Precious Lee Daniels

I felt that this movie addressed numerous forms of abuse such as verbal, physical, sexual as well as neglect. Her father, resulting in her having two children, sexually abuses Precious. Her mother verbally and physically abuses her at home. Numerous emotions were at play while watching the movie such as anger, sadness, empathy, as well as hope. Precious was able to tackle all the hardships she faced and persevered. She exemplified courage and strength through adversity. Precious had some very influential people in her life, however, which may have saved her life and her children’s lives. Firstly, the principal at her original school noticed Precious and helped her. She could have ignored Precious and moved her along in the school system.

Next, briefly introduced is the relationship with her grandmother Tootsie. Not much is known about Tootsie other than she cares for Precious’s daughter Mongo who suffers with down syndrome. Looking at the way Tootsie reacts to Mary one can say she does not agree with how she is raising Claireece. (Magness et al, 2009) Unfortunately, her grandmother never reported any abuse or lying that Mary had been doing. Although she tries to inconspicuously let the social worker know there is no food, Tootsie never says anything. This single act could have changed Precious’s life often by not saying anything, we allow problems to continue to happen.

Mary begins the story as a doting housewife going through her daily routine with her husband. She is content to sit in his company silently until he begins a conversation. Everything is going as usual until he goes “ slowly to get himself another drink” while telling Mary to “sit down” (Dahl 1). This shocks Mary as she is used to getting things for him. After downing his second drink, her husband coldly informs her that he is leaving her and the child. This brutal news prompts the first change in Mary, from loving wife to emotionless and detached from everything.

Claireece Precious Jones lives in an impoverished part of New York City with her mother, Mary and her daughter, Mongo. Mary stays in the apartment, smoking cigarettes and watching television while barking orders for Precious to tend to her needs. Their relationship is a deeply troubled one. It is evident that Precious has been physically, emotionally and sexually abused since she was a toddler. It appears that Mary may have experienced similar abuse and is simply repeating all that she has ever known. Mary seems incapable of defending her daughter from being repeatedly

Not only does Mary cause both verbal and physical abuse to her daughter, but she also causes harm to Precious’ new born, specifically when she throws Abdul to the ground. Much of Mary’s discontent towards her daughter stems from Mary’s husband (who is also Precious’ father), Carl, the father of Precious’ two children. Carl sexually abused Precious and Mary is resentful towards her, once saying, “Uppity now cause he give her more childrens than he did me” (Fletcher, 2008). Precious does a good job of concealing her emotions from the abuse in front of her mother and others, often envisioning a happy place where she has a boyfriend and life is seemingly well. Precious does, however, slip when talking to a social worker, Ms. Weiss, and reveals to her being sexually abused.

Towards the end of the movie, Precious looks out the window and sees her dream guy. As her mom walks by, she chooses to walk away from the window. At this point, I believe that she is disengaging from the fantasy world that she had been trying to live in for so many years.

The movie “Precious” detracted by Lee Daniels, is set in Harlem in the 1987. It is about an about an African American teenage girl named Clareence Precious Jones but she goes my Precious through the movie, who is played by Gabourey Sildibe. Precious is an overweight, illiterate, is a victim of incest, and who has two kids as a result of incest. Precious life has been very painful for her and difficult but the only way that she can escape her life is by day dreaming. Lee Daniels use daydreaming as a therapeutic coping mechanism throughout the movie. Lee Daniels shows us that there are four different seines that Precious use daydreaming to help her escape her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), father, and other people that abuse her. The Anxiety, Panic and Health say that “Sigmund Freud, felt that only unfulfilled individuals created fantasies. That daydreaming and fantasy were early signs of mental illness.

Freud’s “Id” is the most appropriate personality theory for Precious’ mother. Her actions were irrational, selfish, and impulsive, although totally conscious. She transferred her anger and aggression towards her daughter, throwing things at her, hitting her, being inhumane towards her and her own grandchildren. Her actions were motivated by sexual drives and the desire not to lose her man. Precious on the other hand has some similarities with Freud’s “ego”. She has been through a lot in her young life. Although she has unconscious thoughts that she uses to escape reality, avoid pain and unpleasant situation, she uses all that energy and drive to make reality better. She developed her cognitive skills because she imagined herself as becoming famous and a well admired person. Her self esteem improves overtime. Whenever negative emotions, anxiety and unpleasant feelings

(Bowen, 2000.) Although not much insight is given into the awful relationship Mary had with her late husband, there’s is evident that she resents her daughter. Precious became the target of neglect and abuse due to the fact that, her father raped her and her mother instead of protecting her became jealous of her own daughter. Mary intentionally tries to impair her daughter Precious by constantly demoralizing her by telling her that she is ugly, fat and stupid. Mary is fixed on the idea of hurting her physically, emotionally and psychologically. Mary is a constant remind to Precious of how she will be nothing without her. As a result, she internalizes this tension and many aspects of her life suffers. Precious is performing poorly at school, her physical health is bad as she is overly obese and she is a loner in the sense that she makes no effort to befriend anyone. She is constantly worried about what her mother is going to do to her for the day or she is constantly on edge with her mother, not knowing what to

Throughout the entire story, Mary is a very interesting character. She faces many issues in dealing with her husband’s news that he is leaving her. She reacts based on her instincts and kills her husband and this shows her cold heartedness. In the end she has to create an alibi to cover up her devious crime in which she has to manipulate the police into eating the evidence. Mary is a very unique complex character and she has, through her actions conducted a devious crime in which she will be proven innocent. Through the use of Many Maloney’s character, as well as irony and suspense, the author was able to maintained the interest of the reader throughout the entire short story.

The movie Precious, is based off of the novel Push by Sapphire. In this movie, there is a 16 year old girl named Precious. She is pregnant with her second child from her father, still in junior high, and is morbidly obese. Not only that, but is continuously abused by her mother and father; verbally, mentally, and physically.

By the novel, Mary discusses several issues related to relationships which terrorize aspects of her personal life, including birth and childhood, the death of her mother, her miscarriage and new child and her coming across with the events which occurred in the summer of 1816 (see notes).

When you think of the word “poverty” or “poor” what comes to mind? Some think of hunger, minorities, dirty areas, women, and homeless people. What about when you hear the term “abuse”? For most people, abuse means physical; getting beat up or hit. Although abuse can mean getting beat up or hit, there is far more that follows. Abuse can take on many forms like physical, emotional or sexual. The film Precious by Lee Daniels, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, encounters not only the obvious sexual abuse but physical and emotional abuse as well. Precious starts off with Claireece Precious Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe, at her school in Harlem. She is called to the office because the principal has found out she is pregnant…Again. Kicked

The teacher than helps Precious find a home in a halfway house where she raises her son and continues to go to the alternative school. Near the end of the movie Precious’ mother, Mary comes back into her life to inform Precious that her father has died of AIDS. Precious then learns that she is HIV positive, but her sons are not. Feeling depressed Precious breaks into her counselor’s office and steals her case files and then shares them with her classmates. This makes Precious feel much better about life. The movie ends with Precious and her mother seeing each other for the last time in Miss Weiss' office. Miss Weiss then questions Mary about her abuse of Precious, and exposes specific physical and sexual suffering Precious encountered, starting when she was young. Mary, Precious’ mother begs Miss Weiss to help get Precious back, but she refuses. The film ends with Precious still determined to improve her life for herself and her children. She does not want her mother in her life and plans to complete a General Educational Development (GED) test to receive a high school diploma equivalent.

Precious and her family members are invisible to the larger world because they don’t posses any skill that enables them to make even the slightest difference in the world. The tests that Precious take show her lack of intelligence and only amplify her inferiority to the people around her. When you’re invisible, nobody treats you with respect; in the beginning of the book, everyone treats Precious like worthless trash. Though, later, she becomes visible again through the people she meets at the alternative school, and the birth of her second baby, Abdul.