Cultural Assessment Assignment on the Film 'The Help'

This assignment is a cultural assessment of the film 'The Help' based on the family dynamics, values, and ethnic traits. The assessment is done using the Beavers Systems Model of Family Functioning and APA format.

N3352 Legacy of the Family
Cultural Assessment Assignment
Submit by 2359 Saturday of Module 3.
Name: Date:
Overview
View a movie of your choice from the list below. While watching the movie, assess the movie
family’s characteristics and behaviors relative to the assessment criteria discussed in the class
notes and textbook readings. Address each criterion including specific examples from the
movie to validate your analysis. You must use references (textbook, class notes, others) and
these must be cited throughout your paper. Submit your analysis in this document, typed using
APA format. Limit is three (3) content pages.
Choose one of these movies:
Hotel Rowanda Under the Same Moon Home for the Holidays
Moonstruck Selena Bend It Like Beckham
Crash Snow Falling on Cedars Australia
The Help The Butler
Objectives
 Explore cultural differences among families.
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
Rubric
Cultural
Assessment
Expert
35 points max
Acceptable
At least 26 points
Unacceptable
Less than 26 points
Introduction
(6 points)
Introduction is present and
forecasts content of the
paper.
(5-6 points)
Introduction is present and
forecasts content of paper.
(3-4 points)
Sketchy introduction is
present or introduction is
missing
(0-2 point)
Description of
Movie Family
(9 points)
Comprehensive description
of family, including setting
and
context of story
(8-9 points)
General description
of family, including setting
and context of story
(5-7 points)
Incomplete description of
family, setting, and/or
context of story
(0-4 point)
Family Processes
(25 points)
Complete and accurate
assessment of the family’s
culture and ethnic traits and
how these influence the
following:
 Sociocultural
 Environmental
 Communication
 Power/decision
making
 Roles
(24-25 points)
Complete description of 4 of
these processes and general
description of 1:
 Sociocultural
 Environmental
 Communication
 Power/decision
making
 Roles
(13-23 points)
General description of at
least 2 processes and
complete description of up to
3:
 Sociocultural
 Environmental
 Communication
 Power/decision
making
 Roles
(0-12 points)
Values
(9 points)
Socialization &
Child Rearing
(9 points)
Healthcare Beliefs
and Practices
(9 points)
Adaptation
(9 points)
 Clearly describes the
family values as
demonstrated in the
movie. (8-9 points)
 Clearly describes the
family dynamics of
socialization and child
rearing.
(8-9 points)
 Clearly depicts the
healthcare beliefs and
practices of the family.
(8-9 points)
 Clearly shows the ability
of the family to adapt to
new situations and
 Adequately describes the
family values as
demonstrated in the
movie. (6-7 points)
 Adequately describes the
family dynamics of
socialization and child
rearing. (6-7 points)
 Adequately depicts the
healthcare beliefs and
practices of the family.
(6-7 points)
 Adequately shows the
ability of the family to
adapt to new situations
and stress.
 Inadequately describes
the family values as
demonstrated in the
movie. (0-5 point)
 Inadequately describes
the family dynamics of
socialization and child
rearing. (0-5 point)
 Inadequately depicts the
healthcare beliefs and
practices of the family.
(0-5 point)
 Inadequately shows the
ability of the family to
adapt to new situations
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
stress.
(8-9 points)
(6-7 points) and stress. (0-5point)
Assessment of
Development or
Functional
Competency1
(6 points)
Comprehensive assessment
of the family’s level of
development or functional
competency1 (Severely
Disturbed, Borderline, Mid-
range, Adequate, or
Optimal)
(5-6 points)
Adequate assessment of the
family’s level of development
or functional competency1.
(3-4 point)
Inadequate assessment of
the family’s level of
development or functional
competency1.
(0-2 points)
Summary/
Conclusion
(6 points)
Includes summary and
conclusions
(5-6 points)
Includes summary and
conclusions
(3-4 points)
Missing summary and/or
conclusions
(0-2 points)
Format and
Quality of Writing
(12 points)
Error-free or almost error-
free grammar, spelling,
punctuation, APA format,
and length is within
guidelines
(11-12 points)
Generally error-free grammar,
spelling, punctuation, APA
format, and length is within
guidelines
(6-10 points)
Error-filled grammar,
spelling, punctuation, and/or
APA format, and/or length
not within guidelines.
(0-5 point)
¹ Use the Beavers Systems Model for this overall determination of the family’s level of development or
functional competency.
Instructions
Review the Rubric to guide your work on the Cultural Assessment, using appropriate
subheadings in your work. Type into the text boxes provided.
Your page count begins on the next page
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
Choice of film: The help
Introduction
The film “The help” is mainly based on the novel written by Kathryn Stockett. It is
basically an American drama film that portrays the discriminatory thoughts in the white
Americans about the African – American maids. This film also portrays how the deeds of the
African American maids inspired young women to write a bestseller regarding them.
The central role of this film, the two maids then joined the book project and assisted her in
publishing the general miseries faced by the African American maids.
The film was also successful in focusing on the dynamics of the family values and the core
beliefs.
Description of Movie Family
The three narrators of the film " The help" is Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. The Skeeter
phelan, who does not belive in the concept of racism unlike the other white Americans. It has
been found that she had been punished and isolated from her friends for supporting the African
Americans.
The best friend of Skeeter is Aibileen who is an African American woman in her forties,
and worked as a maid is the sympathetic character in the novel. Minny, is another African
American women who is Aibileen's best friend in spite of having contrasting characters. Minny is
quite a complicating character of extreme strength and vulnerability. Minny is neither submissive
nor quiet as the other black maids. Ultimately Minny could grasp that Skeeter's book is the
utmost way of speaking out.
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
Assessment of Culture and Ethnic Traits
The storyline of the film was quite successful in portraying one of the fascinating
approaches of this film is that it took a subtle approach towards the class, race and gender. The
movie was quit important in depicting the racism faced by the African American maids during
the contemporary period. The film was a measure of the unbearable living condition of the
African American maids trying to live with dignity and respect. The White Americans held a
strong sense of prejudices towards the " Black', which was evident from the behavior of the
socialite Elizabeth Leefolt and her friend Hilly (Paul, 2017). The concept of racial discrimination
and stigma regarding the African American was evident from the fact that Skeeter's mother also
indulged herself in a discriminating deed of firing Skeeter's childhood maid without any valid
reasons. The Afro-American maids experienced a bitter life of being black and female in
America. They were socially separated from the people who were not black and female. The
Afro- American maids barely tolerated the pain of discrimination in employment and education,
segregation and the terror of white violence (Jones, 2014). They had also realized the need of
liberating them from the social oppression.
The film was successful in showing the values of different families as it beautifully
depicts how Aibileen took care of the Mobley as her own child. This can be because of the fact
that Aibeelin has lost her own child Treelore in an accident and the thud wants to compensate
that lost love by caring for Mobley. On the other hand we can see the life style of Mrs. Leefolt
and how she neglects her child for maintaining her social status. In that contemporary period
rich ladies were so busy in attending the social occasions and parties that often the child had to
grown up in the surveillance of the governesses. It was Mobley’s fate that Aibileen compensated
the motherly care by taking care of Mobley as her own child and tried to foster positive values in
her.
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
Minny was a maid and could not retain her job because of her outspoken nature, but gets a job
in Celia foot’s house, who is white woman. Minny generally refuses to be treated as an object
and hence makes up a murder plan for hilly and poisoned her chocolate pie, although in the last
moment he refrained himself from taking this drastic step.
In this book the whites develops social barriers between themselves and the blacks,
suggesting that blacks have things in more common with animals than humans (Paul, 2017).
However as the story unfold a couple of relationships between the black and the whites opened
up as can be seen between Celia and Minny.
Assessment of Development or Functional Competency
The two main dimensions of Beavers Systems Model of Family Functioning are family
style and competence. The dimensions of the competence range between adequate, and
borderline to severely dysfunctional and the style dimensions ranges from centripetal to
centrifugal (Beavers & Hampson, 2000). It seems that Elizabeth's family belonged to the
borderline families. Women plays a central role in a family and the prime role of a woman lie in
raising her child properly. The film reveals that the child is subjected to gross negligence by the
mother as she remains too busy with her social life. The film could beautifully portray the
sympathetic character of Aibileen who had raised seventeen children in the process. She
possesses love for both the white and the black people which is clearly evident from the fact
that she took care of Mobley as her own child. She is actually a matured and a respected maid
who brought up young children who often called her 'mama' than their mothers. Aibileen found
solace in bringing up Mobley and also tried to foster the sense of humanity in the child from the
very beginning.
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
Summary/Conclusion
Afro- American women are the living testimony, no matter what adversities come, those can be
conquered. The manifestation of racism and functional competency can be seen in this film. The
storyline of the film is that Skeeter rejects racialism and tries to confront hilly for her hatred
towards the black maid. The film depicts the fact how these two Afro-American women with the
help of an American, never surrendered to the social oppression.
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N3352 Legacy of the Family
References
Beavers, R., & Hampson, R. B. (2000). The Beavers systems model of family functioning.
Journal of Family Therapy, 22(2), 128-143.
Jones, S. W. (2014). The Divided Reception of The Help. Southern Cultures, 20(1), 7-25.
Paul, K. J. (2017).Racial dissension and pursuance of selfhood in kathryn stockett’s “the help”.
English Studies International Research Journal, 5 (1)
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