As we prepare to leave Haiti, I could not help but compare our work team to the John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club. We all came together, perhaps with different intentions, put under great duress together, and we all emerge having taken a piece of each other with us as we leave.
A brief lesson for those that have not seen the movie. (Blogger's sidebar. What type of parents would allow their child to prepare for college without having them see this movie? Then I realized Hayden has not seen it, so I will not specifically call out Susan and Steve Spengler. Now back to my point)
Courtesy of IMDB (because the Internet is working)
The plot follows five students at fictional Shermer High School in the widely used John Hughes setting of Shermer, Illinois (a fictitious suburb of Chicago based on Hughes' hometown of Northbrook, Illinois), as they report for Saturday detention on March 24, 1984. While not complete strangers, the five are all from different cliques or social groups: John Bender (Judd Nelson) "The Criminal"; Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) "The Princess"; Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) "The Brain"; Andy Clark (Emilio Estévez) "The Athlete"; and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) "The Basket Case". The school's disciplinary principal, Mr. Vernon, gives them all an assignment; they will write an essay about "who you think you are" and the violations they committed to end up in Saturday detention.
In the end, some of their more hidden character traits emerge: Claire emerges as a natural leader. Bender develops a softer attitude and becomes more friendly with everyone. Claire even kisses him and it seems the two will try a romantic relationship. Andrew becomes interested in Allison after she allows Claire to give her a makeover.
At Claire's request and the consensus of the group, Brian agrees to write the essay Mr. Vernon assigned earlier, which challenges Mr. Vernon and his preconceived judgments about all of them. While Brian accedes, instead of writing about the actual topic, he writes a very motivating letter that is in essence, the main point of the story. He signs the essay "The Breakfast Club", and leaves it on the table for Mr. Vernon to read when they leave.
The letter read before the closing credits reads as follows:
"Dear Mr. Vernon:
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... ...and an athlete... ...and a basket case... ...a princess... ...and a criminal.
Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.
The final shot shows Bender walking near the goal post of the football field, freezing as he raises his hand triumphantly and fading to a dark frame as the credits roll.
======= here endeth the history lesson
What we found out is that there is a little bit we have shared with each other.
But what we found out is that each one of us is a carpenter... ...and a hugger... ...and a basket case... ...a princess... ...a nurse... ...a mother ...and a painter.
Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.