Sociology Honors, Wake Forest: I Am Sam Reaction Paper Analysis

This reaction paper examines the movie 'I Am Sam' through a sociological lens, focusing on the challenges faced by Sam Dawson, an intellectually challenged father, as he raises his daughter Lucy. The paper explores themes of parenting, intellectual disability, and societal perceptions, highlighting how Sam's love and dedication are often overlooked due to his condition. It discusses the legal and social struggles Sam encounters, particularly when Lucy's intellectual development surpasses his own, leading to interventions by social services. The paper references the importance of community support and the complexities of defining a 'fit' parent, contrasting Sam's situation with that of a successful but emotionally distant lawyer. The paper also references the impact of foster care and the challenges faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities in navigating the parenting system. It emphasizes the importance of support systems for parents with intellectual disabilities.

Reflection Assignment: I am Sam Movie
“It’s about listening even when you don’t want to, and it’s about love,” explains Sam to the
Court when he is asked to share his thoughts on good parenting. Sam gives a moving speech
on loving children, not judging them, spending time with them, creating a life with them, and
it is extremely appealing till we realize he says the name and gender of his kid incorrectly.
And then we realize, he is quoting a moving speech from another movie. My eyes welled up
with tears for Sam Dawson, an intellectually challenged single father to an 8 year old
daughter, Lucy. The movie ‘I am Sam’ is a very hard look at the reality of the challenges of
parenting through the eyes and mind of an intellectually challenged yet very doting father.
The movie shows how society labels Sam as an unfit parent because of his stunted
intellectual development while his lawyer, Rita, is accepted as a parent because she is smart,
educated, and successful albeit absent from her son’s daily life. I understand that Sam is not
a “normal” parent, but his intellectual disability has not stunted his love for his daughter. He,
like many others like him, can raise a child to be a well-functioning adult with the help of
others around him (Jamieson, Theodore, & Raczka, 2016). The movie is an imperfect but
perceptive portrayal of how it takes a village to raise a child, whose parent may be someone
like Sam with intellectual disabilities or someone like Rita with emotional misgivings
(“Parents with intellectual disabilities,” 2016).

References
Jamieson, R., Theodore, K., & Raczka, R. (2016). Becoming a mother: Supported decision-
making in context. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 20(4), 313-328.
Parents with Intellectual Disabilities. (2016, May 3). Retrieved March 2, 2020, from
http://www.intellectualdisability.info/family/articles/parents-with-intellectual-
disabilities