Irony And Truth In The Film Ordinary People

The irony from the poem “Ordinary Life” by Barbara Crooker shows that this day is nothing but ordinary. For example, lines 2 to 4 says that “the children went off to school without a murmur, remembering their books, lunches, gloves.” However, this is rarely the case, as children are bound to forget things and make lots of noise as they leave the house to go to school. Even as an intermediate student, I have left the house and forgotten my things a countless amount of times. Another example would include line 19. “I peel carrots and potatoes without pairing my thumb.” Now I am no professional cook myself, but I do have to say this is merely impossible. Lastly, lines 22 to 23 state that “And at the table, actual conversation, no bickering or

The movie Ordinary People is a movie which looks at a family struck by tragedy, It shows how an upper middle-class family handles life when tragedy strikes unexpectedly, and family order is turned into chaos. The movie in essence sheds light into a family, due to a tragedy, has turned into separate individuals living in the same house, who lack of communicating their grief effectively. The movie was shown through a realistic lens, without over dramatization; looked into misplaced guilt at every level. The inability of the family to work through the tragedies lead them to a place where they each felt a breakdown within each other as well as the family dynamic.

In the “Story of an Hour” we observe many instances in which irony takes place.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story about two lovers who are from two disputing families, and their eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony throughout the play to create tension for the audience and foreshadow the ending. Dramatic irony is when the words or actions of characters in a story have a different meaning to the reader than to the characters. This is because the reader knows something that the characters do not. Romeo and Juliet’s death could have been prevented if the characters in the story weren’t so ignorant of their situations, and often times the reader recognizes this.

Regarding psychological functioning, Conrad is under the vicious cycle of depression. His brother’s death led him to adapt a negative explanatory style. This in turn resulted in his depressed mood and cognitive and behavioral changes. He also believes that he has disobeyed his parents and does not deserve their forgiveness or affection (1:09:38). Conrad lives with a sense of guilt, not only for attempting suicide, but for things he had no control over (ex. Karen’s death). From a socio-cultural approach, Conrad depression worsens due to his unstable relationship with his mother, along with other relationships in his life. Throughout the movie, we clearly see that Conrad’s mother does not understand the severity of Conrad’s mental state. She frequently believes that Conrad is fine and wants their lives to ‘get back to normal’ (0:24:37). She believes Conrad’s mental health is a phase that can be fixed by simply being harder on him. The movie also takes place in a time where discussing mental health is taboo. Mental illness was significantly less common and thought to be a touchy subject. Throughout the movie, we can see that people do not know how to approach the Jarretts about Conrad’s state and frequently stumble through conversations or do not understand the situation (0:22:14; 0:31:52; 0:48:05). This plays a part in Conrad’s depression because he feels he can’t talk to or relate to anyone

The emotional agony that Conrad experienced following the death of his brother almost led to his end. The conflict inside of Conrad is only the beginning of his suffering. The emotions that engulf one's mind can swallow them up and eat them from the inside out. They demand to be felt, but the management of the emotional conflict has been just as important. For example, when the Jannett family is together to take family photos, including the grandparents, the disconnect between Conrad and his mother are clearly visible to the naked eye. After being asked to take a picture with her son, Beth hesitates, violently insisting a different photo to be taken in order to avoid accepting and showing the increasing disconnect between her and her son. Siting and watching, Conrad struggles internally to decode the intentions of the scene depicted in front of him before he burst into an outrage. Initially, Conrad practiced silence in the form of withdrawal. Thus, he situated himself in the isolated window chair. The actions of his mother spoke to him in the sense that she hated him, wishing to have nothing to do with him. The silence remained silent until he burst with rage, projecting the instructions of his father for the camera to be given to his emotionally silent mother. Conrad rested on the assumptions he formed based not only on his mother’s current action, but passed actions as well, to reveal what he

Dramatic irony was a major element used for implementing suspense in to the film. A representation of irony shown in the movie that showcases

In fact, his mother denies her loss, hoping to maintain her composure and restore her family to what it once was. She appears to have loved her elder son more and because of the suicide attempt, has now grown cold toward Conrad. She is determined to maintain the appearance of perfection and normalcy. When Conrad was in the hospital, Beth never went to see him for the four

Calvin and Conrad express their concerns in term of lack of relationship with Beth. Conrad thinks he is responsible and guilty in regarding of her mother’s decision to leave to Texas. He also blames her mother to be neglectful, hostile, and coward. Besides, Conrad mentions that he is unable to re-establish friendships with Joe, Kevin, and other members of the swimming team.

The stages of grief are demonstrated in Conrad’s relationships with his family and friends. Conrad has experienced depression and a suicide attempt in response to his brother’s death. At the beginning of the book, Conrad is going through the first stage of grief, which is shock and denial. Conrad’s father, Cal, worries about Conrad’s mental health and gives him the name of a therapist. However, Conrad does not call him. Cal believes that Conrad, “ ought to stick with the plan --’” (13) However, Conrad “can’t [because he] is swimming every night…[He doesn’t] need to see anybody. [He] feels fine’ (13). Conrad is uncomfortable talking about the death, and seeing a therapist would require him to talk. Conrad is afraid to feel his emotions. He thinks if he just avoids thinking about his brother’s death, he will be okay. The second

The relationship between Calvin and his wife Beth is also extremely strained. Calvin, a kind and loving father and husband, spends a large part of the film playing the role of referee between Conrad and his mother. Calvin tries so desperately to mend their relationship but Beth makes it very clear that she is unable and unwilling to forgive Conrad and refuses to talk about it. It is no secret that Calvin cares vary deeply for both his wife and his son however, Beth's cold and emotionless attitude and behavior begins to change his feelings about their marriage and the love he once had for his wife. Beth's refusal and or inability to express any emotions/feelings makes her unapproachable and to some

In the beginning of the film, each member of the family feels isolated from one another,

Without doubt, Edgar Allan Poe’s story is one of the author’s masterpiece. The story is an exhibit of artistic genius with various literary features well incorporated. Among them, irony, defined as, “A figure of speech which is a contradiction or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs”, is the most evident. Allan Poe demonstrates the use of various types of irony throughout the play, which he uses to pass the intended message to the audience.

Conrad's father does most of the worrying because he blames himself for Conrad's suicide attempt. Though the logical part of Cal's brain tells him it wasn't his fault he still believes that he should have paid more attention to Conrad. Conrad's mother, Beth, on the other hand thinks that Cal worries too much about Conrad. Beth thinks that Conrad is just trying to hurt her. Conrad tells Beth that he would tell her more about him if he thought she "gave a damn." Conrad tells Beth that he thinks she is the one trying to hurt him. Conrad finally releases all of his emotions when his mother confronts him about his quitting the swimming team. Conrad tells Beth how what he thinks of her visiting other countries instead of visiting him at the mental institution. After the fight, Conrad tells his father "She hates me. There's nothing I can do about it." Beth is a very unforgiving person, and Conrad doesn't think that she will ever forgive him for his suicide attempt.

Conrad's father does most of the worrying because he blames himself for Conrad's suicide attempt.   Though the logical part of Calvin's brain tells him it wasn't his fault, he still believes that he should have paid more attention to Conrad. This is usually the role a mother plays with her son. Calvin is not an ordinary parent. He shows genuine concern and is trying to make things right before his world falls apart. Beth, on the other hand, thinks that Calvin worries too much about Conrad.  She is so caught up in trying to maintain her perfect life that she becomes a cold-hearted, superficial shell of a woman.