Essay (English Advanced) – Focus Area: Friendship
             Friendship is a type of relationship in which emotional bonds are shared between individuals who are well known by one another. Friends regard each other with mutual good will, affection, loyalty, trust and understanding. There are many different types of friendships and because of this, many composers have studied this type of relationship and have incorporated it into their works.
             Friendship is a main theme in 'Stand by me'. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film is about a childhood friendship between four boys. 'Stand by me' looks closely at the friendship between Chris Chambers, Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio and Teddy Duchamp as the boys go on a journey to find the body of a missing boy. Reiner explores childhood friendship by studying the friendship between the four boys as a group and Chris and Gordie as a pair. The four boys do not have very much in common. Although all of the boys live in the small town of Castle Rock and are about to start Junior High School, each boy's personality and circumstance are different.
             Reiner portrays childhood friendship as a type of relationship without much distraction. Despite the boys' different personalities and circumstances, they are still a group of friends undertaking a journey together to find the missing body of Ray Brower. The importance of some childhood friendships is shown through the relationships between Chris and Gordie as a pair. Chris and Gordie's friendship is portrayed as being important to both boys because it is a friendship from which both have benefited. The friendship contains many qualities of an ideal friendship, including selflessness, understanding, loyalty and mutual good will. Chris and Gordie both demonstrate these qualities throughout the film, Chris displays his selflessness when he encourages Gordie to take up writing classes in college and not be dragged down by frien...