What Is The Difference Between Family And Family Conflict In The Modern Society

1875 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sherman alexie on being indian

An Insight to Family Conflicts and the Parent-Child Relationship observed in Writing Vs. the Modern Society

There is a noticeable gap in regards to family conflicts and parent-child relationships in today’s society; it is also a prominent topic in writing. “The developmental stake and developmental schism hypothesis provides a useful framework for understanding why tensions exist in the parent and adult child relationship across the lifespan”(Psychology and Aging). This means that due to behaviors changing and the world around us changing, that it causes altered perspectives between the parent and the child which causes problems. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” and Sherman Alexie’s “What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,” the reader notices a conflict between the children and the parents. Although the three stories slightly alter from each other, the messages are still relevant. The three stories present topics that are troubled in today’s society such as parents dealing with a lack of appreciation from a child, …show more content…

In the way that Kincaid writes, her diction of “this is how you...” serves as a modeling purpose for the speaker’s daughter to observe and learn the correct behaviors. “Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry”(Kincaid 47). From this area of text, the reader notices the small tasks in simply doing laundry that is taught. Then as the text continues, we read the lines, “Soak your cloths right after you take them off”(Kincaid 47). This shows an insight how maturity and changes that the daughter may go through during life and growing up. In particular to this text, it may state those words in reference to the menstruation stage and keeping good hygiene during

Show More
Related

  • Literary Analysis Of 'Confetti Girl And Tortilla Sun'

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Conflict between the main characters in fictional stories can be so thick, you need a razor-sharp knife to cut it; that is definitely the case in the two literary texts I recently analyzed titled “Confetti Girl” by Diana Lopez and “Tortilla Sun” by Jennifer Cervantes. In the first text, tensions mount when a social butterfly of a teenage girl and her oblivious father lock horns over the subject of homework. In the second passage, drama runs high when a lonely child and her career-driven mother battle over the concept of spending the summer apart. Unfortunately, by the end of both excerpts, the relationships of these characters seem damaged beyond repair due to their differing points of view - the children end up locked behind their barrier-like

    Read More

  • Tortilla Sun Conflict

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    In certain cases that may relate to the two passages; there may be tension between parent and child due to contrasting opinions. In “Tortilla Sun” the different points of view was how the mother and daughter would spend their summers. Izzy did not want to spend it at her grandmother’s, but her mother could not care for her and needed to finish her studies. This created conflict between the two. In “Confetti Girl” the narrator tries to overlook the flaws in her father and have a good time, but he messes it up by focusing on her homework. The narrator is upset at her father and this creates tension in the moment. Parents are still people in the end, so should they put their wants and needs first, or make sure their children are always

    Read More

  • Everyday Use by Alice Walker

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, Walker shows differences in human character, just by the way they act towards family members. The main character in the story, Mother, has two daughters that she treats very differently, and they treat her differently. One daughter looks down on Mother in a condescending manner, and the other is obedient and kind. In "Everyday Use", Walker shows that in relationships between a mother and daughters, adaptation to change can sometimes be very hard, which leads to pride and protecting what one has accomplished, and finally shows how un-appreciation can hinder these relationships.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast I Stand Here Ironing And Everyday Use

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    The stories “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, are different in many ways, but are also similar. “I Stand Here Ironing” and “Everyday Use” both focus on the relationships of the mother and daughter, and on the sibling’s relationships with each other. Emily from “I Stand Here Ironing” and Maggie from “Everyday Use” have different relationships with their mothers, but have similar relationships with their sisters. Although the stories are similar in that Emily and Maggie are both distant from their sisters, they differ in that the mother is distant from Emily in “I Stand Here Ironing,” while the mother is close to Maggie in “Everyday Use.”

    Read More

  • Milo and Otis

    3043 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...establishing a “home” has essentially been transferred from the parent to the child, and the traditional home, and consequently family, has all but disappeared in our society. This shift undermines the roles of the parents, and forces the child to take on adult responsibilities at a premature age. We live in an on-the-go day and age where nothing seems to remain constant for any time at all, and with this lack of continuity we have lost a great deal of what was once an integral part of society. The thought of a child ascribing to a “home” devoid of anything infallible is not a pleasant one. If every parent would spare a moment in their busy, fast-paced lives to consider the impact of the dissolution of the traditional home upon our children, we might not need films such as “Milo and Otis” to instruct our children to dissociate home from the world around them.

    Read More

  • Jean Wyrick's Poem For An Un-Inked Daughter '

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, the mother-daughter relationship has been one of society's most prominent love-hate relationships. While many do not experience difficulty in the younger years of the relationship, in the teenage years of the daughter’s life, as she is becoming her own woman, this evolves. While some during this time find themselves growing closer to their mother, most start to stray away from their mom’s nurturing tendencies and find themselves in a series of rebellious activities, ranging from getting tattoos to eloping at a young age. Through the mom’s defiant actions in Jean Wyrick’s “Poem for an Inked Daughter,” Wyrick connects with the hearts and minds of mothers and daughters everywhere as

    Read More

  • The American Family By Stephanie Coontz Summary

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • A & P and Everyday Use Analysis and Comparison

    1679 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a modern society where good deeds and integrity are taken for granted, it is necessary for people to stand up for what is right. The short story “A & P”, written by John Updike, tells the story of Sammy and how he takes a stand for what he believes is right, only he is not given the gratitude he deserved. “Everyday Use”, written by Alice Walker, is another short story that shows how substantial it is to stand firm for one’s convictions and beliefs, especially in familial matters. Mama, the protagonist in “Everyday Use”, must make the decision of protecting her self-conscious daughter Maggie, or giving in to Dee, her other egocentric daughter who has forgotten the traditional values of their family. These two short stories indicate the importance of protecting people from the harshness of reality because not everyone is secure or aware enough to be able to stand up for themselves.

    Read More

  • Parent and Son Relationship in one of Nye, Naomi Shihab´s Poems

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.

    Read More

  • Comparsion Of Kincaid's Girl And Walker's Everyday Use

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    The search for identity in "Everyday Use" written by Alice Walker uses the family's contrasting views to illustrate the importance of understanding present life in relation to the traditions of ancestral culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker uses the voice of the protagonist (the mother) to demonstrate which factors contribute to the values of one’s heritage and identity; she illustrates that these are represented not by the possession of objects or mere appearances, but by one’s lifestyle and attitude. Also, in the illustration “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid uses a mother’s voice, like Walker, to illustrate the mother’s meaning of identity. Both mothers in each story have their own outlook of what defines a person’s identity. Although each mother has different...

    Read More

  • Parent-Child Relationship in Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parent/Child relationships are very hard to establish among individuals. This particular relationship is very important for the child from birth because it helps the child to be able to understand moral and values of life that should be taught by the parent(s). In the short story “Teenage Wasteland”, Daisy (mother) fails to provide the proper love and care that should be given to her children. Daisy is an unfit parent that allows herself to manipulated by lacking self confidence, communication, and patience.

    Read More

  • Does Divorce Affect Children Negatively?

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mzarcovitz, Hal. “Chapter 3: Irreconcilable Differences.” Teens & Family Issues (2004): 9-14. Book Collection: Nonfiction: Web. 25 March 2014

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of "The Veldt"

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Caldwell, Tracy M. “The Negative Effects Of Parent And Child Conflict.” Literary Theme: The Negative Effects Of Parent & Child Conflict (2006): 1-5. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Sexual Politics In The Story Of An Hour By Jamaica Kincaid

    1972 Words  | 4 Pages

    In doing this she is listing off things that the Daughter should be acting out upon. “Don 't squat down to play marbles—you are not a boy, you know” (Kincaid 68). The mother is demonstrating how the daughter should act in the presences of boys and explain she is not one. As a girl she must act proper and not play the ways boys do. Boys are aggressive and dirty as seen by society; a girl like she is supposed to be kind and proper. Then the mother explains in one section on how to do housework and chores; a woman’s job. “This is how you iron your father’s khaki shirt so it doesn’t have a crease; this is how you iron your father’s khaki pants so they don’t have a crease” (Kincaid 67). Kincaid writes that the mother is instructing the daughter on how to do her father’s clothing. This shows that the father; a man does not iron his own clothes but that it is a woman’s job. This can connect to Judy Brady’s work “I Want a Wife” which is about a woman who is listing all the things women do for their husband. Like Kincaid she brings up the same chores of housework and tending to clothing. “A wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended,

    Read More

  • Persuasion Written by Jane Austen

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mother’s genuine care for her daughter in girl is displayed through her imperative instructions. The mother decides to transfer her domestic knowledge and life experience to her daughter in order to shape her daughter’s behavior from a young age. She gives out detailed instruction on how to “sew a button, how to hem a dress when the hem coming down to how to iron a khaki shirt so that it does not have a crease” (Kincaid). Although heming a dress is not a difficult chore, the mother emphasizes the its importance since she understands that the appearance of clothing reflects a woman’s character. Because domestic skills serve as a measurement for women’s competence and self-worth, the daughter’s inability to take care of her clothes will indicate her lack of interest in household affair and organizational skills. Through these advice, the mother highlights the importance of house...

    Read More

More about What Is The Difference Between Family And Family Conflict In The Modern Society

Open Document