Monday, November 3, 2008
Freedom Writers
In the first part of the film The Freedom Writers, through the classroom fight scene, what was the most important point the movie made to you? What was the significance of the pearls and why do you think the Department Chair asked the teacher, Erin Gruwell, not to wear them the next day? Why do you think she wore them anyway? Comments will close at 10:00pm on November 5th.
Mr. Gallagher
37 comments:
I think the most important point the movie was trying to make, was that the kids living in the area had to struggle daily just to survive, and school was hardly a priority for a lot of them. School would probably help them all to get out of the situation too.
I'm not sure if the pearls were supposed to symbolize anything, but I thought there was a suggestion that such luxury items would surely not be appreciated by anyone in that environment.
I agree with Sevag in that the most important point of the movie so far is to show how hard the lives of these children are and how their educations aren't a priority to them because their number one priority is just to stay alive.
I think the significance of the pearls is to symbolize what she believes can become of these children if they apply themselves and she wears them even though she's told not to because she doesnt want to change her goals, she wants these children to learn.
Kyle D
The most important point that the movie made to me was the negative effect of integration on Wilson High School. There are so many gangs and teenagers top priority is struggling to stay alive. The last thing they care or think about is school, and it seems like they have no positive role model that motivates them to try in school either. There was so much violence in the classroom and the reactions from the surrounding students was as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.
The pearls symbolized money and fortune. I think the Department Chair asked Erin Gruwell not to wear the pearls the next day because the students are so opinionated and would resent her for flashing her money and her education. She doesn't really fit in with their lifestyle or neighborhood. If she didn't wear that, I think the kids would come on her level more and accept her as their teacher. They would respect her for not trying to disrespect them.
- Lizzy F.
The most important point of the movie so far like Kyle and Sevag have stated would be that the lives of the students in that area are dealing with many hardships in life. I feel that the fight scene shows how the students react to their lives and it also shows how they don't realize that they are the ones who have the power to stop the pain and the rough times, and that they control their future.
The significance of the pearls was that they were something meaningful to the teacher, that they were what motivated her to carry on the work of her father, the pearls consisted of hopeful memories.
The Department Chair asked the teacher not to wear them the next day, because she saw the students as bad, as individuals who can't be helped and only know how to kill and steal important things. Erin, the teacher, sees the students in a different light which shows when she does not take the advice of the Department Chair, and wears the pearls the following day.
~Jillisa S.
So far the main thing that appealed to me throughout this movie was the students attitudes towards education and their teacher. It was awkward because in my situation or in a Westborough High School situation you can't really relate to gangs or a very uncaring outlook towards education. Both settings don't match well and are hard to relate to. That's mainly why the scenes in the classroom and outside so far really had a big impression on me.
I also agree with Sevag on the pearls. So far I can't see any significance in them besides some foreshadowing for an event to take place. The pearls are focused on a lot which could indicate something to happen later on in the future with the students and the teacher’s pearls.
Through the movie I have been really into the scenes that take place in the class room. You never accept what is going to happen and you know that the teacher is pushing for them to listen to her for once. This is a lot of determination by her and how the kids look at school will be very hard for her to change. I agree with Sevag and Saqib on how we can't really relate and that the kids in the movie don't really care about education and that’s not like at Westborough but while watching the movie i try to picture this at Westborough and how hard it would be to focus on school if you always had to watch your back for some other gang.
I believe that the pearls are significant to the movie because it shows that she has faith in her work and determination to get her job done the way she wants. Also it shows she’s not going to listen to someone’s opinion about her because the director of the English department told her not to wear them and she still did. The last thing I think is that the pearls represent what the students will turn into after her class and realize what is important and race and the gangs are not as important. That’s just what I believe will happen in the end.
-Matt D
I think the most important point is that the movie demonstrated how the people of the same culture stay togeather, and anyone who is not within theyre group is considered to be an outsider,who is not welcome on any terms.
As for the pearls i think the department head was trying to say the these kids are tough enough to steal them right off her neck if they really wanted them.
~Tiana L
I believe that the most important point that the movie made to me was that in a school where intergration was forced upon the students, Erin Gruell has the power to be the one that can make a change in the classroom towards peace between all the gangs. In a society where everyone is a victim, the students never feel safe in any environment, so I can already tell from this first part that Erin needs to seize this opportunity to promote change in the classroom before expanding to the rest of Wilson High School and the community of Long Beach and beyond.
I believe that the significance of the pearls was that they are a material item conveying to her students her wealthy upbringing. The Department Chair told her not to wear them to schooll in an effort to level Erin with the students so that she would not look out of place in an environment where poverty is commonplace.
I agree with Sevag that the students wouldn't appreciate the pearls being warn, because they are a constant reminder of her wealth. Additionally, I would like to state that I believe that they would once again cause havoc because students like Eva would bring up white superiority like she did in the beginning of the film.
I believe that the point to the movie was to show how we defined how we define our identity or who we are through Skin color, groups we in and people we hang around with. No matter where the students where in they still stayed withing their racial groups or "territory". How early in our lives we get touched by gang violence, how it affects the rest of our family. i has been told by many other black people to only hang around my kind and be loyal and never snitch on a "Brother" in somewhat way i follow the same rules some of the kids in the movie live by but not to the fullest.
the scene about the pearl is really a big part of the movie too. the lady who was chair of the Department of education (i think) told the teacher not to bring those in school because she believes those kids to be bad enough to actually try and steal those form her. she just sees them as Gang members meant to be in the streets committing crimes or dealing drugs.
-Kevin H.
When the fight breaks out in the classroom it drives home the idea that it is a dog eat dog world for the students. They fight everyday just to be able to get up tomorrow morning and fight again to live. It shows how difficult life really is for the students and gives them the reasons for entering gangs for protection. The problem, however, is the gangs separate the students and don’t provide with a safe learning environment.
I believe the teacher choose to wear to the pearls to show her students that she has made it. By that I mean she has had success in life by going to college and getting an education. I believe she also wears the Pearls because she believes in the best of people and that you can’t lower your standards or change the way you are. This is also represented by the teacher refusing to change her lesson plans and continuing to teach the students Homer even thought the department head advises against it. The department head advisees against wearing the pearls because she doesn’t believe it will help the teacher connect or teach the students. The department head believes that the only chance she has is to lower herself to the student’s standards. Thus the pearls really represent a conflict in teaching beliefs.
Mike L.
The most important thing to me that occured in the movie was being shown how the girl got involved with the gang. It opened my eyes to see how hard gang life is to some people and how staying loyal to the people similar to you is a way of life. I do not agree with the segregation that took part in the movie and it was sad knowing that it was true. In the scene with the kids all in the classroom separating by who was alike them, it was a shock that people argue with one another just because they are a different race or believe in different things.
As for the pearls, I believe the Department Chair asked Erin not to wear them so they would not be stolen and so the children would not feel threatened by someone who looks successful. I think because she wore the pearls people did not respect her in the beginning because she looked different than them. I think she chose to wear them to show that she was not afraid and that her sole purpose was to make a difference and she did not care whether or not she was different than her students or if they were honors students.
-Katie M
As many students have stated above, the importance of the beinging of the movie was to show what kids in Wilson High School have to deal with. There school is hardly the perfect environment and in the conditions, none of the students have to urge to learn. The fight in the class room does not seem to be anything surprising to the other students in the class room, while Mrs. Gruwell is in shock. The scene shoes that the students have no hope and that school is not at the top of their priorities lists. The kids just attend school, not wanting to getting anything more out of it.
I agree with Lizzy that the pearls represent Mrs. Gruwell's wealth. I think that the department chair tells Erin to take them off because she knows how the kids will react to a preppy teacher walking in with a nice set of pearls. I think the department chair is just look out of Mrs. Gruwell, and trying to avoided any conflicts that they can from the start. When Mrs. Gruwell defies the Department chair and wears the pearls, I think this shows her blindness and innocence as to what the school is all about, but also her persistence and hope that she can change anything.
Amanda G.
The fight scene (or fight scenes) leads me to belief that the film is trying to express the difficulties in living in an area where integration is not embraced. Living in Westborough, a mostly white community, we do not get this same violence and struggle. I did notice how even in Westborough people tend to hang out with people of the same race.
I agree with Kyle that the teacher, Erin, keeps the pearls when she goes into school the following day as a symbol that she is not changing her plan. She believes that the kids can learn. If she didn't wear the pearls, she would already be giving in to what the ugly side of society wants.
In my opinion, the most important point the movie made was the idea of segregation as well as discrimination. I've seen this film when it first came out and the fact that the students divide themselves up in the class rooms as well as break into their own "communities" gives the viewers the idea that this is what it's like when discrimination hits the extreme. Like Mike said, it's a "dog eat dog" world for the students and they have to fight within their communities to survive.
The significance of the pearls is that it might represent wealth and social status of a person. And to the students, they might view the pearl as a sign to mock them because the teacher has something that they don't, which results in safety issues. So that's why the faculty suggests that the teacher take off her pearls.
-Marufa
I think that the pearls are significant because they symbolize determination and deviation from authority. Erin Gruwell wants her students to stay in school even though they are likely to drop out, and she also is told not to wear the pearls, but she still wears them, which is similar to how she is determined to get the students to stay in school even though she is told almost directly that doing to is nearly impossible. The pearls also symbolize the deviation from authority because the students to not respect school authority, and as we already know, Erin Gruwell will do something that makes a difference, so to do this she probably does something that does not completely conform to what the school authorities have the teachers do. This symbol relates to why the Department Chair asked Erin Gruwell not to wear the pearls, since the Department Chair has authority over Erin Gruwell.
I feel that so far, the film has made a point about how hard it is to make a difference in education where the film takes place, and that there are a lot of interracial tensions there.
Andy H.
I agree with what Saqib said that it is hard to directly relate to the students of the school in the film, but I feel that the first part of the film gives a strong impression of the interracial tensions in the town that the movie takes place in.
The first part of "The Freedom Writers" was trying to make a point about racial tensions in the lower class neighborhoods. It showed how to these teens their ethnicity and pride in that ethnicity was more important that their educations. It did this by showing the way that the gangs worked and how important they are in everyday life.
-joey croft
The significance of the pearls is to show the difference between Erin and her students. Pearls are a sign of wealth, something that these students don't see much of. When the department head asked her to not wear them i think she was trying to say that the students would try to steal them. It was basically the Department heads way of saying that the students are dangerous.
I agree with Joey that "The Freedom Writers" showed how tense racial tensions were in the neighborhood. Even though they are all just highschool kids, they split themselves amongst their individual ethnicities, creating mini-countries within the school. The integration effort of the school was a complete failure. If anything the majority of the students are united in their hatred for eachother.
The pearls like many others have said, symbolize her wealth and status or as the students would put it,"her whiteness". The Department head was warning Erin that it was not safe to wear the pearls, and that the students were not coming to school yearning to learn, a stark contrast to what Erin imagined her class to be.
Victor Z.
I feel that the most important thing the classroom scene was trying to show was the tension that exists between all of the gangs at the school. It dominated over their desire for an education. They think that they understand all there is to know about gangs and adversity. They make judgements solely based on where they fit into the gangs and stereotypes of other groups, but don't like being judged solely for where they fit in.
Pearls are a sign of wealth and prosperity. The fact that she wears them to class separates her further from her students. She wears the pearls because they are important to her and represent something strong: her father. She is told not to wear them as a way to insinuate that the students will not take well to her social status and may try to take them from her.
--Clarissa S.
The most important thing that stood out to me was that the students pride & race was more important than their education. Protecting their own and just trying to stay alive seemed to be more of a responsibilty than graduating high school. Integration was not accepted by the students at this school, and every group demanded respect just because of their ethnicity. I think the significance of the pearls represents Erin's wealth, as many people mentioned. I also agree with Amanda about the pearls. How could a white woman who wears pearls to work possibly understand what it's like to believe that you will be dead before you're 20 years old? It does show her innocence as to what goes on in the school but decides to go on because she has strong belief that she can make a change in their lives.
Brittany C.
I think that this movie is very interesting and important for people to watch and see the struggles that many people go through every day. I think the pearls are important because they show that Erin is wealthy. Her students may not accept her for wearing them becasue it shows wealth. I agree with Victor on this. I think that the Department chair asked her not to wear the pearls because her students will feel even more separated from her because it shows wealth, and the students are living in poverty.
I think that each part of the movie is strategically planned to create an emotion in the viewers about the students and their lifestyles and how difficult it is to see a way out of the hatred but also, once they can see that, the hardship they will face to get away from it. Although i think all of these points are crucial to the overall message, i think that when Mrs. Gruwell decides to wear the pearls to class is the most important part, through the first fight scene in the classroom. I think this is really important because it shows how the department head has given up, she clearly favors the "honors" students and has given up on the others. Erin is confident in their ability to understand and learn. She feels that they will be capable and that it is not a question of if they are intelligent enough it is a question of how will she reach them. When she wears the pearls, she is showing that she is not afraid and that she trusts that the kids are good kids that just need help finding a way out of their dangerous lifestyle.
I agree with Katie M because I too was really surprised with how hard gang life is. Most of these kids have no control over this and are sucked into the lifestyle because of their families or the enviornment they grew up in. Since we don't see a lot of that in Westborough, this movie brought stories to life.
Lizzy F
Going along with some of what the students above said, i think the most important point was how these kids lead their lives. From what i've seen of the movie, i am confused and kind of shaken up. How could the department chair at the begining of the movie seem to not care about the well being of her students? It's like she gave up on them. I was also shocked to see how much violence went on everyday at the school. And on top of that, how almost every single student in Erin Gruwell's classroom has been shot at at least once. They didn't even know what the holocaust was, something that i first learned about in the fifth grade. It made me think about how my life compares to theirs and what i have learned as a student up until this point, and the differences are drastic. I think that Erin Gruwell wore her pearls despite what the department chair told her not to wear them is signifcant because it shows that she has faith in the students. She is following her gut and trusting in the students potential. She cares about the pearls, somethhing her father gave her, and she cares about the lessons her father taught her- which she hopes to help teach these students.
Colleen H.
Matt V
I think the most important part of the movie thus far has been the scenes in the classroom. The outside life is always going to be there with all sorts of gang violence. Erin Gruwell can see this and realizes that her chance to make a difference is in the classroom and try to prevent the students from becoming like the past. The fight scene is students trying to gain respect from other students. The fight scene is significant in the movie, because it shows Mrs. Gruwell how their lives are. The students think that she can not relate to them ,because she is white. She realizes this and makes it her goal to change the students lives and make a difference to them. The fight makes her want to prove a point and make a change in society.
The significance of the pearls is to show a difference between her and the students. She wears the pearls, knowing that it would be in her best interest not to as the Department Chair said to. She ignores the comment, because she feels that her wearing the pearls can make an even bigger difference. The pearls she wears symbolize her hope in the students and it does not matter what she wears, that if she can get through to the students, that is all that really matters. Her goal is to change the students lives and in doing that, show them how in the end people are all the same and race does not matter.
The Department Chair wants Mrs. Gruwell to change her lesson plans and her pearls, but she is going to keep them and prove them that the students are capable of graduating high school and getting their degree. I agree with Rob on how she is determined to change the students lives.
Through the first section of the film "The Freedom Writers" i believe the most important point the movie has made to me is that is shows how difficult gang infested areas of the country are and how many people instead of supporting and helping kids who don't have a stable home or have been in trouble before they are giving up on them at a very young age and feeding the very system that breed the delinquents.
The significance of the pearls that Mrs. Gruwell wears is a symbol that she is an outsider. She has money that the students in her class can only dream of. They are there to make a point that she will not be able to relate to the kids and they will not respond to her. She is asked by the Department Chair not to wear the pearls we she teaches her first day of class out of fear. The Department Chair knows that the students will not be susceptible to a teacher who they see as rich and not one of them. This proves true with the out of control classroom scene early on in the film, during Mrs. Gruwell's first day. Although told not to Mrs. Gruwell dons the pearl necklace for her first day on the job, i believe, to show her strength and send a message that she will not be intimidated and will not allow the students to run her class. A powerful thought, but not the outcome was not what she had anticipated or hoped for.
-Austin Evans
I think the most important point the movie was trying to make was that children who grow up in tough, inner city neighborhoods struggle to meet life's basic neccessities everyda so that school is the last priority on their mind. The majority of kids from those neighborhoods can't afford to go to college and they have to go to work to provide for themselves and their family. Without the intention of going to college defeats the purpose of doing well in high school. These people already see their futures planned out for them so they don't see how exerting any effort in school will benefit them.
Pearls are symbolic of an elite, wealthy class. The principal warns the new teacher to leave her pearls at home because the students will not have any respect for someone from the upper class who can't relate to them.
- Molly H.
The most important point that the movie is trying to make so far is that the kids are from a poor area where violence is common and they do not view school as important. The pearls were symbolic of a higher class that distanced the teacher from all the students. The deptartment chair probably advised the teacher not to wear them to class because she knew the students would not take kindly to someone who was more wealthy than them and didn't have to struggle as much for what they have.
I think the most important part to the movie so far is the severity of crime, violence, and hatred among the teenagers that attend that high school. There were already a couple gun fights before the classroom scene involving high school students. These kids have no role models, especially in school, and no motivation to try, care, behave, study, cooperate, get along, etc.
The pearls are significant because they resemble something that the none of those students seem to have or understand, and that is money, wealth, class, etc. By Erin wearing the pearls, it puts her out of their league, and the students would not respect her because they feel there's no way she'd understand them.
The most important point that the first part of the film made to me was how gangs, violence, and racism wasn't just a great part of the students lives but it all tied back to a strong belief in respect and pride. As for the pearls, I believe that Erin Gruwell was asked by the Department Chair to not wear them so the kids would take her as less of a joke, or someone who knew absolutely nothing about their types of lifestyles and environments.
Looking back to what Lizzy F. said about the pearls, not wearing them would benefit her but I don't think it would make that big of a difference in the way the students view her as, that is, an outsider who has no idea what she's getting herself into.
-Ilsi D.
I agree with Austin E. that the reason the fight broke out in the class room was because the students had no respect for Erin after seeing her pearls and automatically identifying her as part of the upper class andsomeone who could never understand them. Yet, I don't think that she wore the pearls as a sign of strength, but rather a sign of naivety. She was excited to work with underprivileged high schoolers in the beginning of the movie, and now I think she realizes that it's not going to be as easy as she initially thought it would be. I also agree with Zack that the students have no positive role model to look up to. It's doubtful that any of their parents went to college because their in the same situation as them. It's difficult for them to understand the importance of school and where it can take you in life without seeing someone succeed through education ahead of you.
- Molly H.
I agree with Kyle and Sevag about the most important part of the movie. The most important part was showing how hard these kids lives are. At one point a kid said that they "graduate" everyday that they make it home alive. These kids are more worried about the personal problems in their lives, as opposed to their school work. These kids lives are impacted each day with the threat of violence between the different ethnicity gangs.
The pearls are a significant part of the movie because it shows her dtermination. She is not willingly to leave her pearls at home because she is determined to make an impact on these childrens lives. She doesn't want to back down and she wants to stand up for rhwat she believes is right for these kids.
Dan F
I think the kids are having a hard time growing up in the enviroment that they are in right now. They are growing up in a violent area where fighting can break out at any instince.
The department chair told the teacher not to wear the pearls to class because she knows that one of the kids will try to take it. The teacher wears the pearls to class becasue she doesn't think that the kids are as bad as she was told they are.
-Matt G.
What stuck out the most for me was not only the attitude that the students had in the classroom, but the nonchalance that the Deparment Chair had towards those attitudes. She said things-matter-of-factly, such as "The reading level is too high," "Don't give them homework, they won't do it." Maybe this is the case, but she portrayed her statements as if she were looking down on them, as though she thinks they're capable of nothing. How are they going to believe in themselves if no one else believes in them?
Like Zack I said, they need role models such as Erin to get anything done, and the Department chair was doing nothing at all. In response to Austin E. and Molly H. (and anyone else who discussed this) I never really thought of the students looking at the pearls and feeling intimidated until you mentioned it. I always just thought they would interpret it as something to steal, so looking at it in that light was helpful for me.
Hannah R.
The most important point the movie made to me was that there are thousands of kids who are not taking advantage of their education. For whatever reasons--bad family lives, bad neighborhoods--they fail to succeed. This movie showed America that these kids who struggle cannot be "left behind". Teachers like Erin must fight to help these kids straighten out their priorities and ultimately their lives.
The Department Chair asked Erin to take the pearls off because she thought that they might get her targeted for theft by a student. These pearls signify Erins positive attitude and fight to never give up. They are the better lives that these students can achieve with her help. She didnt take them off because in her mind that would have been giving up on her students.
Zack L.
Matt,
I think you bring up a crutial point in that Erin is innocent. She wears the pearls to class anyways in part because she doesnt think the kids are that bad. It is this innocence that feeds into her positive attitude. Ultimately, she belives in them when others would give up on them.
Zack L.
the significance of the fight scene was to show how important the gangs are to the students and how strongly they feel about the separation of nationality/gangs in school.
the pearls represent higher class and wealth. the department chair told her not to wear them because it would separate her from her students and they would have an attitude towards her and how much "better" she was then them. she wore them because she was showing her strength and that fact that she wouldnt change because of what the department chair had said.
- melissa B
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