The Freedom Writers Movie Analysis Essay Example

When all odds are against you are you quick to give up or do you persevere through? In the dramatic film The Freedom Writers, Erin Gruwell, a first-year teacher finds all odds against her when she is given the task to teach English at Wilson High School. She is expected to teach in a low-poverty, newly integrated school in Long Beach, California. Students are affiliated with gangs, have poor attendance, and are considered “troubled” kids by the school administration. Although the school administration had no expectations for these students, Ms. Gruwell believed they were capable of more if only they were understood. By establishing logos, pathos, and using syntax precisely the director, Richard LaGravense, emphasizes the importance of persevering through the setbacks life may bring.

To begin, LaGravense develops a sense of logic by integrating important real-life historical events. At the beginning of the movie the students were giving Ms. Gruwell a hard time, and their unwillingness to learn was apparent. When she realizes that a student had drawn a racially offensive image of another student she gives an affirmative and blunt lecture on the Holocaust. She vividly explains the hardships blacks and Jews had withstood. She firmly retained that they were amateurs and was serious and made sure her class was aware. By doing so, the producer reiterates the importance of Ms. Gruwell being affirmative with what she believes in despite having previous difficulties establishing a relationship with her students. Additionally, LaGravenese continues implementing historical figures to establish his theme when Miep Gies is seen at Wilson High school as a guest speaker. Miep Gies was one of the helpers in hiding Ann Frank and after reading “The Diary of Ann Frank” and writing to her the students were decisively eager to meet her. As she was speaking to them one of the students stands up and calls her a “hero”. Her response was “No, young man. I am not a hero I did what I had to do because it was the right thing to do …. Anyone within their own small ways can turn on a small light in a dark room”. The audience perceives the clear message of the importance of believing in your own capabilities through the logical reasoning of history.

Moreover, LaGravense continues highlighting the importance of overcoming conflicts in life by appealing to the audience’s emotions. In multiple scenes, Ms. Gruwell is shown persistently asking the school administration for funds or materials necessary for her students. After being denied numerous times, Ms. Gruwell takes matters into her own hands. She acquires another job in order to recruit the necessary fund for the books and trips. This demonstrates that Ms. G’s determination for her students succeed and her willingness to teach was worth the sacrifice of acquiring two jobs. Furthermore, one of her students, Ava, integrity is questioned when she is called as a witness for a murder trial. She knows what everyone is expecting her to do because “family’s first” but she also knows it’s not the right thing to do. Initially, she was siding with her family but when she came to the stand she told the truth, despite it causing her family to be enraged and potentially putting her life at risk. The audience is able to sympathize with Ava as well as applaud her for persevering through what she believed was morally correct. Likewise, LaGravense uses sentence structure precisely to convey his message. Acquiring two jobs allowed Ms. G to be able to purchase materials and items for her class. In one of the scenes, she is shown with a bag for each student containing brand new books along with a wine glass. She then proposed to her class to make a toast; “A toast for Change”. She proceeds by giving an inspirational message to her class, “Every voice that told you, you cant is silence…Every reason that tells you that things will never change disappears”. The phrase, “Toast for Change”, reinforces the theme of overcoming life obstacles. By validating the student’s past experiences while offering them an opportunity to change their lives, the director is able to portray this message in a symbolic way. Throughout the film, the financial burden that is presented to the students outside of school is unfortunately persistent within the school as well. In order to gather the necessary funds, the students find themselves doing everything they can from food to concerts. Specifically, the students hosted a “Concert for Change” which was made to raise funds to bring Miep Gies as a guest speaker. The term “Concer for change” reiterates the idea of perseverance. The student’s eagerness to meet someone they passionately learned about was what motivated them to do whatever they could.

Overall, Ms. G persevered to inspire her students to overcome past experiences and become responsible adults through all odds. When no one believed in the students, Ms. G did. The sacrifices she made re-enforce her humbleness, from driving them home after school to putting her marriage on the line. No one believed in them, in fact, the administration had made the prediction that the students would become dropouts, in jail, or just never show up again. Despite all the doubts, the students were able to graduate high school. The audience was able to perceive a clear message of persevering through all odds through the rhetorical devices of logos, pathos, and the rigorous use of word structure. All in all, the film was thoughtfully directed and expressed a very powerful message.