A Property of the Clan Essay
I have chosen to explore the theme of Peer Pressure from the text “A property of the clan” and the film “Thirteen”. In “A property of the clan” peer pressure plays a major part in the unfortunate events that unravelled within the play. This is most evident in the scene, when no one knew what had actually happened that night of the party, except those who had committed the act, and Jared. Page 28, Jared confesses to Ricko that he had witnessed the raping of Tracy that night at Black Rock.
But Jared had not said anything to anyone as those who committed the felony, were in fact his friends. Jared tells Ricko “It’s a madhouse. Davo and them running round saying don’t be a dobber, and then the posters on telegraph poles. Shame Black Rock Shame. ” This cleary portrays peer pressure as he feels as though he needs to refrain from telling the truth, to not be labelled a snitch. And he is put under more pressure considering the fact that they are his friends, and he believes that he cannot go against them, even if it is the right thing to do.
After Jared tells Ricko what he had saw, Ricko gets defensive and tells Jared to keep his mouth shut. “Forget you even saw it. Nobody knows you were there. It’s just the way things happen. ”. Jared respons with “All right! ” This represents peer pressure as Jared is put on the spot and being hassled not to tell anyone what he had seen. Jared’s response with “All right! ” shows him giving into peer pressure and is listening to what they are telling him to do. Powerlessness is shown in this scene by the main character Jared, as he is the vitim in the situation.
This is shown mainly with the use of language techniques. For instance, page 31, “Not a word. Not a name. Not a single fucking name. Get it? ” says Ricko. The use of slang and cursive lauguage by Ricko portrays aggressiveness toward Jared, putting Jared in a powerless state as he listens and just goes with it, not saying one word. Also, this use of launguage portrays Ricko’s assertivness and puts Jared in a state where he cannot do anything about it, and that he has to listen to him. He is powerless in the situation.
My poster promotes peer pressure through visual techniques such as juxaposition. This is evident as in the background, the people are positioned close together as a group, to show isolation and power over the main image of the girl. Also the use of colour is simple but eye-catching as it creates the focal point (girl) due to the contrast in colour (black and white). This layout portrays how in the play, Jared is left to decide for himself, whether he should do the right thing, or stick by his peers. Peer pressure also plays a huge role in the film “Thirteen”.
Tracy (7th grader) becomes friends with the most popular girl in school, Evie, and is introduced to drugs, alcohol and sex. But Peer pressure was first and most evident when Tracy first hung out with Evie at a popular clothing store. Tracy shockingly witnesses Evie and her friend stealing clothing and accessories but steps outside the store as she knew it was wrong, and was laughed at and looked down by them. She had a moment to herself and thought about what had just happened. Ironically, a woman then sat next to her, and put her purse down. Tracy had a thought to herself.
And only moments later, reunites with Evie, showing the wallet she had stolen and all the money that was inside. Evie’s attitude toward Tracy was flipped and was then happily welcomed by her. This shows a form of peer power as Tracy is felt unwelcomed and as if she weren’t fitting in, leading her to feel pressured into stealing aswell. Both power and powerlessness is shown by the main character Tracy in this scene. Powerlessness is shown through the technique juxtaposition, as Evie and her friend are always positioned close together, where as Tracy is always by herself ; portraying power over Tracy.
But at the end of this scene, when Tracy decided to steal the purse, she was welcomed by Evie and the use of up-beat music showed power as they walked happily together; ending the scene. Again, my poster promotes the theme of peer pressure through visual techniques such as colour. The colour of the people in the background are coloured in a shade of black, to contrast with the main image of the person in the foreground, to represent isolation and power over her. Also, the gestures made by the main image, (e. g. er stance and facials) show the feel of uneasiness in the situation, as she is under pressure by her peers. This contrasting image reflects how in the film, Tracy felt powerless and also uneasy about the situation she was in, but eventually gave in due to her peers. To conclude, peer pressure is clearly present in both the related texts “A Porperty of the Clan” and the film” thirteen”. Peer pressure is an inevitable part of life, which everyone will evetually encounter; And these both these texts show the consequences of such.
