This article paints a harrowing and alarming picture of a seriously dysfunctional family. It describes the relationship between Susan and Felix Polk and the various events that led to his alleged murder by his wife. What adds a greater depth to the complexity of the saga is that Felix Polk was a psychologist and first met Suzan as his 15 year old patent. Their therapeutic relationship developed into an intimate romance by the time that Suzan was17 and the couple was married when she was 24 years of age. To add a further level of complexity of analysis to the situation is the fact that Felix Polk was 25 years older than Susan. The marriage was rocky and unbalanced and ended when Susan stabbed her husband or death.

The article is written in a non sequential way so as to provide insight into the contrasting views and ambiguities that permeate this story. From the point of view of the wife, Felix Polk was a manipulative and domineering man. His abusive character was given as the reason for his wife's actions which she claims were in self-defense. According to the author this view of the husband is supported by the sons. Again more complexities arise as the one son, Eli,

This article deals with the problems that alcohol introduces into the marriage relationship. It is written from a first- person perspective which provides some interesting insight into the consequences of alcoholism in the marriage via the perspective of the wife and narrator

His father was a man who was cruel and abusive to the family. This had a profound effect on the young boy. The article points to the important influence of home relationships on the psychological development of a child. What was more psychologically debilitating for the child was that, due to his asthma, he could not work and bond with his carpenter father and consequently suffered verbal as well as physical abuse.

What emerges from the article is a description of an extremely dysfunctional family. Furthermore there is also the possibility of mental illness, which is suggested by the fact that the wife was in therapy when the couple first met. The fact that the son, Eli, is also troubled may be a result of the family environment or possibly may be generic and related to a mental disorder. Unfortunately the article does not provide enough depth information in this regard.

Article 3. Diary of a brilliant black man

What the article shows is first and foremost the positive approach to life. The inspiring aspect here is that the Perry was able to transform his early years of pain and humiliation into a positive force that has not only healed his wounds but that has a positive value for those who see a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Felix Polk, Tyler Perry, Stabbed Husband, felix polk, , intense understanding, son eli, married alcoholic, dysfunctional family, stabbed husband, view husband,
Approximate Word count = 1008
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)