The Simpsons: an Imperfect Ideal Family

In this week’s application project essay, I would like to compare an older television show that projected family life as it was in the 1930’s as compared to how family is viewed from a sociological viewpoint today. “The Walton’s” may not have been an idealistic portrait of family, but the series did portray family as it really was in that era, since it was based on the autobiographical writings of Earl Hamner, Jr.

Its faithfulness to the original story, a musical and comedic taste and friendliness towards children makes the film more interesting and approachable to watch, appealing more people than the play. Moreover, as the Simpsons’ version is more straightforward and hence easier to understand, the producers’ message can be conveyed further. Likewise, as The Simpsons’ characters are familiar, it is easier to empathize with them and for viewers to put themselves in their

“My Pods and Broomsticks” a very controversial episode of “The Simpsons” is full of satire, concentrating in the main theme of stereotypes and the ignorance of consumers in this day and age. These are represented through the Simpsons, elements, or flaws of modern society are cleverly displayed using many devices such as humour, puns, irony and sarcasm. When analyse an episode of the Simpson it gets you thinking, does the Simpson serve a greater propose than to just entertain?

"The Simpsons" basis, a father, a mother, and three kids, is far from unusual. The "typical" American is a blue-collar worker not unlike the father, Homer, who works a mindless job at the local nuclear power plant in the Simpsons' hometown of Springfield which is basically Anytown, USA. Marge, the mother, is a fairly typical housewife besides her large blue beehive hairdo. Bart, is the rebellious older son; Lisa, the under-appreciated middle child; and Maggie, the adorable baby. The Simpsons don't live in luxury, but they are a generally happy family that encounters the problems of everyday, and not-so-everyday, life, something that millions can relate to. But there is something that sets "The Simpsons" apart from the

American society has been known as the melting pot of our world’s many diverse cultures. A nation where many come together to form a multicultural environment. Stemming from this American melting pot of culture is the animated television show, The Simpsons, “a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle,” (Flew 1994, p. 97). Starting out as a comic strip created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons came into existence as a thirty minute television show in 1989. As of today, the show has produced over 573 different episodes over a remarkable span of 26 years, and has already been renewed for seasons 27 and 28. The show tends to make many references to our American culture making it a comedic sort of reference to what issues are happening

For such a small word, “Family,” can mean so much. In a dictionary one may read family as people with common ancestors, but a true family is people who stick together and support one another at any cost. Both books, Night by Elie Wiesel, and, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand display the theme of family relationships throughout the story.

Everyone's experiences with it are different, some are favourable, and some are fallacious. Everyone has it, but no one’s family is synonymous. Family is strong and sacrosanct, but strange. The understanding of family varies between people and their personal experiences. In the play Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth(ODACTTT) by Drew Hayden Taylor, one sees family defined in several legitimate but different ways.

“Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” That is just one of the many thought-provoking questions asked by Homer Simpson on the world famous TV show, the Simpsons. A very basic summary of this show, as said by therichest.com, is that it is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and focuses of different aspects of human condition, such as American culture, television, and society. While it may seem simple, there are a lot of components that go into the making of this show, and the final product. To help everybody body get a better understanding of this show, I will first talk about how the Simpsons came to be a show, secondly, I will talk about the characters, and thirdly, I will talk about the comedic aspects of it.

During the late 1980s, The Simpsons, was introduced as an animated cartoon show and has tremendously grown into a popularity of the American culture. Matt Groening, creator and executive producer of The Simpsons, has displayed twenty-seven seasons for over thirty years on 20th Century Fox Television. Jesssamyn Nehaus, doctor and avid popular media consumer, states the following, “In…respect, the show very much reflects the sensibilities of its originator, Matt Groening. As a Los Angeles cartoonist, Groening relentlessly satirized the basic elements of the American dream, portraying schools, families, and workplaces as prisons of the mind and soul” (763). The Simpsons present an irony of a dysfunctional family whose stories and characters are

While the show is geared towards an audience of all ages and attempts to include everyone so that all viewers can have someone to relate to, the characters tend to perpetuate stereotypes held about Latinx people, older adults, women, men and queer people in the United States. Many stereotypes such as the sexualization of Latinx women, older adults being portrayed as incompetent, women viewed as emotionally unstable, men as the breadwinners, and queer people still not being accepted by society. All of these stereotypes and more are part of Modern Family. For the purpose of this paper, I will deconstruct episode two of seasons eight titled “A stereotypical day”. The episode

Ironically, this was Groening’s intension, as his critique of the American family also extend to the idea of authority. Groening says he used “the guise of light entertainment to wake people up ‘to some of the ways we’re being manipulated and exploited’ by modern American culture….your moral authorities don’t always have your best interests in mind…. Teacher, principals, clergymen, politicians- for The Simpsons, they’re all goofballs, and I think that’s a great message for kids” (Pinksy, 2001, pg159). This idea of questioning the validity of authority is another tabooed concept never before seen in the sitcom

The Simpsons first came to life on April 19th, 1987. It was aired as a

The Simpsons is an animated adult series created by Matt Groening. it depicts the lifestyle of middle class America in a satirical form represented by the dysfunctional Simpson family consisting of Homer, Marge,Bart,Lisa and Maggie. it is also a parody to American culture, television,society and conditions humans find their selfs in everyday. the show first aired on December 17th, 1987 and has broadcasted 558 episodes and on September 28th, 2014 the 26th season of the show started and is the longest-running American TV sitcom.

The Simpsons (Fox, 1989) is America’s longest running sitcom, the youtube channel ‘Now You See It’ suggests that this is because of “The Perfect Balance.” (Now You See It, 2015) The use of classic sitcom techniques such as sincere lessons revolving around relatable topics like home life, religion and the workplace teamed with ‘cartoon’ humour allows for The Simpsons to both make us laugh and make us empathise with the characters in a way other

A family can be defined in many ways, but the common denominator in all is the love and fulfillment one gets by being surrounded by family members. Families can sometimes be at odds with each other, but the strain of this type of relationship usually creates an upsetting feeling to the people involved. People want others to rely on, talk to, do things with, share, love, embrace, and be part of. No matter what the family dynamic is the qualities the word family has will remain the same, as time goes by, and life evolves once again for every person living their