks previously. Though Will’s mother and Aunt Loma (strongly hated by Will) try to reason with him, Rucker continues on as planned, and after the Fourth of July, he ran off to Jefferson to get married.
After five years of being raised and living with their grandmother whom they truly loved, the girls had a rude awakening. Their grandmother, Sylvia had passed away. “When after almost five years, my grandmother one winter morning eschewed awakening, Lily and Nona were fetched from Spokane and took up housekeeping in Fingerbone, just as my grandmother had wished” (Robinson 29). This was the final attempt that their grandmother had made in order for the girls to have a normal and traditional life. This is a solid example of how the sister’s lives are shaped by their family and their surroundings. Lucille’s ultimate concern in life is to conform to society and live a traditional life. She wishes to have a normal family and is sorrowful for all of the losses that she has experienced such as her mother’s and grandmother’s deaths. On the other hand, Ruthie, after spending more time with her future guardian, Aunt Sylvie, becomes quite the transient like her.
Another example of the love felt within a family is Stump (Buddy Jr.), who is Ruth's son, Ruth herself, and Idgie. Stump's father is murdered, and grows up with Ruth and Idgie as his parents. Ruth and Idgie do everything possible to try and keep Stump happy. In fact, when Stump is feeling self-conscious about being with a female in the sexual sense, it is Idgie who arranges for him to have intercourse with a friend of hers: "'It's just that I'm scared, Aunt Idgie. I'm just plain scared'" (Flagg, p.266).
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
This change in family structure and definition has become a very public issue in recent years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau a family is defined as “two or more persons, including the householder, who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption, and who live together as one household” (www.census.gov). This legal...
Although growing up without his parents was difficult and confusing for Hughes, it was during this time that his fire for literature was sparked by his grandmother, who always told Hughes stories of independent and strong forbears (Mullane 499). Hughes's grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, was prominent in the African American community in Lawrence. Her first husband had died at Harper’s Ferry fighting with John Brown; her second husband, Hughes's grandfather, was a prominent Kansas politician during Reconstruction. Hughes has been quoted as saying, “Through my grandmother’s stories, always life moved heroically to an end. Nobody ever cried in my grandmother’s stories. They worked, or schemed, or fought. But no crying. When my grandmother died, I did not cry either. Something about my grandmother’s stories(without her having said so) taught me the uselessness of crying.
Sheila and Mrs Birling are from a same wealthy family, with the relationship of mother and daughter, but they have different in characteristic and attitudes throughout the novel, which show the contradiction in ideology of different generations.
There is an infinite number of personalities and the best art works portray them vividly and truthfully. Some people are practical, while others are more abstract. In the comedic novels about family life, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932) and Chicken Every Sunday: My Life with Mother's Boarders by Rosemary Taylor (1943), the practical characters are in the forefront. While representing different life phases due to their age difference, Gibbons's main character Flora Poste is quite similar in her life views and actions to Taylor's Mother. The central theme is the conflict between notions of practicality and romance, reflected by the actions of the heroines, which happen to be heavily affected by their unconventional upbringings.
The sociological definition of the family is “a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society” (Schaeffer, 2009, p. 288). While the nuclear family (a man, a woman, and their children) was once the primary definition of family, now it refers to many familial configurations. Single-parent families, blended families, same-sex couples, traditional nuclear families and single-parents who have adopted are just a few of the configurations that society in general now views as a family. A healthy family will provide a place of unconditional love, acceptance and support.
Every human being needs to have some kind of relationship in order to maintain a healthy well-being. Someone who is there to give support and guidance is an important ingredient to one’s life recipe. The women in The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, show very generous support towards one another. The best example of this is displayed in Lou Ann and Taylor’s relationship. When Taylor and Lou Ann are first introduced, Lou Ann doesn’t believe in herself. She constantly puts herself down and doesn’t see her full potential. Her negative relationship with Angel is