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The Breakfast Club Essay

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The Breakfast Club (Intercommunications)

John Hughes’ 1985 film, The Breakfast Club, gives countless examples of the principles of interpersonal communication. Five high school students: Allison, a weirdo, Brian, a nerd, John, a criminal, Claire, a prom queen, and Andrew, a jock, are forced to spend the day in Saturday detention. By the end of the day, they find that they have more in common than they ever realized.
I will begin by selecting a scene from the movie and using it to explain what interpersonal communication is. The interpersonal transaction I chose to isolate was the scene where we see Bender and Claire going through each other’s wallet and purse. Claire inquires …show more content…

They would probably be much more defensive and self-protective in a different context. Interpersonal communication is governed by rules. One of these rules is that people should respect the other’s privacy. In this situation, when Bender is reluctant to explain why he doesn’t believe in monogamy, Claire sees this and backs off.
In Claire and Bender’s conversation, there are a few nonverbal messages both characters send. Claire is curious and intrigued by Bender. This can be seen in her posture towards him and her usage of direct eye contact. Bender seems to be somewhat disinterested because of his avoidance of eye contact and unanimated facial expressions. When Claire (discussing monogamoustic relationships) asks, “Why not?” it is clear that Bender doesn’t want to answer the question by his cold look and quick change of subject.
There aren’t any verbal misunderstandings between the two because Claire persistently asks for clarification on every one of Bender’s responses. Claire asks, “Are all these your girlfriends?” Followed by, “What about the others?” Bender replies, “Some I consider my girlfriends and some I just consider.” Due to Bender’s vague response, Claire asks, “Consider what?” If Claire didn’t keep asking for explanations, she would misunderstand Bender because of his vagueness.
In this interaction, both characters display characteristics of an

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