Passage 1

Princess Diana, acclaimed for her humanitarian work with scores of people around the globe, often said she was most devoted to her two young sons. One of her enduring quotes is : “Family is the most important thing in the world.”

The family unit’s essentail role is a recurring theme on the silver screen. For example, director Wes Anderson is a master of portraying the unbreakable family bonds that persist through all manner of hilarious friction and dysfunction. In the outlandish characters of “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” we recognize aspects of our own family’s idiosyncrasies. Stories of orphans, such as “Annie” and “Les Miserables,” have also deeply affected generations of viewers. For both filmmakers and moviegoers, the importance of family is firmly rooted in the psyche.

Across the ocean, Asian family values are famous for a strong sense of belonging and duty. Ang Lee explores these themes in “Eat Drink Man Woman,” in which a father and his three daughters go through individual struggles as fast-paced modernity encroaches on traditional life. A decade and a half later, Stephen Chow directed “CJ7”, a comedy about a poor single father and son who mutually teach each other big life lessons.

No matter which side of the globe, the family nest of love and support is a prevalent basic need.

Family ties may be universally significant, yet there are both subtle and overt differences between cultural expressions of kinship. The film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” poked fun at cultural clashes between Mediterranean and American family values, yet comparing East to West is an even bigger can of worms.

Western ideals are sometimes synonymous with “liberal”, owing to a cultural heritage of individaulistic philosophy rooted in Ancient Greece. Western education and parenting tend to emphasize independent thinking, encouraging kids to question and form their own opinions. Teenagers are likely to have part-time jobs, postpone college, travel abroad and move out of their parents’ homes by their early twenties.

Emphasis on respecting tradition and ancestors has resulted in quite a different set of cultural norms in Asia. Intensive memorization defines education, and “helicopter parents” feel  entirely responsible for their children’s lives well into their offspring’s adulthood.

In fact, regardless of geography, the more traditional the family , the more pressure is put on the younger generation to follow a prescribed life path, including choice of education, career and spouse. Yet modern transformations of the family unit are on the rise, including interracial and same-sex partnerships. Although the definition of “family” is ever-expanding, affection and mutual support remain the cornerstones. Could friends one day enjoy legal family status? Only time will tell.

请阅读以上文章回答以下问题
