Frequency of "mother" and "father" occurring in English-written literature
Occurence between "mother" and "father" (1800 to 2016)
What is shown by the graph
This graph is the comparison between "mother" and "father" occurring in English-written literature between 1800 to 2016. Here, we can touch on the subject of dynamic systems theory.
Similar patterns between "mother" and father"
We observe that the word "mother" has always been more significant that the word "father", yet the gap between the two terms closes up, and their frequency gradually reaches the medium between the two. At the same time, the peaks and troughs rise and dip at nearly the same points of history. It appears that the two terms have reached equilibrium sometime in the 1970s.
Notable changes between "mother" and "father"
Although the peaks and troughs between "mother" and father" occur at similar moments, the line of "mother" tends to rise faster than "father", until 1900. From 1900 until 1970, both terms appear to be decreasing in usage, and "father" is falling at a more rapid rate. From the equilibrium and onwards, "mother" and "father" are both on a steady rise, with 2016 seeming like the two parental roles are gaining more importance while reaching similar levels of occurrence. This is a significant observation in the graph, as it is a way to analyze how we value parental roles in literature that is a reflection of the Western world.