FREEDOM WRITERS: Justice In Context
CHARACTERS:
CONTEXT: The Freedom writers is a film which demonstrates the racial discrimination and gang violence which occurred in the 90's, after the L.A. riots. Freedom Writers depicts injustice through the idea of racial segregation, integration, gang mentality, and white privilege. The students within the film all represent a different story, as they all face injustice because of the colour of their skin. In the film the students are looked down upon by the teachers, as no one sees a future for them. Erin Gruwell, their new-time English teacher, displays to the students that justice is possible, and they eventually receive justice, as they communicate to the rest of the school that they will "break the borders", and graduate, breaking the the stigmas around integrated schools, making a difference in society.
IDEAS ABOUT JUSTICE / INJUSTICE:
LA RIOTS: Twenty-eight years ago, the city of Los Angeles fell into a state of extreme unrest after four police officers were involved in the brutal beating of an African-American man named Rodney King. On 29 April 1992, the police officers were vindicated, sparking the worst race riots in US history. The verdict led to five days of violent protests in which 50 people died and over 2,000 were injured. Close to 1,000 buildings throughout the city that were damaged or totally destroyed. Almost 12,000 people were arrested.
SEGREGATION: segregation is the practice of requiring separate housing, education and other services for people of colour. Segregation was made law in 18th and 19th-century in America. After the United States abolished slavery, black Americans continued to be marginalised through enforced segregation and ceased access to facilities, housing, education and opportunities.
INTEGRATION: Integration occurs when separate people or things are brought together. Integration included goals such as levelling barriers between the association of cultures, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of cultures. This draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely bringing a racial minority into the majority culture. "It's the melting pot of society". The civil rights movement of the 60's-90's introduced this unhinged idea to integrate the students which had earlier been segregated from society, to create a sense of "diversity" within the USA. Integration in schools quickly created gang violence, further segregation and unjust state of affairs within the education system.
EVA BENITEZ: Eva is a character in Freedom Writers who keeps to herself. She is of hispanic heritage and is someone who is a heavy believer of "protecting your own". She is one of the characters who stand out the most, as she takes a while to warm up to the rest of the class and to Mrs Gruwell, but once she does warm up, she becomes a role model for her peers, as she demonstrates how powerful finding a just outcome can be.
MARCUS: Marcus is one of the characters who grows from his experiences the most in Freedom Writers, as he has seen other peoples perspectives, helping him to flourish and try to see a better future for himself. He is an African American teenage boy, who undergoes the hardships of racism, gang violence and segregation on a day to day basis, and from this he learns that there is more to life than "protecting your own".
MRS CAMPBELL: Mrs Campbell is one of the more controversial characters in Freedom Writers. She raises opinions which are not popular within society and can be deemed sometimes as offensive and racist in a way. She is not popular among the students of room 203 or Mrs Gruwell, as Mrs Campbell has complete different views on how students should be educated.
THE NOTION THAT YOUR RACE DETERMINES THE QUALITY AND CONTENT OF YOUR EDUCATION.
JUSTICE IS ACHIEVED WHEN EVERY INDIVIDUAL CAN PERCEIVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
WE LIVE IN AN UNJUST SOCIETY, IT IS OUR ACTIONS AND RESPONSES WHICH DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN FIND A JUST OUTCOME.
IMAGES WHICH DEMONSTRATE JUSTICE / INJUSTICE FROM THE FILM:
WHERE IN THE FILM DOES THIS HAPPEN? We see this form of racial discrimination in the film, as the students are dealing with extreme diversity through the new integration scheme within the school which they are then blamed for the drop of the school's grade average, and all in all are not given an equal education, because of their race.
WHERE IN THE FILM DOES THIS HAPPEN? In the film, we can see this idea as the students slowly recognise that once they could see each others point of views on gang violence and racial segregation, that the tension between them would ultimately be ceased.
WHERE IN THE FILM DOES THIS HAPPEN?
In the film, we see this idea through the constant insight on the gang mentality of some of the students in Erin Gruwell's class. We see them make decisions which influence greatly on their future.
EXAMPLE TQE 2: The simple statement "I am home" said by Alejandro, is supported by the hug that the students give him. The group hug also symbolises the support that the students are willing to provide for him. This scene establishes the warmth and safety of their classroom environment. As the students have built a closer relationship, it has allowed them to realise that by their actions and acts of kindness towards each other, that they are able to create justice and be close with each other, despite the racial segregation within the school.
EXAMPLE TQE 3: Symbolism may be viewed in the handshake that Marcus (African American) and Ben (White American) execute: their friends stand in shock not knowing what to do. The modelling of appropriate behaviour is also an important move by the students in the English class, as they ensure that the concert is safe for all students. This event is also relevant to the idea, as the two students display a response which is an example of justice that has occurred between two races, because of their actions.
EXAMPLE TQE 1: Symbolism of Eva and Cindy making up highlights how the animosity between them is decreasing because Eva did the right thing and allowed justice to occur. By Eva doing this, she has created a positive relationship, defying all stigmas around race, gang violence and the segregation between the students.
EXAMPLE TQE 2: The fade of the classroom getting emptier and emptier shows the disillusion of the school's system and the students' lack of engagement. It also highlights that this may have been a reoccurring thing in the past, as the students are not receiving an adequate education because the school simply believes that the integrated students are not worthy of a proper education; racially discriminating them, and making them feel even less motivated.
EXAMPLE TQE 3: A mid shot is used to display the reaction of the students when they receive the brand new books. Their shocked faces, whispering and smelling the books, indicates that they've never had new ones before. This is relevant to the idea of one's education being impacted by their race, as it was highlighted in the film that the integrated students receive the books with the worst quality, because they don't "deserve" a proper education, which communicates the racist aura of the staff members and school board.
EXAMPLE TQE 1: Mrs Campbell's high modality statement; "You can't make someone want an education. The best thing you an do is to get them to obey, to learn and to be disciplined", issues a challenge to Erin Gruwell as it disregards her motivation and capability to teach and make an impact on her students' lives. Mrs Campbell, racially compares the students to animals in the way that she believes they deserve to only be at school to be disciplined and taught to obey, and that they don't deserve to have a proper education.
EXAMPLE TQE 2: Inclusive language in; "Lady i'm lucky if I make it to 18. We're in a war, we ain't afraid to die if we protecting our own. If you die for your own, then you die with respect. You die a warrior", highlights the idea that within a gang, respect is the ultimate goal. This concept that Marcus communicates, is a concern for all of the students, which allows them to realise that they all are experiencing the same hardships in a way, and can see each others perspectives.
EXAMPLE TQE 3: A range of mid shots display the students having dinner with the survivors of the holocaust. The dinner aims to teach them about the impact that violence can have on the innocent. This scene is a clear example of the students being able to see the perspective of someone else, who has been in the same situation as the students.
EXAMPLE TQE 1: The symbolism of the line game conveys this idea, as the game is designed to get students talking about their experiences with the class, but also making them aware of how sharing their experiences can be beneficial to them, as it allows a different perspective.
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"You can't make someone want education."
"I don't even know how this war started. It's just two sides that tripped each other way back."
"Every day I worry... when will I be free?"