Tuesday, September 9, 2014
'Normal' Family Life
One of themes that I picked out of the movie and literature we've gone over so far is family life. Both Winter's Bone and Harry Potter portray abnormal family settings. In Winter's Bone, the father is absent physically, while the mother is absent mentally. This leaves Ree, at her young age, to mature quickly and be not only a role model and sister, but also a mother and a father to her younger siblings. A seventeen year old girl is the head of the family. She undergoes enormous challenges and takes huge risks to protect her brother and sister. In Harry Potter, both of Harry's parents are deceased and he's in the care of his aunt and uncle. He is not loved, but instead, treated like a slave. He is made to do housework and is shut in his room. The ones who are supposed to love and care for him are ashamed of him. This environment has a large effect on Harry and the only place in which he feels like he is worthy is at school. For Harry, his friends, classmates, and teachers are his family. These are the people who celebrate him and care about him. Both of these instances are examples of what is considered abnormal family life, but how abnormal is it? In today's society not many families follow the ideal family structure. Personally, I know one family that has parents who are still together and two kids who are leading 'normal' lives. What was previously considered as normal is not so in today's society, these two pieces demonstrate that.
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Emily,
ReplyDeleteFamily life is an important, yet nonstandard theme we see in both Winter’s Bone and Harry Potter. It was significant that Ree stepped up and did what she could to protect her family. Harry had a very tough life growing, especially living with the Dursleys. Not only did his cousin treat him horribly, but also his aunt and uncle because of what he is. He wasn’t even put in a regular room to stay in. I also agree that school is where Harry Potter can find some form of family and that in today’s society, we see many families that are not ideal.
Your family is what shows you "the ropes" of the real world. So to have an abnormal family, such as Ree's or Harry's, can be bad. However, as you said Ree is forced to become mature at a young age. This is an important trait for any character to have, as somebody needs to serve as a guiding light in order for everyone to survive. Harry had a hard time as well and his ill treatment was apalling. But like Ree, he didn't become a self-centered, spoiled "Dudley", instead a humble and kind person who can relate to the downtrodden, such as Dobby.
ReplyDeleteI found family to be one of the most interesting themes we have touched base with so far as well. I love that both characters were able to evolve and better themselves from the situation that they were living in when it did come to family. I like how you discussed that Harry feels loved and more like a member of a family when he arrives at Hogwarts. He feels refreshed and does not like to leave the castle to go back to the place he spent 12 years at in a prison. I think that family is a huge theme and that it teaches us that family is not always those who you live with, but those who make you feel wanted and loved.
ReplyDeleteA normal family is rarely depicted in todays society. Whether, it be on movies or in liturature. I have often sat and pondered childrens movies and the lack of parental normity. The recurring theme seems to be either the death of one parent or in some cases both. I realize it creates a much more dramatic story line but what message does it send to children, They will be consumed with the idea that parents always die or that they are abnormal because they have two parents and a caring loving home.
ReplyDeleteFamily is the most important thing to me. I put my family first before anything! Everyone lives a different life so everybody has a different opinion on what is perfect and what is not. I do think though that everyone agrees that Harry Potter lived a hard life and no one wants to be in that position. It has to be hard to have no one that loves you and care about what you do. This was an interesting theme and I am glad that someone talked about it. You did a good job.
ReplyDeleteWhen my stepmom was younger, she had a very rough childhood and went through a lot of hard things that no child should go through. However, she is the most loving and caring person and the best stepmom that I could ever ask for. She has always told me that you can either submerge yourself in the bad things or change your environment, make it a happy and positive one, and learn from the bad. She could have become someone that I can't even imagine. I think family does teach you a lot even if they are a really bad example of how a family should be. I think Ree has learned from her father greatly even without his presence. It has taught her that she must always be there for her siblings and when she has children I'm sure she would never abandon them and put them through what she has been through. You could also say this about Ree's mother. You can see how Ree developed into a loving person and didn't dwell in the bad. Family is one of the main themes in this film and it is constantly talked about. You did a wonderful job explaining the theme and keep up the great work!
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