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What are the influences of family in your development as an individual
Influences of family in development as an individual
Family structures in previous generations
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My family and family history starts like most people’s. Two people fell in love, they had kids, their kids had kids and so on and so forth. But where we come from and who we are, is a completely different story. From our European roots, to the mixing of our blood once my family migrated to America, my family is quite complex but one that I am proud of and love greatly. I want to begin with my dad’s side of the family as we know a little more about where we came from. From what we know, his relatives lived in Ireland until the time of the great Irish Potato Famine. Once they arrived in America my dad’s relatives settled down South, but somewhere down the line, someone moved North. This brings me to my Great Grandma Mary. She and her husband lived near Coldwater Michigan where they settled and had my Grandma Lela and her brothers, Lee Combs, Lewis Combs and her one sister that …show more content…
Because this was the decade in which my father grew up, this was what he had come to know as the “ideal family.” My mom on the other hand was born during the time when individualization was becoming more and more popular. Women worked and supported themselves, and did not necessarily need someone to look after them. Once my mom was ready to settle down and have a family, she did want her husband to work but she did want to make it clear that she would also work and conform to being a housewife. With this came differences in my parent’s marriage. My dad felt as if he was the head of the household, so he had the authority. But my mom did not want to feel as though my father was above her. She felt as though he was at the same level of power as she. My dad “[tended] to use power in a way that assure the maintenance of [his] own more powerful position” (Balswick 14). This did not help our family much at all. We became what the Balswick 's call a “hurting
My family consists of a short generation. My parents, Gina and Darrell, are divorced. I am the oldest and I have a younger brother, Kyle. My mom’s side of the family is the Cox family. My mom is the oldest of five.
My father's siblings include my uncles: Jay, Kurt and John. My eldest uncles Jay and Kurt were adopted. My uncle Jay served in the army in Berlin before he married my aunt Christa. Together they have two daughters, Monika and Irene Multhauf. My
Remember when children could walk down the street without having their parents with them? Maybe, you remember your dad sitting around the house on his off day in a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie? No? Neither do I, the reason we don’t remember this is because this took place back in the 1950’s, well before we were thought of. A time when siblings got along with one another, the mothers and fathers both had their own roles within the household, and neither of them shared tasks for the most part. People always seemed to use their manners, always dressed their best, and always seemed to want to be kind toward one another, within their households at least. As time has changed through the years, the changes through or within society has been the
My grandmother, Rokeya Sultana, grew up in the urban parts of Bangladesh, with 2 sisters and 3 brothers. Her father, my great grandfather, was the chief officer of the district. She would go to school or to places by a motorcycle, car, or helicopter. She was living the life of her dreams. But then, my great grandfather had diabetes, and it was discovered one month before he died. It was a great shock for my great grandmother’s family because they had to move from the urban city to a rural neighborhood. My grandmother went to elementary, middle, and high school as a child. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. She was a good student and a very honest and respectful person. Once she reached the age of 20 to 21, she married Jonab Ali, my grandfather, and moved to Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.” These words of Alex Haley truly expressed to me personally the imperative need and importance of my family history and heritage. As I believe, family is a gift often cherished, but few take the time to discover and thank those who planted the roots from which a family grows. To express gratitude to my ancestors who planted such roots I have travelled back to discover the past and configure the life of my great grandfather, August Baier.
Each member of the family was expected to fulfill certain roles, and to execute their obligations appropriately. When men came back from World War Two, they were forced to jump back into a normal lifestyle: working and raising a family. The father was the sole provider of the family, as he controlled the finances by working a steady job. After each day of work, the father would come home and find his role change from an intelligent businessman to a loving and caring husband. While the father was at work for the day, the mother was at home cooking, cleaning, and tending to the children. A small number of women worked part-time jobs with flexible hours, while still meeting the demands of daily housework, but rarely took the burden of working a full-time job. The mother’s main duty was to care for the children and provide for them. The children were raised to act in a respectful manner, with minimal behavioral issues. When asked by an adult to complete a certain chore, objecting was not an option; as punishment was common. According to John Rosemond from the Hartford Courant, “Your mom and dad paid more attention to one another than they paid to you.” He also commented, “They bought you very little, so you appreciated everything you had. And you took care of it” (Author John Rosemond, “Raising Kids In 1950s Households Vs. Today’s”). Children looked up
Comparing its structure and function as it was in 1960 with what it had become in 1990 can highlight the dramatic changes in the American family. Until 1960 most Americans shared a common set of beliefs about family life; family should consist of a husband and wife living together with their children. The father should be the head of the family, earn the family's income, and give his name to his wife and children. The mother's main tasks were to support and enable her husband's goals, guide her children's development, look after the home, and set a moral tone for the family. Marriage was an enduring obligation for better or worse and this was due much to a conscious effort to maintain strong ties with children. The husband and wife jointly coped with stresses. As parents, they had an overriding responsibility for the well being of their children during the early years-until their children entered school, they were almost solely responsible. Even later, it was the parents who had the primary duty of guiding their children's education and discipline. Of course, even in 1960, families recognized the difficulty of converting these ideals into reality. Still, they devoted immense effort to approximating them in practice. As it turned out, the mother, who worked only minimally--was the parent most frequently successful in spending the most time with her children. Consequently, youngsters were almost always around a parental figure -- they were well-disciplined and often very close with the maternal parent who cooked for them, played with them, and saw them off to and home from school each day.
After reading different articles and learning more about African American culture, it made me want to find out more about my own family culture. There are different traditions that are pasted down in generations, which could have been a part of African culture that we don’t realize such as parenting styles. I don’t remember hearing too many stories about my past relatives growing up, so I had to find out more on my family experiences in the south. Also, I wanted to see how spirituality played a roll in my family choices. My goal in this paper is to show how I got a better understanding of the reason my family could be structured the way it is now.
Twentieth century America has become a time for attacking and destroying the most malignant of our social diseases. At the forefront of these attacks has been racism. Although nationalistic and bigoted sentiments existed in America prior to the founding of Jamestown, it was not until the civil rights movement of the 1960's that racial equality became more of a reality than a dream. But as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other people of color struggled to regain their cultural identity, the rest of the population was assimilated into an all inclusive racial category known as "white."
History is an important thing to hold on to. It helps to gain an understanding not only of the past, but also of the present. The people who lived through the important turning points in North American history helped to shape what North America is today. History comprises not just the Jeffersons or the Lincolns, but it also comprises the Van Camps, Lyons, and Lanes. People need to remember the major and minor players in history. Researching one’s family history would be a perfect way to start exploring the makeup of the past and providing for the future.
I have many nationalities, among these are Irish. Scottish, german, Belgian, Norwegian, Swedish and Native American. History is important, especially when it comes to your family. If we ask a family member about our roots, we can learn about ourselves. By asking many of my family members, I have learned many things about me and my family.
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
Throughout my life I have heard a wide range of stories from my parents. When putting this assignment together I have put these stories into account. Randall Bass, educator of English at Georgetown University, concurs that stories shape individuals ' personalities. Bass expresses that, "People infer their feeling of personality from their way of life, and societies are frameworks of conviction that decide how individuals experience their lives" (Bass 1). Social stories about family history, religion, nationality, and legacy impact individuals ' conduct and convictions. Personalities of diverse individuals originate from their societies. Narrating starts at home. Stories associate individuals to their frameworks of convictions. They shape individuals ' lives by giving them a model of how to live. Individuals get their most punctual learning from distinctive stories. (Bass)
When you think about your family history and how far you can follow your family history back to the first time they arrived in the U.S you would be pretty amazed. When I start back to my family history on both of my parents side I can go as far back as my great-great grandparents on both sides. On my mom side her great grandmother was from a Caribbean island she later came to the U.S. because of my great-great grandfather wanted to live in Mississippi to work there to earn more money. Later my great grandfather and grandmother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan with my grandfather who was from Michigan. My grandfather parents lived in the south when he was younger. But my grandfather’s great-great grandparents where slaves who were run a ways
Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.