Mike Nichol’s film The Graduate (1967) presents a portrayal of the affluent suburbs of America and the intricate issues the environment produces. In the film, Nichols highlights one of these issues by showing how parental pressures cause a lack of authenticity in children’s lives. This lack of authenticity develops from parents expecting their children to do exactly as they say, leaving them no room to be who they truly are. As a result, children defy their parents’ orders and look for temporary escapes from reality as a way of coping with their situation. This concept is symbolically presented when Benjamin Braddock’s (Dustin Hoffman) parents (William Daniels & Elizabeth Wilson) attempt to persuade him into asking Elaine Robinson (Katharine …show more content…
In this new world, Ben can think for himself and be who he truly is. This theme of breaking free from reality continues to show up throughout the film as we see Ben have an affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes (The Graduate). These vices create a momentary lapse in his being where he can be free from the reality that was constructed for him. Although these hiatuses from actuality make Ben content for short periods of time, they fail to fix the underlying problem. Ben’s authenticity has been stolen from him and he feels a void without its presence. This causes him to act in a way that is not only inauthentic to himself, but also defies his parents’ wishes. We see the emotion this tragedy instills in Ben in the final seconds of the scene. As he’s holding his breath underwater, we see his eyes wide as can be as if they are screaming for help (The Graduate). Ben is desperately looking for a way out of his situation, but the horror in his gaze shows he knows reality is waiting for him at the surface once his breath is up. The combination of parental expectations and unhealthy coping mechanisms causes Ben to lose his sense of self and creates a longer list of problems than he had in the first …show more content…
Society has constructed the expectation that suburban families should have a Mother and a Father with steady jobs, a nice home, and 2.5 children that go on to earn college degrees. If individuals act in ways that defy this expectation, they often feel disappointment and shame from not meeting the standard. This gap between expectations and authenticity causes emotional distress to the citizens of suburban America and leads to the adoption of vices such as adultery and substance
In Chapter 14, “What’s Motivating this Writer?” One key point is that the author can be writing based on an argument that he or she is responding to. They usually build arguments over issues that may be overlooked by their readers. Rather than having one argument, they have multiple and include the actual standpoint of the argument and also have their own response to it. Also, the reader should try to visualize what the author is arguing about so they can understand what they are retorting to or know what the argument is about.
The author Wes Moore dad was a hard worker and he had dreams & goals set for the future. The other Wes’s parents didn’t have as much drive and ambition. The other Wes’s dad walked out on him and his mother was left to work jobs just to provide for the family. Author Wes’s parents ambitions rubbed off onto him and his mother’s love for education drove her to push Wes academically. The two mothers had different expectations and ambitions for their sons. The other Wes states “‘We will do what others expect of us, Wes said. If they expect us to graduate we will graduate. If they expect us to get a job, we will get a job. If they expect us to go to jail, we will go to jail.” (Moore 126). The expectation the families had on both Wes’s shaped who they were and that influenced the decisions they made, that caused their lives to end up so
Parents are always supposed to look out for the best interests of their child. Anne Tyler authored the short story “Teenage Wasteland” which depicts the strained mother and son relationship between the character Donny, and his mother Daisy. Donny is a teenage boy who is struggling with his grades at school and is exhibiting poor behavior. His mother Daisy is concerned with her son’s grades and behavior, however, she fails at getting her son the help that he requires. Told through a third person point of view through the character of Daisy, Tyler uses irony to tell the story of a teenage boy who is failed by the adults in his life who are supposed to help him flourish, including his parents, a psychologist, and his tutor.
This film contains some classic examples of the kinds of real life issues adolescents deal with. Issues such as popularity, peer relationships, family/sibling relationships, sex, and struggles with identity are all addressed in this ninety-minute film.
In youth and throughout life, children look to their parents for answers. Providing advice, tough love, and unconditional support is part of the job description for many parents. In The Other Wes Moore, the audience witnesses first-hand accounts of having a mother that takes on both “mother” and “father” roles. Wes’s mother is strong, courageous, and compassionate, while the Other Wes Moore’s mother is just as compassionate, but naive and in denial of her child’s faults. Wes’s mother, for instance, held high expectations for her son in school, considering the sacrifices she made to send him to the school she wished she could attend in her youth. When hearing of Wes’s grades she says, “Well your grades aren’t bad because you can’t pick this stuff up or because you are stupid, you are just not working hard enough” (76). From there, she proceeds to send Wes to military school, which
Benjamin Braddock is at a crossroads in his life. He has just graduated college which means he has reached adulthood and must decide what to do with his life. The problem is Benjamin is too immature to handle it. He is passive and watches the world around him move on. Ben prefers to lie around in his parent's pool rather than consider graduate school or finding good quality job. He is beginning to realize that the path his parents have chosen for him isn't the one he wishes to follow. He is lost young man in search of high dreams, ...
Many couples in the United States idealize the myth of a “tradition family”. The idea that a woman can spend quality time with her child while maintaining an effective sexual life with her partner seemed to have caused a lot of stress during the 1950s. Coontz’s says “this hybrid idea drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they tried to live up to it.” (Coontz, 569). Which explains that it is merely impossible to try to mold a family to be “ideal.” Many families still strive for a traditional life, which they define as life “back in the day.” They need to forget the past and start living in the 21st century. “Two-thirds of respondents to one national poll said they wanted more traditional standards of family life.”(Coontz, 582). Which goes to show that many families want to change to what once used to be perceived as an “ideal family” but “the same percentage of people rejected the idea that women should return to their traditional role.”(Coontz, 582). Families want to take bits and pieces from what used to be “traditional families” over time and create their own i...
Jolie’s unusual American experience translates into her children’s lives. 16-year-old Maddox holds the title as an executive producer on Jolie’s upcoming film (Buckley 2017). In addition to this coveted title, he has the opportunity to not only learn, but also practice and excel in his foreign language studies such as French. As a result of Jolie’s occupation and immense wealth, her children are able to benefit and obtain upward class mobility. Jolie is able to provide for them numerous tutors and worldly experiences because of her director status and immense wealth. Annette Lareau’s concept of “concerted cultivation” is readily applied through Jolie’s children; the children possess extremely busy lives all while maintaining an airtight unit of trust, respect, and communication with Jolie that all help to engage the children’s logical, reasoning, and argumentative faculties (Lareau 2011, 2). As a result, Jolie’s children will likely grow up to be hardworking and affluent adults ready to challenge authority and navigate bureaucracy. Jolie’s parental platform provides the opportunities and resources for her children to thrive in an upper class
The movie begins with the family and parenting styles concept of child development by introducing the audience to the main character James and his parents. James lives in a two-parent household with his authoritative parents who are providing him with warmth, love, and encouragement (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-522). This concept of parenting styles is shown as the movie begins and James is seen spending time with his parents. Then suddenly, James’ world changes and he is abandoned as a result of his parents being killed. This causes James to become orphaned and forced to live with his authoritarian aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are very controlling towards James and expect him to obey their rules without allowing him to express his feelings. This authoritarian behavior is seen throughout the movie. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are also uninvolved, neglectful, and abusive, using verbal and physical punishment on James when they feel it’s necessary, which is also seen throughout the movie (Levine & Munsch, p. 522). These behaviors cause James to develop lower self-esteem, show less intellectual curiosity, and feel lonely and afraid, which are typical outcomes of an authoritarian parenting approach (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-523). Although James’ aunts’ authoritative parenting style has an effect on his emotional and social behaviors, it is his parents authoritative parenting that plays a...
Firstly, one’s identity is largely influenced by the dynamics of one’s relationship with their father throughout their childhood. These dynamics are often established through the various experiences that one shares with a father while growing up. In The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner, Jeannette and Amir have very different relationships with their fathers as children. However the experiences they share with these men undou...
John Singleton’s view of social problems in South Central Los Angeles happens in a tale of three friends growing up together. Doughboy and Ricky Baker are half-brothers and have opposite personalities. Ricky is a football player who hopes to win a scholarship and spends most of his time playing football. On the other hand, Doughboy is a young man who looks upon his environment for guidance. He is involved in violence, abusing drugs, and participates in violence. In between is their friend Tre, who actually has a father to teach him what is right from wrong. Furious Styles, who is Tre’s father in the film does everything in his strength to keep his son from becoming another startling statistic. As you can see, it is always important for parents to be a part of their child’s life because it can make a big difference not only in their life but also their child’s future.
Starting off the discussion we will start with chapter one. Chapter one is about Decent and street families. Decent families are families who live by society’s norms and try to avoid violence, drugs, confrontation, whereas street families embrace violence and fear because it is a way to stay alive within their neighborhoods. In the chapter they discuss how many families in the inner city actually have the decent family values, but can also harbor the street values. For example in the chapter they actually discussed an instance where Marge a women they had interviewed had a problem with others in her neighborhood. Her story s...
The graduate is based on Charles Webs novel. After World War II, baby boomers enjoyed good financial health, it’s in those revolutionary years that the young Benjamin graduated from College and has been the center of attention for his parents and his acquaintances. Ben’s wants his life different from these empty materialists because then his life will take on a meaning. The film takes place in 1967, Benjamin returns home on vacation and The Robinson couple, friends of their parents for years, are interested in him. The husband wants him to go out with his daughter Elaine, while his wife, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) wants to have intimacies with him. At first, he is terrified of the idea, but under the demeaning control of his eccentric parents,
The system in the model that changes the most is Microsystem. This system includes his parents, school, and peers. In the beging of the film Ben stays at home with his mom while his dad goes to work. This then shifts when Kim wants to go back to work so Ben is placed in preschool. The preschool that Ben goes to is very strict and does not offer much interaction with peers. After Charlie loses his job he becomes Ben’s main caregiver and Ben is pulled from school. This is an improvement on Ben’s development because he is able to express himself with his dad and is creating a bond that he had never had before with Charlie’s. By the end of the movie Ben is back with his peers in his fathers run day care. Now Ben has a more supportive family life and larger group of peers. All these new changes have a positive affect on Ben and can be seen in how he has become more confident and social in his
In The Graduate (1967), director Mike Nichols tells a story about a high strung young man named Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) who is seduced by his parents friend Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and later falls in love with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross). Benjamin spends the rest of his time chasing after Elaine trying to convince her to marry him – despite the fact, Elaine’s family has fallen apart after the affair was exposed. During the creation of this formalistic film, the director uses very interesting mise-en-scene, in particular, the aspects of movement.