Middle Child Syndrome

Name of School: Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School

School Code: 160539

Name of Candidate: Wayne Fairman Candidates Registration Number: 1605390140

Theme of Portfolio: Middle Child Syndrome

Table of Contents
Middle Child Syndrome........................................................................................................................ page 1 General Introduction............................................................................................................................ page 4 Preface ................................................................................................................................................. page 5 Reflective ............................................................................................................................................. page 6 Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. page 10 Excerpt Relating to my Theme ........................................................................................................... page 11 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... page 13

General Introduction
The theme selected for my portfolio is, Middle Child Syndrome, with special attention being paid to The Impact of Middle Child Syndrome on an individual. My portfolio is divided into three sections: exposition, reflection and analysis. In the exposition section, my teacher was presented with a seven-ten minute oral presentation on Impacts of Middle Child Syndrome on an individual and what causes parents to develop lesser feelings. In the reflective section, I constructed one literary piece in the short story genre, directly linked to my theme. The story has a preface specifying purpose, intended audience and relevant context. My reflection piece is analysed in terms of its communicative behaviours and dialectical variation. This theme was chosen because many times I have heard individuals claiming that being a middle child is disadvantageous while others say being a middle child helped them to be the strong, independent people they are today. As being an individual who experiences some of the effects of being a middle child and have a first-hand account of some of the impacts, I found interest in the said topic, after hearing Of experiences many middle children and their parents. This topic first arose in my sociology class. It was then I decided to study the said topic and look at the impacts it has on an individual both the negatives and positives if there are any. Also What causes parents to develop lesser feelings for the middle child?

Preface
For my reflective I have composed a short story entitled Living Life in a Middle Child. I have chosen this genre because I believe that it is most appropriate medium in which Robby and Sanchez can express both the negative and positive impacts of middle child syndrome. By having two characters the reader can see how being a middle child impacts two different individuals and impacts from different perspectives. The purpose of the piece is to further emphasize and show the influence of the middle child syndrome on an individual's life, through the persona of Robby and Sanchez. The short story is meant to highlight the impacts of middle child syndrome on an individual. My intended audience is firstly, teenagers both male and female, aged 15-19 who are middle children and who have been or might be affected by middle child syndrome and secondly, sensitize parents who have a middle child in their family to some of the issues a middle child experiences. The piece would be best presented as an opening item at a community function to provide awareness of the middle child syndrome that there. It can also be presented during a sociology class to initiate discussion on the various impacts of middle child syndrome on individuals.

Reflective
Living Life in a Middle Child Being a middle child isnt the easiest thing. There are both ups and downs. Since humans are fixed like science each individual would react differently from the way they are treated. Hence being a middle child can affect two people differently. Robby Martinez and Sanchez Villarreal were best friends since Standard Three. They were both now in Form Five at Secondary School. Since Form Two Robby had become a middle child because his mother had another child . {Dialectal variation} Boi Sanchez being a middle chile is de best Robby would often say. Robby was never adversely affected by being a middle child instead it affected him positively. Robby yuh hadda make yuh own lunch eh his mother would often tell him. {Attitude to language} Robby would smile at his mother and happily nodded his head. He was less parent-dependent then the average kid. Being a middle child made him very independent and responsible. During the few days before mock exams Sanchez called Robby to their secret hideout at school behind the huge mango tree. {Dialectal variation and register} Robz my modda makin a child and I dont think I can handle it. {Attitude to language} Robby then frowned. Sanchez only used their group slang when he was feeling really disappointed and saddened. {Communicative behaviour} Sanchez then shrugged his shoulders and uttered a few more words, {Dialectal variation} Ah going to become a middle child.
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Robby knew how it felt to become a middle child and was hoping Sanchez didnt become negatively affected. Classes had begun but the two boys were still at their hideout. {Dialectal variation} Good day Gentleman I think classes have begun. {Attitude to language} Both boys simultaneously turned to the direction in which they had heard the perfect English come from. It was Principal Heinz. {Dialectal variation and register} Good day sir, we were just heading to class. Sanchez hurriedly replied. The two boys hurriedly headed to class. Months passed and each day Sanchez would think about how being a middle child would affect him. He already started feeling neglected as his parents had stopped showing interest in him. One day while doing his work Robby got a call from Sanchez. {Dialectal variation} My modda makin de chile boi. He said this with a croak in his voice. They both rushed to the hospital. They approached the first nurse they saw. {Dialectal variation and Register} Good Afternoon miss, Im looking for Mrs. Villarreal, do you know what room shes in? Robby asked. {Register} Yes I do, right this way sir. {Communicative behaviour} Robby confusingly stared at the nurse. How could someone so frustrated talk formally and polite? By the time the boys reached the room Sanchezs mom had already given birth to his little sister. {Communicative behaviour} Wow a baby! Sanchez said in a monotone way as he shrugged his shoulder and looked at the ground. Robby could tell he was feeling down.
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A few months later Robby realised Sanchezs parents stopped dropping him to school and instead he would travel by bus. {Dialectal variation} Rob ah fed up of dis boi! Sanchez exclaimed as he looked at the ground. {Communicative behaviour} Robby hugged Sanchez and they both went to class. Sanchez soon started misbehaving in his classes. Robby knew how it felt to become a middle child that he tried his best to help his friend but Sanchez was just too depressed to even listen. He had become the devil of the real world. The two boys thought to themselves, What causes parents to develop lesser feelings for the middle child? {Dialectal variation} Ah wonder why my modda dem does treat me so now? Sanchez rhetorically asked. Robby then suggested, Being the middle puts the child at a disadvantage as the oldest will achieve things first and it would be harder for the middle to outdo the older sibling, while the youngest will get the attention since they will be the baby in the family. Upon explaining Robby realised Sanchezs feelings hadnt changed. Robby decided in order to save his friend he would take the matter into his own hands. He decided to talk to Sanchezs parents. {Dialectal variation} Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Villarreal. Robby politely said. {Dialectal Variation} Wah yuh want Robby? Sanchezs mom said as she folded her hands {Communicative behaviour}. Sanchez feels neglected in the family and he has been misbehaving and Im afraid it will affect his academic performance. Robby said. Boi move from here and mind yuh damn business, he got be alrite he is ah big man.

She roughly said. {Attitude to language} Robby stared at Mrs. Villarreal. {Communicative behaviour}. He was so shocked that he froze. He eventually walked away and hoped for the best that Sanchez would go back to his normal self. Three weeks later Sanchez dropped out of school and started taking drugs. On the other hand Robby went on to be a successful business man. It was too late. Between the two middle children one was affected positively while the other went down the worst road possible.

Analysis
I have chosen to analyse my reflective piece Living Life in a Middle Child in terms of the dialectal variation and communicative behaviour which are found therein. The term dialectal variation refers to a persons conscious choice of dialect which in this case can be any variation of Creole or the Standard English. Choice of dialect is determined by factors such as social status of speaker, intellectual background, emotional state, and attitude towards the dialect. In this short story there are instances when both Creole and Standard English were used by the characters. When Robby speaks about how being a middle child is he casually delighted manner, choosing to use Creole Boi Sanchez being a middle chile is de best. The fact that he is with a friend with whom he is close and talking casual may have influenced his choice. On the other hand he uses Standard English when he speaks to Mr. and Mrs. Villarreal, Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Villarreal. He uses Standard English because Mr. and Mrs. Villarreal are adults so by using Standard English he shows respect for his elders. The fact that they are both authoritative figures he changes his dialect to a formal one. When Robby and Sanchez first discussed Sanchez being a middle child they were using Creole, Ah going to become a middle child. This is because they are friends so their dialectal variation was casual but as the principal appears code-switching on behalf of Sanchez occurs in recognition of the principals position, Good day sir, we were just heading to class. Communicative behaviours associated with language, the non-verbal aspect, are used by speakers to emphasise their words these can also be used interpret how the speaker truly feels. Within the short story we saw evidence of Sanchezs disappointment of seeing the baby. The monotone in his voice and shrugging of his shoulders showed that he was uninterested and disappointed in the birth of the baby. Also it could be seen that Mrs. Villarreal was annoyed at Robby appearing at her step by the folding of her hands. Dialectal variation and communicative behaviours are two of the elements that make for effective analysis and doing so have richly enhanced my portfolio.

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Excerpt Relating to my Theme

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Bibliography
http://www.psychologytoday.com. Lynne Griffin, R.N., M.Ed. 18 October, 2012. http://www.dailymail.co.uk Katrin Schumann, 28 December, 2011. http://www.wisegeekhealth.com Anonymous, 13 April, 2009.

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