Taking a look at the Movie Precious

Also in the very first chapter of her book, Dettwyler describes one of the children she treated, kid #104, whose mother left him in the house all day with a bowl of rice and sauce. He was not able to talk or move because he suffered from extreme malnutrition. After the mother had weaned him, she left him alone in the house all day, hoping that he would decide for himself when he was ready to eat. The mother had no basic knowledge of how to take care of her child, leaving him all alone to take care of himself (Dettwyler 1994: 2).

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.

As a child, Jeannette’s sense of wonder and curiosity in the world undermine the need for money. During her young adult years, a new wave of insecurity associated with her poor past infects her. Finally, as an experienced and aged woman, Jeannette finds joy and nostalgia in cherishing her poverty- stricken past. It must be noted that no story goes without a couple twists and turns, especiallydefinitely not Jeannette Walls’. The fact of the matter is that growing up in poverty effectively craftsed, and transformsed her into the person she becomeshas become. While statistics and research show that living in poverty can be detrimental to a child’s self-esteem, Jeannette Walls encourages children living in poverty to have ownership over their temporary situation, and never to feel inferior because of past or present socio-economic

One level to address when watching the film Precious is the Micro issues that Precious faces in the movie. The movie does not directly describe all of Precious’s immediate family members but one can see

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.

The film, Precious, is a powerfully charged story that delves into the family dynamics of a 16-year-old girl and her struggles to survive an onslaught of treacherous experiences. Throughout the film, the viewer is enveloped in a dramatic web of extreme situations, experienced by the main character, and those to whom she is close. The themes of domestic violence, rape, incest, drug addiction, gambling, poverty, social justice, social services, housing and education are laced together throughout the story. Particularly poignant attention is paid to various systems that help shape the experiences of the characters. The social services industry, and its associated workers, educators and administrators, set the foundation for the social themes that are highlighted by this film.

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

She started off as a rich privileged kid who, at the age of 14, had been struck by the worst thing that can happen to a girl at the very edge of her puberty – having a spoiled mother who cared more about the money than for her own daughetr, Faunia had to face an abusing stepfather who found her chilish innocence and beauty too powerful sexual bate to endure. Running away at such early and immature years of her life and staying completely alone and protected only by clear sky and an empty wallet, she had been forced to put up with the worst kind of jobs and worst kind of men that could possibly be found. In

Throughout the movie Precious, there are several times when the audience witnesses trauma and its effect on Precious’ life. These traumatizing events include sexual abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse. When people go through these events, their mind will find ways to cope with their situation. These coping mechanisms are depersonalization, derealization, detachment, and dissociation.

1. Identify and describe the parenting style of Precious’ mother? How did this parent style impact Precious in terms of her physical, cognitive, social and moral development? Provide very specific examples.

The movie begins with Tracy, the main character, as a normal teenager whose life seems from the outside “ok”. However, even at this point in the movie, there are hints of Tracy’s inner pain and discomfort or distress with her world. Tracy lives a tough life. Her parents are separated, and do not have a good relationship. Tracy lives with her mom and brother in a suburban low to middle class neighborhood. Her mom, Mel, is a recovered addict, who works as a hair dresser. Her dad, Travis, is a somewhat rich executive, who works all the time and barely

The relationship between Precious and her mother are not stable and cannot be characterized as positive. Precious, particularly exhibits an avoidant attachment style. Certainly, such a situation leaves a negative imprint on the Precious’ stress response system. Mary’s actions towards her daughter Precious, from the hitting, name callings to mind controlling, it is easy to conclude what type of a parent she also is. Low in warm and high in control, Mary is an authoritarian parent. Not only is she an authoritarian parent she also puts Precious under constant chronic stress. There are many evident of the kind of chronic stress she puts Precious under. To name a few, Mary allows her daughter to be raped by her husband, when she hits her with a frying pan and when she tried to kill her with a Television. (Precious, 2009.) Indeed, Precious expects her mother to be more helpful and sensitive to her, however, in reality she does not find the reaction and behavior she was looking for from her mother. This in turn creates a distorted cognitive schema about herself (her personality), others (being able to relate to others) and the world (Perry, 2011.) As a consequence of this, Precious is constantly anxious. Precious also seems to avoid forming relationship with others, by being skeptical of everyone who tries to help. She does not seek help

In Claudia Llosa’s The Milk of Sorrow, a girl from the Andes named Fausta has an odd disease contracted from her mother’s milk. Because her mother was raped and tortured during the Peruvian Civil War with Fausta in her womb, the mother’s milk is contaminated with the disease, according to the local people. This condition causes symptoms such as rarely leaving one’s home by will, avoiding men, rarely speaking, and walking close to the walls of houses for fear of having one’s soul stolen. In the film, Fausta undergoes a journey to empower herself to cure this disease and create a voice for herself. Through the use of central recurring symbols, Fausta’s actions, and the interactions of the people around her, the film suggests that historical trauma, if left unchecked, can negatively influence the person with trauma, the people around them, and even generations to come.

Hannah, a freshman in college, has had a life of asthma, major depression, and epilepsy. While on theatrical stage in her first college debut, Hannah collapses on stage in a seizure. After running tests on Hannah in the hospital, the doctor suggests that her lifelong health issues could possibly be because she is a survivor of abortion. This is the first time Hannah not only learns she’s an abortion survivor, but adopted too. In anguish and searching for answers, Hannah journeys with her friends to Mobile, Alabama in search of her birthmother. When Hannah first reconnects with her birthmother, Cindy, tracking her down at her work office, Cindy rejects her yet as again as she did at her failed abortion. Hannah finds herself asking God what to do in her situation.

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