The Different Structures of Family

Excerpts from the Paper

The Different Structures of Family
In their essays, "Thanksgiving" by Ellen Goodman, "The Good Daughter" by Caroline Hwang, and "Are Families Dangerous?" by Barbara
Ehrenreich
, each of the authors explains the ways in which they understand and have experienced the concept of “family.” Ellen Goodman, writing in 1980, is a journalists focused on writing about issues important to interpersonal relationships as a way though which to find out more about the United States’ national values and social structure. For her, family is a haven, a place of power and happiness that can help individuals remember who they are. Caroline Hwang wrote her essay in 1998. She is a writer and an editor, after having struggled with finding the right career for...

.....and are now proud of my accomplishments in school. After reading Hwang’s and
Ehrenreich’s
essays about their experiences with and research about families, I became even more grateful to my own loving and supportive family members. I know that someone from my family will always be available for me to share my sadness or happiness, or to just keep me company when I am feeling lonely and overwhelmed. I hope that this is possible for everyone to have, and that if it is not, they are able to seek some kind of support and kindness with other friends and loved ones, outside of their family situations.
Bibliography
Ehrenreich
, Barbara. “Are Families Dangerous?” 1994.
Hwang, Caroline. “The Good Daughter,” 1998.
Goodman, Ellen. “Thanksgiving,” 1980.