The Simpsons As The Model American Family Essay
The Simpsons as the theoretical account American household of the 1990’s;Meet the Simpsons;Over clip, the definition of what precisely household means has changed with clip. Normally, what constitutes doing up a household is comparative to a specific civilization, but as ever, there are exclusions to the regulation. Ever since the aureate age of telecasting had sprung upon American civilization, telecasting has tried to mime the ideal American household through it s programming. Even every bit early as the 1950 s, telecasting manufacturers made programming that would stand for what precisely the ideal American household was.
Take for illustration the show Leave It to Beaver. While I am non traveling to travel in item about each character, I am traveling to sum up the household construction and the function of the member. There was a male parent figure, his occupation, or duty instead, was to financially back up the household, while being an model male parent to his kids. The female parent on the other manus, was entirely responsible for being a typical homemaker, while non pretermiting the raising of her kids. The kids did non hold any existent duty, but they respected their parents and attempted to remain out of problem.
Television shows for the most portion in this early epoch of programming followed among these lines.There has ever been at least one show each decennary that followed the development of American life. In the 1960 s, there was the Andy Griffith Show.
In the 1970 s, there was a different spin on household life with the show All in the Family, which did non hold the typical white neckband male parent, and its accent was non on raising the kids, instead it was after the kids had grown up. While in the 1980 s there was a split in the telecasting programming representation of American households. There were still shows that represented the ideal American household, such as Different Strokes and Family Ties every bit good as The Cosby Show, but there was besides a more realistic representation of American life in Married With Children. However, it is non in a play that American household life is best represented in the 1990 s. Alternatively, it is in the alive series, The Simpsons.The Simpsons follows suit with the other play that reflected the decennary in which they aired.
Harmonizing to the U.S. consensus for March 1998, the bulk of families in America are married twosomes ( U.S. Consensus pp. 1, 3,4,6 ) .
The Simpson s meet this. Besides harmonizing to the consensus, the norm married twosome has about 2.6 kids per family ( U.S. Consensus, Household Characteristics p.1 ) .
Since there can non be six-tenths of a kid, I will round up to three kids, in which the Simpson household has: Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Besides, the mean American is a blue-collar worker. The male parent figure, Homer, meets this factor with his occupation at the atomic power works within his hometown of Springfield. So harmonizing to the statistics, the Simpson household could be considered an mean American household.In the following portion of the essay, I will look at each single character of the Simpson household, and seek to associate how that person could be considered a typical American.
I attempt to avoid utilizing stereotypes, but nil is full cogent evidence. I will look at some of the character s traits and seek to associate how that is a lampoon of an American.First, I will get down with discoursing the character of Homer Simpson. As you might cognize, Homer is the father figure of the family, whose duties include financially back uping the family, since he is the family s primary beginning of income. He has his defects like any individual would, but someway he and his household tend to work it out. Some of his bad lucks are really similar to those that most of us have had to face.
For illustration, he leaves the keys in his door to the house rather frequently ( Hall, The Homer File p. 2 ) . Another illustration, would be the clip when he attempted to un-jam a wassailer by jostling a knife in and out of it ( Hall, The Homer File p.2 ) . Homer besides expresses concerns over his fleshiness every bit good as being a bad male parent ( Hall, The Homer File p. 3 ) . He besides has a job with his cursing, every bit good as his ingestion of intoxicant ( Hall, The Homer File p.
3 ) . Now, do any of these sound familiar to you?Leaving keys in doors are a common thing for most Americans. Whether it is traveling to or from the auto, or even go forthing keys in the vehicle lock, is something that everyone has done from clip to clip. To hold Homer make it, good, it is a opportunity for everyone to express joy at themselves. While seeking to unclog a wassailer with a knife is comparatively uncommon, it still does go on. Why personal experience and common sense would order for a individual to make otherwise, people still however do it.
A new fad that has swept Americans is the fad to be physically fit, and since Homer would stand for the typical American, this is a concern that has crossed his head. Every male parent that I know, strives to be the best male parent he can be, andever concerns if he is populating up to the outlooks they have of themselves in their escapade in parenting. Ever since films and telecasting began presenting expletive words in their day-to-day scheduling and shows, disgusting linguistic communication has been something that plagues American address. While Homer s is non every bit bad as some, he does hold his minutes. Alcoholism is a disease that is quickly turning in America. Homer s fancy for beer would surely set him in this class.Next, there is Homer s married woman, Marge. Marge epitomizes the term homemaker.
Marge is the foundation of the household, ever seeking to keep the family and to rise up her kids. She is concerned about what her kids watch on telecasting ( Hall, The Marge File p. 2 ) , while go throughing on household traditions to her kids ( Hall, The Marge File p. 2 ) . She even attempted to work to assist supplement the household income, but ended up go forthing the occupation to return to her family, which she felt had a higher precedence ( Hall, The Marge File p.
2 ) . To sum up Marge, she is a character that holds her household together, and she epitomizes that function.Mothers are normally figures that nurture their kids and do everything possible for them. They get involved in their kid s life and raise them the best they can. With the overplus of shows on telecasting now, parents in general return concern in what their kids are watching. SO, when Marge takes a base against her kids s telecasting show that was full of gratuitous force, she is making what many other parents do.
When Marge passed on the Bouvier comforter to Lisa, she was go throughing on a tradition that had been passed on to her, and would be hopefully passed down to future coevalss. Many households have this every bit good. Whether it is an old-timer or a ticker or jewellery, It still is a tradition that is passed on from coevals to coevals.Now I will speak about the kids of the Simpson household. Bart is the ill-famed trouble maker of the three. He is a rebellious boy who acts on urge and frequently disobeys both his parents and school module ( Hal, The Bart File pp.
3-8 ) . While he is frequently the job kid, his lighter side is shown when he is a good brother to his sister. Lisa, on the other manus, is the entire antithesis of Bart. Lisa is a consecutive A pupil who is frequently on the better side of her instructors and her household. Her intelligence is eldritch, and odd by anyone in her family ( Cawley p. 1 ) . Finally, there is Maggie.
Since Maggie is an baby, there is small to cognize about her, since she is ever an baby.The young person of today scope from disciplined to rebellious, from intelligent to non so intelligent. By holding the two older Simpson kids represent this, it farther defines why the Simpsons are a valid representative of the 1990 s. Unlike the older telecasting shows of past decennaries, where the kids of the household are ever perfect in every manner, the Simpson household has a more realistic tone to it. Not all childs are perfect and made for telecasting situation comedies, most are non. However, the Simpson kids give the spectator a opportunity to see both, which is closer to existent life.
To sum things up a spot, I will now recap and seek to set the pieces together to organize the perfect image of households in the 1990 s and why the Mrs. simpsons are the closest representation of households in the 1990 s. First, by utilizing statistics, out of households dwelling of three to seven or more members, a household dwelling of five members is the largest out of the group, which is consistent with the norm married twosome has about three kids. Following, every Simpson household member has certain distinctive features that are contributing with mainstream America. Homer is a blue-collar worker that supports his household financially, while holding certain traits that common among many American centers aged work forces. Margarine is a homemaker that holds the household together by unbending out any jobs that arise and by being a concerned, caring female parent.
Bart and Lisa are two different illustrations of the young person of our coevals. Bart is the typical rebellious kid, while Lisa is the aspiring and more intelligent of the two. Therefore, the Simpsons best represent American household life in the 1990 s.;Plants Cited:;Cawley, Donovan ; A Summery of Lisa Simpson ; Http: //www.xoom.
com/LisaSimpson/summery.html ; 2/15/99;Hall, Dave ; The Bart File ;;Hypertext transfer protocol: //www.snpp.com/guides/bart.file.html ; 2/15/99;Hall, Dave ; The Homer File ; Http: //www.snpp.
com/guides/homer.file.html ; 2/15/99;Hall, Dave ; The Marge File ; Http: //www.snpp.com/guides/marge.file.html ; 2/15/99;U.
S. Bureau of the Census ; All Parent/Child Situations, by type, race, and Hispanic Origin of Householder or Reference Person ; Http: //www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/htabFM-2.txt ; 2/15/99;U.
S. Bureau of the Census ; Households by Type and Characteristics: 1998 ; Http: //www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/98ppla.txt ; 2/15/99
