¶ … Georgia The state of Georgia has a long history of southern heritage and pride in the United States. The movie Madea's Family Reunion depicts the subculture of the state of Georgia showing its strong ties to marriage/family, food, religion, guidance, culture and traditions. The movie depicts a strong black grandmother Madea, who is the matriarch of the family helping her family deal with pressing issues. She does all this while at the same time planning for a huge family reunion. The movie, which was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia deals with many traits and issues one would see among regular families in Georgia, some of which depicting times during the slavery revolution. Love, acceptance, friendship and family are all qualities shown in this movie and in the community of Georgia.

Georgians are known for their strong ties to family and the sanctity of marriage. The hardships the black community has had to overcome date back to the slavery days when blacks had not rights to freely live in harmony. One aspect that always lived on was their strong friendship and love. In the movie Madea's Family Reunion, family is depicted as a strong basis for support. The character known as Madea is the support structure for the family, with her angelic way of helping her family deal with problems in their lives and her nurturing personality as a protective mother hen. In many ways Georgian women are seen as the matriarch of the household, many who are stay at home moms work behind the scenes to ensure their families happiness. Madea gives advice to her niece named Lisa who is in a relationship with an abusive fiance named Carlos. She endures the abuse for years and somehow feels trapped in a relationship she wants out of. All her life she has allowed her overbearing mother Victoria, to make decisions for her because she wants to please her mother. Although she knows the severity of her situation she is still conflicted and decided to turn to the one person that can help her make a decision. On the day of the marriage she seeks advice from Madea about what she should do going forth with the ceremony. In Madea's serious but hysterical way of handling a situation she advises her niece "once you get tired of a man putting his hands on you make him breakfast." In other words it was Madea's funny way of saying, fight back and take control of your own life. Eventually Lisa does take control of her life and decides not to go through with the marriage. After years of abuse she finally takes the advice that will end up saving her life in the long run, following the advice she receives from Madea.

Throughout the movie Madea provides guidance to each and every person that seeks her motherly advice, and a troubled homeless teen was no different. As part of Madea's community service, she is forced to take in a teen named Nikki, and at first the idea is daunting. In the end Madea betters the life of the young teen as well as opening her own heart to caring for another person who needs her love. Like most troubled teens Nikki was disrespectful, combative and rude. Madea takes young Nikki under her roof and sets forth the rules and lets Nikki know who is boss. Madea becomes a mother figure Nikki has never experienced before and Madea makes sure she attends school. When Madea finds out Nikki is skipping school she picks up her homework and when the young teen finally arrives home, Madea has a talk with her. She then finds out the reason why Nikki skipped school, and it was because Nikki was being bullied by the other students at school and she was told her whole life she would never amount to anything. At that point Madea understood the hardships the teen had and currently was enduring and she softens her approach to her method of discipline with her. Like any good mother...

Young Nikki's attitude and demeanor begin to change and she matures and transforms into a young lady through Madea's guidance. In these scenes in the movie the Georgia women are depicted as strong women in their households and also as wise creatures.
The state of Georgia is known as the peach state, because of their abundant agricultural climate. The southern cuisine is a staple at many family gatherings whether it is for gradations, weddings or reunions. The aroma of "Moms home cooking" brings the family together again. In Georgia southern style food is a staple among many family functions, because it is times like this that bring about conversation and reflection. Old and new recipes among generations are passed down and relationships are strengthened through the power of family unity. The reunion is a typical scene of how some Georgians conduct their family reunion settings. A traditional southern dish would consist of fried chicken, black eye peas, greens, mashed potatoes, cornbread and grits, drinks such as sweet tea and lemonade are also southern staples. Food has been a southern enjoyment for years and continues to be a comfort among family members, bringing everyone together. Georgia is known as the country's top producer of peanuts, pecans and its state symbol the peach.

There is a diverse culture in the state of Georgia that shows their southern hospitality and heritage among other states. The Georgian culture is distinguished by their strong community involvement and their southern dialect. A strong emphasis is placed on education, art and literature. In the movie directed by Tyler Perry, he depicts to the audience the view that some may have of the African-American community. During the reunion the long history of the African-American people were put into perspective by the elderly women, who were disappointed in their young people. The gambling, fighting, cussing and the young women showing off their bodies were disappointing to see. Myrtle, the grandmother of many of the young teens she observes gathers them all around a small homelike base on Madea's property and expresses her concern. The actions taken by the teens at the reunion worried Myrtle because of the stereotypical view people of color were portrayed as, especially during her time when slavery was more prevalent in the south. Myrtle lets her family know that it is time for them to "take their place," the slavery days were over and it was time for them to change society's views as a positive one. The movie gives the audience the idea and a look into the way African-American families would gather around for an important discussion in the olden days during the civil war. At a time when people of color were not given rights and opportunities to freely live together, because some were sold off as slaves by slave masters. Today the African-American culture is seen as a strong force especially in the city of Atlanta. Famous artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe originated from the state of Georgia and captured the essence of life among the everyday people.

Traditions in the south bring a sense of family and community among southern Georgians. Family traditions are what bring about memories and stability among family members. In essence it identifies the family unit and shows their strong family spirit and pride. In the movie family gatherings such as reunions are family traditions that occur every year and are an important part of the culture among southerners. Family reunions have been going on since time memorial and continue to be a…