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What are the influences of family in your development as an individual
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My family and family history starts like most people’s. Two people fell in love, they had kids, their kids had kids and so on and so forth. But where we come from and who we are, is a completely different story. From our European roots, to the mixing of our blood once my family migrated to America, my family is quite complex but one that I am proud of and love greatly. I want to begin with my dad’s side of the family as we know a little more about where we came from. From what we know, his relatives lived in Ireland until the time of the great Irish Potato Famine. Once they arrived in America my dad’s relatives settled down South, but somewhere down the line, someone moved North. This brings me to my Great Grandma Mary. She and her husband lived near Coldwater Michigan where they settled and had my Grandma Lela and her brothers, Lee Combs, Lewis Combs and her one sister that …show more content…
Because this was the decade in which my father grew up, this was what he had come to know as the “ideal family.” My mom on the other hand was born during the time when individualization was becoming more and more popular. Women worked and supported themselves, and did not necessarily need someone to look after them. Once my mom was ready to settle down and have a family, she did want her husband to work but she did want to make it clear that she would also work and conform to being a housewife. With this came differences in my parent’s marriage. My dad felt as if he was the head of the household, so he had the authority. But my mom did not want to feel as though my father was above her. She felt as though he was at the same level of power as she. My dad “[tended] to use power in a way that assure the maintenance of [his] own more powerful position” (Balswick 14). This did not help our family much at all. We became what the Balswick 's call a “hurting
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
Remember when children could walk down the street without having their parents with them? Maybe, you remember your dad sitting around the house on his off day in a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie? No? Neither do I, the reason we don’t remember this is because this took place back in the 1950’s, well before we were thought of. A time when siblings got along with one another, the mothers and fathers both had their own roles within the household, and neither of them shared tasks for the most part. People always seemed to use their manners, always dressed their best, and always seemed to want to be kind toward one another, within their households at least. As time has changed through the years, the changes through or within society has been the
In the 1950’s, the family consisted of a husband who left the home everyday to provide for his family. It was vital for the man of the house to support his family financially. On the other hand, the duty of the wife was to maintain the home, provide a home cooked meal for her husband, and to raise the children. Essentially, she was the homemaker. While the duties of man and wife were specifically divided during the 1950’s, the lifestyle of people during modern times is quite different. The father is now often considered a co-parent. Both husband and wife have careers, raise the children, and tend to duties pertaining to the home. The efforts are attacked more as a team than as
In the 19th Century it was the Father who was known to be the one that worked, or the breadwinner for the family. However, after World War II we began to see a shifting in this as the women’s right’s movement took place and women began to get paid more for working and now entered the workplace regularly. This also occurred because of the great economic growth that was occurring at the time. So as things changed economically, the family progressed with it as well. However, not all was a positive progression as during this time we also began to see divorce increase as well as and increase in the number of women who became pregnant without having been married. These were huge changes and shifts in the family dynamics as the family became under pressure from the ever-changing economics and culture. With both parents entering the workforce, little supervision is given to the children. This was totally unlike the Leave it to Beaver family, the Cleavers in which only the father went to work and the mother had time to care for the kids. Having both parents work definitely cut into family time or time that in the past had been spent between parents and children. This gave way to leaving society an open door in having a greater impact on children then they would have received at home through the training and modeling of their parents. Because of their thinking to progress with the world around them and in the way the world was progressing in thought, it left an open door for their families to become impacted negatively by
“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.” These words of Alex Haley truly expressed to me personally the imperative need and importance of my family history and heritage. As I believe, family is a gift often cherished, but few take the time to discover and thank those who planted the roots from which a family grows. To express gratitude to my ancestors who planted such roots I have travelled back to discover the past and configure the life of my great grandfather, August Baier.
I have many nationalities, among these are Irish. Scottish, german, Belgian, Norwegian, Swedish and Native American. History is important, especially when it comes to your family. If we ask a family member about our roots, we can learn about ourselves. By asking many of my family members, I have learned many things about me and my family.
Each member of the family was expected to fulfill certain roles, and to execute their obligations appropriately. When men came back from World War Two, they were forced to jump back into a normal lifestyle: working and raising a family. The father was the sole provider of the family, as he controlled the finances by working a steady job. After each day of work, the father would come home and find his role change from an intelligent businessman to a loving and caring husband. While the father was at work for the day, the mother was at home cooking, cleaning, and tending to the children. A small number of women worked part-time jobs with flexible hours, while still meeting the demands of daily housework, but rarely took the burden of working a full-time job. The mother’s main duty was to care for the children and provide for them. The children were raised to act in a respectful manner, with minimal behavioral issues. When asked by an adult to complete a certain chore, objecting was not an option; as punishment was common. According to John Rosemond from the Hartford Courant, “Your mom and dad paid more attention to one another than they paid to you.” He also commented, “They bought you very little, so you appreciated everything you had. And you took care of it” (Author John Rosemond, “Raising Kids In 1950s Households Vs. Today’s”). Children looked up
History is an important thing to hold on to. It helps to gain an understanding not only of the past, but also of the present. The people who lived through the important turning points in North American history helped to shape what North America is today. History comprises not just the Jeffersons or the Lincolns, but it also comprises the Van Camps, Lyons, and Lanes. People need to remember the major and minor players in history. Researching one’s family history would be a perfect way to start exploring the makeup of the past and providing for the future.
Throughout my life I have heard a wide range of stories from my parents. When putting this assignment together I have put these stories into account. Randall Bass, educator of English at Georgetown University, concurs that stories shape individuals ' personalities. Bass expresses that, "People infer their feeling of personality from their way of life, and societies are frameworks of conviction that decide how individuals experience their lives" (Bass 1). Social stories about family history, religion, nationality, and legacy impact individuals ' conduct and convictions. Personalities of diverse individuals originate from their societies. Narrating starts at home. Stories associate individuals to their frameworks of convictions. They shape individuals ' lives by giving them a model of how to live. Individuals get their most punctual learning from distinctive stories. (Bass)
Twentieth century America has become a time for attacking and destroying the most malignant of our social diseases. At the forefront of these attacks has been racism. Although nationalistic and bigoted sentiments existed in America prior to the founding of Jamestown, it was not until the civil rights movement of the 1960's that racial equality became more of a reality than a dream. But as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other people of color struggled to regain their cultural identity, the rest of the population was assimilated into an all inclusive racial category known as "white."
My family consists of my mother, father, and myself. I was adopted at birth and was raised by a family member
My family consists of a short generation. My parents, Gina and Darrell, are divorced. I am the oldest and I have a younger brother, Kyle. My mom’s side of the family is the Cox family. My mom is the oldest of five.
My grandmother, Rokeya Sultana, grew up in the urban parts of Bangladesh, with 2 sisters and 3 brothers. Her father, my great grandfather, was the chief officer of the district. She would go to school or to places by a motorcycle, car, or helicopter. She was living the life of her dreams. But then, my great grandfather had diabetes, and it was discovered one month before he died. It was a great shock for my great grandmother’s family because they had to move from the urban city to a rural neighborhood. My grandmother went to elementary, middle, and high school as a child. She also received a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. She was a good student and a very honest and respectful person. Once she reached the age of 20 to 21, she married Jonab Ali, my grandfather, and moved to Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
When you think about your family history and how far you can follow your family history back to the first time they arrived in the U.S you would be pretty amazed. When I start back to my family history on both of my parents side I can go as far back as my great-great grandparents on both sides. On my mom side her great grandmother was from a Caribbean island she later came to the U.S. because of my great-great grandfather wanted to live in Mississippi to work there to earn more money. Later my great grandfather and grandmother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan with my grandfather who was from Michigan. My grandfather parents lived in the south when he was younger. But my grandfather’s great-great grandparents where slaves who were run a ways
Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.