Rhetorical Analysis: Freedom Writers The movie “Freedom Writers” is based on a true story. Hilary Swank as Erin Gruwell plays an inspirational teacher at Wilson High School. She is ready to take on the teaching world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day. Her class, varied with teenagers of different ethnic backgrounds, wants nothing more than to just get through the day. African Americans, Latinos, Asians, gang members, and much more are from poor neighborhoods, that all share a similar hatred for each other. On the first day of teaching she is very scared and unsure, but she knows she has to stop the racism in the class as well as their attitude towards life. Despite her students' persistent refusal to participate
Freedom Writers is a movie based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell. The movie was directed by Richard LaGravenese and it was released in 2007. This movie discusses significant themes such as stereotyping and racial discrimination but most important the power of tolerance and understanding. The purpose of this movie is to promote the message that knowledge is power and in a world filled with disparities where hundreds of ethnic groups convey and interact humans are obliged to accept and tolerate the differences that define each person. This film is a perfect example of how these rhetorical components are used to create an effective argument. The director of the movie as well as the characters build their
Freedom writers Question 1. Why are the students so unwilling to associate with anyone outside their ethnic/racial groups? Where does this intolerance come from? The students are so unwilling to associate with each other because they’re not used to getting along with the other group of people. Their used
The film “Freedom Writers” is a film produced in 2007 and directed by Richard LaGravenese. The film is based on a book which was written by Erin Gruwell, who was a teacher at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Eastside, Long Beach, California. The book was first published in 1999.
In the 1920s, when movies were a brand new concept, people went to see the pictures in order to escape from their lives. In these movies, everything worked out in the end and they depicted happy, perfect lives. As the Depression raged on, movies were a distraction from the wear and tear of normal life. With the movie Freedom Writers, however, that is not the case. Freedom Writers tells the impossibly true story of a first-year teacher, Erin Gruwell, and the difficulties she faced in her classroom of supposed hopeless cases. In Long Beach, California, her students dealt with gang violence, drugs, and racism in their everyday lives. They lived in constant fear. The movie emphasizes how Gruwell wrestles with the public school system, motivates her students to learn, and changes their lives in the process. Directed by Richard LaGravenese, it came out in 2007 with stars such as Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, and April Hernandez gracing the screen (IMDb). In contrast to the early movies, Freedom Writers deals with issues that are still a problem today, such as a focus on the majority instead of helping students who need extra assistance or encouragement.
Historical, Social and Political Issues in the movie FREEDOM WRITERS The thorough presentation of a well researched context in the film provided the environment for priming the viewers on the concept of belonging which was highlighted in the film. This grounded the film and prepared the viewers on the film’s main focus. Through the brief but meaningful snippets of what happened during the trial of Rodney King, the viewers were introduced to the conflict used in the film that surfaced and distinctly placed attention on the concept of belonging.
Hilary Swank’s character, Erin Gruwell, from The Freedom Writers said, “I realized if you can change a classroom, you can change a community, and if you change enough communities you can change the world” (“Erin Gruwell Quotes”). According to The New York Times, Freedom Writers was written in 1999 and made into a film in 2007 and it was directed by Richard LaGravenese starring Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Margaret Campbell, Scott Glenn, and many others (Dargis). Freedom Writers is set in Long Beach, California where Hilary, who plays as Erin Gruwell, gets a new job as a teacher for which she is not prepared for. As the teacher of classroom 203, she deals with racism, violence, drugs, and unmotivated students. The Freedom Writers is a wonderful story with a clear message describing the cruelty of the Holocaust with many lessons that teachers in the same situation today could still be taught today.
Freedom Writers Director: Richard LaGravenese Brief outline of story: The storyline of the movie takes place between 1992-1995. Beginning with scenes from the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Hilary Swank plays the role of Erin Gruwell, a new, excited schoolteacher who leaves the safety of her hometown, Newport Beach, to teach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, a formerly high achieving school which has recently had an integration program put in place. Her enthusiasm is quickly challenged when she realizes that her classes are all "at-risk" students, also known as "un-teachable", and not the eager students she was expecting. The students segregate themselves into racial groups in the classroom, fights break out, and eventually most
Freedom Writers Essay In the movie, The Freedom Writers Mrs. Erin Gruwell (Hillary Swank) plays a role of a dedicated teacher who did all she could, to help her students learn to respect themselves and each other. She has little idea of what she's getting into when she volunteers to be an English teacher at a newly integrated high school in Long Beach, California. Her students were divided along racial lines and had few aspirations beyond basic survival. Mrs. Gruwell was faced with a big challenge when a group of freshmen students showed her nothing but disrespect which made it hard for her to communicate, teach and understand them. However, Erin Gruwell was determined that no matter the cost she would teach her students not only
The film “Freedom Writers” by Richard LaGravenese has been successful in terms of expressing the emotions of students through their diaries but also engaging the audience emotions through the characters’ gang experiences. The character of Mrs Gruwell(Mrs G) is a teacher of low performing students trying to achieve their goals against all odds. Techniques the director used to show this include flashbacks, non-diegetic sound, spot light and pan shots which are all important in sending the message to the audience that family problems and violence have a big impact on the students lives.
In the beginning of the movie Freedom Writers, Ms. Gruwell’s students have trouble communicated with each other. This is because the characters are unwilling to associate with anyone outside their ethnic/racial groups. There could be multiple reasons to why the students would act this way but one of the main
I have read many interesting diaries while reading “The Freedom Writers Diary”, but the diary that stuck to me the most was diary number 127.I am going to give advice to the teenager that wrote this diary.This diary has made me think twice and not one other diary in the book has made me do that.This diary is about how a young teen recently realizes that she was lesbian after her best friend tells her that she loved her.Once I kept reading I read she wasn’t excited to be lesbian because she thought to herself “How would they treat us?Would we still be welcomed in our little social group?”.I'm not saying that I have been through that situation but what I am saying is that people should never think about how other people treat them or if they
The film Freedom Writers, directed by Richard LaGravenese and the short story On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter, both have a similar theme of Identity and gangs. Freedom Writers is a film about a newly beginning teacher who starts her career teaching at risk teenagers living in a racially divided community. The kids slowly put faith into Mrs Gruell and Mrs Gruell brings them hope for their future. This film targets an audience whom may be experiencing a divided community or who may be involved in gangs themselves. On the Sidewalk Bleeding is a short story about a teenager named Andy who is attacked by a rival gang member and left to bleed out on the sidewalk. This short story may have an audience of teenagers who are also involved in gangs or groups. The purpose of both of these stories is to inform the audience of how many teenagers are living in dangerous, divided and discriminated areas. LaGravenese uses close up camera angles and sound and music to convey the themes of identity and gangs, whereas Hunter uses characterisation change and symbolism to express these themes.
The ghetto, a breeding ground for gang bangers and trouble makers, nothing good comes from the ghetto. A place where parents send their kids out to face the day praying it won't be their last, nothing good comes from the ghetto. Anne Frank, a young teenager famous for her diary recounting her life of hiding. Kendrick Lamar, a rapper who overcame the street life in Compton who now has influence all over the world. Jay-Z, drug dealer turned hip hop royalty with a networth of $810 million, I guess something good does come from the ghetto. In the movie Freedom Writers, kids are told that they come from nothing and will never amount to anything but a teacher, Erin Gruwell, shows them otherwise.
“You can't make someone want education”, eager Erin Gruwell was told in the midst of her new job at a racially divided high school. Based on the best selling novel The Freedom Writers Diary the movie Freedom Writers is a true story about a teacher doing everything in her power to give an education to at-risk teenagers. The book was written in 1999 then transformed into a movie eight years later (“The Freedom Writers True…”). The main characters who played important roles in bringing this story to life include; Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey and many key student roles. After being told over and over she should not try with these kids, Hilary Swank, who plays Erin Gruwell, turns the rowdy, divided classroom into a family and a place they call home. This film takes place in Long Beach, California, where violence and racism is a problem that seems to be something that cannot be fixed. Erin does her best to help her unfortunate children change the culture they are apart of, one kid at a time. Freedom Writers reflects on the issues of poor education to those who live in the slums and cannot partake in the opportunity to learn in an up to par high school.