Portrait of the American Family

A detailed Summary of Portrait of the American Family

America: land of the free, home of the brave. The capital of independence, rock music, hotdogs and baseball games. Everlasting days, big business and freedom. Who better to represent this unique country other than the All American Family: the Simpsons. Two parents, three children, a dog and a cat living in a suburban neighborhood where "everybody knows your name."

At the head of the family is a middle aged, balding, husband/ father. Homer works at a nuclear power plant being the sole provider of the family. After a long day of work, he heads straight for the bar, "Moe's" where he and his friends drink the ultimate beer, "Duff." Homer goes home to be welcomed by a home cooked mean prepared by his stay-at-home wife whose only job is to cook, clean, and care for the kids.

Marge is a passive character who mostly stays in the background unless she's bailing her son and irresponsible husband out of trouble or when she's driven to insanity to the point where her blue hair begins to fall out.

Of course there is the son who is predictably the "troublemaker." Bart, a skateboard riding smart-alack who does poorly in school is constantly in Principal

Skinner's office. He causes mayhem for the whole town whether it's

To counter the rambunctious young Bart, there's the genius daughter Lisa. A sweet little girl who loves to read and write, but unfortunately doesn't have many friends. She plays the role of the problem solver and moral enforcer, often encouraging her idiot father and pest brother to "do the right thing," and always concluding with a valuable lesson to be learned. And of course there wouldn't be an episode with out the catch phrase "eat my shorts."

making fun of the so called "common family." The TV show isn't to be taken literally but to take people away from their busy lives. If it was the definition of the "American Family," then welcome to America....proceed at your own risk!

Another contradiction arises when comparing the Simpsons to the American Family. In many families the roles of the husband and wife are the opposite. In the past women were encouraged to work in the home; it was thought of as their "role" in the family. However, thanks to Women's Rights Activists, over the past few decades women have been making a stand in the world and have been entering the workplace. No longer are the days of the typical stay-at-home mothers and working fathers. For example in Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood, the husband takes on the role of the "stay-at-home mom" while his wife is the prov

Some common words found in the essay are:
American Family, Principal Skinner's, Maggie Maggie, Duff Homer, Family Simpsons, Cult Fatherhood, Simpsons TV, , Rights Activists, american family, provider family, defines family, plays role, little girl,

Approximate Word count = 873
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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