Communication between authority and children under different

stereotypes

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

At the start of the film, five kids from completely different social circles arrive at school for Saturday detention, all for different reasons. Their punishment, on top of a day in the library, is to write a paper on who they think they are. The principal is very aggressive and feels as though these kids all need to learn something not only about themselves, but about the other people around them as well. Each person lets the others into their lives a little bit throughout the film and they all see why each is the way that they are. In the end, the five students all realize that they are completely different, yet can still be civil towards each other, even finding similarities in their past and present experiences.

SYNOPSIS

JOHN BENDER

• The “criminal”• Typical bad boy, high

school kid who racks up Saturday morning detentions and lives life by no rules

• Rude, ignorant, and very aggressive

• Has no respect for authority or any type of person that isn’t like him.Bender is the way that he is due to

the verbal and physical abuse he gets at home from an alcoholic and angry father with no help from his scared and passive mother.

CLAIRE STANDISH

• The “princess”• Your typical high school spoiled brat

who ditches class to go shopping• The way she communicates seems

very arrogant and selfish.• Closed off to people not as rich and

popular

Claire is this way because her father deemed her as “daddy’s girl.” She has always been spoiled by her parents.

ANDREW CLARK

• The “athlete”• Varsity wrestler who’s

popularity and power has gotten the best of him.

• Respects authority but has zero tolerance for criminal kids and cannot help but laugh at the smarter “nerds” in the class

• Not afraid to voice opinions or problems with fellow classmates

Andrew’s father is the reason he is this way. He forces Andrew to be the top dog, the “Alpha Male” of his school.

BRIAN JOHNSON

• The “brain”• Quiet and conservative, but will

always respect and answer to those questioning him.

• Stays to himself, focused on completing tasks given to him so that he doesn’t disappoint or let down anyone

Brian’s parents are very strict in that grades and school work are the most important and not even a “B” is good enough. They add pressure to Brian, almost to the point where he does these things out of fright.

ALLISON REYNOLDS

• The “basket case”• Reserved and

extremely quiet. • Known to be a part of

the “weird” group of kids who don’t socialize with people around them.

• Very defensive when questioned, but scared when she feels uncomfortable (which is almost always).

Throughout the movie, Allison never lets anyone into her family life. However, she talks about meeting with a therapist. This proves why she might be guarded and reserved when it comes to interactions.

• At the start of the movie, everyone’s personalities are clashing. The communication throughout the room is tense, hostile, and extremely defensive. Because everyone comes

from different backgrounds, it allows for some to feel inferior and others to feel superior.

• Without having to say what really needs to happen, the kids eventually started to learn more about each other and why

they say, act, and are the way they are. They started to really think about each other and where they all came

from, and concluded that because they had these walls up, is why the communication was lacking and prejudice was

taking over, why the body language was negative, and why and how they can be friends in the future

THE REVOLUTION

• What was portrayed in the film was the “typical” high school stereotypes. The brain, the athlete, the basket case, the

princess, and the criminal. It showed that because they were all so different, they could not be a collective group until they

learned to truly communicate and interact with each other, not only verbally, but nonverbally as well.

• Of course, the easiest thing to say when asked what they could have done differently, would be to say that they could have all gotten to know each other before passing judgment. However,

being human, that just is not always in our nature. • To see that they did a full 180, being honest and compassionate

come the end of the film, shows that they did not need to do anything differently. They all became better, more well-rounded human beings… more aware of the way their snotty behavior or

quiet personality is perceived by others.• They all left still being rich, still a jock, a weird girl, a bad boy,

and a nerd, but they also left with the knowledge that people of different lives can coexist once they can figure out how to

effectively communicate.

WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY…

• What I believe future students could get out of watching this classic film, is that despite stereotypes and different types of people, communication and interaction can be

achieved. • It is proven that people will most likely befriend someone

who has the same interests, opinions, and thoughts as they do. These kids in The Breakfast Club, all pre-judged each

other and thought this was the case. However, they all could find some sort of overlap in their stories and find

common ground.• This film shows that with effective communication and being aware of how you’re portraying your words and your body language, people from “different” social circles and

backgrounds aren’t as opposite and out there as they originally tought.

FUTURE STUDENTS

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