Sociology Essay

Lysvette Rodriguez

10/18/2020

Dr. Daniel Boudon

Soc-303

Content Analysis

Modern Family is a show that depicts three families which have a robust bond of love and acceptance. These ties are even more potent than the blood relations they have. Each of the actors has been critically scripted and starred to perfection, producing exquisite visual images. Although these families are not entirely perfect, one can draw a thing or two to implement in their own families. From the unfolding, an older man marries a Columbian woman. A brief explanation would be there is no room for racism. This man is a white patriarchal model who is open-minded especially to contemporary issues and has no reservations. He accepts his gay son and blesses their adoption of an Asian kid. A teenage pregnancy that transpires help cement family relationships and teaches on how acceptance of children even when they make the wrong decisions is a point to note.

Another theme that the paper sheds light into is the societal expectations which have led to numerous misconceptions about the rightness of things, particularly behaviors in the contemporary world. The movie serves to throw these expectations under the bus and provide a new perspective of open-mindedness. People should not have a rigid view of everything but should be ready to appreciate inclusivity and diversity. Such an attitude is crucial to ensure that there is harmony in all the daily activities of individuals. For example, in the workplace or learning institutions, appreciating diversity would bring more motivation and satisfaction with the tasks.

A crucial notion that individuals should have is that of enjoying everyone and understanding that people are different. That means whatever these people do, it is upon them, and no one should chastise the other for pursuing a different lifestyle contrary to the societal expectations. Ideally, the movie provides a free world where everyone is expected to be a free spirit. Since its development, the show has been an accurate depiction of families in the modern world. Some of the themes that are existent in the movie are age differences, gender, family values, racism, and homosexuality. Here, the dad is forced to accept modernization of his Colombian wife.

On the other hand, Phil's children have a wide array of interests and accomplishments. Another child is the adopted one, Lily. Lily belongs to a Vietnamese heritage. As a result, a theme that is put across throughout the movie is that of inclusivity. In the show, we have a feisty Gloria (of Colombian origin), Cam (farmboy), et cetera. All these are a characterization that exists currently in the modern world. A notable depiction of Gloria is her accent, which if it could have been lacking, it would not have been sweet.

Another variable that is added to the picture is Lily’s' deadpan emotions towards her gay parents. Other characters are the pets (Stella and Fizbo) who are provided roles to play into the fantasies of a modern family. On the flip side, the show has won 22 awards which makes the same a show that resonates with most contemporary issues in the world. Notably, the show strives to tie all characters to ensure that there is a commendable feature.

On the aspect of humor, the show has strived to pinpoint most of the issues. Individuals can get entertained while having a glimpse on the issues that are laden or hidden in most parts. Now an individual will have to engage their precepts and perform some critical thinking on what could be hidden in the jokes. Therefore, the impact of the movie is using humor to handle serious issues. An example is the immigration problems that Gloria faced are hidden in the jokes. In a scene, Gloria is being taught on the history of America in an interview for her green card. Here, she says, "Baby Cheeses," instead of baby Jesus (Casilas, 2018). Besides, she refers to the helicopter as "Taka taka taka taka."

Another depiction in the movie is the family struggles. The characters Phil and Claire, play this part. A narrative pointed out by these actors drive is that of striving to keep love healthy after being in a marriage for close to 25 years. Most families are often faced with the challenge of keeping romance alive after living together for years. The spark often is lost after some time living with an individual. Teaching that may be derived from this family is that effort should be placed in everything right from coming up with ways to work on something, rather than asking for divorces which have a long-lasting effect on the children. In that, these children may start feeling as if they are unloved, or there is something that they did wrong, which messes their personal development. A child exposed to such issues at a tender age may be adversely affected in other areas of their lives like studies which may have a ripple effect on human capital. As a consequence, the whole society is involved since the economy is reliant on such drivers.

Alex, Haley, Manny, Joe, and Luke are a darling to watch. These characters bring about boy child struggles to those of bullying, which is a significant issue in the contemporary world. On the flip side, regardless of the family setups looking modern, there is the reverse of the roles of gender. An observation made from the show is that the traditional family setup thrived in terms of gender. A depiction is that the mothers are more concerned with the welfare of their children, family and having memories that they will live to cherish forever. The women's way of raising the children is feminine, and they are devoted to presenting and taking care of the children. On the other hand, the men are not concerned with how the portrait will look like since they are not worried about making memories to be cherished. Notably, the men are masculine, emotionally controlled and they are devoted to their careers which are outside the family.

An interesting perspective is that the show raises some controversial questions. A question that runs throughout the episodes is on how an ideal family should look like. Individuals should then ask themselves who their families are. Such a problem is now too complicated with the American families setup. However, individuals should not think that family values have now plummeted in America; instead, individuals should accept the diversities that are nowadays making families unique.

Additionally, the objective of this piece is to eradicate societal conventions and stereotypes. The show serves to show how these perspectives are meaningless. However, regardless of this central theme, the show is witty and hilarious. The writers provide the first-hand experience on dramas that unfold in most families in the country. A point that can be derived or related to these families is their love for each other. As a result, a notion put forward is when one loves an individual, they should support their choices. An outcome of this statement is that the show has helped individuals who were hiding behind the closet to come out, for example, the scene of Mitch and Cam's proposal (Screen rant). Notably, it brings out the concept of homosexuality, which some individuals may still be fearing their peers or what society is going to say about them.

On the theme of homosexuality, it is a behavior that is gender deviant. However, lately, it has been garnering social acceptance. For dominant societal principles, people favor or prefer heterosexual ones. In most cultures, homosexuality is viewed as a taboo. By implication, it has adverse effects on individuals who are partaking same-sex interconnections. Primarily, the concept of gender roles is put to the limelight. The lesbians and gays do not fit into the heteronormative category, which has been created by society. A perspective is that the existence of such individuals threatens the global view of the community and cultures. As a result, how the LGBTQ community is treated.

One thing that can also be pointed out is no character is perfect, which makes the show relatable. A point driven across with the strive by characters is never let wrong judgements bring one down, but strive to ensure there is the correction of the consequences that were a result of choice.

Overall, drawing from the show, family roles have shifted from a traditional context to a modern one. However, societal expectations continue to exist, which makes it hard for western culture to facilitate such reforms. For example, concerning the raising of children, maternity leave is often granted only to the mother. Thanks to the European countries, they have now started giving fathers maternity leaves to have a more significant role in raising the child, which from a traditional perspective is a women's' task.

References

Casillas, D. I., Ferrada, J. S., & Hinojos, S. V. (2018). The accent on Modern Family: Listening to representations of the Latina vocal body. Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies, 43(1), 61-88.

Modern family: 10 scenes that never fail to pull on our heartstrings. (2019, December 4). Retrieved from https://screenrant.com/modern-family-scenes-that-never-fail-to-pull-on-our-heart-strings/

Appendix

CONTENT ANALYSIS CODE SHEET

This sheet is to help you keep track of what and how you’re measuring. This is not your memo/paper.

Content Title Modern family # of episodes 201 length in minutes of each 22

1) Definition of theme/word/action that is to be counted (if relevant include what is not counted).

Family, Societal expectations, Homosexuality, Racism, Age differences, Family values, and Gender.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) How we are measuring (scenes, seconds, etc.) (ex. 15:02-15:27)

Scenes_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tally

Theme/word/action	Time (during episode)	Duration	Description
Child adoption struggles	Season 1 episode 1	14.44	Mitch and Cam struggle in the adoption of a child.
Getting a vasectomy	Season 1 episode 3	12:31	Phil has to get a vasectomy for family planning.
Drug abuse	Season 1 episode 7	12:43	Hayley is busted for drinking alcohol, yet she is a minor.

3) Analysis

______The movie is the best depiction of emerging issues that are in our society. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________