Analyzing Romare Bearden's 'The Family'

Featured and organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Romare Bearden’s collection is one that appreciates and depicts life for what it really is. Bearden did not like abstract expressionism. Instead, he made many collages depicting life with different perspectives, allowing the viewer to see reality, but also try to figure out the true meaning that Bearden meant to portray in the collage that was not directly seen by just looking at the picture. These collages were made by “Cut and pasted printed, colored and metallic papers, photostats, pencil, ink marker, gouache, watercolor, and pen and ink on Masonite” (MET Museum). Bearden liked telling narratives within these collages involving Harlem life. Whether it was on the streets, inside

The idea of family is a central theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry alludes to the Old Testament book of Ruth in her play to magnify “the value of having a home and family”(Ardolino 181). The Younger family faces hardships that in the moment seem to tear them apart from one another, but through everything, they stick together. The importance of family is amplified by the choices of Walter and Beneatha because they appear to initiate fatal cracks in the Younger family’s foundation, but Mama is the cement who encourages her family to pull together as one unit. The hardships of the family help develop a sense of unity for the Younger household.

Stephanie Coontz in “The Way We Weren’t: The Myth and Reality of the Traditional Family” emphasizes that the traditional and ideal nuclear family widespread in media and textbooks are false and far from reality. In fact, it is common to see more similarities to the traditional family consistent of “male breadwinner and nurturing mother” (1) today than in the past.

Family and society have come across many changes during our history. Every change that occurred has affected what many people would call the "Benchmark Family" (Scanzoni #7). This is considered the perfect family or the norm. The Family would consist of the husband that is the breadwinner and the wife who is responsible for raising the children, and taking care of the home (Scanzoni #4). Society has changed dramatically from the 19th century. These changes in turn have affected Family. Many factors through the years have been responsible for these changes. Feminism is a tremendous factor that is still having its effect on family and society today. Another factor is employment. Women in the workplace have changed family structure

“The Psychodynamics of the Family”, taken from The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology of Gender, published in 1978, remains one of Nancy Chodorow most influential works.

The paintings originate from two vastly different time periods in art history. Steen’s The Merry Family was painted in the Baroque period and lends itself to the overly emotional style of the period. The painting is a reflection of the grand opulence that was the Baroque period. This can be seen in the robust merriment of the subjects as they enjoy the day’s

Many artists use facial expressions in their figures to enhance the techniques used. The combination of the woman’s worrisome expression with the slightly distressed one of the baby helps reinforce the mood the use of color has already established. Because of this combination, the title Susan Comforting the Baby is clearly reflected in the work.

When deciding what new painting to hang up in a new home with children around, some people may look only for the design aspect of a painting; but others may think a little deeper when it comes to putting something up in their home with children present. Donald Zoland’s art piece, Kids shows the ideal image of what a true sibling relationship should be. Knowing the importance of family, Zoland made the kids the center piece of this work. In Kids, it depicts two small children, brother and sister, walking down dirt road hand in hand with the both of them looking at each other happily as they make their way. But what message is Donald Zoland trying to get out with this work? Was it that kids are always happy and innocent, or is he trying to say

The Raisin in the Sun is a movie about a colored family who is trying to make it. There are five family members who all live in the same small two bedroom apartment. They all know that things are about to change because they know that Mama Younger is about to get a 10,000 check from where her husband had passed away recently. Each family member have their own dreams about what they want to do with the money, but they just don’t want to ask Mama if they could use it for their dreams, especially Walter Lee; her son. Right before Mama gets the check in the mail, the whole family gets surprised by some news from Ruth, who is Walter Lee’s wife. Ruth ends up finding out that she is pregnant, and that she wants to get rid of the baby because she

There is a sense of simplicity that even in their poverty there seems to be something good about them. In the painting there is a cat, and a dog. There is also a person that looks like it would be the son playing an instrument. The color palette is mainly brown, beige and grey and uses those colors to show light coming through. The right side of one of the females shows half of her face that looks light and the other half is dark that seems to blend in with the background. Simplicity is shown in their social class. It can also be seen in the food that is being presented which just a loaf of bread, and salt. This tells us the culture of the time period during this time, which was the simplest life. When I saw this painting I had a great deal of empathy for them. They had so little compared to the other family. One family had bronze while the other family had

In The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz suggests that society romanticizes past generations of family life and points out that these memories are merely myths that prevent us from “dealing more effectively with the problems facing today’s families” (Coontz x). Coontz proposes that researchers can take empirical data and create misleading causality for that data, thus feeding cultural myth and/or experience. Coontz believes that “an overemphasis on personal responsibility for strengthening family values encourages a way of thinking that leads to moralizing rather than mobilizing for concrete reforms” (Coontz 22). She calls on us to direct our attention to social reforms, which can be accomplished by avoiding victim-blaming

Michael Halloran (2004) proposes that culture as a diverse and complex system of shared and interrelated knowledge, practices and signifiers of a society, provides structure and significance to groups within that society which subsequently impact the individual’s experience of their personal, social, physical and metaphysical worlds (p.5). Halloran (2004) theorizes that cultural maintenance is key to increasing the health and well-being of Aboriginal Australians whereby he suggests that culture provides collectively validated ways to think of and value oneself, further arguing that culture helps to suppress fundamental human existential anxieties about social isolation produced by our mortality awareness. Emile Durkheim (Marks, 1974) identifies anomie as being without law or norms, similarly, D.J Spencer (2000)

Family structure in the United States has undergone a dramatic change since the 1960's. The percentage of female-headed households increased while the percentage of married couple households declined. This paper uses data from the Urban Underclass Database to explain the roles the transforming economy (from manufacturing to service) and the subsequent employment dislocation play in the family structure change. Results for the largest 100 cities in the United States find support for a relationship between changes in the economy, subsequent male unemployment, and family

The idea of this piece is to show the connection between mother and daughter being painted. It shows the time and the classic style of the

Family has assumed a key part in molding me into the individual I am today. However, as I have matured, I have developed my own standards in view of my comprehension of the world. My family 's qualities are anchored firmly on religion and we attempt to live the values that the Bible lays out. Growing up, my family instilled Christian qualities into me and these qualities are imbued in my memory and I attempt to practice them despite the fact that I don 't generally succeed. As of now, I am driven by aspiration and yearning to be at peace with myself. I have certain objectives I need to accomplish and my qualities and morals have advanced to incorporate them while attempting to keep up those morals I learned when I was young. There since have been occurrences whereby I have gotten in difficulties and I need to settle on what I know to be right and what serves my self-interest. I can 't assert that I generally make the best choices. Yet, I pride myself on being principled. Usually, I adhere to a specific way on the off chance that I feel that it is right with my beliefs. My struggle with is with the whisper in my ear attempting to occupy me from my previously chosen way, however I am persistent, resolute, and take after what I have confidence in to be right to me. I rarely make serious ethical violations but I will not hesitate to own my actions.