Examine A Scene From Horse Boy Using The Critical Lens

Examine A Scene From Horse Boy Using The Critical Lens Of Social Con

Examine a scene from Horse Boy using the critical lens of social construction and answer the following question. What is the individual’s place in society? Use the concept of social construction to analyze how societal norms, perceptions, and structures shape the identity and role of the individual depicted in the scene. Consider how societal expectations influence behavior, interactions, and the perceived value of the individual within their community. Discuss how cultural narratives surrounding disability, family, and community participation are constructed and how these influence the individual's experience and societal role. Highlight the mechanisms of social reinforcement that either constrain or empower individuals like the one in the scene, reflecting on broader social constructs related to ability, caregiving, and societal inclusion or exclusion.

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In the film Horse Boy, a poignant scene illustrates the complex interplay between individual identity and societal perception, perfectly framing the analysis through the lens of social construction. This critical perspective reveals how societal norms and cultural narratives shape the individual's role and experience within their community. Central to this analysis is the understanding that social construction posits that our perceptions of reality—including notions of disability, family roles, and community participation—are not innate but constructed through social interactions, language, and cultural practices (Berger & Luckmann, 1966).

In the selected scene, the father and son navigate a community setting that reflects societal attitudes toward disability and neurodiversity. Society often constructs disability as a deviation from the norm, leading to stigma, misunderstanding, and marginalization (Goffman, 1963). However, the scene also highlights moments where societal perceptions are challenged or reinterpreted, illustrating the fluid nature of social constructs. The child's behaviors, misunderstood or dismissed in other contexts, become expressions of authentic selfhood that resist reductive societal narratives. The interactions depict how societal expectations—such as the perception that disabilities hinder social or functional integration—are socially constructed ideologies that can either confine or liberate individuals.

Furthermore, the community’s response to the boy and his family underscores the societal role of caregiving and familial support as socially reinforced categories. Caregiving is socially constructed as a moral obligation aligned with cultural notions of family and nurturing, yet also constrained by societal stigmas about what constitutes 'appropriate' behavior and inclusion (Illich, 1976). The scene reveals how societal perceptions of normalcy and acceptance influence the family's experience, either facilitating integration or fostering exclusion.

Through this lens, the individual—here, the boy with autism—occupies a socially constructed space that is mediated by cultural narratives and institutional practices. The societal meaning assigned to his behaviors, whether as problematic or authentic, reflects broader social visions of normality and deviance. The family's efforts to seek understanding and acceptance challenge these social constructs, advocating for a redefinition of societal roles and perceptions around neurodiversity and inclusion. This scene exemplifies the power of social construction in shaping individual identity and societal participation, emphasizing the need to critically examine and transform societal narratives to foster genuine inclusion.

In conclusion, analyzing this scene through social construction reveals the ways societal attitudes and norms shape individual identity and societal roles. It underscores the importance of recognizing and challenging socially constructed perceptions to promote a more inclusive and understanding society that values diversity in all its forms.

References

• Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Anchor Books.
• Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Prentice-Hall.
• Illich, I. (1976). Limits to medicine: Medical nemesis, the expropriation of health. Marion Boyars.