Modern family

Family

This painting by Norman Rockwell entitled Freedom from Want dating from 1942 and published in the Saturday Evening Post in March 1943, depicts a traditional American family gathered around the table for the Thanksgiving dinner. All the generation are represented (extended family), and everybody is smiling. It seems to be an idealistic representation of family values.

The painting shows the matriarch presenting a roasted turkey. The patriarch looks on his family from the head of the table. The white tablecloth and the dishes show that this is a special occasion for “sharing what we have with those we love”.

This picture from the 24th episode of the series entitled “Modern Family” is a parody of the painting “Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell. In the background we can see the original painting. These people are very enjoy by this thanks giving dinner. On this picture, the matriarch is a mother and not a grandmother. Its the same thing for the patriarch who become a father of family.

The document stages the characters of the series “Modern Family” sitting around the table for an American family traditional gathering : Thanksgiving dinner. The atmosphere is cheerful, they are all in a good mood. The setting is a parody of Rockwell’s famous painting. Contrary to the original, the characters are more expressive, colorful and the grand parents are more younger.

Activity page 59

a- Hayley, Alex and Luke’s fathers are Phil and Claire.

Lily fathers are Mitchell and Cameron.

Uncle Many’s mother is Gloria and his father-in-law is Jay.

Claire and Mitchell’s father is Jay and their mother-in-law is Gloria.

Jay wife’s is Gloria and Phil wife’s is Claire.

Mitchell and Cameron are Gay and they have adopted a Vietnamese orphan.

Alex and Luke are Hayley’s siblings.

Phil and Claire have been married for 16 years.

They got married 16 years ago

Mitchell and Cameron have adopted a Vietnamese orphan, whose name’s lily.

b- Its’s about Manny’s hobbies, he likes fencing and poetry

c- This family is modern in so far as it is a blended family, a multicultural family, a same-sex family with an adopted child.

The family patter is evolving.

Proportion de famille multicultural in usa

Vocabulary :

- siblings : brothers and sisters

- father-in-law : beau-père

- blended : recomposé

-Mettre l’accent sur : to emphasise, put the emphasis on

Prononciation ED :

- d :

- t : se, che, tche, fe

- id : t, d

The first American TV show shows 3 modern families. These are the three families of the series "Modern Family". The second american tv show shows a more traditional family. The patriarch works all day and comes home for dinner while his wife takes care of the house. The man is well dressed, with a suit. He sets an example of a perfect husband, a perfect patriarch and therefore a perfect family in the American mentality.

The two trailers show two opposed visions of the family. In the nineteen         fifty the father is the breadwinner he provided for his family while the women is the housewife : she does the chores (cleans, washes, cooks, …) and she takes care of the children. Today’s family is more unconventional.

The way the family is shown on TV corresponds to the evolution of the whole society. TV reflects society while society is influenced by the TV. When people watch TV, they need to identify with the characters. That’s a fact, marketeers are well aware of so they adapt to the current situation.