Relationships+Theme+Research

Introduction
Our big question is, "How do relationships affect people's lives?" Relationships are important to regular people because everyone is involved in some kind of relationship. Relationships tie everyone together, and they can make or break people's lives. We see many relationships in the literature we have read in class. In __Of Mice and Men__, George and Lennie have a brotherly relationship their entire lives. In __Great Expectations__, Pip has some type of relationship with almost everyone he meets. For example, Pip's relationship with Joe is brotherly while his relationship with Herbert is friendly. Likewise, in __Lord of the Flies__, the boys have relationships with each other for survival purposes. Relationships are important to all literature, as characters interact with each other through their relationships. This is why we are trying to answer the question, "How do relationships affect people's lives?" We want to know why relationships are so important, and learn everything about them.

What kinds of relationships are there?
In my research, I found three types of relationships, all of which can be found in Great Expectations. The three relationship types I found out about are friend relationships, love relationships, and business relationships. Friend relationships are the kind between Pip and Herbert. According to Mark Hofmann, friend relationships can be the strongest. He wrote an article about a man making a movie inspired by friends. The movie talks about the relationships of friends and how strong they are. The next type of relationship is the love relationship. This is like the relationship between Pip and Estella (or at least his side of it). Kristi Gustafson wrote about love relationships. There are many kinds, and different statuses of people in love relationships. Some people are happy, others want to break it off, some people are only in a relationship because they made a commitment. Because of this, love relationships are often the most complex. The last kind of relationship, the business relationship, is like the one between Pip and Ms. Havisham. Cecil Johnson wrote an article about business relationships in China. He wrote about how the Chinese often have good business relationships because the personalize them. They combine relationships, and it makes them successful. These three relationships come together to make the world we know, since everyone is connected by some kind of relationship.

Hofmann, Mark. "Friends' relationships inspire movie." Daily Courier 18/03/09 3. 7 Apr 2009. Gustafson, Kristi. "Love can be hard; so is defining your status." Times Union 22/09/07. 7 Apr 2009. Johnson, Cecil. "Personal networking seen as key to success in China." Fort Worth Star-Telegram 08/05/06 2. 7 Apr 2009.

** Why are relationships Needed? ** Time and time again, we read articles, watch TV shows, and search the web for ways to make the relationships we have with people better. A more important question that is not asked as much though is why positive relationships are needed in the first place. There are many reasons that we have relationships in our lives. One very obvious reason relationships are needed is for company in general. No one wants to go through life all by him or herself. There are many other reasons relationships are needed though once you get past the obvious. According to yahooanswers.com there are 4 main reasons. The first two of these is communication and Learning from Each Other. Communication and learning from the relationships you have is important because you can learn how to complete tasks or understand more about anything your unclear on. This is proved by the famous statement “Two heads are better than one”. Likewise, another reason we need relationships is because every person, no matter how independent they are, needs some form of support system. If you’re going through a hard time or even the best time of you’re life, it’s always nice to have a #1 fan that you can lean on and look to for kind words. Not only are these excellent reasons of why relationships are needed, but there’s also the momentous reason of how during relationships we can share responsibilities. If even super-heroes have sidekicks, then it proves that no one can do EVERYTHING alone, and relationships give us that extra assistance we need all too often. http://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com/images/505428_holding_hands.jpg Other than these 4 brilliant reasons, another rationale as to why we need relationships is the fact that according to the article “Teen Suicide is a Serious Problem” by Nancy Merrit, 75% of teen suicides are due to depression. Far too many of these teens are going into the state of depression due to not having positive relationships in their lives, which gives them zero reassurance to why they should live. Relationships are imperative to helping all children develop emotionally and socially, so without them it gives young adults a feeling of worthlessness. So truly, relationships are not optional if you want to live a happy and successful life. Citations: Gurian, Anite. "Do Kids Need Friends?." NYU Child Study Center 2. 10 Apr 2009. . Merritt, Nancy. "Teen Suicide Is a Serious Problem." At Issue: Teen Suicide. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Highlands Ranch High School. 7 Apr. 2009 . []

What goes on in relationships?
One of the most important things that happens during relationships is communication. Dictionary.com defines communication as “the imparting or interchanging of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.” The University of Wolverhampton states: “communication is a ‘two-way’ process.” The other person’s thoughts and ideas must be recognized and reacted to with your thoughts and feelings. Discovery Health suggests that strong relationships have a foundation on communication, and communication must happen without blame. Communication that involves blaming the other person can turn into an argument, which in turn, can break up a relationship. On the other hand, successful communication can make a relationship healthier and stronger.

Dictionary.com. "communication definition | Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com. 2009. Dictionary.com, LLC. 9 April, 2009. . Duerksen, Coulson. "Relationships & Partners : Communication Skills : Discovery Health." Discovery Health. 2008. Discovery Communications, LLC. 9 April, 2009. . University of Wolverhampton. "What is communication?." University of Wolverhampton. 2009. University of Wolverhampton. 9 April, 2009. .

What is the Outcome Of Relationships?
According to distance-educator, Seventy four percent of accomplished people that were interviewed blamed their success on the relationships they established. Relationships have the ability to carry your aspirations into reality. The outcome of a relationship changes not only your perspective of things, but helps you find which path you want or don’t want to take. In Great Expectations, Pip has a relationship with a man who can make his dream of becoming a higher social class gentleman come true. Relationships that come in different forms all have an outcome. From all different angles, the outcome is positive. Each relationship, whether good or bad, in the end will help you become more educated. Either educated about life, about yourself, or about your peers, all reveal that life comes with obstacles that affect your life. The way you get through the obstacle depends on your relationship with family, friends and foes. Natalie Seal of //Seventeen Magazine// says that “…those who are deeply hurt by their enemies, and feel more distant from their friends, are more likely to be depressed and fall under anxiety.” With many outcomes of relationships, they become the foundation of the feelings in our lives. Pulling away from friends or family can cause detachment from school, work and activities. With the daily stressed of everything we deal with directly, relationships are what we fall back on to alter our state of mind. //For every action, there is an equal opposite reaction//- James Isaac Newton [] Seventeen Magazine (pg.64) published May 2009 copyright [] Distance-Educator.com LLC 10, April 2009. [] Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc. “Bits & Pieces” Vol.T/No.42

 Obviously, relationships affect people's lives in many ways. Some are positive, and others are negative, but they never fail to impact us in some way. As you can see, once you dig a little deeper, there are several different parts that make up the concept of relationships, and several different types of relationships. In every piece of literature, the characters in the stories always have relationships with others and these relationships are often what make these novels interesting and unpredictable. Relationships are a key and momentous part to everyone's lives and no one would be who they are today without them.
 * Conclusion**