The breakfast club letter to principal

The Breakfast Club: A Communication Power Struggle

In the Breakfast Club viewers observe the relationships that develop and transform between five students, the assistant principal, and the school custodian. The students are all brought together against their will in a high school library to servinge detention all day on a Saturday. These students’ personalities are were all stereotypical representations of high school personality types: rebel, jock, popular girl, nerd, and artistic loner. Each of these characters interacted in varying ways within the group and towards authority. The main authority figure was Mr. Vernon, the high school assistant principal; Carl, the custodian appears to be the least important of the group, almost a background figure. The interactional view of communication pays attention to control, power, and status. Watzlawick says “symmetrical interchange is based on equal power; complementary exchange is based on differences in power” (Griffin 186). Each of these communication properties allows for different character development, and serves to make the characters more multidimensional. Neither element of communication is a cause for superiority or dominance. The communication theories of complementary and symmetrical exchanges allow for evolving relationships, and transfers of power within the plot of the film. Comment by James Cianciola: Contextualize. Comment by James Cianciola: 8. Comment by James Cianciola: 9. Comment by James Cianciola: Clever. Now, consider the “to what end” question.

The first relationship to which we are introduced is that of Mr. Richard Vernon, the assistant principle, and John Bender, the rebel. At first sight, the relationship between the two men is a model of a complementary exchange. Mr. Vernon is concerned with maintaining his control and authority over this group of miscreant teenagers. He seems to assume that Bender will be the leader of the rebellion of this group, and he initially confronts him in an attempt to assert his authority by assigning further Saturday detention. However, in this case Bender contentedly accepts Mr. Vernon’s authority, and assumes further Saturday detentions. His surface level acquiescence exemplifies the complementary exchange between the vice principal and the rebel due to the fact that Bender accepts the power difference in the form of Saturday detention. However, we do begin to suspect that while Bender may give in now, that this communication pattern will not continue as the storyline evolves. We suspect that John Bender and Vice Principle Vernon may come to butt heads as the plot continues. Comment by James Cianciola: 7. Comment by James Cianciola: 22. Comment by James Cianciola: One wonders if he seeks detentions as a means to escape his abusive homelife. Comment by James Cianciola: 27.

The relationship between Claire and Andy is exemplary of a symmetrical exchange, as it appears to be based on equal power and status. Claire is the popular girl and Andy is the wrestling jock, roughly equivalent positions in the high school hierarchy. Additionally, this social equality is mirrored by their equality in communication patterns. Due to their equal status, when Bender makes uncomplimentary remarks to Claire, Andy tells him off and defends her, and she does the same for him. Andy understands Claire and her position, and she understands the importance of being a jock. When Monday comes, Claire and Andy will continue as they always have, and their mutual status and symmetrical interchanges will remain the equivalent. Comment by James Cianciola: 7 and 20. Comment by James Cianciola: Astute observation! Comment by James Cianciola: Push here. Tease out the implications of your conclusions.

As the film continuesd we discovered that these communication exchanges could shift and alter based on circumstance. This idea of communication alteration is best exemplified in the relationship between Carl, the custodian, and Mr. Vernon. Initially Mr. Vernon engages in a complementary exchange due to the fact that according to social hierarchy Mr. Vernon has the upper hand being the school administrator. However, later in this film the power shifts when Carl views Mr. Vernon snooping through confidential files in the school basement in an attempt to discover more information about his coworkers and students. This change in the complementary power occurs because Carl now has information that paints Mr. Vernon in a negative light, and thus, to prevent trauma to his reputation or putting his job at risk Mr. Vernon allows Carl to take the more authoritative role in their communication. Carl appreciates the power shift because it increases his respect from the administration and students. Comment by James Cianciola: Well done! Comment by James Cianciola: I am not certain that this conclusion emerges from the claims you make above. Maybe Carl is an ethical guy who publicly upholds socially constructed roles, but when he discovers Vernon is unethical, he privately calls him out on it.

Communication exchanges alter between Claire and Bender. At the beginning of the movie, they are adversarial. He looks down on her for being popular and she looks down on him for being uninvolved in high school activities and living on the fringe of social society. As she learns more about him and he about her, their pattern becomes more symmetrical. Neither is more powerful, and they seem happy to have changed their relationship, although they both know the change cannot last in the social environment in which they live, and on Monday their communication will return to a complementary exchange. Comment by James Cianciola: Word choice. Comment by James Cianciola: Your argument makes complete sense. However, show verses tell. Use dialogue from the film to support your claims.

Additionally, Bender and Carl share a moment due to Bender’s realization that Carl knows many of the internal workings of the school and its many personalities, thus giving him unspoken power and more authority than a custodian might usually possess. This mutual understanding allows for Bender and Carl to develop a more equal relationship, exemplifying a symmetrical exchange. Comment by James Cianciola: 8.

As the film continued the characters began to discuss their home lives and why they were the people they were and why they behave the way they do. Bender and Andy discussed how their fathers were both abusive in varying ways. Even though the rationale behind the abuse was different it had a similar impact on both boys, although they reacted differently. Bender rebelled and Andy sought to please and perform for his father. This shared connection allowed the boys to see that they were more similar than their social stereotypes let on. This allowed their communication to go from Bender holding the power in a complementary exchange to a symmetric exchange where they each held power. This alteration in communication brought together two more of the group’s members allowing them as a whole to move towards a blended symmetric communication style. Comment by James Cianciola: Revise such transitions. Comment by James Cianciola: Well done! Your work also suggests the power of identification to overcome difference.

In the movie the most successful communication amongst the group is a mixture of both techniques including complementary and symmetric exchanges. This mixed technique of communication was evident when The Breakfast Club as a whole agrees that in Saturday detention they can communicate using a symmetric exchange; however, on Monday they will return to their respective groups and a complementary exchange will commence once again. Griffin also supportsed this ideal of mixed exchanges when she statesd that Watzlawick “…makes no attempt to label one type as good and the other as bad. Healthy relationships have both kinds of communication…” (186). Finally, this communication pattern yieldsed the best results allowing no arguments of power, and allowed all these kids to get along. It also allowed them to put aside their differences and communicate successfully, if only for a short amount of time. Comment by James Cianciola: Indeed.

Complementary and symmetrical exchanges allowed for plot development due to the characters’ evolving relationships and transfers of power. The shifting communication pattern draws the viewer into the movie and makes the viewer care about the characters. As the viewer, you want to watch these people, learn about them, and see them develop. The movie is not an action movie, yet it has been popular across generations for many years because of complementary and symmetrical communications. Relationships matter to all of us, and even if they are forced and temporary they are ever evolving and changing. Comment by James Cianciola: Precisely. And the question is how do we build the strongest, most healthy relationships within any context?

Introduction 40 /40  (Though study 2).

Body (arguments) 50/60

Implications 30 /30

Style 5/10

Conclusion 10 /10 (Though see comments) .

_______________________

135/150

Your interpretive work is resourceful and compelling. The theories you choose and the scenes to which you apply them are themselves complimentary. I appreciate the conversational tone of your writing. There are also picturesque words here that are engaging.

You have a good mind for this type of critical thinking. Please see my comments and suggestions throughout.

Best,

James

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