The Media Portrayal Of Family In Power: An Evaluation On Realism, Essay.

This Assignment requires the preparation of an essay that evaluates the media portrayal of a family situation or family issue in terms of whether or not the portrayal is realistic when compared to the literature on this family situation or issue.

In order to do this assignment, students must first choose a specific medium that portrays family life.  You should then prepare an essay that evaluates the portrayal of the family in this medium in terms of whether or not the portrayal is realistic.

Critique/Literature Review

Even though most of the shows and movies are fiction and sometimes they are produced to entertain the audience, it is also evident that real-life situations and scenarios influence the writers. Most of the films try to depict the real picture of a family with the intention of connecting with the audience. The material that will be used is a movie series which has been produced in the United States, and it is called "Power." The movie series has focused on drug life, power, crime, and family life. The movie series revolves around the lives of two main characters and the people they are associated with. The main characters are known as James and Tommy. The two men have been together as close friends from the time that they were young. They grow up to be the most significant drug dealers, and James owns a nightclub that helps him to launder his money (Gillespie & Richards, 2018). The aspect of the family comes in place between James and his wife and children and Tommy. Tommy and James see themselves as brothers, and this is because of the far that they have come as a team. On the other hand, James has a wife who is called Tasha and three children. This assignment aims to look into how the media portrays families.

Power uniquely portrays family in a realistic way, and this is because of the bond that is present between the family members in the film. The family aspect starts between James and Tommy. Although Tommy is white and James is black, the two see themselves as members of the same family. The mother to Tommy is alive, and she approves of the closeness that is between her son and James. In this respect, the movie series portrays the family as a close relationship that should not only be based on the blood connections but also on the closeness and history that is between the associated persons (Kumari & Joshi, 2015). There is a depiction of reality in this context, and this is because not all families are connected because of blood. Adoption of children has been in practice for many decades, and it still goes on. The practice brings people together as a family even though they are not connected by blood.  

A family member can fit in the biological or social definition. When it comes to the aspect of the biological definition, a family member should be connected to others by blood. However, it is not guaranteed that when people are connected by blood, they would still have close connections (Motro & Vanneman, 2015). An excellent example from the media is the relationship between Tommy and his mother despite them being mother and son; there are inappropriate behaviors such as sharing and using drugs together. The social definition is explained by extended social interactions (Gee, Takeuchi, & Wartella, 2017). From the media, it is evident that when people have prolonged social interactions, they become like members of the same family (Jennings, 2017). Realistically, this portrayal is practical, especially in low life suburbs. Most of the people who are raised together in problems tend to have a strong bond between them that makes them closer like members of the same family.

Accurate portrayal of emotional bond beyond blood ties

Tasha is a woman who is married to James, and she knows what James does for a living. As the wife to James, Tasha is ready to keep the secrets of James no matter what happens. Tasha confesses never to betray James, and at the same time, she is ready to take the truth to the grave. The portrayal of the family in this context is that the family should stand by the family members no matter what happens (Lee & Barron, 2015). The reality of the portrayal cannot be refuted. The reason for saying so is because the bond that is in most families lead to family members covering the actions of their fellow family members. In reality, family members are likely to protect their loved ones no matter what happens. Most criminals have not been exposed to the public members by their family members, but by people, they work with or the police. A good example, in this case, can be seen in the case of Pablo Escobar. Escobar was an international and dangerous drug lord in Columbia. However, despite his involvement in some of the worst crimes, he was protected by his family members. They prayed for him as well as staying with him despite the fact that they knew the police was all over looking for him.  

The position of members of the family is essential in the setup of any family (Lipkin, 2016). In a family, there is the father, mother, and the children. Every family member has a role to play and a position to fit. In a normal family set up the parents have the highest position in a family. The children come in to be dependents in the family until they attain the age of adulthood (Wen, 2015). The same has been depicted in the movie series. James has the highest position, and this is seen in his power to convince the wife. Dangers surround the life of Tasha and James, and this is because of what James does for a living. The husband has been given the highest position in the home. The film, therefore, depicts the reality of how a family should be. In education, the children are taught that the father is the head of the house and this automatically means that the father holds the highest position in a family (El Badaoui, 2016). Therefore, the movie series has depicted the image of the family the way it is supposed to be. During the times that Tasha is more worried about the problems that might be affecting the family, James takes up his position and always assures Tasha that all will be well and he will fix everything. In this context, it is evident that the portrayal of the positions that different members of the family should hold is accurate.

Family members should stand by each other no matter what

In a family, there are different responsibilities of the family members. For example, some families believe that the responsibility of a man is to provide and the responsibility of the mother is to manage what the father provides and to take care of the children. However, in whatever context, the man has always been perceived to be the one with the greatest responsibility of taking care of the children and the entire family (Crossley, 2016). The mother has always been perceived to be the one who takes care of the home and manages what the husband has provided. The film has depicted James as the provider of the home. Tasha is a woman who takes care of the children, and all his expenses are taken care of by James. James has a nightclub and also runs the cocaine business. The portrayal of James as the sole provider and Tasha as the woman who takes care of the children and the money that James has provided is accurate as far as the theory about the responsibilities of the family members is concerned.  

In a family set-up, there is a bond that strongly connects the family members which is emotional. This bond is strong to the extent of being blind to what the family members go through. Tasha and James do not have a perfect marriage, but the emotional bond that is between them is strong that anything else one would think of. At times, James is unfaithful to Tasha, but Tasha is always ready to forget that and cover James in case he is in trouble. In real life, it is hard for a person to separate the husband and the wife despite the problems that the two might be going through. Some husbands stand the humiliations of the public to support their wives, and the same case happens when it comes to wives. In this context, it is evident that the film comes in place to emphasize the need for couples to stand by each other no matter the challenges strongly. At the same time, the film emphasizes the need to forgive and forget, and this is well demonstrated through the actions of Tasha towards her husband, James.  

Conclusion

It is with no doubt that ‘Power’ has portrayed a family in the right way. The scenes that focus on family matters have been used to depict the real picture of families. The responsibilities, positions, and bonds between families that are evident in the film can be related to real-life scenarios. The film makes sure that there is no mix up in the responsibilities of the family members. When it comes to the person with the highest responsibility and people with no responsibilities, the film draws the line. James stands as the person who is given the highest family responsibility. The responsibility has not only been depicted from the perspective of providing, but it has been depicted from the perspective of protecting the family. In a family set-up, the man or the father of the family is seen as the person with the highest responsibility of protecting the family from the dangers that the family can be exposed to. This perspective has been well depicted in the film, and that is proof that the film has been set to depict the reality in the society.

The emotional connection that is between the different members of the family has also been depicted in ‘Power,' and the depiction is evident in real life scenarios. Members of the same family are likely to be bonded no matter the problems that they go through. This is one of the reasons why it becomes easier for the members of the same family to offend each other and later forgive each other as opposed to how friends would. The portrayals have an effect on the society, but the effects are positive. They try to show how families should be ready to stand by their family members no matter the situation. In this respect, the family members get to know the value of being there for other family members.

References

Crossley, S. (2016). 'Realising the (troubled) family,' crafting the neoliberal state.' Families, Relationships and Societies, 5(2), 263-279.

El Badaoui, S. (2016). Gender-based portrayal as media form in society. Global Media Journal, 14(26).

Gee, E., Takeuchi, L., & Wartella, E. (Eds.). (2017). Children and families in the digital age: Learning together in a media-saturated culture. London: Routledge.

Gillespie, L. K., & Richards, T. N. (2018). Using Content Analysis to Examine News Media Portrayal of Femicide: Sampling and Coding Considerations. London: Routledge.

Jennings, N. (2017). Media and Families: Looking Ahead. Journal of Family Communication, 17(3), 203-207.

Kumari, A., & Joshi, H. (2015). Gender Stereotyped Portrayal of Women in the Media: Perception and Impact on Adolescent. International Organization of Scientific Research, Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 20 (4), 44-52.

Lee, J., & Barron, B. (2015). Aprendiendo en Casa: Media as a Resource for Learning among Hispanic-Latino Families. A Report of the Families and Media Project. Joan Ganz Cooney Center.

Lipkin, M. S. (2016). A modern family indeed: An analysis of the portrayal of the same gender, transracial, international adoption in the modern family. New York: Taylor Francis and Sons.

Motro, J., & Vanneman, R. (2015, December). The 1990s shift in the media portrayal of working mothers. In Sociological Forum (Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 1017-1037).

Wen, H. (2015). Radical or Conventional?-Portrayal in Chinese Media of the Relationship between an Older Woman and a Younger Man. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 5(2), 356.