For this assignment, you will be watching two series, Leave it to Beaver (1957) and Are We There Yet (2010). While one show is set within the historical context in which my audios discussed labor issues, brought about by the second wave of feminist movements in the United States, the other is a show situated in the new millennium.
Both shows center around the nuclear family, mother and father, along with children. In order to compose this essay you will highlight the portrayal of the nuclear family from the perspective of race, class, and environment. You will also offer an analysis on the image portrays of the wives, husbands and children of each show and situate it all within the context of the themes of this unit…LABOR. You must lean on the audios and readings from this unit as well as will take information from the readings Modern Gender Constructions (unit one) discussion of male dominance and heteronormativity and apply it to these families. Think on the terms patriarchy and misogyny and how they fit or do not fit in both families. Does patriarchy work in both families? One as opposed to another? How does each husband show up as a member of the “family?” How does each husband relate to their wives and children? How does each wife respond to her husband’s practice of patriarchal norms? What role do the children play in the nuclear family? These are just some of the questions I want you to consider when composing this essay. You are free expand your analysis to more than what is mentioned here.
Your last BODY paragraph should include an an analysis of how far Hollywood has come in portraying the nuclear family through television. This is not the concluding paragraph.
I noticed some of struggled with writing for length in the last assignment. I can read that one only one way, you did not deeply engage and study all of the material fully. Here is a tip, if you struggle with length, it is because you have nothing to say. If you have nothing to say it is because you did not research, or read enough. The quality of writing deeply depend on how well read and researched you are. You will never struggle with what to say if you have more than enough to work with. Also, in my courses, I practice writing by intuition. What that means is instead of focusing on word or page count, you allow the weight of the content, the prompt, and the point total to judge how long you should write for. In the past, I have found that students who were length focused always tuned in essays that were lacking because the energy was in the wrong place. Focus on the materials. Focus on what I am teaching you. Focus on what I am asking you to write. Allow that to guide your writing.
