The Journey of August King (Ehle, 1996), takes place in 1815, the stories backdrop is North Carolina, the lead role August King, a country farmer, is on his way home after taking this route to sell his produce and he has purchased needed goods for the farm, a cow a pig some geese and other items that will help him get thru this next year. August comes across a slave girl named Annalesse she has run away from her slave owner and is but 17 years old. This story dives into the relationship they build and the bond they build thru their journey.
They come across much adversity yet, they bond they build allowes Annalees to have a chance at a better life. One that does not include her being a slave. Movie Setting and Story The movie The Journey of August King (Ehle, 1996) takes place in 1815, when it is against the law to help a run a way slave, this was a time when slaves where considered property and a person was owned by another. We meet August King, a simple farm owner, on his way home from market after selling his produce and he has purchased some much needed supplies for his farm, a cow, a pig some geese and other essential items.
August comes upon a young slave girl later we learn her to be called Anna, or Annalees, she is running from her owner, where she has escaped with another slave but she is now on her own, scared hungry and in need of much needed sleep, she is a person in need. August wants to help her with that need. August and Anna build a friendship on their journey and Anna fills a need in August life.
We learn that August has become a widow, August wife falls to her death after the death of their infant child, unsure if the death of his wife was by accident or on urpose, but August feels the loss and feels that he wishes he had seen and was able to help his wife so in a way by helping Anna he is able to help himself, Anna actually helps August more than August helps Anna. Assessment of Movie Family Family nursing research, Theory, and Practice explains that “cultural context has been described as silent and invisible” (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, p. 203)I tend to think that the Sociocultural when it pertains to the relationship between August and Annaleese is not invisble, it is one that they both know the role each one has, and they do realize that they come from very different backgrounds.
August being a free white man, and Annaleese being the black slave girl, each one knowing their role in society. But when it comes to eachother, I see a respect that August has for Annaleese, he stops her from scratching in front of him, he at no time makes advances tword her. Annaleese understands her role also, and follows August she trust him since he never said a word to any one else that he came in contact with. Their environment is rough in “The Journey of August King” (Ehle, 1996), they are walking on dirt roads, along with being open to the elements, and concerned about having Annaleese getting captured.
They are litrealy running at some points from on safe area to another constantly looking over their shoulder. With that said, the environment of their relationship is a safe one, August would do any thing to keep Annaleese safe, and he proves it time and time again. When they hear that they are looking for a carraige with a milking cow attatched in the back, August takes his cow off and kills it, When they are attemtemting to get over a to the other side of a river he allows his pig to get washed away in the curent to his death, August proves time and time again that he wants to keep Anallese safe.
Communication refers to the process of exchanging, feelings, desires, needs, information, and opinions (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, p. 267). The communication between August and Journey Of August King Movie Analysis Annaleese is simple, Annaleese comes off as an uneducated simple black slave, where as August may not have spent much time himself in school, he at least has a better understanding and grasp of the english language. Thru watching the movie I could not see that they lacked in any area of communication, they had a commmon goal, and were able to communicate to each other, and look out for eachother.
There where times when August would look after to the needs of Annaleese, like when he noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes, and he appled alchohol to the wound on her foot so it would not get infected. “Family decision making refers to the interactional techniqyes that family members emply in their atttempts to gain controle in the negotiation or decision-making process” (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, p. 298). The first decision that was made for the benefit of Annaleese, was to allow her to sleep in the wagon, a selfless act by August.
By allowing her to sleep in the wagon, it set off the events that would have her come to trust and count on August to be the one that would help her. Many decions came soon after not easy ones for August himself, but they would benefit the “family”. So they were not captured, we saw the cow, the pig, along with the geese and eventualy August home would be sacrificed for the common goal, of having Annaleese find freedom. “Roles are based on role expectations of what individuals in a particular situation should do in order to meet their own or another’s expectations of them” (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, p. 22).
August being the leader and protector, and Annaleese being the willing follower. Annaleese being a strong women we could tell by the strength it took to leave her home, and want more, sharing that vision with August, he also saw that vision that she had, and willingly became her confidant and the one that would help her acheive that goal, he even went as far as to promise her that he would help her achieve that goal. It was his role as a protector to see it to the end, and any cost. Comparison to Beavers System Model Family Structure
Preparing for this section I reviewed our classroom notes where “Parents are clearly the leaders and care for each other” (Constantine, 2013), although our characters are not parents they are joined together by a chance meeting, and you can visibly tell that August cares for the well being of Annaleese. He goes as far as to knowingly “break the law” (Ehle, 1996). Mythology Our classroom notes refer to this as “Every member has a concept of how the family functions as a group that is congruent with reality” (Constantine, 2013).
August and Annaleese (Ehle, 1996), show the view that they are aware of their reality, that she is a slave girl and the dangers that they booth face are real if they are to be cought. August knows that he is breaking the law if he is to help the slave girl, but he feels that doing the right thing is better than doing nothing at all (Ehle, 1996). Goaldirected negotiations The notes from class refer to this as “Consistently demonstrate high degrees of capable & efficient negotiation skills in dealing with their problems” (Constantine, 2013).
August make some difficult decisions while helping Annaleese, killing his cow, allowing his pig to be swept away in the current, along with leaving his geese and cart behind (Ehle, 1996). But with ever choice and decision that is made the ulltimate goal is to help Annaleese get away from her slave owner. In these cases there is really no negotiation to be made, they have to happen, as hard and difficult as they may be, his ultimate goal is to help Annaleese get away from her slave owner, later we find out is her father, to August own detroment. Autonomy
Autonomy is the ability to self govern, it is the freedom from external control or influence, it is having independence (Dictionary. com, 2016). We see these trates from August were he is a independent thinker, and he does not allow external forces to guild him in his decesion making process, he is a for of a rebel, but he does answer for the deciessons that he makes. Our class room notes refer to this as “Members voice responsibility for individual past, present, & future actions” and “Exhibits increasing trust, clear boundaries, & the ability to resolve or accept differences” (Constantine, 2013).
As the movie comes to a close, August stands in the midst of losing every thing he has worked so hard for, penalty for helping a slave, his house is burned down (Ehle, 1996). August does not fight it, he is even offered the chance to, to sit by and lie about the events that have aquierd, but no August accepts is punishme days ago I thought I was pretty well off, and now I have nothing. I’ve never been so proud. ” (Ehle, 1996). Family Affect Realizing what August has gone thru there could have been allot of tention between Annaleese and August, but there was non, our class room nots stat “Usually warm, affectionate, humorous, & optimistic. and “The family enjoys each other” (Constantine, 2013).
August did enjoy Annaleese company and the ability to help her, he showed no discord or negative feelings toward her at any time. Global Appraisal Optimal, is the only way to describe this relationship, they show the ability to respect each other differences are celebrated by and entich all members, they show that they support each other. Summary and Conclusion Self – sacrifice comes to mind when watching this movie, the growing relationship ends when Annaleese is free to escape north.
What is left behind is a man that has given up all so she can have more, a chance to have a life, along with not being owned by another man, her freedom. The Journey of August King brings to light the inner struggles of decisions we make in our daily lives, along with our families choices we make and our willingness to accept the consequences. As human beings we are called to do what is right, not what is simple or in our best interest, we are to look out for our fellow man.