Freedom Writers

Starring Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn,

April L. Hernandez

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Freedom Writers is an inspirational film with some edge. The story truly depicts
the role of a good and real teacher in a sense of learning and teaching. The film
shows that what could be the things that a teacher can do for a change. The film is
all about the changing to a good life. One thing that I found about this film and
that makes this film more passionate and motivating is that the film has many
powerful and touching flashes in it. It isn't as prescribed in which the "big,
powerful moment" only comes at the closing stages.

This film tells the story of a lady who is going to experience the teaching for the
first time. She's so excited and badly wants to get into the classroom. She got
students from many races in which blacks, whites are more prominent. Ellen's first
effort to instruct them anything fails. Management thought that those students are
good for nothing and they really don’t care about their lives. Whatever they do and
how do they do isn’t what they care. One teacher tells Ellen, "If you can teach
them some obedience and discipline, then you will have made a tremendous
accomplishment." Ellen wanted to create some respect for her in the students.
Mostly students took her non-seriously and don’t bother to listen to her. But she
still kept on striving. She tried so hard and for this, she did many things like
different activities and games. But it took time.

Journal writing activity played a vital role for a change in students. She just asked
them to write whatever they want in their journal and if they want, they can let
her to read them. She was not expecting that students would do this but she was
wrong. Every student wrote the journal put up in her cabinet to let her read about
their lives. There is a totally different story in every journal and then she realized
that what horrible things are happened to them that paved the path to the crime.
All the students became very affectionate about her. What I think is that the
reason behind students love for her is that they got a person who at least listens
to them. As a result, both Ellen and her students initiate to develop a relationship.
Ellen creates a secure environment for them. Racial walls rapidly begin to fade, as
each student grasps that they are not all that special from each other. Even the
white student soon finds himself accepted and among friends as the hate and
anger are replaced with tolerance, friendship, and understanding.

SUBMITTED BY:
KHAWAJA NAVEED HAIDER
073605-085