Observation Paper: Child’s Development

Observation Table

PART ONE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In the Iranian family drama film, Children of Heaven, the director Majid Majidi manipulates the storyline of the entire film in a manner that the plot follows the development of a child, especially through the character Ali, who is nine years old. The film has received positive criticism from the audience because the child’s development attributes dominate throughout the film. Specifically, there is the cross-examination which realizes that the motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social development, and temperament are realized throughout the film and can be adapted to the fictional character Ali as the topics covered throughout the semester are examined, synthesized, and analyzed through the character Ali. Through the material, Infants and Children: Prenatal through Middle Childhood by Laura E.Berk, temperament, and social development is important in the life of a developing child. PART TWO: ANALYSIS

Motor Development

In one scene, it is examined that Ali has attained a level of strengthening and physical growth as he can be “in touch” with his surroundings. The first perspective of motor development, specifically fine motor activities, is examined when the character Ali learns of the children’s foot race which has him dashing. It is an example of a child participating in activities that require persistence and physical force (Berk., 2022). Ali’s capability of engaging in a walking race, which is rigorous, indicates that he can engage in physical activities which are necessary for the ultimate development of the child’s fine motor activities, which is necessary for his gain in skills and exposure to activities. His ability to battle other contenders during the race indicates that he is in the middle childhood motor development stage.

In another scene, there is the realization, in which there is a contrast, that Ali is significantly developing in the plot’s narrative. Since he is nine years old, gross motor activities are examined to be lacking significantly in the character since he is “physically mature” as he does not engage in activities that have been stipulated to belong to children who are toddlers. A significant examination shows that gross motor activities, such as crawling while climbing stairs, are absent in children above seven (Berk., 2022). He can walk, so he is sent to take the younger sister’s shoes to the market for repair, as his physical capabilities are more developed than the younger sister’s.

Cognitive Development

Regarding cognitive development, logical reasoning is examined to have developed in the character Ali, especially as he is reasonable. In one of the scenes, it is examined that he decides to participate in a race to get a pair of shoes because he loses Zahra’s shoes while in the market. It signifies being sensible and reasonable (Berk., 2022). Ali has the mental capacity to acknowledge that he has lost his sister’s shoes. Because he does not want to disappoint her and his parents, he decides to reclaim his pride in the family by engaging in the race to appease his family, which is a sign of a child with developed cognitive adaptability.

Additionally, there is a scene where Ali decides to leave the shoes of her sister hidden at a place, and a stranger comes and manages to pick up the sister’s shoes because the shopkeeper does not know whether Ali has hidden shoes. The action relates to the coursework materials, especially because, at his age, thinking is rigid, and he struggles to decide based on abstract and the concepts examined to be hypothetical (Berk., 2022). It is the sole reason he leaves the shoes and continues his activities of being a typical child in the market. It is not his fault because, at his age, his mental state is individual, and all reasoning and thoughts focus on the personal element of an individual. Additionally, because he is reasonable with himself, he does not want the wrath of his family and seeks new shoes for Zahra.

Language Development

Through the scene where he manages to get sent to the market by his parent, language development is examined as he communicates in simple but direct sentences. The action reveals that he can communicate with adults effectively regardless of being a child (Berk., 2022). His language development ability makes him relate well with others and manage his relations despite being a child. His linguistic patterns are effective and efficient, making him adaptable to his environment.

Additionally, there is a scene where the fictional character Ali is examined to be having a specific kind of vocabulary, and it makes him relate well with his sister, Zahra. The relationship and communication with his sister indicate that his language has developed so that his sentence structure (Berk., 2022) can be understood by Zahra, who is younger when compared. As he is in the stage where intermediate fluency is revealed, his sister is in the speech emergence (Berk’s) stage of language development. The capability to communicate is the sole reason Ali can relate with seniors who have advanced fluency in Arabic and still manage to talk with his younger sister.

Emotional Development

There is a scene where Ali and Zahra discover that the missing shoes are with another child in their school, and hence Zahra decides to meet Ali and convinces him that they are supposed to go for the shoes. Nevertheless, the girl with the shoes has a father who is blind and it gets to influence the emotional attribute of Ali (Berk., 2022). They decide to be compassionate and avoid a confrontation. His ability of Ali to avoid confrontation based on the emotional knowledge he has attained throughout his development shows that he has developed in the stages necessary for an individual to acknowledge other people’s feelings despite them not being family.

More so, there is a scene where he is missing classes, and the principal of the school has a harsh personality as he constantly reprimands Ali. The actions make Ali cry, and he is so emotional that he is sent home to return with his poor but hardworking father, which hurts Ali’s emotions. However, a teacher gets to seek the principal’s forgiveness in another scene. Crying signifies that Ali recognizes the emotions of self so that he can express himself as he understands what he has done. Because he is a child, the only way that he can manage and express himself is through crying (Berk., 2022). It is important to note that there is the management of emotions which is examined through the character Ali and it makes him cry so that he is neither stressed nor depressed later.

Temperament

There is a scene in the film, Children of Heaven where the fictional character Ali is considered forgiving and does not want conflict with the girl who has the stolen shoes and her father. It is an action that highlights his compassion, a behavior dominant in nine-year-olds (Berk., 2022). Ali’s ability to manage his behavior and not become violent is an orientation that is dominant in children his age, as they are innocent and act out of pure character. His feelings are based on his instincts, so he attains the audience’s favor, who see him as an innocent child.

Additionally, as temperament engages a person’s moods, which are essential in how a child will respond to the world, it is examined that his pattern of behavior is unique, which is a characteristic dominant in children around the age of nine (Berk., 2022). The perspective is realized as there is a scene where he cries to express his emotions, and it is a temperament that is realized early in life, especially around nine years of age.

Social Development

In matters of relations and socialization, Ali is examined to be interactive with those who are around him, and his life has other people who are integrated with his daily activities as a child (Berk., 2022), especially because he knows how to relate with his sister, the parents and his teachers at school. Numerous scenes are in the film’s entire plot, Children of Heaven, and have been examined through the social development lens present in the course work. It is a perspective that is adaptable to the progress in the life of a child.

There is a scene where Ali is examined to relate with his sister in a manner that shows that he has developed relation skills, especially since he acknowledges he has lost her shoes. He ensures Zahra is confident he will get her another pair of shoes. It is a characteristic showing that he has gained relationship skills with others (Berk., 2022) and can process their feelings and act accordingly. Through the capability to be socially responsive, it is examined that the fictional character Ali is socially progressive.

PART THREE: CONCLUSION

Concerning the assessment of the development of a child through the fictional character Ali in the film, Children of Heaven. It is realized that the concepts of a person through motor, cognitive, language, emotional, social development, and temperament, which is realized throughout the film there, are adaptable with the book, the lectures, and the coursework that orients the development of a person. The typical assessment is that Ali will progress in developing properly as his aspects as a child are proper. However, the atypical assessment is that he might not continue to be with his attributes, especially if he is wounded emotionally, which causes him to develop contrasting temperaments and social development. Therefore, the “ahead” assessment indicates that he might not be the person as assessed through the experiences he has had previously.

Reference:

Infants and Children: Prenatal Through Middle Childhood. NINTH EDITION by Laura E. Berk. July 2022.