Extra Credit semester 2 Psych - Essay Example

The Breakfast Club It was a fine Saturday morning when Andy, John, Brian, Claire, and Allison were sent to detentionat Shermer High School under the watch of Mr. Vernon. All of them represent the stereotypes of not only the academic world, but the society per se. The point of detention, for Mr. Vernon, was for the kids to reflect on why they were there and learn from their mistakes. Nonetheless, as the story progresses, they were able to do more than just reflect; they were able to look beyond their differences and share their stories and similarities.

It all started when John, the rebel in the group, started bullying everybody in detention. As normal as it is, Andy, the popular member of the wrestling team, defended everyone in the group with his muscles and skills. Nonetheless, when they all had the chance to sit down, talk, and get to know one another, they realized that they had all something in common, the need for acceptance. At the end of the eight-hour detention, the five of them conceded that they will all be friends, or more than friends even with their extreme differences, and that is how The Breakfast Club started.

The Breakfast Club is a movie released on February 15, 1985, which was directed and written by John Hughes. It is evident in the movie that one of the major issues in the movie is acceptance. Every character wanted to be accepted for who they are, and not for whom the people around them dictate them to be. It can be seen in the movie that the characters, as adolescents, long that their parents and friends accept their flaws and be joyful for their own victories. However, due to the lack of acceptance, they take on the roles dictated to them in order to be accepted and be part of a group.

Every character has different behaviors in terms of reacting and interacting with other people. Andy uses his strength to gain respect from others because it is what his father taught him, while John acts as the rebel and the bully because he does not have any authority at home. Brian is subjected to high standards at home which he must also fulfill at school, but all he wants is to feel failure. In the light of Claire, she reacts as to the differences her parents want for her, where in reality, she suffers.

Lastly, Allison, as the neglected child, does whatever it is to gain attention from her parents. It can be inferred that the conflict portrayed by the characters in The Breakfast Club started from their homes. With this on hand, it can be inferred that their behaviors come from the relationship they establish with the parents of the characters. It is important to consider that the parents are one of the most influential agents in the lives of the children. Therefore, it is important that the parents create a strong and proper parental relationship with their children, especially during adolescence.

This is the major issue portrayed in the movie, which can also be considered as an honest reflection of reality. In addition, it can be observed in the scene where they were all able to share their stories, the characters exerted effort on tackling peer pressure. This is presented mostly by Claire, the prom queen, when she was asked by Brian, the nerd if they could be friends. Claire responded with an honest no, which she explained that her friends would not agree and would laugh if the two of them is seen walking on the hallway.

Another type of pressure was represented by Brian, where he voices out that he is pressured by his parents to be the genius kid. With this, he already thought of committing suicide, which brought him to detention. For John the rebel, his conflict with his parents was different. All he gets from his parents are verbal and physical abuse. As bad as he is, Claire still gets to see the cowardice in the personality of John. For anti-social Allison, she does everything just to get attention from her parents.

She was at detention because she had nothing to do; however, as the story progresses, she catches the attention of Andy. The Breakfast Club portrays the most common stereotypes in the society. It reflects not only their need to be accepted, but it also dwells on where their need is rooted. It is a great movie that depicts a truthful slice of life in a span of eight hours. Works Cited The Breakfast Club. Dir. John Hughes. Perf. Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy.

Universal Studios, 1985. Film.