The Relationship Between Characters In Ordinary People By Judith Guest

    Humans have come to a conclusion that all lives are different, but all go through many hardships and tragedies. The impact from a slight difference can vary to be very vast to very small, such a slight difference, however, can change a person’s life as a whole. In the book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore there is a difference that can be identified between the author’s life and that of the other Wes. This difference, though can be very critical and is ultimately able to lead to a path of triumph or failure for an individual. The lack of involvement a mother has for their child can fundamentally deprive them from succeeding, and parent involvement has the opportunity to

Behind the communication barrier with Beth, there are hidden problems. Conrad is still dealing with many side effects of Buck’s death, such as constant guilt, anger, and

Some scenes that display violence include, but are not limited to, the french toast scene in which she forcefully throws out Conrad’s breakfast after he said he was not hungry. Also, when Conrad accuses her of not visiting him when he was in the hospital she gets violent. Both of these would be classified as attacking or controlling. Some examples of Beth showing silence would include the talk about the dog with Conrad, which would be considered avoiding. Also, when Calvin was talking to her about his feelings she displays withdrawing by leaving the room altogether. The most important conflict management that could help this would be to create safety. Using the STATE technique would also be helpful. In this case Beth could talk to Conrad about what she has felt and observed over the past weeks (Sharing her facts), and then tell Conrad how she feels about the whole situation (Telling her story). Next she needs to ask Conrad how he feels (Ask for the other person’s views), reveal that she does not know how her story ends (Talk Tentatively), and lastly she should play devil’s advocate if necessary (Encourage testing). In doing this, both parties, Conrad and Beth, could understand each other and avoid future

Throughout the duration of this conversation it is evident by her short responses that Beth is not genuinely listening to what Conrad is saying and her body language shows her clear disinterest and anxiousness to exit the conversation. The lack of adequate communication between these two characters results in a shattered and distant relationship that leaves both Beth and Conrad in separate worlds of unspoken guilt and resentment toward one another that only grows stronger as time progresses. It is unclear if reason for Beth's resentment towards Conrad has stemmed from Buck's death or from the recent suicide attempt (or both), but her behavior towards her son shows her obvious distaste for him.

People do things that they normally would not do when they are put in certain situation that test them. In Michael Crichton’s novel Sphere, Beth does many things that she would not normally do when she is put in certain situations that test her. “‘I want to put you under, Norman. Like Harry.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s only for a few hours, Norman,’ she said, and then she seemed decide; she moved swiftly toward him, and he saw the syringe in her hand, the glint of the needle, and he twisted away… She had shut off his power, she had shut off his heat, and now she shut off his air. He was trapped” (Crichton 423-433). Beth does not act normally because she does not have equanimity after she is faced with fear, in the presence of power, and in

In the film, Ordinary People, Calvin Jarrett is the husband of Beth Jarrett and the father of Buck and Conrad Jarrett. He has been experiencing a very difficult time in his life. Recently, his son Buck died in a boating accident and Conrad attempted to commit suicide, but did not succeed because he found him in time to save him. Losing one son and almost losing his other son was a painful experience for Calvin. Through the film, we see his feelings about his children as well his caring and honest nature.

Kindred is a science fiction novel written by Octavia Butler in 1979. In Kindred, Butler realizes the power and effect interracial relationships, especially those between black women and white men, can have on others. In a more broader sense, relationships of males and females. After thoroughly reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that being an African-American during the nineteenth century can be deemed as insufferable. I put forth the argument that living in that age and time as a color other than white could have impacted such lives to be seen as unfair and unequal in regards to violence, abuse, and mistreating others.

Eeshna Nath Cultural Paper: The Fosters The Fosters is a family drama series that premiered in 2013 on Freeform. The Fosters’ family includes a mix of biological and adopted members because of the lesbian couple that chose to adopt. The show has been running for five seasons and handles many controversial topics. It portrays LGBTQ+ themes in ways that connect with their audience.

In both the book and the movie Beth, the mother, never really checked on Conrad much. Calvin did most of the parenting with Conrad. She seemed distant from everyone like she didn’t care about them. But in the book we never got to see her point of view so in the movie we learned how she really felt. In the movie Beth says she thinks Conrad isn’t happy at school and and people don’t like being around him. She says she can’t deal with him anymore. Beth comes off as a little selfish. Even towards the end of the movie Calvin asked her why she didn’t even cry at Jordan’s funeral. He says that he was going crazy because his son just died and all she was worried about was how he looked. So even though in the book and movie are different points of view of Beth she still seems like the same person that doesn’t show emotion and is distant.

During the second session, the family was provided individual opportunities to relate his or her perceptions of the struggles in the family. Using Claudia as the identified patient, the family related struggles directly associated with Claudia’s behavior (Nichols, 2013, p. 15). Whitaker (1978) conceptualized the issues in a different perspective stating, “sounds like Claudia is in charge of getting Mom and Dad to start fighting, and you and Laura are in charge of helping them stop” (p. 11). Whitaker also indicated the parallels involving Carolyn’s anger at Claudia for hiding in her room and David’s propensity to hide in his study (p. 11). Using the unconscious frame of reference from session one, another conceptualization that was presented was that of Don’s willingness to talk as the reason that the family had not wanted to bring him to the first session (p. 12).

In the movie Beth maintains a distance between herself and Conrad by taking vacations and leaving Conrad with his grandparents. Beth also maintains distance when she didn’t visit Conrad at the hospital. Another way in which Beth deals with intimacy between herself and Conrad is through verbal and nonverbal communication. For example, in the scene when Beth refuses to take a picture with comrade. She uses verbal and nonverbal communication to express that she does not want to take a picture.

This causes Beth to not only worry about William and her mother’s health, but also about Randall’s health too. Lastly, William dies which adds stress on Randall to

And Beth's had some experience with Eve, and she knows that when Eve makes threats like that, even hyperbolic threats that sound crazy, she is going to carry them out. She really is that psychotic in just that way.

At an opportune time, Conrad tells his parents that he is seeing Dr Berger. Calvin is pleased to hear the news but Beth feels threatened. What if her friends find out? What an embarrassment! What would her friends think? Beth is so used to covering up and controlling her own feelings that the idea of someone prying into her family life is unbearable to her. We could speculate that perhaps her mother’s mannerisms and personality traits have rubbed off on Beth. Beth’s mother, Ellen, fakes a warm personality, which masks true critical

In the story “Neighbors”, a man and a woman’s true nature is revealed when nobody is watching. Bill and Arlene Miller are introduced as a normal, “happy,” middle class married couple, but they feel less important than their friends Harriet and Jim Stone, who live in the apartment across the hall. The Miller’s perceive the Stone’s to have a better and more eventful life. The Stones get to travel often because o Jim’s job, leaving their ca and plants n the care of the Millers. When the Stones leave on their vacation, the two families seem like good friends, but the depth of the Miller’s jealousy is revealed as a kind of obsession with the Stones’ everyday life.