Dysfunctional Family

Ashton and Eli

Definition: A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse on the part of individual parents occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. (Wikipedia)

When looking at the Bennet and Hamlet families, it is evident by the parents of the two families that Hamlet's family is more dysfunctional. When looking at Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, they clearly juxtapose each other as Mr. Bennet is a witty man who often pokes fun at his wife and Mrs. Bennet who is solely focused on her five daughters getting married. However, as the story progresses, it is clear that Mrs. Bennet is the parent that truly cares about her children, while Mr. Bennet consistently neglects his family's needs. However, while there is a clear difference between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, the family is not completely dysfunctional as their children, while frustrated, do not direct hatred towards their parents. The Hamlet is clearly more dysfunctional than the Bennet family as Claudius, Hamlet's new stepdad, killed his Hamlet Sr. Because Hamlet has discovered Claudius' two-faced nature, he is plotting his own murder, thus leading to the dysfuction of the family. Moreover, Gertrude is in a very confusing situation as both Claudius and Hamlet are vying for her loyalty. While it is clear that Gertrude loves Hamlet, Hamlet increasingly becomes frustrated that she often clings on to Claudius, the murderer of her deceased husband. Thus, because of the murder and deceptive nature of Claudius,  the Hamlet family is clearly more corrupt than the Bennet family.

Essay Structure:

Introduction - introduce specific points but do not completely analyze - strong thesis statement
First Body - talk about parents and their situation/ who they are
Second Body - analyze how their parents have affected the situation of the children
Conclusion - conclude the whole essay