In the 1988 drama Running on Empty, the Pope family was faced with many dilemmas while attempting to elude the authorities. Arthur and Annie Pope were wanted by the Federal Government for their involvement with an antiwar bombing 14 years prior. Annie Pope, mother of Danny and Harry Pope was faced with many conflicts, during which she favored the care perspective. The care perspective can be defined as, a perspective that “draws attention to problems of detachment or abandonment and holds up an ideal of attention and response to need” (Gilligan, p. 73). Annie used this perspective many times during the film including the truck scene, when she revealed her plan to turn herself in and when she asked her father to take in Danny. The bombing in …show more content…
which Annie and Arthur are wanted in connection with was meant to be a peaceful antiwar demonstration, against a nest-bomb factory however, this bombing maimed a man nearly killing him. At this time, Arthur and Annie Pope were young lovers in the late stages of adolescence.
According to “Why teens act that way: It’s their Brains”, the prefrontal cortex is one of the last parts of the brain to develop. The prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role with the emotional, organizational and planning functions of the brain (McGrath). Psychiatrist Emma Bragdon believes that there are three things needed to make life affirming decisions; she suggests that “emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence should be added to traditional reasoning as new measures of intelligence… emotional intelligence is referred to as one’s ability to judge a situation and behave appropriately… [while] spiritual intelligence allows us to… envision unrealized potentials, to perceive meaning and unity, to create and transform new perspectives by integrating the intelligence of the body, mind and spirit.” (Bragdon as cited in, Why Teens Act that Way: It’s their Brains, para. 21-23). Having not fully developed, Annie and Arthur’s brains actually hindered their decision making. In fact, research shows that teens are found to be unable to walk away from risky behavior when being coaxed by their peers (Williams, para. 11). The Popes did not act alone in this demonstration, they were a part of a group of antiwar activists. Also, they did not have the full ability to judge and apply their emotional and spiritual intelligence. Therefore, they did not have the ability to accurately predict the repercussions of their actions. Had the Popes chosen not to go through with that demonstration they would not be living in fear of the
authorities. Annie was using the care perspective when she revealed her plan to turn herself in. Annie’s plan is to give herself over to the authorities when the families youngest son, Harry becomes old enough to take care of himself. This solution would allow her to care for her son until he no longer needed her, and it would also allow her to admit to her wrongdoing. This was an example of care perspective because it allows Annie to avoid abandoning Harry while still giving her the ability to do the right thing and come clean about her involvement with the bombing. This was not the only situation in which she showed the care perspective. Annie also showed the care perspective when she asked her father to take in their oldest son Danny in order for him to better himself in life. Danny, a talented pianist, was given the opportunity to attend Juilliard. However, in their current situation college was not an option because of the risk it would put the family in. However, while the Danny’s wish to attend college could potentially put the family’s identity at risk of exposure, Annie believed her sons should not have to live a life of fear, because they had not done anything wrong. This belief followed the care perspective value that states “The ultimate principle for resolving moral conflict…seems to be to work out the least painful alternative for all people involved” (Lyons, p. 31). Annie’s resolution would allow Danny the opportunity to live his own life. Danny would have to give up his ability to contact the family; however, he would no longer have to run from the authorities and he would be able to attend the college of his dreams. Therefore, the best solution in, Annie’s mind, would be for Danny to be able to live with her parents. This solution was the best solution Annie could come up with because it would be the least painful for everyone in the family; it would allow her parents to be a part of Danny’s life and it would allow Danny have the opportunity to live up to his potential. Both of these situations are examples of care perspective, because they show Annie’s awareness of her relationship with others and the effect it had on her decision. At the same time, while Annie is able to allow Danny to go off on his own she is not prepared to lose Harry. In all means Danny is prepared for life without the family however, when Annie proposes this idea to Art he shoots the idea down. The truck scene is the only time where Arthur and Annie admired their boys and reflected upon the lives their boys had lead. In accordance to Amy Dickinson’s article, “What Boys Need” the Pope boys have been raised in an environment that has fulfilled their needs for “feelings and action, self-esteem and high standards” (Dickinson, para. 6). Art says their boys are “magnificent, beautiful, bight and caring young men”. The Popes instilled characteristics of discipline, honesty and respect in their boys. So far, these qualities have allowed their boys to be smart, caring and respectful individuals. Their boys are well liked and accepted into peer groups, these characteristics have allow them to blend in with others their age. However, Arthur is unable to see the big picture; that Annie does not want to take away their boys’ lives for something they had no part in; consequently, Arthur is being selfish in the way he wants the family to stay together, not only for their own safety but primarily for himself. On the other hand, Annie is in the Post Conventional Stage of Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory; She lives by her own set of morals. Even though she and Arthur are running from the authorities, they still believe in raising their sons as high class citizens. She does not want Danny to make the same mistake she did by throwing away her potential (McGrath). Other than the fact that Harry is significantly younger than Danny; Annie is not able to part from him because she is not done mothering him. According to Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development, Annie is currently in the Generatively vs. Stagnation stage. During this phase it is known that one is to either have a positive impact on society or remain stagnant. Annie’s contribution to society is by raising her boys, her success in doing so would either lead her to enter the generatively or stagnation category of this stage (McGrath). This is perhaps why Annie feels as though she can let Danny go, she believes she has raised him right and he is ready to contribute to society, on her behalf. This is also the reason that she is not ready to depart from Harry, she believes she has more to teach him.
Neglect is the failure or refusal of a parent or care giver to provide the basic needs: food, safety, hygiene, and clothing. With famished children, Jeannette’s mother remarks: “Why spend the afternoon making a meal that will be gone in an hour…when in the same amount of time, I can do a painting that will last forever” (56). What we perceive here, the characteristic conduct of Mrs. Walls, is an unwillingness to set aside her own interests in order to care for others (specifically, her own children). Rudely, her mother along with many other deteriorated parents are pre-occupied ...
In Their Eyes Were Watching God the conflict between Janie and her grandmother, Nanny, is one for power; power over Janie’s life. To understand why Nanny has a great desire to control Janie it must also be understood what power Nanny has given up. She had lived through slavery and she “didn’t want to be used for a work-ok and a brood-sow” (Hurston 16). She was tired of not having the personal freedom that she had been wishing for. After her daughter was raped and had given birth, Nanny “Couldn’t git her to
Working as a teacher serving at-risk four-year-old children, approximately six of her eighteen students lived in foster care. The environment introduced Kathy to the impact of domestic violence, drugs, and family instability on a developing child. Her family lineage had a history of social service and she found herself concerned with the wellbeing of one little girl. Angelica, a foster child in Kathy’s class soon to be displaced again was born the daughter of a drug addict. She had been labeled a troublemaker, yet the Harrisons took the thirty-hour training for foster and adoptive care and brought her home to adopt. Within six months, the family would also adopted Angie’s sister Neddy. This is when the Harrison family dynamic drastically changes and Kathy begins a journey with over a hundred foster children passing through her home seeking refuge.
The first two people Janie depended on were her Grandmother, whom she called Nanny, and Logan Killicks. Janie’s marriage to Logan Killicks was partially arranged by Nanny. Nanny had felt the need to find someone for Janie to depend on before she died and Janie could no longer depend on her. At first, Janie was very opposed to the marriage. Nanny responded with, “’Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection. ...He (God) done spared me...a few days longer till Ah see you safe in life.”(p.14) Nanny instilled the sense of needing a man for safety on Janie that Janie keeps with her throughout her life. After Nanny’s death, Janie continued to stay with Logan despite her dislike for him. She would have left immediately, however, if she did not need to depend on him.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses colloquial language to show readers exactly why Nanny raised her granddaughter, Janie Crawford, the way she did. When Janie is sixteen years old, her grandmother wants to marry her. The teen pleads to her grandmother for claims of not knowing anything about having a husband. Nanny explains the reason she wants to see Janie married off is because she is getting old and fears once she dies, Janie will be lost and will lack protection. Janie’s mother was raped by a school teacher at the young age of seventeen, which is how Janie was brought into the world.
It’s not about her, she implies, it’s about taking “them somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be broad.” (O’Connor 1) It’s amazing how her manipulative words can actually make it seem like she genuinely cares for the children when in reality, she is doing it so that she can get whatever she desires. It shows that the grandmother is so used to getting what she wants when the author states, “the next morning the grandmother was the first one in the car, ready to go.”(O’Connor 2) First of all, Baily never agreed to changing the destination of their trip, so why was she so eager to leave already? It is obvious the grandmother had thought about new ways to manipulate the rest of the family members overnight. That is why she was so eager to be the first one in the car to make it seem as if she was actually excited about the trip when she was actually excited about using her sinful
The father, Claude, was a pastor (Frontline Video, 2013). The mother, Jacki, made efforts to find work (Frontline Video, 2013). She spent most of her time helping her husband run the church (Frontline Video, 2013). She seemed confident and strong (Frontline Video, 2013). She inspired people to live to their full potential and enjoy life (Frontline Video, 2013). However, this was just an act (Frontline Video, 2013). Jackie didn’t want anyone to be worried about her or have a negative outlook based on her experience (Frontline Video, 2013). It upset her deeply when she would have to turn for help from others just to get some food to feed her family (Frontline Video,
Janie's Grandmother is the first bud on her tree. She raised Janie since she was a little girl. Her grandmother is in some respects a gardener pruning and shaping the future for her granddaughter. She tries to instill a strong belief in marriage. To her marriage is the only way that Janie will survive in life. What Nanny does not realize is that Janie has the potential to make her own path in the walk of life. This blinds nanny, because she is a victim of the horrible effects of slavery. She really tries to convey to Janie that she has her own voice but she forces her into a position where that voice is silenced and there for condemning all hopes of her Granddaughter become the woman that she is capable of being.
Throughout the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey alternates Zora Neale Hurston’s story of a woman’s journey to the point where nobody even recognizes it. The change in the theme, the characters, and their relationships form a series of major differences between the book and the movie. Instead of teaching people the important lessons one needs to know to succeed in this precious thing called life, Oprah tells a meaningless love story for the gratification of her viewers. Her inaccurate interpretation of the story caused a dramatic affect in the atmosphere and a whole new attitude for the audience. During the movie, Oprah makes a shift in Janie’s character by strengthening her mental and physical state.
The childhood of Frances Piper consists of inadequate love, loss of innocence and lack of concern, ultimately leading to her disastrous life. As a six year old child, she encounters several traumatic events, explicitly the death of her loved ones and the loss of her innocence. Over the course of one week, there have been three deaths, two funerals and two burials in the Piper family. “Frances was crying so hard now that Mercedes got worried. ‘I want my Mumma to come ba-a-a-a-ack.’”( McDonald 174). As a young child, there is nothing more upsetting than losing a mother. A family is meant to comfort each other to fulfill the loss of a loved one; however, this is not the case in the Piper family. Mercedes, only a year older than Frances, tries to console her even though she herself is worried. The loss of motherly love and affection has a tremendous impact on her future since now her sole guardian, James, expresses no responsibility towards her. Instead, he molests Frances on the night of Kathleen’s funeral to lessen the grief of his lost daughter. As a result “These disturbing experiences plague Frances with overwhelming feelings of low self worth and guilt that haunt h...
”(3) Marie, Jeannette’s mother, completely refuses to take care of her own children. She doesn’t care for her children as any mother should. Any child, even at the age of three, should not be making hotdogs in a hot oven. This act shows how much independence her father has instilled in her.
Neglecting a child consists not only of failing to provide life’s necessities, such as food, water, shelter and clothing, but also of inadequate attention and love. This parental neglect is seen in several characters, including Jimmy and his mother, Sharon. Sharon works for a large biotechnology corporation, and she is happiest while working there. However, when Jimmy reaches school age, she quits without reason and her mood degenerates. She becomes distant, depressed, and anxious, and no longer pays attention to Jimmy. This lack of attention that Jimmy faces gravely hurts him, but it does not compare to the feelings he experiences when he “finds a note on the kitchen ...
In the article “The Paralyzing Principle,” Cass Sunstein argues that there are two different versions of the Precautionary Principle: the strong version and the weak version. He claims that the weak version is completely uncontroversial, as it argues for avoiding possible dangers by expending finite resources with the goal of staving off far worse outcomes than the relatively small costs. This weak principle is reasonable because there are many dangers that are possible that, if they did occur, would be much worse in the long run than taking a precautionary step at the present moment to avoid. However, the strong principle takes this fundamentally sensible option to an extreme. The strong principle argues that if there is any risk of hazard,
...g factors such as fear of consequences for not obeying, human nature’s willingness to conform, perceived stature of authority and geographical locations. I also believe that due to most individual’s upbringings they will trust and obey anyone in an authoritative position even at the expense of their own moral judgment. I strongly believe that Stanley Milgram’s experiments were a turning point for the field of social psychology and they remind us that “ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process”. Despite these findings it is important to point out it is human nature to be empathetic, kind and good to our fellow human beings. The shock experiments reveal not blind obedience but rather contradictory ethical inclinations that lie deep inside human beings.
Yet, despite the fact that I personally believe that a some of these tragedies could be avoided if the individuals in question had taken even a moment to think critically about their actions I also do not doubt that it is difficult to turn away from the rewards of uncritical thinking. After all, rejecting uncritical thinking, especially when it is related to such concepts and shibboleths, puts an individual in an awkward position where they again have to constantly question their own motives and actions as well as the motives and actions of others. The world around them, which had previously seemed so neatly ordered and structured, suddenly becomes chaotic and jumbled. However, from this chaos emerges an