The Themes Of Communication In Anthony Robbins's Ordinary People

Beth is a static and flat character; she does not change throughout the novel, and, on surface levels, does not appear to want to change. She is stuck in her ways of wanting everyone to think her life is still perfect. At a party in the beginning of the novel she avoids questions about her son or answers them falsely to keep her imperfect life hidden from the outside world. One example of this is when other guests at the party asked questions about Conrad and she states “He was sick for awhile...He’s fine, now.”(661) this is one way she tries to avoid questions. She put out a false sense of well being to allow herself to feel better about others opinions of her. The fight within herself to accept everything that has happened, Buck dying and Conrad trying to kill himself, has shut her off into isolation. This self induced isolation has lead her to believe everything Conrad did was to hurt her. In a later fight with Calvin she expresses this by “That whole vicious thing. He made it as vicious, as sickening as he

The family consists of the mother Beth, father Calvin, and their son Conrad who are living in the aftermath of the death of the oldest son Buck. Conrad, who has attempted suicide and hospitalized because he inability to overcome grief and misplaced guilt, and therapy as way to feel more in control. Beth on the other hand always favored Buck and does not connect with Conrad. Whereas, the father Calvin is trapped in trying to hold the family together, but those pressures are building and he is coming to realizations of his own.

Parenting played a big role in shaping the two boys lives. Having a parental mentor is important because they assist and guide children to take the right decisions about their lives. The author had his two parents at the beginning of his life. Also, the author’s parents, especially his mother, tried to raise him in an effective way wanting him to know the right from wrong at an early age. “No mommy loves you, like I love you, she just wants you to do the right thing” (Moore 11). This quote was a live example of the author’s life with his parents. It reflected the different ways his parents used to teach him “the right thing.” Though his mother was upset from his action toward his sister, his father

In society today, we encounter various types of interpersonal communication. We all must understand the balance and the outcomes communication provides, nonetheless, helps us improve in our own relationships. In David Russell's’ film, “ Silver Linings Playbook” the main character, Pat, is trying to rebuild his life and his marriage, all while having a mental disorder. By using the film and my own daily interactions in my life, I will be using terms and concepts to be able to analyze communication styles that are effective and ineffective.

In the movie Ordinary People, the Jarrett family is faced with traumatic events that provoke situations of crucial communication. The family members, Conrad (son), Beth (mother), and Calvin (father), have to deal with the loss of their beloved older son and brother. The loss of Buck hit Conrad, especially hard, resting displaced guilt on his shoulders. Conrad buckles under the guilt and pain, allowing him to draw in the dark emotions that fill his heart and mind attempting to end his life and end the agony. The opening of the movie is set in the time following Conrad’s release from the hospital when he returns to a quiet home with little love and compassion released from his mother's heart. He returned to a place of more pain. Beth, the mother,

Lastly, her family betrayed her by not listening to her side of the story after her sister told lies about her, and they betrayed her when they acted as if they did not care if she moved out of the house. In all of these actions, the family itself and certain members of the family are portrayed as uncaring, unsupportive, disrespectful, conniving, deceitful, and hateful to Sister. Through every action of the family, Sister is treated harshly, and she tries to not let this bother her. Yet, anger and bitterness build up inside of her until she cannot take it anymore. Consequently, it built up so much inside of her that it severely affected Sister so profoundly that she moved away from her home to get away from her family.

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 movie basically did a metaphorical domino affect, as you see the family slowly falling down. Like I mentioned earlier when a family gains or losses a family member it is now considered a whole new group. Sadly for the Jarrett family they lost a son and were now dealing with adjustments of living, in a sense, as a new family. Calvin, the father, does a very good job staying positive but still recognizing that something horrible happened to their family and things still need to be dealt with. Beth seems to only worry about the material things as a form of a distraction. You see her focusing on setting the silver just perfectly; worrying about what clothes her husband is going to wear, and she worries more about making sure that what is happening inside the family stays between the family. Conrad is emotionally going through a lot but tries his best to keep it inside.

Throughout the duration of this conversation it is evident by her short responses that Beth is not genuinely listening to what Conrad is saying and her body language shows her clear disinterest and anxiousness to exit the conversation. The lack of adequate communication between these two characters results in a shattered and distant relationship that leaves both Beth and Conrad in separate worlds of unspoken guilt and resentment toward one another that only grows stronger as time progresses. It is unclear if reason for Beth's resentment towards Conrad has stemmed from Buck's death or from the recent suicide attempt (or both), but her behavior towards her son shows her obvious distaste for him.

Throughout the life cycle, a person undergoes many changes.  One matures both physically and emotionally as time passes.  Emotional growth is quite often more difficult than physical growth.  A person must realize his faults and admit to them before he can develop emotionally, while one does not need any self-analyzation to develop physically.  In her book Ordinary People, Judith Guest depicts the struggles man must experience in order to reach his ideal emotional perfection.  Conrad, the book's protagonist, and his father Calvin, were both searching for higher levels of emotional health. Conrad had to let out and face all the feelings he had repressed, while Calvin had to correct

Beth is every superficial worries about what people thinks of her. Calvin every caring and concern for his son

Calvin miserably thought about the situation at home. He and his several siblings were almost never at home during the day. He thought about how things used to be back at home. Happy and carefree.

What would you do if you were in a relationship that was like Jake and Beth's marriage? It is easy to say what you would do if you were in Beth's position, but for some, they are trapped in this situation and are afraid to put an end to it. When it comes to critiquing this film, the creators reached their goal by spreading their message about abuse, child neglect, and poverty. This film creates a picture and presents what it is like to live in the conditions of those living in poor or abusive environments. The message of the film is about how one must never stop fighting for themselves and their loved ones to defeat the evil that is in their path.

Laurence, feels his late granddaughter’s presence through Beth. When Beth finds out about how “fond Mr. Laurence used to be of the child who died”, she feels special (73). Even more special when she receives a piano that belongs to the granddaughter Beth reminds him of. Beth is unique, she is selfless, and because of it she becomes very sick and even withholds it from her family.

She lives in denial, ironically insulting her son about his reading choices, when she is just as capable of making immoral decisions. She constantly forces her daughter into a role that she is extremely uncomfortable with, thereby making herself hypocritical and delusional. Because of her desperate situation, she clings to her memories of her years with many, wealthy gentleman callers for comfort and validation. Her ideals are misguided, as she attempts to live by her disillusioned standards where she has an model family, when in reality her daughter is disabled and her son resents her