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Lean On Me Analysis

Decent Essays

“The end justifies the means,” is a saying that almost everyone stumbles across at least once in their lives, but does anybody really stop to think about the actual meaning of it? Well, its technical definition would be that the end result excuses whatever was done to achieve it. So the next question would be, is that all this statement means? No. This saying is a simple way of stating that if there is a reason for what you do, a fight to achieve something, the treachery and torture that you endure and enforce is balanced by meeting the goal. A perfect example of the truth in this sentence is the movie Lean On Me, in which a hot-headed principal desperately struggles to regain control of Eastwood High School, and return it to it’s former state …show more content…

Under normal circumstances, it is, especially if taking away that right invokes danger. But the initial situation of Lean On Me would not fall into the category of “normal circumstances.” In fact, it could be categorized as quite desperate. That is why, although it enraged the fire department and the school board, when Joe Clark chained the doors to keep students from letting the wrong type of people into the school, the decision was justified. Now it can not be denied that chaining the doors was a fire hazard. It is a simple fact, which Joe Clark was completely aware of, but the choice to do so was not unwarranted. The school was facing a more immediate danger than a potential school fire; drug dealers, gang members, and disgruntled former students. An ex-student beat up a current student, and pulled a knife on Joe, so Joe took …show more content…

This was completely unacceptable in the eyes of the students, their parents, and many others. It could even be argued that this was a violation of the right to an education. Yet Joe Clark did not make this decision lightly. He did not pick 300 random students and kick them out, He made sure that all of the students he expelled were the students that were the root causes of trouble in the school, and that none of them were being expelled without reason. The students that were expelled were the main influence that caused the rest of the students to behave so poorly, and after they had been expelled, the entire school saw improvements, Even if these students had stayed, they wouldn't have graduated, and would have failed all of their courses anyway. Joe Clark also showed his consideration in this decision by listening to Sams’ story, and letting him back into the school, so long as he stayed on the straight and narrow. This showed that Clark saw the necessity of this action, and was wholeheartedly willing to

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