Spellbound

It's very interesting to observe how the participants in the spelling bee prepare and act during their spelling bees, but rather it's more interesting to me to see how the parents of the students act. Some of the parents were very set on their child winning and doing well in the competition, and other parents were more relaxed about their child's preparations for the bee.

Two opposite parents that I noticed were Neil's father and Ashley's mother. The two parents were in the same situation having a child who participates in spelling bees, but they have very different methods in how they coach or react to their child's strategies.

Neil's father is a very driven man. He coaches his son day and night in hopes that he would be the proud father of his successful son. He dresses proper, and shows off his elegant house to show the status of his wealth. There is no doubt that Neil's father is extremely proud of his son's accomplishments, but he always wants more out of his son. He obsessively drills his son while he studies words for his upcoming spelling bees. He shares his method of work to the camera, which shows how motivated he is to keep is son on track for a clean win in the bee. Some of his flaws are his arrogance and his pride. These two traits show through his personaliy even when he isn't talking about the spelling bee.

Ashley's mother on the other hand has a more relaxed outlook on her daughter's activities in the spelling bee. Although Ashley's mother wants her daughter to be succsessful in the spelling bee, she isn't as brainwashed as Neil's father in comsuming her life in the bee. Ashley seems driven enough on her own to study and succeed in the spelling bee so her mother feels that she doesn't need to put even more pressure on her to win.