ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
Topic: family

Gulliver’s encounter with the Yahoos foreshadows (and in a sense, justifies) his eventual repulsion of and withdrawal from humanity. The encounter is a pivotal point in his paradigm shift, his desire toward “Houyhnhnm-ization” which is simultaneously an act of self-extinction and self-creation. The image of depravity and bestiality that confronts Gulliver leads him to a critical assessment and disillusioned view of human nature and society. Gulliver has had an initial glimpse of human corruption prior to his encounter with the Yahoos.
Topic: family

The mutiny on board his ship may be seen top agitate, if not completely corrode, his faith in his fellowmen. Gulliver is victimized by his own kind—the fact that most of the mutineers are foreigners does not appear to make them total strangers, “others”, in the eyes of Gulliver. Humanity is the common ground he appeals to. His words: “… and they were so civil as not to search my pockets, into which I conveyed what money I had” (226) are not without sarcastic undertones.
Topic: family

At this point, his idea of danger and enemy come primarily in the form of the savage; not an entirely grave threat considering his hope of “purchas(ing) my life from them by some bracelets, glass rings and other toys” (277). The possibility of Gulliver’s rescue, of appeasing and cajoling the savage significantly elevates the latter above raw and indiscriminating brute force, the irrepressible primal drive toward predation and destruction. In Gulliver’s mind the savage (whom the colonial master typecasts as a “brute”) is a far cry from the Yahoos who represent the nadir of humanity and the height of bestiality.
Topic: family

The Yahoos are epitomes of monstrosity. They are devoid of reason or identity. To Gulliver they are a single mass of hairy bodies bent on sating their hunger and lust. The Yahoos are “the most unteachable of all animals, their capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry burdens…. they are cunning, malicious, treacherous, and revengeful. They are strong and hardy, but of a cowardly spirit, and by consequence, insolent, abject and cruel” (275). The Yahoos’ physical deformity complements their beastly nature.
Topic: family

Quite understandably, Gulliver’s reaction toward them is one of revulsion and disgust. He says, “Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels so disagreeable an animal, nor one against which I naturally conceived so strong an antipathy” (228). Gulliver automatically qualifies the Yahoos as “others” and enemies. He does not make any attempt to befriend the beast: “The ugly monster…lifted up his forepaw, whether out of curiosity or mischief, I could not tell. But I drew my hanger, and gave him a good blow with the flat side of it…” (228).
Topic: family

Here, Gulliver has not yet realized his affinity with the Yahoos. He is considerably distanced and insulated from them, or better yet, his real self. His Yahoo-ness remains unnoticed underneath his “human”, that is, rational and civilized facade. Only the Houyhnhnms are able to discern early on Gulliver’s resemblance with the brutes, indicative of the horses’ heightened sensitivity and rational faculty. The Yahoos’ behavior come in stark contrast with that of the Houyhnhnms: “…yet looking with a very mild aspect, never offering the least violence” (229).
Topic: family

Consequently, Gulliver’s attitude toward the horses changes as well. Not only does he try to befriend the animal, he regards them with awe: “I was amazed to see such actions and behaviors in brute beasts and concluded with myself that the inhabitants of this country were endued with a proportionable degree of reason , they must needs be the wisest people upon the earth” (229). Apparently the encounter with the Yahoos serves as a foil against which the Houyhnhnms’ ideal nature is compared and highlighted.
Topic: family

The first time Gulliver meets the Yahoos a concrete dichotomy is established in his mind: Yahoo/ evil (hence, the Houyhnhnms’ word for “evil” is “Yahoo”) as opposed to Houyhnhnms/ “perfection of nature” (240). Such dichotomy is to function not only as a criterion in Gulliver’s evaluation of both species’ nature. It is to become his standard for living not only in the beast-utopia but in human society as well. With Gulliver, first impressions do last. Images of filth predominate in the encounter scene. Gulliver describes how the Yahoos “leaped up into the tree, from where they began to discharge their excrements on my head” (228).
Topic: family

The use of bodily excretions operates in both literal and metaphorical senses. Reference to the Yahoos’ filthiness will recur later on when Gulliver’s “master”, a Houyhnhnm remarks: “Another thing he wondered at in the Yahoos was their strange disposition to nastiness and dirt, whereas there appears to be a natural love of cleanliness in all other animals” (272). Figuratively, the use of excrement speaks of the internal origin of dirt. That the filth does not come from an external source suggests the Yahoos’ inherent moral and psychological dirt, a fact which Gulliver soon realizes to be his own.
Topic: family

The late Urie Bronfenbrenner was one of the most influential developmental social scientists in the last century. He had an important role in the design of the Head Start program and from the 1970’s until his death a few years ago; he developed the most comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding human development within the broader context of the social environment. Bronfenbrenner’s “bioecological systems” theory combines sociology and developmental psychology, with individuals and environments shaping each other. Children develop within several interlocking systems:
Topic: family

The microsystem consists of people who directly interact with the individual: immediate family members, schoolteachers and peers; as well as the everyday settings in which the individual is immersed: home, school, church, and neighborhood environments. (Bronfenbrenner, 1993) As a child, Tracy Foy’s family was devastated by the loss of their father. This caused the older siblings to take on a more adult role, as the mother was forced into becoming the sole provider for the family.
Topic: family

However, the impact of Tracy’s mother was significant because the love and compassion she had for her family did come through, in even her absence. Dr. Linda Mintle, who has a PhD in Clinical Psychology, is a licensed clinical social worker and the author of A Daughters Journey Home, maintains that: “The mother-daughter relationship is the perfect arena to develop and practice relationship building skills that form and shape every other relationship in a woman’s life because the mother-daughter bond is such a close one…The more you learn to make peace and find a meaningful connection with your mom, the richer other relationships will be.” (Christian Broadcasting Network 2008)
Topic: family

The intimacy established in Tracy’s relationship with her mother set the tone for intimacy in all of her subsequent relationships; she enabled Tracy to work hard in school, and helped to show her that being independent is a significant part of growing up. And to be honest about her life experiences with everyone she meets. Tracy’s ability to be so open and honest with complete strangers is one reason why she has decided to pursue a career in counseling. That microsystem therefore, had an enormous impact on both Tracy’s personal development and her decision to enter graduate school.
Topic: family

The next level of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory is the mesosystem. The mesosystem encompasses the relationships and interactions between the developing individual’s microsystems. (Bronfenbrenner 1996) For example, analysis of the mesosystem involves studying how the relationship between one’s parents and schoolteachers affects the developing individual. Tracy had older siblings that took the place of her father, and had an impact on how she did academically. This created extra pressure on Tracy to behave and perform well in school.
Topic: family

Her behavior was thus viewed as more mature and her peers would seek her advice and counsel as a mentor. She was described as someone who was “wise beyond her years. ” This mesosystem in Tracy’s development further supported her later decision to enter graduate school and pursue a career as a counselor. The exosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s theory of development includes an individual’s extended family, parental friends and colleagues, legal services, governmental agencies, and mass media. It also has been defined as environmental settings that do not directly interact with the developing individual.
Topic: family

(Bronfenbrenner, 1996) When Tracy was in middle school, her older sister went through a separation. While her sister did not appear to be bothered by the situation, Tracy was very sad on her behalf. It also made her question the permanence of marriage and ponders the effects of divorce on children, as Tracy had a young nephew caught in the middle. Fortunately, Tracy’s sister eventually got back together while Tracy watched with joy and relief. Being able to help parents work through issues to prevent divorce is one of Tracy’s goals in pursuing a degree in counseling.
Topic: family

Bronfenbrenner’s final system of human development in this original theory is the macrosystem. The macrosystem incorporates an individual’s ethnicity, as well as the cultural beliefs and ideologies within which a person is raised. (Bronfenbrenner, 1996) Tracy had a diverse heritage of Italian and Austrian/Hungarian. . Her grandparents emigrated from Austria and settled in the mid-west. Tracy was raised to believe people should be free to make their own way in life, without hindrance, oppression, or handout from the government.
Topic: family

Although Tracy’s family had struggled financially, she was taught that one’s success in life was a direct result of how hard one worked. The impact of the macrosystem on Tracy’s life inspired her to pursue a career where she can help empower other people to work hard and make their own way in life without the assistance of the government. These four systems, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem were the original environmental systems that Bronfenbrenner outlined in his 1979 publication of The Ecology Human Development.
Topic: family

Later on, he added a fifth system to his theory called the chronosystem, which considers the change in one’s environment over time (Boemmel & Briscoe, 2003). When Tracy turned 14, just prior to high school, her family moved to a new community and school district. This move caused her micro-systems to change at a very critical point in her childhood development; the transition from girl-hood to woman-hood. As a result of moving into a new community, neighborhood, school and peer-group she developed the skill of “re-inventing” herself.
Topic: family

She learned how to use her charm and effervescence to win people over, and this solidified herself as an outgoing individual. To this day she is very good at making new friends and tackles change as an adventure. These qualities are advantageous for a counselor and thus aided in Tracy’s decision to pursue graduate school in the hopes of one day using these skills in a counseling practice of her own. From this brief synopsis of Tracy’s life, it is evident that the microsystem had a greater impact on Tracy’s personal development and decision to enter graduate school than any other level of environmental influence.
Topic: family

It was Tracy’s close relationship with her mother, and the empathy she felt growing up, that had the strongest influence on both Tracy’s development and her graduate school decision. Using Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in this way has made it possible to determine the environmental factors on one individual’s development and a major decision in her life. This application makes it clear how Bronfenbrenner’s publication of The Ecology of Human Development catapulted him to the status of one of the most renowned developmental psychologists of his time. (Kazak, et al, 2010)
Topic: family

Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding has always been a subject for debate for many people. One side says breastfeeding is the way to go, while the other side believes bottle-feeding is the ways to go. Even though both sides have their disagreement, they both can agree the baby’s well-being plays an important role in their decisions. They both have many differences but very few similarities between the two. Breastfeeding have quite a few benefits for the mother and the baby. Colostrum is a substance which is first produced before a mother makes her milk.
Topic: family

It protects the infant from illness for the mother and avoids illness they might have been exposed to. (Burton, 2010) Babies who are breastfed have the less chance of developing respiratory and digestives issues than a bottle-fed baby. (Burton, 2010) It saves time and money because formula costs money plus buying bottles also cost money. (Burton, 2010) Also, helps the mother lose weight and reduces ear infections for the infant early on.
Topic: family

Studies have shown women who breastfeed their infants until they are six months, show lower risk of having high blood pressure. (The Province, 2011) Breast milk has been shown to help a baby’s brain develop more correctly (The Province, 2011) . It’s naturally full of vitamins and minerals to help the infant progress appropriately. (EarthTalk: Cleaning up China; breast milk vs. formula, 2010) “Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs” says Dr.
Topic: family

There are benefits and disadvantages for just about everything in life; breastfeeding has its shortcomings. Breastfeeding may cause pain to the mother her on nipples if the baby is not latched on or suckling correctly. (Burton, 2010) Babies who are breastfed more than a year are at higher risk for infections and so is the mother. Burton, 2010) There are certain things a mother cannot eat or drink when breastfeeding; they may harm the baby. The feedings are more frequent and can take up quite a bit of time. The mother’s breast may not produce enough milk for the infant, but that rarely happens. With breastfeeding a mother cannot tell how much milk their baby is receiving or if it’s too much or too little. Breastfeeding may cause a mother to have hormonal instability since she is losing some nutrients. Bottle-feeding also have its benefits for the mother and child at the same time.
Topic: family

It can be very comforting for the infant while he or she is feeding. (Geddes, 2011) The bottle has measurements on it so you can see how much food your baby is eating and receiving. (Geddes, 2011) “Bottle feeding can provide an emotional closeness and nurturing similar to breastfeeding “. (Geddes, 2011) Anyone can feed the infant if the mother is not available to do it. (Geddes, 2011) When bottle feeding the feedings are less frequent because it’s not easily digested as fast as breast milk.
Topic: family

A mother bottle feeding do not have to worry about their diet; they can eat and drink whatever she wants. Bottle-feeding can be done in public without having the mother exposing her breast. Looking up the shortcomings of bottle feeding and there are quite a few. Bottle feeding is very costly and will add up eventually. (Geddes, 2011) Sometimes a baby can get overfed because they might drink the whole bottle instead of half. (Geddes, 2011) Studies have shown babies who are bottle fed up to twenty- four months at higher risks of obesity. Xinhua News Agency, 2011) The bottles can mess up the way a child’s teeth grows and cause rapid tooth decay. (Geddes, 2011) “Infants who are bottle fed face a higher risk of developing a serious intestinal condition that can lead to surgery”. (Bottle-Feeding May Raise Baby’s Risk for Intestinal Trouble, 2013) Toxins has been found in bottles which can lead to breast cancer and early puberty. (Bottle-Feeding May Raise Baby’s Risk for Intestinal Trouble, 2013) Antibodies found in breast milk are not found in formula from bottle feeding.
Topic: family

Bottle feeding can lead to producing gas and constipation in babies at an early age. It takes time for the person to prepare the bottle for feeding. Lastly bottle-feeding do not have the natural nutrients that breast milk have in it. (Burton, 2010) Breast feeding and bottle feeding do have their similarities but have way more differences. They both can be time consuming and not be time consuming at the same time. Bottle and breast feeding for a prolonged period of time can be bad for the infant in the long run.
Topic: family

They are both very nurturing for the infant and provide nutrients for the infant. Some even put breast milk in the bottles because it can be the best of both worlds. (Geddes, 2011) Comparing and contrasting breastfeeding and bottle feeding you can see the rewards and drawbacks for both of them. It’s up to an individual to see what is best for their infant or child. Either way there are benefits no matter which way they chose to go. Breast feeding and bottle feeding will always be up for debate as long as people have different opinions about it.
Topic: family

The early childhood of a consecutive slayer is normally thought to be fraught with images of an unstable place, problem with the jurisprudence, deranged ideas and feelings about people around that individual, and developmental issues. Charles Milles Manson was no exclusion to this scheme. Manson was one of the most disturbed kids I have of all time read about. Thirty-seven of his 51 old ages of life have been spent in reform schools, surrogate places or prisons ( Emmons, 1994 ) . The kid known as Manson was doomed from the really start of his life and would subsequently go known as “ the most unsafe adult male alive ” .
Topic: family

Charles Manson was born, illicitly to Kathleen Maddox in Cincinnati, Ohio ( Emmons, 1994 ) . His female parent was known as promiscuous and a individual who drank and got in problem frequently ( Emmons, 1994 ) . Manson says that his female parent must be considered a prostitute because she is the female parent of Charles Manson. Kathleen ran off from place at the age of 15 due to her overbearing, fanatically spiritual parents.
Topic: family

Having one oral cavity to feed was tough, but adding another hungering homo to the mix is adequate to do a adult female do things she would non usually do. A waitress at a cafe one time offered to purchase the infant Manson from her. Kathleen replied, “ A hurler of beer and he ‘s yours. ” The waitress set up the beer ; his female parent hung around long plenty to complete it off, and left the diner without him ( Emmons, 1994 ) .
Topic: family

Charles was bounced back and Forth between relations that were no good to Sitters that would finally be burden with him. His childhood was ne’er smooth with the relations. One uncle that Manson was pawned off on was convinced that Manson was excessively feminine and suggested that he started to move like a adult male or else he was traveling to get down dressing him in misss ‘ vesture. Manson says that for the first twenty-four hours of school, his Uncle Bill dressed him in small misss vesture and he was humiliated ( Emmons, 1994 ) . This sparked his latent fury and he began to contend everyone who made merriment of him.
Topic: family

After the fire, Charlie was in and out of reform schools. He would frequently get away merely to be picked up later for acquiring into problem or for knocking into the incorrect individual. This finally led to prison. He besides had the same form with being sentenced and released. The inside informations of Charlie ‘s maturity will non be discussed in this paper as this paper is concentrating on his childhood. However it is critical to observe that Charlie is presently functioning a life sentence for the formation and engagement in the “ Manson Family ” which murdered several people.
Topic: family

I believe an appropriate manner to see Charles Manson ‘s adolescence would be to analyze the theory of fond regard. The twenty-four hours his female parent got out of prison was the happiest twenty-four hours of his life ( Emmons, 1994 ) . However, this joy was short lived ( merely like all the joy Manson of all time experienced ) . His female parent got involved with a adult male that did non like the thought that Kathleen had a kid. The adult male merely wanted Kathleen in his life so that is what he got. She pleaded to the tribunal that she could non decently care for him and Manson was placed in an all male child ‘s school. Manson was heartbroken and says in Emmons ‘ book, “ lonelier than I of all time was in my full life. I merely wanted to populate with her under any fortunes. ”
Topic: family

This transition shows that Charles Manson was capable of loving but he ne’er seemed to hold the love reciprocated by his female parent. This led to an insecure-preoccupied manner of fond regard. In this manner, the individual longs to hold a relationship, but do non because they feel they are non worthy of one ( McMahn, 2009 ) . Besides, Charles Manson had apathetic parents when he was turning up. These types of parents barely spend any clip and energy on their kids and this frequently leads to rejection ( McMahn, 2009 ) . In Manson ‘s instance, the reverberations of his female parent ‘s parenting manner reverberated throughout his full life. Our text edition states that striplings form apathetic parents have the hardest clip and are more likely to prosecute in delinquency, drug usage, and early sexual activity ( McMahn, 2009 ) . Manson was a ternary menace stripling and engaged in all three at an early age.
Topic: family

Manson ‘s delinquency rendered him vulnerable to a choice group of people with which to turn up. Sullivan ‘s position on familiarity in which the kid seeks to get away solitariness and derive a sense of wellbeing by developing a “ buddy ” or friend ( McMahn, 2009 ) proved awful in the instance of Charles Millis Manson. Although he did happen a buddy while locked up, those types of friends are in containment for a ground that is deemed inappropriate by society. These are non the people with which to construct strong bonds. His “ friends ” merely exacerbated his delinquency and altered his head ( for the worst ) psychologically. His traumatic experiences and events he witnessed ( e.g. colza, misconduct, unfair effects, and ill-treatment ) through his equals and the grownups in charge of the installation merely proved the erroneous thoughts that plagued Manson.
Topic: family

Manson provinces in the book by Emmons that “ at an age where most childs are traveling to nice schools, populating with their parents and larning all about the better things in life, I was cleaning silage and baccy juice out of my buttocks, recovering from the lesions of a leather strap and acquisition to detest the universe and everyone in it. ” This transition shows that Manson knows what a “ normal ” life should hold been like for him. I believe that it besides has an component of disdain for the kids that were fortunate plenty to hold this life. Furthermore, I believe it shows that Manson had a sense of desire for love and fondness at a immature age. Never holding the chance to witness these things straight as a kid influenced his societal acquisition.
Topic: family

Self-esteem issues plagued Manson over his adolescent old ages. In Emmons book, Charles Manson is portrayed as life in a changeless flux of self-pride. When he escaped from a correctional establishment he had a feeling of indomitability and that he out-witted the officers. Then, when he became incarcerated non long after his flight, he was right back to that sense of ineptitude and being a portion of nil. This could hold led to his inclination to go the leader of a homicidal cult. Recent studies find strong connexions between low self-esteem and jobs such as aggression and antisocial behaviour ( McMahn, 2009 ) . Charles Manson fits this scheme precisely. In Emmons book, Charles Manson agrees that he has an “ anti-social behaviour ” .
Topic: family

Besides in the book by Emmons, Charles references that he had a job with bed wetting as a kid. Nocturnal Enuresis is repeated elimination of urine into bed or apparels ( Association, 2000 ) . Research has indicated that following a injury ( e.g. , sexual maltreatment ) , kids frequently display regressive behaviours, such as urinary incontinence ( Faust, 1997 ) . Since Charles Manson admits that he was molested by his equals in the reform schools, this type of upset seems to do sense. If bedwetting was non plenty, Emmons says that Manson was repeatedly checked by guards to see if he was being raped.
Topic: family

When the guards foremost found out that he was non, they did what they could to alter that state of affairs. An episode in the book explains that during a cheque, the guard would take silage off the land and baccy out of his oral cavity and usage that to “ lubricate up ” Charles Manson. After making this, the guard would promote the immature work forces in the reform school to ravish Manson. This, doubtless, was an highly traumatic experience for Manson, non to advert he was having a message from the guards that told him he was non traveling to be protected by them. This was barely an acceptable environment for any individual to turn up and Manson ‘s actions on society were perfectly dismaying, but it makes you wonder if they were justified in his head.
Topic: family

Most sociologists agree that the nuclear family first became popular in the United Kingdom in the 1950 – 1960’s after World War 2, although it existed from approximately the 18th Century. It originally occurred in upper-class families that could afford to live in this way and then eventually filtered down to the middle-classes and finally became popular amongst most classes in the twentieth century. The nuclear Family ‘(consisting of husband and wife with dependent children) this was idealized and promoted in the 1950’s with the husband going out to work and the wife taking care of the house and family matters.
Topic: family

Statistics reveal that one of the most important reasons for the increase in single parent families is due to divorce, suggesting that 1in 4 children were affected by it. The rise in divorce rate could be attributed to the change in law in the 1970’s making it easier and more socially acceptable. We look at women and their roles in the last fifty years and realise that depending on our culture or how we were moulded as children, women can have many different roles.
Topic: family

They have always been expected to be weaker and maternal, some women have shown that they can be stronger than men by taking on their roles as well as their own but sometimes not by choice for example: single parenting, poverty (where no work for men and women work the streets etc), illness and even maybe religion. Since equal rights and opportunities came into force, more couples have both partners working, more mums have help to go back to work, men are doing their ‘fair’ share of the house work and also couples are making ‘equal’ decisions.
Topic: family

Women by now were also able to use contraception to prevent having a high quantity of children, which gave them a bit more freedom. Since 1970 families have become more equal and privatised, it wasn’t a big change for men as from 1950 families started to slowly progress towards being symmetrical. There are many benefits when families become more equal, it can take pressure off one another due to sharing roles and even if the wife takes up a part time or full time work this can help them financially but a vast majority of women prefer to remain as housewife’s this due to high maternal instinct.
Topic: family

Now a days children are listened to by their parents more, children didn’t use to have a say in what they wanted to do, boys were sent to school to get a good career and girls were kept at home to learn house skills. These days both genders can get an education and its quite normal for children to go to cri??che as young as 1 year old, this helps them to interact and to learn social skills So the decline of the Nuclear family and male dominance could be attributed to the opportunities facing women today that were not available in the 1950’s when the ‘ golden age’ of families was being promoted.
Topic: family

Women now can earn in the workforce and look after the children, to the extent of replace the male in the family completely with the female fulfilling both roles within the Nuclear family. There is also now evidence to show that the extended family is increasing at the moment due to the problem of a lack of care homes, rising directly from the increase in life expectancy. This coupled with the idea that teenage pregnancies are on the rise (UK has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe! ) would suggest that a slight rise in the extended family would be almost definite.
Topic: family

The extended family could also be on the increase in Britain now due to us having a more diverse ethnic background, with Asian families in particular valuing the extended family. It can also be seen that more people are choosing to be single than ever before, again I can bring the issue of ethnicity into this as it is widely reported that a lot of Afro-Caribbean families are single parent families, where as this was once seen to be something that society would question, it would now appear that society has become more accepting of individuals who would like to live alone, and put such things as career or education before a relationship.
Topic: family

The Single Parent Family, is not however only becoming more common due to divorce, undoubtedly there are other factors to take into consideration such as cohabiting couples with dependant children parting ways. Less common family types are also starting to have a more established place in today’s society. There is a growing trend of gay/lesbian families, a lot of whom are choosing to adopt children. The rising acceptance of society on this issue allows such family types to prosper, thus reducing the amount of Nuclear families.
Topic: family

In conclusion, it would seem that the nuclear family was the most popular family format in the 1950’s and has been a form of living for hundreds of years, and although it may become less popular due to the increase in divorce, rise in reconstituted families and those more infrequent family types such as gay/lesbian headed families, there is no reason for it to become a thing of the past. So although there are now more variations in family type it is still the nuclear family that is most prominent.
Topic: family

When I first walked into the stimulus room, I initially felt it was very much associated with time. There were the sound of clocks ticking in the background, there were also many pictures of clocks scattered on the floor. As I looked around the room I noticed it was clearly divided into three different sections. In the right hand section of the room, divided off by police tape, there was a television playing a video showing a baby in a womb, children playing, and then a pair of eyes.
Topic: family

This was followed by a sign being put up about adoption and fostering and then went back to show the image of the baby in the womb. The images were repeated continuously. Also in the section was a baby in a cot, nursery books, a hopscotch marking, several newspapers on the floor with the headlines about ‘Rape’, a mirror, empty wine bottles, a train ticket with the destination, ‘To meet my first born’ and also written on the floor was ‘ Dear Diary, Today I met up with some of my friends… ‘.
Topic: family

The newspapers, ignoring their headlines, could show how you can look back on the past, but not go back. The police tape dividing off that section of the room could also mean that there’s no going back, you cannot cross the police line back to the past. The baby and the nursery books, I think simply show the beginning of life, where it all began and highlighting the innocence of a young life. The empty wine bottles, I think show the stress of growing up, the bad times of your past. The newspapers with the headlines about ‘Rape’ also show the darker side of your past, something you may want to forget.
Topic: family

The video playing a continuous loop shows the life cycle, the baby in the womb, the children playing, then growing into adults. The flash of a person’s eyes could mean the images on the video were being looked at through someone’s eyes; it was perhaps their memory of growing up. The scene showing a sign about fostering and adoption could show perhaps that the baby in the cot was adopted, or that as you grow older you may not be able to have children. Often couples have to think about adopting or fostering a child. The whole section could represent one person’s life.
Topic: family

Perhaps they are reflecting back on their life after realising they in fact were adopted. They may look back realising that most of their life was a lie, many parents who adopt wait until their child is eighteen before telling them they were adopted. This could show the child looking back at his or her life, adjusting to the fact he or she did not come from where they had been lead to believe they had. The empty wine bottles could show the stress of learning the truth about your past. The mirror could show how they reflect back at their life, or that you are still the same person within throughout your life.
Topic: family

Although your physical appearance changes, and that’s what the mirror shows, you still remain the same inside. The quote, “Give me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man” explains how you develop your characteristics by the age of seven and they remain with you for life. As I continued to look around this section of the room, I started to think more about the newspaper headlines, ‘Serial Rapist’. I started to see a pattern immerging, the headline about rape, the police tape, the empty wine bottles.
Topic: family

This could all show a story about someone getting raped, perhaps the baby in the cot was a result of this and then put up for adoption, the mother may have turned to alcohol to deal with the trauma of being raped. The mirror, as well as reflecting back on your past could represent simply looking at your reflection, feeling self-conscious. Perhaps as a result of rape, the girl could feel very insecure and unhappy with her own appearance. The mental torment of being raped could lead her to believe that the image she sees in the mirror is worthless and damaged due to being raped.
Topic: family

In the centre section of the room, there were lots of paintings of melting clocks scattered on the floor, a globe, a large drawing on the floor of a clock without any hands, there was also a real clock on the floor. There was a large projection of the painting ‘Scream’ by Edvard Munch, a table set out for two people, there were lots of newspapers along the right hand side of this section and also newspapers with only a headline but no other text along the left side of this section. I think the overall theme of this section was the ‘present’, but like in the past section I think there are many more themes within it.
Topic: family

The paintings of melting clocks could show how time is running away, how fast life can go at times and that you should live each day to the full as you don’t know whether it’ll be your last. The large drawing of a clock on the floor, with no hands could back up the idea that this section of the room is ‘present’ as there is no time in the present because when you have a fixed time, it is in the past. It could also represent ‘any time’, the fact that there are no hands could mean that you don’t know when anything will happen, you cannot predict the future.
Topic: family

The real clock on the floor shows the reality that time really is slipping away, seconds tick by all the time, everything you do will suddenly become the past and you cannot change that. The ‘Scream’ painting shows a person standing on a bridge with their hands to their face, screaming. This could represent trauma and crisis in life, the person on the bridge is perhaps thinking of ending their life and jumping into the river below, or maybe just needed a place to escape to, to reflect back on his or her life. The fact that the person is screaming could mean they are going through a hard time or they are thinking back to a scarred childhood.
Topic: family

Like the wine bottles in the past section it could just represent the unhappy times in someone’s life. Many other paintings by Edvard Munch include the same bridge or pier, maybe this is a reflection on Edvard Munch’s life, it could be a place he liked to go when life was getting on top of him, to look back at his own life. The painting can represent many other things, for example the fear in people’s life, perhaps it represents death, or the fact many people are afraid of the idea of death although everyone has to face it.
Topic: family

The newspapers bordering the past and present section means that whatever is printed in the newspapers is always in the past, you can look back at it by reading the newspapers but you cannot visit it. Whereas the newspapers with only a headline and no other text represents the present and future, there’s nothing to write in the newspapers because you don’t know what is happening at this very moment or what is going to happen next, as soon as it has happened, when you read something in the newspaper, it is already the past.
Topic: family

The table for two, set out neatly with two plates, two sets of cutlery and two wine glasses I think represents the opposite of the ‘Scream’ painting, the happy times in life; love and friendship. It could represent a marriage, or even just two close friends. The globes could show the journey through life, or the fact that all over the world everyone is living at the same time, everyone has a past, and a present. Everyone has their own problems in life and however big and important yours are, somewhere across the world someone has their own to deal with and your problems are of no significance to them.
Topic: family

I think this section could link into the storyline of the past section, the ‘Scream’ painting could represent the trauma the rape victim went through or even how the child felt after finding out it was adopted. The table set out for two could show the happier times in their life, maybe the reunited mother and child after many years apart or it could represent a life getting back on track after a terrible event, sharing times with friends and family. The melting clocks show how time was dripping away and how you can never get it back, years would have been wasted being depressed and recovering from the trauma of being raped.
Topic: family

In the left section of the room there is a table set out for one, a train ticket with a destination ‘To propose to Fiona’, a large question mark drawn on the floor, a coffin draped in a black cloth with a rose on top, a vase of flowers, a bundle in a black cloth next to the coffin with a rose on top, a gravestone with no name or date, the words ‘Dear Diary.. ‘ written on the floor but with nothing following and on the floor, there was a white cloth. The overall theme of this section of the room was the ‘future’.
Topic: family

The table for one, is linked to the table set out for two in the present section of the room, this could show death of a partner or divorce or even friends falling out. The white cloth on the floor could show the blank future, nothing has been written on it yet. It could also represent heaven and peace when you die. The coffin represents death, the black cloth draped over it could show how many people fear death. The coffin had a rose placed upon it, this shows love and how when you are gone, there’s always someone still alive, missing you. The coffin could be linked to the table for one, it could explain that the partner or friend died.
Topic: family

The black cloth next to the coffin could show something connected to the person in the coffin next to it, their soul or personality for instanced and how that is no longer there when a person dies. The rose upon this black cloth again can represent the love of someone you’ve left behind. The large question mark drawn on the floor could represent many things, how the person died or the fact that its unknown as to what happens when we die, or that we don’t know what the future holds. The ‘Dear Diary… ‘ without any thing written after shows that we don’t know what is going to happen to us in the future.
Topic: family

Our diaries are blank until we write in them; our future is blank until we live it. The train ticket again shows the journey through life. The destination is ‘To propose to Fiona’ , this could be linked to the table for one, maybe the man went to propose to Fiona but she didn’t feel the same, leaving him alone, represented by a table set out for one. The gravestone had nothing written on it apart from: RIP In loving memory of: Born: Died: I think this shows that we don’t know when we are going to die, or who is going to die, when. This also shows that everyone will die, even though we don’t know how or when.
Topic: family

The flowers represent the love for someone, when people lay flowers on a grave at a funeral it is because they want to show their respect and love for the person who died and how there will be a part of their life missing without them. This section of the room could also link into the storyline of the other two sections. The bundle of cloth next to the coffin could represent an abortion, perhaps the rape victim had chosen to have an abortion. There would be no coffin because the baby was unborn but the rose still shows how there was still love for the unborn baby.
Topic: family

The gravestone again could represent an abortion, there would be no name, or birth date as it hadn’t been born. The large question mark could represent the unknown mother and father perhaps of the adopted child, it could have been an abandoned baby. It could also represent the unknown rapist and link to the past section with the police tape. On the tables, at the side of the room, not in any of the sections were several poems; ‘Time after time’, ‘Funeral Blues’ and an extract from ‘Ecclesiastes’ in the bible. All of these tie into the three sections of the room and the overall theme of time.
Topic: family

They also relate to the many other themes in the room, ‘Funeral Blues’ by W. H. Auden is obviously related to death. It shows the love for someone who died and how they will miss them now they are gone. ‘He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest’ It is from the point of view of someone left behind, someone now alone left to cope with the death of a partner. This could relate to the table for one, a partner dying and how the person will miss them. ‘I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. ‘
Topic: family

The extract from ‘Ecclesiastes’ in the Bible, links into the idea of past, present and future. It shows how in your life, there will come a time for everything, ‘a time to be born, and a time to die’ It elaborates the idea that everyone will one day die, everyone has their time. Nobody should be afraid of death, it shouldn’t something to be scared of as one day everyone will face it. The poem also includes many opposites, love, hate, war and peace, and explains that in everyone’s life there will come a time to do all these things. ‘a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. ‘
Topic: family

The first piece of practical work we developed from the stimulus room, was based on the Ecclesiastes poem extract from the Bible. We focused on four particular lines from it: ‘a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. ‘ We had to create a tableaux image of the four strong words in the poem; love, hate, war and peace. The first image out group started to work on was ‘love’. We decided each member of our group would hold a still image that represented various kinds of love. Georgina and I held a still image of two parents cradling a baby, showing their love for that child and each other.
Topic: family

In this image I played the father, holding the baby whilst Georgina played the mother gazing lovingly at the baby, our facial expressions were happy to show our love for one another and the child. We also started to think about different kinds of love, not only love for other people but love for other things in life. Eliot decided to hold the image of someone eating a burger; this was to represent someone’s love for food. Whilst holding an imaginary burger to his mouth, his expression was content to show how much he was enjoying it. Andy and Fiona held the still image of two people getting married in a wedding ceremony.
Topic: family

Looking lovingly into each others eyes, they showed their love for each other, the most common kind of love. Katie played a screaming fan at a concert, overjoyed to show her love for a particular band. We then started to think about the still image we would hold for ‘hate’. Georgina and I, instead of cradling the baby, we held the image of two separated parents, fighting over custody for the child. We represented this by, Eliot playing the child and Georgina and I pulling at each of his arms to show our love for one another had gone and now we hated each other because we both wanted care of the child.
Topic: family

We weren’t facing each other or the child and our facial expressions showed we were very angry yet determined to be the parent looking after the child. Andy, Katie and Fiona held a freeze frame to show a big argument, they all had raised arms and very angry expressions, this showed their hate for one another. The next still image we worked on was ‘peace’. Instead of all holding different still images to represent this, we all stood in a circle and held hands. This showed that everyone in that circle were friends, there was no war or conflicts between us, everyone was happy and smiling.
Topic: family

The last freeze frame we had to create was for ‘war’. We decided to show different kinds of war, the typical kind of war and also conflict and war between friends and family. We represented the typical kind of war between countries by Eliot laying dead on the floor whilst Andy and I stood over him holding guns, we had hateful looks on our faces as we looked down to the man we had killed. Georgina, Katie and Fiona represented war and conflict between friends and family by all standing with their backs to one another, with stern expressions.
Topic: family

We also had to use the convention of ‘melt and morph’ to link each of our four images. We decided to create a still image that we would start, finish and use between each of our four images. Our image that we would use to morph between the four freeze frames we created was all of us, standing with our heads down facing inwards, in a circle. This was to show the state of nothingness, no war, no peace, no love, and no hate. We evolved from this into each of our images and then back afterwards. I think the way we linked the images worked effectively because it showed four definite states; war, peace, love and hate.
Topic: family

Also it showed the easy transition from peace to war, love to hate and represented how easy it is to go from one to the other. The characters I played in this piece were; a father in the still image for ‘love’, a father in the still image for ‘hate, I was part of the circle in our representation of ‘peace’ and I played someone having just killed another person in ‘war’. In the first image, I stood as the father looking very happy and lovingly at my child with a big smile on my face. In the second image, I had a more serious and hateful expression, despising of my ex-wife and determined to get custody of my child.
Topic: family

In the third image, I stood as part of the ‘peace’ circle, we all held hands and smiled to show there were no conflicts between us and we were all friends. For the last image, war, I had a very angry but satisfied look on my face as I stood over the body I had killed. The next piece of practical work we did was based on the same poem but we had to concentrate on the lines of war and hate. We were asked to think about why it would say in the bible that hate and war are justified. We then had to create a scene or imagery to explain why hate or war would be justified.