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Justice in Context: The Freedom Writers - Coggle Diagram
Justice in Context: The Freedom Writers
Characters
Erin Gruwell
Erin, or Miss Gruwell is a young passionate and determined teacher who is looking to begin her professional career. She is assigned to a school in long beach where she is met by her new year 9 English class. Her students were loud, untidy and careless and also seemed to sit in a racial group pattern. Erin is able to understand and adapt quickly to her situation. Being the daughter of a man who was involved with the freedom riders act she pushes to help the students realise the situation in their area
“Evil prevails when good people do nothing.”
Eva Benitez
Eva is a very strong individual character. She treats the members in her gang like family and they are the people she trusts. From a young she learned to fight her own battles and defend for herself. Eva has a strong hate for any other race then her own and the justice system. Her father was wrongfully accused of a crime and arrested in front of her when she was 5 hence why she is so filled with anger and commonly misjudged by other characters.
"It's all about color, it's about people deciding what you deserve, about people wanting what they don't deserve. ..."
Margaret Campbell
Mrs Campbell is the head of the English department. She disagrees with ideology and class practices and the two clash on an array of occasions throughout the film. She believes that the students in room 203 are not to be truste and are a lost cause. She will not let them have any new books or school property because she assumes that they will be broken, mistreated and not returned which Ms G knows not to be true. Mrs Campbell refuse to have changes in her department and seems to be in a tug of war with Erin in which she will fail to win. She is a cowardly character and is accepting of the students and Ms G.
"You can't make someone want education."
Freedom Writers is set during a time of great corruption. It occurred around the same time of the L.A Riots and the affects are shown throughout the film. The role of justice and injustice is played out many time in the film. Examples of both justice and injustice are conveyed such as Systematic racism, The injustice of the education system.
An idea explored in the freedom writers is Systematic Racism. The students in Miss G’s class have struggled with their grades and have almost been neglected as learners. Their own private lives and issues have deprived them of focus and have lost the opportunity to succeed. The system has made wrong judgements and has failed to mold around the issues that are faced by the characters and people who are similar to them.
Another idea portrayed in Freedom Writers is injustice within the educational system. This is shown especially well with Miss G’s class. Throughout the film the “Honours role” Class and classroom is shown which is seen to be large, open with nice desks and other stationary and equipment needed for english studies. In contrast to room 203 is smaller with damaged and vandalised desks and broken window shades. Head of English, Mrs Campbell, refused to give Miss G any new books or equipment assuming that it would not be returned or damaged.
Context: This film aims at portraying a true story that Shows a young first time teacher, Erin Gruwell take on an English class of troubled students. The Freedom Writers is heavily driven by Racial discrimination, gangs and Injustices that are taken out through said gang violence, Education system and Justice system. The film is set around the same time that the L.A Riots and Rodney King controversy was occurring so it is understandable why racial tensions were so high and why there was an uprising in ethnic gangs. However, Miss G is able to persist with her problematic situation.
