Emergence of Strong Ties in Dire Situations
A Northwestern University pre-med student, Harsha Maddula, 18, disappeared after attending a party early Saturday morning of September 22nd, 2012. Soon after his disappearance, parents and friends of Maddula went into search to find the missing student. Not only his families and friends but fellow students came together in order to find the missing student. After days of searching, Maddula’s body was finally found by Lake Michigan’s Wilmette Harbor. Report suggests that there does not seem to be any foul play involved. University President Morton Schapiro was quoted saying “The loss of one member of the Northwestern community deeply affects us all.”
This is a sad news for the Northwestern community and I feel extremely sorry for Maddula’s family and friends. While reading the article, however, I could not help but notice the emergence of Maddula’s strong ties with his family and friends. This article distinctly shows the positive and strong ties Maddula has with his family members and friends. The search party that formed reminds the reader that these people in the search party must have really cared strongly for Maddula.
Not only strong ties but weak ties are also shown. Fellow students who did not know Maddula as well as his family and closest friends also came together in order to find the missing student. The relationships between these people and Maddula are not as strong and therefore must be weak ties.
The strong triadic closure property is also visible in the story. People who knew Maddula but did not know each other came together to look for the missing student. During the whole crisis, many people must have met and came together to comfort each other and help Maddula’s families and friends get through.
This article helps reveal the strong and weak ties that Maddula had with his family, friends, and students. It seems that in difficult situations, people turn to others around them for help. Vice versa, people help their friends who are in trouble. In dire situations like these, strong ties between people seem to become more conspicuous.
Source:
RedBlueGreen.