Attention getting material Imagine yourself in close proximity with 4 strangers nothing like you. That’s what the characters’ in The Breakfast Club were faced with. Tie to audience For this specific setting a group of 5 eclectic students are forced into serving 9 hours of Saturday detention for whatever they had done wrong. In attendance is a “princess” (Claire Standish), an “athlete” (Andrew Clark), a “brain” (Brian Johnson), a “criminal” (John Bender) and a “basket case” (Allison Reynolds). Thesis Statement I’m sure at one point or another in life we have all been faced with a similar situation.
Purpose Statement “The Breakfast Club” provides us with many unique displays of how small groups interact in their case it’s through ,dancing, harassing each other, telling stories, they fight , smoke pot and speak on a number of topics. During this time they eventually open up to each other and reveal their inner secrets. After listening to our presentation you may see “The Breakfast Club” in a different way other than just their stereotypes portrayed in the movie but how they communicate as a group to solve problems throughout the day.
During our presentation we will provide you with examples of status, rules and norms, power and cohesiveness that were illustrated in the movie. Transition to body First Jenifer is going to speak about status, and its effect on group dynamic. Jenifer STATUS I am going to talk to you about the effect status has on a group dynamic. The fact is that every teen character in this movie can be related to someone we knew in high-school, perhaps even your own self. As a child of the 80’s, I believe that movie is truly an honest representation of a cross-section of every high school in America.
Status is a huge part of this movie. The different walks of life that these kids represent are resounding throughout the entire production. The brain… the athlete… the basketcase… the princess… and the future criminal. They all exist, to some degree or another, in the classrooms of every high school on this continent. These 5 lost characters, were members of a group…members of the “Breakfast Club”, whether they liked it or not. The movie may have been a bit cliched, but what film isn’t; you always like certain elements that you can relate to.
We can see ourselves or parts of ourselves in one or maybe more than one of the characters in this film. No matter what little sub-culture you were in while going through the trials and tribulations of high school you could relate to it. What makes the film unique is that each character tells his or her own story with credibility. The emotion in this film is immense considering it is a teenage film – and touches on these 5 individuals who seem to be searching for some type of approval or acceptance. (Just like our-selves)
The Future Criminal, John Bender, a delinquent “bad boy”, while tough on the exterior, masks a difficult home life. His emotions sway from angry to emotional – making you feel for him when he is describing what things are like at his house. The Athlete, Andrew is under pressure from his father to perform up to high standards, which his Dad believes will add to his own lost youth. The Brain, (or nerd if you will) Brian excels academically, but is failing shop class. And neither he nor his family can or will ever accept an F.
The Princess, Claire the high school’s Prom Queen is rich and snobby, but has pressure to conform from her friends, as well as issues with her parents, such as the reference that she makes to them only using her to get back at each other. The Basketcase, Allison has few if any friends, wears all black, is a compulsive liar, acts very bizarre, and yet has similar problems at home. The question is can the emotional bonding they share in detention hold true beyond the library, and can stereotypes be broken?
They are able to work through many of the stereotypes in that 9 hour day of detention, and are able to begin to understand that even though their statuses in high school and in their community are very different. Their lives are also very similar. In the end, you discover that there is a little bit of the brain… the jock… the basketcase…the rich pretty-girl snob… and the future criminal in each of the characters, and probably in you too!! Tatyana- Rules and Norms I am going to be talking about rules and norms. First I am going to talk about rules.
The definition of a rule is an explicit, officially stated guideline that governs group functions and member behavior. There are many examples of rules in the movie, but I am going to talk about one particular incident. In beginning of movie when the students first arrive for detention, Principal Vernon sets down the rules, what he expects them to do, and to behave under his supervision. He does this to show that he is the one in charge and they must follow his rules or face further Saturdays of detention. Now, I will show you this clip. Now I am going to talk about norms.
A norm is shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and procedures that govern a group’s operation. I am going to be talking about a social norm in particular. In the movie, five completely different people are stuck in detention together. Social norms say that if they become friends over this one Saturday, they won’t stay friends once they leave dentition and will go on with their lives like nothing happened between them. This is because their regular school friends would make fun of them because they are in completely different social classes. Now I will show you this clip.
Next Victoria is going to talk about the importance of power in the movie show some examples of it in the movie. Victoria -Power Power is defined as the ability to influence others. Sometimes, the ability to influence others comes from legitimate power also called position power, that arises from the title one holds for example a principal. The following are a few examples that show a principal (Mr. Vernon) using his position to influence five teenagers in Saturday detention. 1- Mr. Vernon tells the students that, “You may not talk. ” “You will not move from your seats. ” “You will not sleep. 2- He also tells Bender one of his students not to mess with the bull (referring to himself) or else he will get the horns. “Any monkey business is ill advised. ”
3- Bender (one of the students) gets up and takes out the screw that holds the door open so that the door closes in order for Mr. Vernon not to be able to see what is going on in the classroom while he is sitting in his office. Mr. Vernon gets upset about it and wants to know who took out the screw. After a few minutes of silence, Bender says, “Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place. ” Mr. Vernon gets even more upset telling Bender that “you are not fooling anyone Bender. The next screw that falls out will be you. ” The two start arguing. Bender tells Mr. Vernon, “Eat my shorts. ” Mr. Vernon gets even more upset telling Bender, “you just bought yourself another Saturday” Bender replies, “Well I ‘m free the Saturday after that. Beyond that, I’m going to have to check my calendar. ”
Mr. Vernon replies, “Good, because it’s going to be filled. We’ll keep going. You want another one? Just say the word say it. Instead of going to prison you’ll come here. Are you through? ” Bender replies, “No” Mr. Vernon replies, “That’s another one right now! I’ve got you for the rest of your natural born life if you don’t watch your step. ” Mr. Vernon decides to lock Bender in a closet. While Mr. Vernon escorts Bender to the closet, he tells the other teenagers that, “The next time I come in here, I will be cracking skulls. ” 4- While Bender and Mr. Vernon are in the closet, Mr. Vernon asks Bender, “Are you going to cry? Let’s go. That’s the last time, Bender. That’s the last time you ever make me look bad in front of those kids, you hear me? I make $31,000 a year and I have a home and I’m not about to throw it all away on some punk like you.
But someday when you’re out there, and you’ve forgotten all about this place and they’ve forgotten all about you, and you are wrapped up in your own pathetic life, I’m going to be there. That’s right. And I’m going to kick the living shit out of you. I’m going to knock your dick in the dirt. ” Bender replies,” Are you threatening me? ” Those are a few examples that show how legitimate power or position power can influence others. Ellie-Group Cohesiveness Contributing factors for group cohesion in this film include •The amount of time spent together in detention
•Mutual enemy/ Mr. Vernon and authority figures •Self-disclosure Parents •Peer pressure •Stereotypes One of the first signs of true group cohesion is when Bender shuts the door and then when Mr. Vernon walks into the room asking who shut the door, the other students cover for Bender One example of them covering for him is when Mr. Vernon asks who stole the screw to the door and Claire responds by saying “excuse me sir but why would anyone want to steal a screw” After some time passes they begin getting bored again and the storming phase start when they start discussing their home life and the way they believe the others act at home, so they also include the beginning of their self-disclosure.
After a long time of silence they start cohering by whistling and now I would like to show you this clip Later on after lunch the group start cohering again through rebellion by roaming the halls and shortly afterwards smoking pot. This is when the majority of self-disclosure happens. They discuss peer pressures of being popular, being a brain, and the pressure they all feel from their parents and friends. After some storming again they finally realize they are not all that different and they are not alone in the world. (Play the dancing clip in the background)
Conclusion. The Breakfast Club has been used as a tool in many speech and psycology classes as to the nature of how groups interact and function. It shows what elemements need to be present to make the group function. The Breakfast Club is unique in a way that it shows how teens in america really feel. I can rememeber being labeled as a teenager and I believe that the movie is quite accurate. Our presentwation has covered status, rules and norms, power and cohesiveness. Not that everyone will run out and watch it now but the next time you do watch it I bet you see it in a different light.
