The Dangers Of Poverty In Michael Oher's The Blind Side

The world is far from a uniform system. Each and every individual is placed in a different situation depending on everything from location, race, beliefs, and economic status. Psychology looks at how individuals come out of these specific environments and how they transform into an adult through the trials and tribulations of their growth. In The Blind Side, director John Lee Hancock focuses on an athletically skilled African-American teen, Michael Oher, who is transformed from a homeless orphan from the projects into a highly sought after college football prospect through a positive change in family, school, and supportive surroundings.

In the film The Blindside, it was evident that Michael Oher was able to fit into the Tuohy family. This could be explained through the theory of structural functionalism. I believe Michael constantly ran away from his foster homes because he felt out of place and wasn’t able to establish a role in his foster families. When he was at the Tuohy residence, he seemed quite distant – as if he felt like a burden towards the rest of the family. However, the Tuohy`s were constantly making Michael feel part of the family and

Summary: Michael Oher was a young boy who had to go through rough times as he was growing up. Fatheralong, Oher was taken in by the Tuohy family after they saw Oher didn’t have a home or anyone to go to for help. Once Oher gained the love of the Tuohy family, he became their adopted son, and soon he became the star football player of Briarcrest Christian School (BiJog). He became an interest to many colleges and after high school, he attended University of Mississippi.

As infants grow up to be adults, they succeed and surpass phases in their development that prove mental growth has occurred. These phases, such as learning to be independent and being able to make decisions on their own or being persuaded by others, are well explained within theories created by theorists and psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. These theories were created to show a unique psychological outlook on ones’ personal developmental growth. One of the most crucial phases is the adolescent stage; this stage sees a growth and development in the biosocial, cognitive, psychosocial and moral aspects of an adolescent’s life. The Blind Side’s Michael Oher is a great example of someone who is experiencing the adolescent stage. Michael Oher is a seventeen-year-old African American who grew up in the housing projects in Memphis, Tennessee and was separated from his drug-addicted mother. As a result, Michael went from foster home to foster home until he was adopted by the Touhy’s. Throughout the movie, Michael demonstrated various cognitive and psychosocial developments. Even through his struggles and experiences, he was able to overcome the obstacles and become successful as a student and as an athlete.

“Based on a book by journalist Michael Lewis chronicling the real life Oher’s experiences, “The Blind Side” manages to inspire despite its broad-strokes approach to characterization.”(VLM, 2010) The Blind Side is based on a true story, the story of Michael Oher, a homeless boy with a traumatic past until one women, Leigh Ann, took him in as her own son and changed his life for the better. Michael is now known as an American football player, that was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. The film, “The Blind side”, produced by John Lee Hancock, demonstrates that a tragic childhood does not necessarily mean one is destined for defeat, as long as there are those who care enough about you. “The Blind Side” uses rhetorical appeals by illustrating ethos, logos, and pathos to teach the audience moral lessons on learning and coping with traumatic life experiences and defining oneself socially through personal actions.

This movie-The Blind Side talks about how Michael Oher achieved his self-esteem during his adolescent time. Between the plots of the movie, we also included some development theories such as Erik Erikson’s psychosocial cognitive theory; Maslow’s hierarchy needs theory and also the operant conditioning theory that associated with Michael’s development.

The Blind Side depicts the story of Michael Oher, a seventeen year old African American homeless boy from a broken home, taken in by Leigh Anne Tuohy, a wife and mom of two living in a well to-do neighborhood. Repeatedly running away from the group home after group home, he was placed in after he was taken from him drug addicted mother, he happens to run into the exceedingly accepting family. Only after the catholic high school football coach sees his size and agility he is accepted to the privet school, despite a 0.7 GPA and lack of a place to sleep Leigh Anne Touhy, along with only one of his teachers, take a special interest in him. The families give him

In the movie, The Blind Side, Michael Oher’s character experiences many changes. Throughout the film, he grows from a shy, uneducated boy into a young man who belongs to a family. The film begins with Oher as a homeless youth struggling to find a place to sleep. It progresses with Oher’s fortunate meeting of the Tuohy family and concludes with Oher’s ultimate transformation from a homeless boy into a successful man.

The movie The Blind Side was released in 2009. It is about a young man, named Michael Oher, who grew up in a poor environment. In the beginning of the movie, Michael was homeless and not currently attending school. All of that changed when a woman, named Leigh Anne Tuohy, offered Michael the chance to stay with her and her family. The Tuohy family was well off, unlike Michael, so it was an adjustment for both the family and him to live together. However, the family was very warm and welcoming to Michael, which differed from many of the other people Michael encountered. In the movie, Michael experienced racism, discrimination, and prejudice towards him from a variety of people.

Unfortunately, his father was murdered in prison so he could not overcome that obstacle. However, he was taken in by a foster family named the Tuohy’s who made him happy and treated him like real family. Biography.com says, “The young boy was finally taken in by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy when he was 16, and the Tuohys became Oher's legal guardians when he was 17”. In his junior year of high school, Oher began to excel in football. By the beginning of his senior year, Oher was the starting left tackle on the varsity football team. He quickly became a top football prospect in the state of Tennessee, which led to multiple scholarship offers from Division 1 schools.” This means that when he was taken in by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy and they became his legal guardians he began to excel at school and football. His mother was taken into a rehabilitation center, but this was an improvement since at least Michael was able to see her sometimes. His other siblings were all taken to foster care. It’s amazing that while he had all of these obstacles he still overcame them with a determined attitude and the help of some special people.

In David K. Shipler’s book, The Working Poor Invisible in America the reader is provided a peek into the personal stories of the inner lives of eight families struggling inside the vicious cycle of poverty. Shipler’s method of interviews, narratives of personal stories and observation represents an innovative study investigating the working poor in an attempt to understand “how people in real communities devise collective responses to their problems (Segal, 2010).”

Starting in chapter four, “The Blank Slate”, Michael Oher moves to Briarcrest High School, a wealthy private school. He no longer lives in the slum or poverty stricken neighborhoods he once lived. Now he’s having a human experience, away from the monotony and struggles of a kid from the ghetto. Being as such, he has a tough time adjusting, lacking a base of knowledge of how anything works. For example, when Oher gets

The Blind Side is based on a true story about a homeless boy named Michael Oher (Big Mike) who has been living with different people until the Tuohys take him in. Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy eventually become his legal guardians and the story is about how his life improves while playing football at Wingate high school in Tennesee. It shows his struggles with grades, and how the family and Michael are affected by the other. Because of his giant size he goes on to get a football scholarship for the University of Mississippi. The story is about his journey.

The movie The Blind Side is based on a true story about Michael Oher, first round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. Oher grew up in the projects in Memphis to a drug-addicted mother and an absent father. Michael was eventually taken by family services and was placed in a number of different foster homes. He ran away from each home placement and eventually became homeless. Michael is taken in by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who helped him to attend a private Catholic school, which is where their children as well received their education. Prior to school here Michael had little education or skills to be successful in life. While attending Wingate Christian School, Michael began to play football. The Tuohy family provide the nurturing environment that Michael needed to show his true potential. Leigh Anne and Sean eventually become Oher’s legal guardians and help him become successful in school as well as excel with his interest in football. This movie story into Oher’s life display social issues, obstacles, and triumph was overcome by Oher in order for him to achieve his dream with the guidance and stability provided from the Tuohy family.

Poverty is a very frightening scenario that has played out time and time again in Nigeria. Researchers point out in statistics showing that “in 2012... The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the poverty crisis in Nigeria varied by region, sector and gender, and impacted Nigerian youth, children and mothers more than the adult male population”. The nature and causes of poverty have also been examined. According to the World Bank, “poverty is an outcome not only of economic processes, but it is also an outcome of interacting economic, social, and political forces”. Equal opportunities for all citizen in Nigeria, regardless of gender, is an absolute necessity in order to provide peace, harmony and personal happiness and appreciation to offer the gift of life. These opportunities can only be achieved with honest, fair-minded leaders who are concerned with the daily lives of its citizens. These leaders must be willing to engage in dialogue with them to determine their needs, concerns and ideas for a happier society, and an appreciation of the important of family life is essential. Unless a genuine, people loving leader assumes responsibilities for improving the lives of people living in his/her country, a little change can or will take place.