Gary Soto Model Family Analysis

615 Words3 Pages

The image of the model family is beautiful. No wonder many people would do anything just to be part of it. The traditional family has existed for almost two centuries. The concept has been so broadly accepted due to the attention that it has received through the media. Like Gary Soto in “Looking for Work” the perfect family gave people the wrong idea into thinking what is reality and what is fiction. Of course, reality speaking, there is no such thing as the “perfect” family. One family are not capable to represent all the variation of families all around the world. For example, Gary Soto’s idea of the perfect family came from him watching a television show called “Father Knows Best.” The television show gave him the idea that there is an absolute …show more content…

Culture can be defined as the appreciation of good literature, art, music, and food. To others, culture is defined as knowledge that are passed down from generations to generations from our families. These ideas of the model family come from cultural myths. Cultural myths are capable of influencing our thoughts and actions. Cultural myths can also obstruct our way of thinking. When I was growing up, I view my family as the “model” of perfect family: my dad, my mom, and my siblings. This is a cultural myth because I believe the “model” family consist of those things. To other cultures, like in Asia, having your extended relatives living with you in the same house is part of their “model” family. It is very hard to overthrow these cultural myths we have when consider the way others raise a family. The meaning of a “model” family are starting to get broader due to these myths. Cultural myths forcefully affect the decisions we make in our lives. They give us different views on life. For example, Cultural myths help us answer questions like: What direction should I take to be successful in my career? Who should I marry or should I stay single? They help us deal with these questions because our answer lay within our families. Colombo also states, “These myths help us understand our place in the world.” Colombo is not only talking about career choice making but he is also referring to all the choices we make in