Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Willy was...A Good Father
Contrary to popular opinion in English class Royal Willy was a good father. No human can claim to be perfect, and Willy was by no stretch of the imagination a perfect parent but he was far from a bad parent. It is impossible to be a good parent. Our class accepted the notion how a child turns out is a reflection of the way they were raised, thus a judgement of the aptitude of the parents. This is wrong. Willy fulfilled his obligation to Biff and Happy in a manner that surpassed that of most parents. He maintained a stable household that fully supported both of his sons in their ambitions as they grew up. Willy also preached admirable and ethical lessons to the kids each day. His overwhelming belief in the sanctity hard work and the American dream can not be seen as harming either one of his boys development. His emphasis on his belief in their abilities was his way of supporting the boys. Unfortunately, society failed to help teach Biff and Happy the ways of the world and that hard work must be steered in the right direction for it to be effective. Furthermore, I believe the greatest fault for Biff and Happy’s “failure” can be accredited to the two boys. While Willy worked himself to exhaustion for countless hours in a job he didn’t even like, Biff failed to apply himself in anything he didn’t enjoy (all things not pertaining to girls and football). Willy provided an example, Biff simply did not follow.
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5 comments:
I disagree with you; I believe Willy neglected his parental duties to both of in sons by not teaching Biff to appreciate the value of hard-work and education and by ignoring Happy's constant efforts to impress him. I do agree there is not "perfect" parent in that all parents make mistakes, but good parents do exist. Willy may have taught his children his version of ethical lessons, but these very lessons set the boys up for unhappiness and a lack of success later in life. Biff can only become successful and happy when he escapes the example of Willy and begins to define life on his own terms.
I enjoyed reading your blog because it proposed a completely different view of Willy! Great job! Perfect length!
Elliot-I'm sorry, and no offense, but what story did you read? Willy is not a good parent at all, and I'm surprised that Biff didn't go crazy or become a horrible kid. Willy condones Biff's cheating on tests, and he has such high, unreachable expectations for Biff. In addition, he spends all his time and energy devoted to Biff's future, that he almost entirely rejects or ignores Happy. Yes, Biff and Happy are at fault for not satisfying society's expectations, but Willy did not teach them how to be successful.
Wow. First of all, I think that it is very possible to be a good parent! And I fail to see what valuable lessons Willy is teaching his sons. Willy is caught up in materialism, he cheats on his wife, he teaches Biff to cheat and steal, he is selfish...Willy is a terrible parent. Sure, nobody is perfect. Yes, perhaps some fault can be laid on the boys, but these aspects do not make Willy a good father! Willy would have been much better to be a supportive parent -- one who worked his boys hard, didn't let them give up, whatever, but stayed supportive and accepting.
Your blog was fun to read though, since it actually gave me something to comment on. Nice work.
Wow. First of all, I think that it is very possible to be a good parent! And I fail to see what valuable lessons Willy is teaching his sons. Willy is caught up in materialism, he cheats on his wife, he teaches Biff to cheat and steal, he is selfish...Willy is a terrible parent. Sure, nobody is perfect. Yes, perhaps some fault can be laid on the boys, but these aspects do not make Willy a good father! Willy would have been much better to be a supportive parent -- one who worked his boys hard, didn't let them give up, whatever, but stayed supportive and accepting.
Your blog was fun to read though, since it actually gave me something to comment on. Nice work.
Elliot,
I likewise disagree with you. I think Willy was far from truly effective parental figure. He first of all neglected one of his son's, Happy, and he secondly didn't teach his children admirable and ethical lessons for he taught them ways to simple get by in life. I do however agree with you that some blame must be put on Biff and Happy for their lack of success. Good job.
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