Preview

Family Paper

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3085 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Family Paper
Family Paper
NURS 3304 Professional Nursing Practice
October 6, 2011

Introduction
The movie we chose to review is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The film portrays a large family with strong cultural beliefs. Family relatives include Tula Portokalos, Gus Portokalos, Maria Portokalos, Athena Portokalos, Yiayia, Aunt Voula, Nick Portokalos, Uncle Taki, Athena, Foci, Cousin Nikki, Cousin Angelo, Yianni, Cousin Jennie, Aunt Frieda, Cousin Marianthi, Aunt Lexy, Aunt Nota, and Paris Miller. The cast also includes a priest. Opposite the Portokalos family is Ian Miller and his small traditional family made up of Harriett and Rodney Miller. Also in the plot is Ian’s friend, Mike. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is about a traditional Greek family who wants their 30 year old daughter, Toula Portokalos, to be married. While working in the family restaurant, Dancing Zobra’s, Toula meets Ian Miller with whom she falls in love. Ian Miller is not Greek but in order to marry Toula, he agrees to embrace the Greek culture and Orthodox Greek religion. In turn the Portokalos family must accept Ian and he struggles to embrace the traditions of the Greek family to which he now belongs.
Family Cultural Assessment
The family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is large. Each family function is attended by the entire immediate family. This includes thirteen cousins and assorted aunts and uncles. Despite its size, the family is very tight knit. Members of the Portokalos family are strong believers in the Greek tradition and do everything together. The Greek culture is traditionally centered on the Greek Orthodox Church. These are very religious and cultural people. The tenants of their Greek Orthodox faith permeate all facets of their lives. They value strong family ties and follow the guidelines of a patriarchal family structure. With the father at the top of this family, the mother is the home maker. The father works while the mother stays at home cooking and cleaning to



References: Arends-Tóth, J., & Van de Vijver, F. (2008). Family relationships among immigrants and majority members in the Netherlands: the role of acculturation. Applied Psychlogy: An International Review, 57(3), 466-487. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00331.x Bagourdl, E., & Valsman-Tzachor, R. (2010). Are Greek-Americans Likely to Seek Psychotherapy?. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 13(1), 36-41. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Greena, A. and Vryonides, M. (2005). Ideological Tensions in the Educational Choice Practices of Modern Greek Cypriot Parents: The Role of Social Capital. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul., 2005), pp. 327-342. Jarvis, Carolyn. (2008). Erikson 's Developmental Stages. (2008). Physical Examination and Health Assessment. St .Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier. Likeridou, K., Hyrkäs, K., Paunonen, M., & Lehti, K. (2001). Family dynamics of child-bearing families in Athens, Greece: A pilot study. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 7(1), 30-37. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Nixon, R. (1982). Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church vol 107 issue 12, p 1230. Rodriquez, N, Mira, C, Paez, N, & Myers, H. (2007). Exploring the complexities of familism and acculturation: central constructs for people of Mexican origin 3(1/2) 61-77. doi: 10.1007/s10464-007-9090-7 Scourby, A. (1980). The Generations of Greek Americans: A study in Ethnicity. International Greek Interview p 43-52. Szabo, G, & Mandrekar, P. (2010). Focus on:alcohol and the liver. Alcohol Research and Health, 33(1&2), Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh40/toc33-1_2.htm Hanks, T. (Producer) & Zwick, J. (Director). (2002). My Big Fat Greek Wedding [Motion Picture]. United States of America: Gold Circle Films.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The differences between the Greek culture and American cultures. The movie illustrated culture clash between both cultures differences. In the movie apparently the Greek family only have close relationship with their own people, Greek’s people, and they see non-Greek’ people like outsiders or only for business purposes. For example, when Ian’s parent went to the engagement party to Toula’s house, and Ian’s mom brought a pound cake for the dinner, Toula’s mother did not know what type of cake it was until Ian’s mom explain her after repetitive times. Also, during the party, Ian’s parents seems dry and boring about the party, dance, Greek food and drinks because they are not accustomed to that on the contrary Toula’s family are having fun and…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Erikson, E.H. (1950). The Developmental stage of Erik Erikson. New York: Norton. Carole Wade. Carole Tavris. Tenth Edition…

    • 2529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tom Hanks and Shelley Long play Anna and Walter, a young couple just married. They spend most of their time dealing with managing their new house. The performed the unstable love of the couple clearly.…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cultural Autobiography

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages

    My father’s parents were born in a small village in the Peloponnese. They were kind and humble people that eventually made their way to Athens. My mother’s parents were born in Kafkaso, a town in Minor Asia, which at that time belonged to Greece. With the war of 1921, the Turks forced my mother’s parents to flee to Athens. They were wealthy and proud, as were many Pontian Greeks at that time. Both of my parents were born in Athens in the fifties. My mother left Athens in 1969, America bound and my father followed soon after.…

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 201: Child and young person development Outcome 1: The main stages of child and young person development |1.1 |Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development | | |Physical development | | |Communication and intellectual development | | |Social, emotional and behavioural development | |Birth- | | |3 year | | | |Sucking | | |Grasping fingers and toes. | | |Rolling on tummy | | |Sitting up | | |Crawling | | |Holding things and standing | | |Walking by…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Patient Educational Plan

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Geokas, M., Lieber, C., French, S., & Halsted, C. (1981). Ethanol, the liver, and the gastrointestinal tract. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 95(2), 198-211. Retrieved from MEDLINE with Full Text database.…

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    2). The Princess Bride movie opens the same way when the grandfather reads to the sick boy in bed. The boy’s reaction to the romantic fairytale is a sign of disgust and reflects the attitude toward pastoral romances. The ending of Daphnis and Chloe focuses on two young sheep and goat herders that fall in love in rural Lesbos, living it an even older literary style by the word usage, setting, and pastoral themes. The Greek ideality revolves around a young couple that proves their love and fidelity through an almost impossible length of obstacles, only to be together happily in the end. The movies’ long storyline comes at the price of any significant character development, an aspect that The Princess Bride uses comedic advantage. The movie places a large amount of insane barriers between Westley and Buttercup knowing about what they have both been through psychologically. Our knowledge of the characters is based only on their relation to the plotline. Their motivation to get passed these obstacles is simple, “true love”. This is the big theme that consumes the otherwise a hero for both man and…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first five stages of Erikson’s model, cover infancy through adolescence. Each stage is marked by a…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite being in a different country, her family holds tightly to the cultural norms from Greece and are adamant about not immersing themselves in cultures that are not Greek. The movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, portrays extended-family household, in which three or more generations live together. “Within the extended family, grandparents play meaningful roles in guiding younger generations; adolescents and adults with employment, marital, or child-rearing difficulties receive assistance and emotional support; and caregiving is enhanced for children and the elderly. Active, involved extended families also characterize other minorities, such as Asian, Native-American, and Hispanic subcultures” (Berk, 2013, p. 346). This is a far cry from the nuclear family that Ian and his parents are used to. This family type is typical in America and have the just parents and their children. These two family styles clash at first but in time things are resolved before the…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Family Assessment Paper

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Harvey Family is a traditional family that is composed of 4 family members. AH is the father and is a 39 year old black male with a college degree in business. He is a plant manager at a steel mill in Jackson, MS. Mrs. BH is also African American and is the mother of the family. She is 35 years old and teaches at one of the local high schools in Jackson, MS. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey have 2 kids. CH is a 13 year on girl who is in the 7th grade and has asthma. Her brother, DH, is 6 years old in the 1st grade with no present known medical history. The whole family takes weekend trips every other weekend. They enjoy hiking, amusement parks, computers, shopping, and site seeing. Parents’ perception is that they are hardworking, good citizens who strongly believe in God and their religious beliefs are Methodist. This family appears to be in good health and proud parents of 2…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: 1. Williams, N. W. (2003). Mexican american family: Tradition and change. (pp. 24). California: AltaMira Press. 2. Williams, N. W. (2003). Mexican american family: Tradition and change. (pp. 67). California: AltaMira Press. 3. Williams, N. W. (2003). Mexican american family: Tradition and change. (pp. 87-88). California: AltaMira Press. 4. Williams, N. W. (2003). Mexican american family: Tradition and change. (pp. 56). California: AltaMira Press.…

    • 3319 Words
    • 95 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Multicultural Paper

    • 2005 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Ember, Melvin., Levinson, David. (1997) American Immigrant Cultures: Building a Nation. Macmillan Library Reference. New York: Simon and Schuster.…

    • 2005 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cultural Competence

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages

    References: Kawamoto, W. T., Viramontez Anguiano, R.P. (2006). Asian and Latino Immigrant Families. In B. B. Ingoldsby & S. D. Smith (Eds.), Families in global and multicultural perspective (2nd ed., pp. 209-222). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is a 2002 film, that portrays the main character, Toula Portokalos and the conflict that occurs after she decides to marry someone outside of her culture. In the film, Toula is the middle child of an immigrant family that proudly represents their Greek Heritage. The most prominent cultural belief is that Toula must marry a Grecian man. With the assistance of her mother and her aunt, Toula is able to attend college and work for her aunt’s travel agency, despite her father’s original disapproval.…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lamanna, M& Riedman. A (2008). Marriages and Families. Exploring the Family: Theoretical Perspectives on Families and Studying Families. BELMONT, ca: Wadsworth/ITP. Chp. 2.…

    • 3681 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics