Ordinary people essay

Ordinary people essay

Essay about Ordinary People,Analysis of Troubles in "Ordinary People" Essay Example

WebJan 21,  · Ordinary People is the story of a family living in the aftermath of the tragic death of one of their sons, Buck. The death was the result of a boating accident. Soon after, Conrad, Buck brother tried to commit suicide. After a four-month hospitalization, Conrad WebOrdinary People relies on a plot heavily influenced by chance or fate. The death of Buck, for instance, was a freak occurrence that came about as the result of being in the wrong WebOrdinary People Character Analysis Essay Words | 2 Pages. In the novel, Ordinary People by Judith Guest, a family goes through the trials of trying to find normalcy after a WebOrwell defined ordinary people as people who were not overindulged with material goods, had ordinary working jobs, had a minimal education, and wont achieve WebMar 4,  · “Ordinary people” is a simple, but painful emotional story evolving around an upper-middle class family residing in Lake Forest, Illinois. This film tells of the crumbling ... read more

Calvin believes that the way to heal the past is to talk about it. Beth wants to move away from the past and refuses to talk about it in an attempt to escape from the problems. Conrad learns to talk about his emotions and feeling through therapy. This helps to heal the relationship between Calvin and Conrad, as they are able to talk about their feelings. Conrad does not appreciate his father, but Calvin never fails to indulge his son. Beth appears to be somewhat jealous of Calvin's attention directed toward Conrad. Beth spends most of her time playing golf and working around the home. She is troubled deeply, but refuses to outwardly dwell on the past.

Beth always preferred Buck to Conrad for an unknown reason. This affects her difficulty in relating to Conrad. She never really connects with him, as she avoids communicating with him on any level. The family has traditional role. Calvin works outside of the home. Beth spends her time caring for the home and playing golf. Conrad is involved in after school activities, such as swimming and other typical academic activities. Family rules are difficult to discern. They have few formal rules and do not seem to communicate effectively. The family has few friends outside of the family. They spend much effort trying to appear normal outside of the home and in the community.

Ties within the community are not particularly strong. They try to give the appearance of being the perfect family on the outside. Buck's death was the most significant event in the past several years and the Jarretts tried to give the appearance that life simply went on. This event culminated in much tension within the home that was outwardly expressed through Conrad's suicide attempt. The family does not function well as a system, as they are disconnected communication wise. Power is not distributed evenly, with Beth making most of the decisions.

Calvin does not put up much resistance when it comes to Beth's decisions. He often defaults to her. Conrad has little input into family decisions. Beth berates him for beginning therapy and putting the family in a bad light. Assessment Strategy The most important part of the intervention plan involves the development of an appropriate assessment strategy. Bateson's Cybernetics model is the most widely used of the strategies Niolon, Erikson's approach was that the unconscious was full of wisdom, one only needed to give them the keys to accessing it. The Milan Model was heavily influenced by the work of Bateson and other analysts of the time.

Each of these theorists provided a strategy for assessment, treatment planning and treatment of family systems. The Mental Research Institute MRI approach was based on the assumption that families make common sense, but their attempts to resolve problems are misguided. They develop a positive feedback loop and things get even worse. The solution to the problem using this approach involves identification of the feedback loop, finding the rules that govern it, and changing the loops and rules Niolon, Other models, such as that of Haley and Madanes were concerned with function that was served by a particular symptom. They would study the system for months before determining the interactions and the plan of action. They were primarily concerned with power struggles between members and the costs and benefits of keeping up the struggle Niolon, The length of time that this assessment technique takes would not be appropriate, as the family is in immediate crisis and needs intervention to begin in a short time.

In addition, Haley and Madanes classify problems into four distinct categories that result from a desire to control and dominate, a desire to be loved, a desire to love and protect others, and a desire to repent and forgive Niolon, In the case of the Jarretts, communication is the key problem. However, in the case of Conrad, the desire to love and protect others may be a key source of conflict. His guilt stems from his inability to protect others. He also may have sought repentance and forgiveness from his perceived transgressions. The Haley and Mandane's model is not a good fit for this family's problems.

Three primary models exist for the development of problems within families. The cybernetic approach allows for the creation of runaway positive feedback loops. Structurally flawed family hierarchies represent another source of problems. The functional model is where one member develops symptoms to control others Niolon, In the case of the Jarretts, one could see all of these types of problem sources. Runaway positive feedback loops exist in the need for the family to maintain an appearance of normalcy and Beth's continual avoidance of the problem. The family has a structurally flawed hierarchy, as one of the brothers was favored over the other by the mother. Conrad developed symptoms to attempt to control others in his suicide attempt.

These three primary sources of problems makes the Jarrett case a complicated matter. One of the key strengths of the family is their independence, but this is also a key weakness as they all try to solve their problems on their own. This is true, except for the case of Calvin, who tries to talk out his problems with other family members. Conrad learns to talk about his feelings through therapy. Conrad has informal supports through a network of friends and activities at school. It is assumed that Beth has support through her… [END OF PREVIEW]. READ MORE. Two Ordering Options:?

To download this paper immediately , it takes only 2 minutes to subscribe. After you pay and log-in, the "Download Full Paper" link will instantly download any paper s that you wish! You'll be the only person on the planet to receive the one-of-a-kind paper that we write for you! This can be explained but not limited to the various occurrences and experiences in the family. For instance, there is a lack of communication or what we may call effective communication in this family. Moreover, disagreements over what is the priority to each member of the family keep on cropping up. The family lacks in the social set up, as they never sought natural support from their immediate family members and allies in times when they were faced with crises.

An interesting circumstance when this can be seen is when she finds out that Conrad had quit the swim team from a friend. She becomes very angry not because her son had quit the swim team, but because she had learnt this from another person rather than her son. The family lacks in effective communication. In the film, varying personal emotions, feelings, and anger which act or react within the family relationships are clearly evident. Each person in the family has patterns and habits which play a big role in the family dynamic. The family consists of four members. Conrad, who is the protagonist of the novel, is the youngest son in the family. He has an older brother, Buck, who dies in a boating accident before the film plot begins.

Calvin Jarrett, who is referred to as Cal throughout the film, is the father to Conrad and Buck and husband to Beth Garratt. Finally, there is Beth Jarrett, mother to Conrad and Buck and wife to Cal Jarrett. The family is an interactive system in which family members influence and are influenced by each other. Family members also serve some sort of purpose for the continued functioning of the family. Also remember that families can function in constructive and destructive ways, and all families do at least a little of both. With this in mind, look at the family members. What roles do they play in the family? All the family members play a different role in the functioning of the family.

To begin with, Cal spent his childhood in an orphanage and as such, developed a deep desire to care and provide for his family. As a matter of fact, this is a major factor that led him to become a lawyer. She conceals her feelings, and this has led to the emotional distance between her and the rest of the family members. Conrad also influences the functionality of this family in a huge way. Though it may seem as though he played a destructive role when he attempted suicide, this has proved to be constructive as it eventually builds up the family though after quite some huge loss. However, painful the process of escaping the the guilt is, Conrad is finally liberated and learns to love himself and others.

Unlike his brother, Buck does not play a huge role in influencing the functioning of the family. His is natural and had nothing to do with the family. However, his death makes him the most important character in the film since it prompts the emotional hardship through which the family struggles throughout. Boundaries are physical and metaphorical lines of demarcation that indicate who is in and who is out in a family. Family boundaries are often evident in the manner in which the members arrange themselves in a given space. In the film, this is dramatically represented in the family photo scene and the dining room scene whereby all seem to be involved in individual practices not caring about the other.

Finally, in the last scene, Cal tells Conrad that he was not as hard on him as he was with Buck. He says that he did not have the heart for such as Conrad was always hard on himself. On the other hand, Conrad tells his father that he did not tell him what he was going through because he thought that he was already going through a lot. He tells his father to be harder on him like he was with Buck. Characterization of the power hierarchies in the family. There is an unhealthy power dynamic within the family. Beth, who is the mother in this family, makes most of the decisions such as checking the bills after returning from a trip.

Her dire urge for so much power and control within the family leads to a great deal of tensions within the family. As such, Beth has more power in the family and is the decision maker. Cal, who, on the other hand, carries out the decisions, does not have as much as a necessary power to keep the family system integral. The unhealthy balance power operations explain the poor emotional and psychological connections within the family. Beth has issues with power and does not condone any coalitions between his husband and son. Family beliefs are the shared beliefs that exist in families. What evidence did you see of shared beliefs?

Unshared beliefs? Were there any family beliefs that did not seem to take for any of the members? Why do you think this was? The parents were not deeply struck by the loss of their first born and as such an effect was not profound and global. This is because their shared belief system was already well formed and was not as vulnerable. She was emotionally detached from her family and the public in general being more concerned with other issues and social conventions. Family rules are guidelines for behavior of family members that are based on family beliefs and can be explicit spoken of and public or implicit not spoken of and hidden.

One of the beliefs that are evident in this film is exhibited by Cal, who believes that talking is a way to heal and as such he wants to talk through the past with his family. However, Beth abhors his choice and wants to move on and leave the past behind. Secondly, Conrad believes that everything in his life is excessive, as all seems to be going against his will. One way in which families are able to maintain their sense of "family" is through the use of rituals, defined as "composed of metaphors, symbols, and actions that are 'packaged' in use highly condensed dramatic form to establish and maintain family identity. The film applies a number of rituals. Three colors occur most often. Blue represents anxiety and is evident in the color of Dr. Gray symbolizes failure with most of the descriptions of weather describing the gray sky of the early-winter Illinois.

Water is also another symbol that is evident in the film in several different forms. Finally, religious imagery is evident in the film with Christian slogans and imagery cropping up in a few scenes. Though they are relatively rare; they serve as a sense of right and wrong and as a symbol of guidance against which Conrad and Cal discover their own form of guidance. Prior generations tend to transmit their approach to life including attitudes and values to the next generation. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. What evidence did you see of this in the family you viewed? Did you see anyone acting as a transitional character i. Beth was of the idea that she is always right in everything and as such transmitting a negative approach to life to her sons. She has always had a difficult time showing affection to others expect when she has the intention, and that is trying to get other people do things that she wants.

She wants to pass this trait to her children that should not be the case. On the other hand, Calvin acts as a transitional character and has always been passive and wants to pass on positive attributes to his sons. His chief idea seems to make those around him and those who will come thereafter happy. As such, he has avoided conflict with his wife for a while and at times has even acted as a cheerleader than a parent to his son Conrad. Cal is frustrated by not being able to please those around him or to keep the peace in his family. He constantly has to choose to make one person happy at the expense of the other.

Describe the emotional climate of this family. Are there indications of emotional legacies of past relationships that affect the relationships you see on screen? All the family members are emotionally stressed up. Cal is emotionally repressed as he is deeply moving in the difficult role of a father unable to comprehend as to why his family is breaking apart. However, she is afraid of genuine emotion yet exudes an arrogant complacency and as such is emotionally distant from the other family members as well as the public in general. Just like his parents, Conrad is also emotionally disturbed.

The film is truly extraordinary in terms of its emotional resonance and one would need to be made of hard wood not to be deeply moved by the manner these people tell the story. It provides a cautionary example of the problems of emotional non-expressiveness. What evidence do you see of supportive communication in this family? Of defensive communication? How might they improve their communication skills?

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it. Buy now, save instantly, get the job done on time! Type of paper: Essay. Topic: Emotions , Evidence , Film , Communication , Cinema , Parents , Family , Belief. Pages: Words: This film tells of the crumbling of this family after the death of the eldest son in a boating accident. It goes in-depth to tell us of Beth, a profound perverse narcissistic mother who tries to find success only in the social custom of appearances and their approval by hiding behind her mother status. Beth, who is the family mother, has installed coldness of heart, ostentation of feelings and lack of empathy as the usual mode of living in her home by acting blind to matters and feelings of her family.

He responds with depression, guilt, and to the most serious level he attempts suicide. All this happens because Conrad, as a normal teenager does not have the ability to decode this artificial ostentation and come up with the connections. This happens until he is assisted by a dedicated Dr Berger and subsequently finds his way out with his father after his mother parts way with the family. Define this family i. non-traditionally--emotional and social. This can be explained but not limited to the various occurrences and experiences in the family. For instance, there is a lack of communication or what we may call effective communication in this family.

Moreover, disagreements over what is the priority to each member of the family keep on cropping up. The family lacks in the social set up, as they never sought natural support from their immediate family members and allies in times when they were faced with crises. An interesting circumstance when this can be seen is when she finds out that Conrad had quit the swim team from a friend. She becomes very angry not because her son had quit the swim team, but because she had learnt this from another person rather than her son. The family lacks in effective communication. In the film, varying personal emotions, feelings, and anger which act or react within the family relationships are clearly evident. Each person in the family has patterns and habits which play a big role in the family dynamic.

The family consists of four members. Conrad, who is the protagonist of the novel, is the youngest son in the family. He has an older brother, Buck, who dies in a boating accident before the film plot begins. Calvin Jarrett, who is referred to as Cal throughout the film, is the father to Conrad and Buck and husband to Beth Garratt. Finally, there is Beth Jarrett, mother to Conrad and Buck and wife to Cal Jarrett. The family is an interactive system in which family members influence and are influenced by each other. Family members also serve some sort of purpose for the continued functioning of the family. Also remember that families can function in constructive and destructive ways, and all families do at least a little of both.

With this in mind, look at the family members. What roles do they play in the family? All the family members play a different role in the functioning of the family. To begin with, Cal spent his childhood in an orphanage and as such, developed a deep desire to care and provide for his family. As a matter of fact, this is a major factor that led him to become a lawyer. She conceals her feelings, and this has led to the emotional distance between her and the rest of the family members. Conrad also influences the functionality of this family in a huge way.

Though it may seem as though he played a destructive role when he attempted suicide, this has proved to be constructive as it eventually builds up the family though after quite some huge loss. However, painful the process of escaping the the guilt is, Conrad is finally liberated and learns to love himself and others. Unlike his brother, Buck does not play a huge role in influencing the functioning of the family. His is natural and had nothing to do with the family. However, his death makes him the most important character in the film since it prompts the emotional hardship through which the family struggles throughout.

Boundaries are physical and metaphorical lines of demarcation that indicate who is in and who is out in a family. Family boundaries are often evident in the manner in which the members arrange themselves in a given space. In the film, this is dramatically represented in the family photo scene and the dining room scene whereby all seem to be involved in individual practices not caring about the other. Finally, in the last scene, Cal tells Conrad that he was not as hard on him as he was with Buck. He says that he did not have the heart for such as Conrad was always hard on himself.

On the other hand, Conrad tells his father that he did not tell him what he was going through because he thought that he was already going through a lot. He tells his father to be harder on him like he was with Buck. Characterization of the power hierarchies in the family. There is an unhealthy power dynamic within the family. Beth, who is the mother in this family, makes most of the decisions such as checking the bills after returning from a trip. Her dire urge for so much power and control within the family leads to a great deal of tensions within the family. As such, Beth has more power in the family and is the decision maker. Cal, who, on the other hand, carries out the decisions, does not have as much as a necessary power to keep the family system integral.

The unhealthy balance power operations explain the poor emotional and psychological connections within the family. Beth has issues with power and does not condone any coalitions between his husband and son. Family beliefs are the shared beliefs that exist in families. What evidence did you see of shared beliefs? Unshared beliefs? Were there any family beliefs that did not seem to take for any of the members? Why do you think this was? The parents were not deeply struck by the loss of their first born and as such an effect was not profound and global. This is because their shared belief system was already well formed and was not as vulnerable. She was emotionally detached from her family and the public in general being more concerned with other issues and social conventions.

Family rules are guidelines for behavior of family members that are based on family beliefs and can be explicit spoken of and public or implicit not spoken of and hidden. One of the beliefs that are evident in this film is exhibited by Cal, who believes that talking is a way to heal and as such he wants to talk through the past with his family. However, Beth abhors his choice and wants to move on and leave the past behind. Secondly, Conrad believes that everything in his life is excessive, as all seems to be going against his will.

One way in which families are able to maintain their sense of "family" is through the use of rituals, defined as "composed of metaphors, symbols, and actions that are 'packaged' in use highly condensed dramatic form to establish and maintain family identity. The film applies a number of rituals. Three colors occur most often. Blue represents anxiety and is evident in the color of Dr. Gray symbolizes failure with most of the descriptions of weather describing the gray sky of the early-winter Illinois. Water is also another symbol that is evident in the film in several different forms. Finally, religious imagery is evident in the film with Christian slogans and imagery cropping up in a few scenes.

Though they are relatively rare; they serve as a sense of right and wrong and as a symbol of guidance against which Conrad and Cal discover their own form of guidance. Prior generations tend to transmit their approach to life including attitudes and values to the next generation. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. What evidence did you see of this in the family you viewed? Did you see anyone acting as a transitional character i. Beth was of the idea that she is always right in everything and as such transmitting a negative approach to life to her sons. She has always had a difficult time showing affection to others expect when she has the intention, and that is trying to get other people do things that she wants. She wants to pass this trait to her children that should not be the case.

On the other hand, Calvin acts as a transitional character and has always been passive and wants to pass on positive attributes to his sons. His chief idea seems to make those around him and those who will come thereafter happy. As such, he has avoided conflict with his wife for a while and at times has even acted as a cheerleader than a parent to his son Conrad. Cal is frustrated by not being able to please those around him or to keep the peace in his family. He constantly has to choose to make one person happy at the expense of the other.

Describe the emotional climate of this family. Are there indications of emotional legacies of past relationships that affect the relationships you see on screen? All the family members are emotionally stressed up. Cal is emotionally repressed as he is deeply moving in the difficult role of a father unable to comprehend as to why his family is breaking apart. However, she is afraid of genuine emotion yet exudes an arrogant complacency and as such is emotionally distant from the other family members as well as the public in general. Just like his parents, Conrad is also emotionally disturbed. The film is truly extraordinary in terms of its emotional resonance and one would need to be made of hard wood not to be deeply moved by the manner these people tell the story.

It provides a cautionary example of the problems of emotional non-expressiveness.

Ordinary People Essay,Ordinary People Reflection

WebOrdinary People relies on a plot heavily influenced by chance or fate. The death of Buck, for instance, was a freak occurrence that came about as the result of being in the wrong WebMar 4,  · “Ordinary people” is a simple, but painful emotional story evolving around an upper-middle class family residing in Lake Forest, Illinois. This film tells of the crumbling WebJan 21,  · Ordinary People is the story of a family living in the aftermath of the tragic death of one of their sons, Buck. The death was the result of a boating accident. Soon after, Conrad, Buck brother tried to commit suicide. After a four-month hospitalization, Conrad WebOrdinary People Essay Reading the title of this book I assume the novel is going to be about ordinary people. Well I am wrong. It’s about the struggles people go through in WebConrad absorbed the anxiety of the other family members, making him the most vulnerable for problems such as alcoholism, affairs, physical illness, depression, or in this case, a WebOrdinary People Character Analysis Essay Words | 2 Pages. In the novel, Ordinary People by Judith Guest, a family goes through the trials of trying to find normalcy after a ... read more

However, Beth was the primary person who wished to push Conrad out. Sociology studies the interactions with all of these and shows how mere interaction resulted in things like ideas and institutions. As he was always indentifying himself the less important one, he considered it was wrong that he was the one who would still have a life. Ordinary people often go about their lives with little recognition or appreciation. On the other hand, defensive communication is also evident. Assessment Strategy The most important part of the intervention plan involves the development of an appropriate assessment strategy.

This is largely because people generally accept legitimacy claims made… Pages: 4 words · Type: Essay · Bibliography Sources: 1 People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn Term Paper … ¶ … People's History of the United States Howard Zinn's publication a People's History of the United States offers an ordinary people essay perspective on American history. This is a particular concern for Beth, who refuses to speak to anyone about her grief ordinary people essay loss. In this case, the spouses focus their anxieties on one or more children. At the middle of the novel, it is revealed that Conrad tried to kill himself by slitting his own writs and letting himself bleed to death during a holiday he spent with his parents. Where D You Go Bernadette Character Analysis Words 5 Pages, ordinary people essay. It shows that she had lots of trouble trying to cope with the pain of her dead son Buck. The family has few friends outside of the family.