Below are clips from two other films, Dead Poets Society and Willie Wonka*. Please view them (click on the URL - opens to a new window) and comment with your observations of how the scenes demonstrate agency and communion by parent and child, and which parenting style the parent demonstrates, and how this is shown.
and one more time, father and son from 'The Lion King'
*All 3 film clips are from classic films (or remakes of a classic in the case of Willy Wonka). For more information on each of the films, a good source is IMDB (international movie database) at www.imdb.com.
In class we discussed that Mufasa displayed authoritative parenting, as he was high on demands during discipline but also high on warmth, thus keeping a close knit relationship with his son. His agency was shown when he disciplined Simba, he was assertive and made sure his point was clearly learned. After getting his lesson across to Simba, he was able to utilize communion by becoming playful and forming that bond between them.
ReplyDeleteThe clip from Dead Poets Society highlights what the father son relationship looks like with an authoritarian parenting style. This father is high on demands but low on warmth. This has an affect on their relationship, as the son does not have a positive view of his father/their relationship. While this parenting style and the agency this father is using may be affective for the goal of producing a successful child and member of society, it needs to be balanced with warmth and communion. The son may grow to resent his father, which could impact other relationships or how he treats his own son in the future.
The flip side of this coin is the example of permissive parenting we see in the clip from Willy Wonka. The father loves his daughter and wants to provide her with anything she wants, but he places no demands on her. His agency is to get her material objects to make her happy, but they have no communion together. There is no bond based on trust and security, in fact the daughter does not show warmth to the father. His goal of having a happy daughter would be better achieved by utilizing the authoritative parenting style.
In the lion king clip, Simba was checking out his agency when he was wondering off and wanted to take on the role of an adult. Mufasa shows agency when he protected his son and scared off the hyenas. For communion, Simba checked to make sure things were ok when he was talking to his dad. His dad also showed warmth at the end when they started to play in the grass. This was an example of an authoritative parenting style.
ReplyDeleteThe Charlie and the chocolate clip showed an interesting relationship with Veruca and her dad. The dad had no agency and would not say no to having a squirrel when she said “Get me one of those squirrels I want one.” Veruca had agency and tried to display this when she said “If you don’t get me a squirrel, I’ll get one myself” even after being warned by Wonka of the dangers. There was communion shown in this scene when the dad tried his best to convince Wonka to let him buy one of the squirrels for his daughter. This is a good example of a permissive parenting style.
The Dead Poets society clip showed a boy and his friends moving into a school. He talked about his dad’s agency to his friends and said that he did chemistry over the summer because his dad wanted him to. The father shortly arrives and told him he needed to drop one of the things that he was doing and stated “You do as I tell you, is that clear?” The father showed agency but lacked in communion. This is an example of an authoritarian parenting style.
In the Lion King, Mufasa shows agency when he comes to Simba's aid. He is obviously a very powerful character and parent - he is kind of the jungle after all! At the same time, he also acts high in communion. He shows a strong union with Simba, as they pal around and make up almost immediately and restore their close relationship. This is an example of an authoritative parenting style. This style has clear structure for children, so that they feel guided, but also compassion and solidarity between the two parties.
ReplyDeleteCharlie and the Chocolate Factory showed the most entertaining parent child relationship as a viewer. Veruca's father shows no agency, as Veruca hold all of the power in the relationship - even as a child. However, her dad also shows high communion. He really cares about his daughter, and wants her to have whatever her heart desires, which as we know is not always the best way of parenting. This relationship is a great example of permissive parenting.
In Dead Poet's Society, Neil and his father have a very strict and formal relationship. His father functions very clearly as an authoritarian parent. In this scene his father acts high in agency and low communion. It is apparent that Neil's father holds all of the power in the relationship, but he lacks any warmth or compassion as a parent. He tells Neil exactly what he wants, leaves no room for debate, or shows any effort to relate to Neil.
The "Dead Poet's Society" clip shows a scene where students are returning to boarding school. The boys are in a dorm room kibitzing and smoking, when there is a knock on the door. Immediately the cigarette is extinguished and disposed of. Neil's father walks in, and warmly addresses the boys to remain seated. He tells Neil that he must drop an extracurricular activity, and Neil openly disagrees. His fathers demeanor immediately changes and they excuse themselves to discuss further. Neil ends up acquiescing to his fathers decision. The father exhibits communion as he greets the boys, and agency as he asserts what activity Neil is going to drop this semester. Neil shows agency when he speaks up for himself. They both show communion when they are in the hallway, where they reach a truce of sorts. Neil agrees to drop the assistant editor gig, and is father reminds Neil how much he means to his mother.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Willie Wonka" clip we have a scene where the golden ticket winners are getting a tour of the candy factory. They are led to a platform, overlooking a sterile-looking room. There are dozens of stations manned by squirrels, each chewing open walnuts from one tube, and placing them in another tube. The floor slopes to an open hole, which leads to a trash heap. A little girl, Faruka, wants one of the trained squirrels, and demands her father get one for her. He tries to placate her, but she becomes irate and takes matters into her own hands. She is quickly overcome by squirrels and tossed into the trash heap, as being determined to be a bad nut. Faruka displayed her agency by demanding she get her way, and her fathers agency showed in his submissive responses. Wonka exhibited agency as he mockingly repeated the fathers responses. The squirrels demonstrated agency by coming together and removing Faruka from their space. Communion was exhibited by the squirrels when they came to the aid of the one singled out by Faruka. Wonka showed communion through his disaffiliation of Faruka's behavior, and the fathers eventual fall into the trash receptacle. Faruka's father showed a caring communion, yet it was more out of desperation, not one of genuine caring.
Dead Poet’s Society:
ReplyDeleteFather:
Agency – he asserts his will and decides that Neil will drop the annual (because he believes his son’s extracurricular activities will get in the way of Neil becoming a doctor.)
Communion - he establishes his authority, but then follows it up with a reference to Neil’s mother, which elicits a “knowing smile” from Neil, suggesting some level of bond between them, though limited
Neil:
Agency - he decides to not fight his father’s decision and to drop the annual even though he initially argues it
Communion - he obviously wants his father’s approval and goes along with the plan in an effort to connect and stay in his father’s good graces
Parenting Style:
Authoritarian: High level of demandingness, low level of warmth
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
Father:
Agency – he continually ceded his own agency to his daughter’s whims and when she was in danger due to her decision to get a squirrel herself, he did not intervene or protect her
Communion – there seemed to be very little communion between them, he might as well have been a slot machine that dispenses her “wants”
Veruca:
Agency – she exerted her agency and demanded to have a squirrel IMMEDIATELY, and when her father wasn’t able to provide, she decided to get it herself (to her own detriment)
Communion – her connection to her father was entirely contingent on her demands being met. If they weren’t she disconnected from him and would do her own thing.
Parenting Style:
Permissive: Low level of demandingness, low level of warmth
In Dead Poets Society, you call tell right away there is a very strict relationship between the father and son. When the father walked into the room everything got tense, even the other students in the room stood up right away like showing respect to authority. Kind of like when a Judge walks into the court room and everyone sits down once they are told to. This shows a Authoritarian Style of relationship between the father and son. What can also be added to the style was that the father told the son that he had to drop the extracurricular activity and there was no questioning it.
ReplyDeleteIn the clip from The Dead Poet’s Society, Neil’s father demonstrates high agency and medium communion. Neil’s father seems to hold a lot of power, because Neil calls him “sir” and has to follow by his dad’s rules. Neil’s father isn’t high in communion, but he is also not high in dissociation because he is not remote. He is very involved in Neil’s life. Regarding Neil’s father’s parenting style, he is authoritarian. He is high in demand (wanting Neil to be a doctor) and low in responsiveness because he isn’t very warm.
ReplyDeleteIn the clip from Willy Wonka, Veruka’s dad is very low in agency – he is passive and weak – while being high in communion. He maintains a relationship with Veruka, but it has no structure and the dad holds no control over his daughter. His parenting style would be categorized as permissive because he is so easy going. There is no demand, yet he is a very warm father figure. He is nice to Veruka and wants to give her anything she wants, even though he doesn’t want it himself. Also, when Veruka goes to chase after a squirrel, he doesn’t really say anything even though she could be harmed.
In the clip from The Lion King, Mufasa would be categorized as high in communion and high in agency. Mufasa is the king and he is very powerful and has high demands for Simba. At the same time, though, he thinks in union with Simba and is very intimate. Mufasa has an authoritative approach to parenting where he has high demands/structure but also high responsiveness. Mufasa expects a lot of Simba, but he does so because he wants Simba to stay safe and away from the bad lions and hyenas.
Dead Poet's Society: Neil's father possesses a great deal of agency and is quite assertive when it comes to voicing his will. However I would argue from what I've seen in this clip that this is a more "traditional" style of parenting rather than an authoritarian style of parenting. I have not watched the entirety of this movie, but there may be high expectations but high warmth. I only say this because Neil's father does show care and concern by stating that if Neil needs anything, he should just let his parents know.
ReplyDeleteCharlie and the Chocolate Factory: Mr. Salt is very much a permissive parent, giving in to his daughter's every want. He does not seem to hold much agency, and is quite submissive, however he does seem to act with warmth for his daughter.
Lion King: Mufasa is a great case of authoritative parenting. His high level of agency demands respect, yet his communion with Simba is solidarity and warmth at its best.
Looking over these clips and analyzing the relationships between the parent and child was very interesting, considered I've only ever watched these movies for entertainment rather than educational purposes. Looking at the relationship between the child and parent in Dead Poet's Society, it's evident that the father uses the authoritarian parenting style and acts with high agency and low communion. It seems that this paring doesn't work very well in promoting a healthy and vibrant relationship between the parents and child.
ReplyDeleteLooking over the Lion King, this is an example of a high communion and high agency. Mufasa is powerful and shows that he has expectations for Simba, yet he is able to communicate and relate to Simba in a way that shows a sensitive and caring side, one that the father in Dead Poet's Society does not show.
In regards to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, this parent-child relationship is an example of low agency and high communion. The father has little authority over his daughter and the daughter seems to be running things.
Overall, it's interesting to see the different parenting styles in practice and how the outcomes may be. In Willy Wonka, the relationship isn't healthy and problems rise. In Dead Poet's Society, the relationship doesn't go very well at all (I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen the movie). While in the Lion King, the relationship almost seems to flourish. I would like to see if there are relationships that are healthy and strong that have similar parenting styles to the clips in Willy Wonka or The Dead Poet's Society.
Watching the clips from the two movies we didn't get to, I see that they are drastically different and quite opposite of what we watched in class. In the Dead Poets Society clip, it shows the father using more of an authoritarian approach with a little bit less communion. With a high agency, it seems like the father seems to care more about what he looks like "in public" and that his son does what he tells him to. And then guilt trips him with speaking about the boys mother. I think he goes into a bit of communion when he speaks about how great his work will be for the family, but definitely shows the characteristics of high agency low communion throughout the clip.
ReplyDeleteIn the other clip from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I noticed that the father was extremely permissive. I believe it gets to a point where the parent essentially just gives up, knowing they've lost the agency to the child. For the little girl, she is aware that the agency has transferred onto her, and I believe she uses it to her benefit. This will allow the father to sink into a low agency, high communion role. The high communion role he plays may look a bit different than what were used to with the intimacy, union, and solidarity. I think he shows high communion by giving the little girl all her heart's desires, therefore being a "good" daddy.
I just gotta say, I love that clip from the Lion King. It really reminded me of my relationship with my dad and how we interacted back when I was really young. He had the style of being very stern with his rules of what I should or shouldn't be doing. IF I ever stepped out of line, (like the girl from the Willy Wonka, (seriously my dad never would have let me go try and get one of those squirrels!)), he would scolded me at first, but then let it go and not hold it over my head. I think he would use that treatment because he knew that I was testing boundaries and just a child exploring the world around me. Thankfully though he was there on certain points when I stepped out of line and was naughty or I think I wouldn't have become as responsible now as I am today thanks to him being there to show me how to act responsible for my own actions.
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