Precious Movie Essay

The move Precious (based on the novel “Push” written by Sapphire), depicts the life of a 16 year old girl named Claireece “Precious” Jones. The story is set in Harlem, NY in 1987. Precious has suffered severe abuse throughout her life by both of her parents. She has seemed to have slipped through the cracks of the system from family, the school system, child services, as well as the community as a whole. Her only saving grace is her strong will and her ability to disassociate herself and seek comfort in her own imaginary world.

She didn’t have a stable father figure, just men in and out of her and her mother's lives. Mary continued to play an adult role, considering she made sure the bills were paid on time and making sure her mom always had enough money. “I always counted the out the rent money Momma kept in the coffee can above the stove. We were always short and Momma would yell at me for counting it wrong. I counted right; we were just short” (Jackson 35).

The Notebook demonstrates the growth and development theories including biosocial, psychosocial, and cognitive. The Notebook is a movie about a young couple who falls in love. The woman, Allie, is from a wealthy family who is discouraged when she has fallen in love with a young man, Noah, who only makes .40 cents an hour (Cassavetes, 2004). The story is told through a “notebook” that Noah is reading to Allie, whom has Alzheimer’s disease. Allie has no clue that Noah is her husband due to her disease. Noah has hope that Allie will eventually recognize the story he is telling her and realize it is her husband

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.

When she enters the bedroom, her voice changes from present to past tense and she starts to reminisce and begins to talk about her mother and aunts. She seems happy to remember her mother’s room and introduces her aunts to the audiences. Mary delivers her dialogue saying that the dressing table and the small elephant statue figures are all same. When Mary gently touches her mother’s photo, she delivers a sad tone. Her performance conveys to the audiences that she misses her mother. The tone of her voice represents that she is a gentle, innocent and a loving child. Her verbal and non-verbal interactions conveyed the viewers with a message that she is an orphan.

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.

The movie Precious, is drama-based film that tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Claireece Jones (Precious). Unfortunately, she is struggling with her family, the school system and with her own internal emotions. Her mother despises her due to Precious having two kids from her father. She was kicked out of her high school had to go to an alternative school to get her GED. Precious also is struggling with her internal emotions and capabilities, she has been raped, verbally and physically abused. Some of the main characters that influenced Precious’s life are Miss. Rain, her English teacher at the alternative school and her mother Mary.

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

Precious, a movie based on the book Push written by Sapphire, is an interesting movie directed by Lee Daniels. Precious can be easily analyzed using basic motivation and emotion theories in psychology. The movie is about Claireece "Precious" Jones and how she becomes a strong, independent woman after breaking through her curse of physical and sexual abuse which she has endured since she was three months old. At the beginning, Precious is physically and verbally abused by her mother. In addition, Precious was raped by her father multiple times and impregnated twice. After being kicked out of her school because she was pregnant, Precious willingly joins the Each One Teach One alternative school so she can improve her reading and writing

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.

 Precious' life was no glitz and glamour. She would day dream and fantasy, which helped her cope

(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

There is a constant cycle of talking-at and not talking-to. The lack of knowing how to communicate effectively is a hindrance on the mother-daughter dynamic as well as their ability to This cycle of learned behavior, many have impacted how Mary's lack of ability to communicate in a positive and healthy manner is a pattern within the family. The is filled with anger, Mary always appears to be upset and angry faith Precious or the government and life in general. This frustration that she faces she tends to handle them with violence. Education is not encouraged and is seen as useless. Relying on the government is a norm within

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 film Precious directed by Lee Daniels is a solemn movie dealing with the unfortunate truths of everyday life for some individuals. The film staring Gabourey Sidibe who plays the main character Clarice “Precious” Jones along with co-stars Mariah Carey and Leni Kravitz is based in the Ghetto of Harlem in the year of 1987. Precious is a sixteen year-old illiterate morbidly obese teenager whom has grown up in the Ghetto of Harlem in a dysfunctional family. Her mother Mary verbally and physically abuses her and uses her as her personal servant while her father Carl also abuses her and has impregnated her twice. Early in the movie it is stated that Precious’s first child is named “Mongo” short for Mongoloid and suffers from