![]() At the very end there is some soft music playing to accompany the sad realization Erin has to face – that her students are living in a violent war. Throughout the majority of the scene there is no music playing, which allows Erin’s message to be focused on. Only one student in the class knew what this event was, yet it was important to have this boy ask the question in order to show that Erin was finally grasping the attention of her pupils. The director also chose to have the boy who constructed the drawing (a person who never participates in class) to raise his hand and ask Erin what the Holocaust was. Another structural element of the scene is how Erin turns around when she first looks at the image - as if she cannot even bear to look at her class she is so dismayed. Though she does not always convey a strict stance, in this instance it is important that Erin seems empowered. When Erin is lecturing them on the Holocaust and the improperness of the students’ actions the camera shows only shows the tops of the students’ heads, displaying that in this moment Erin holds authority over them. The camera also zooms in on the actual picture once Erin unfolds the note, and then it shows her reaction. This highlights their reactions, which generally consist of laughter, and allows the audience to see that the class can be brought together (even though it is not in the most proper manner). The faces of the students after they look at the note are also viewed up close. This choice of camera shot also emphasizes how easily judgments can spread. There are several close up shots on the drawing changing hands, as it is an integral part of the scene. Various camera angles are used to help convey messages throughout this scene. Erin admonishes them for trying to act like ‘gang members’ – they are only contributing to the violence in the world that can lead to something as severe as genocide. She tells him about the Holocaust and how people would post damaging images, like Jewish people with long noses. Erin is ashamed of her class’ stereotypical views and open hatred towards one another. Erin takes the note and sees that it is a picture of a black man with large lips. Eventually the illustration reaches its victim and the class erupts in laughter. The first scene I chose to analyze started off with a drawing being passed between the students while Erin is trying to teach. These portions of the film displayed the effects of contact zones and the importance of relating lessons to the lives of the students. The scenes that I chose to analyze are all connected by Erin’s desire to bring the class together, and to encourage the students to participate. The students are generally from lower class families in rough neighborhoods. The school is a cultural mosaic, with representatives from various ethnicities. Helping the hopeless find a venue for their voices, Erin Gruwell’s real life story will inspire older students, parents and educators alike.The movie Freedom Writers revolves around Erin Gruwell, a new teacher at an urban school. Believing the kids are not “unteachable,” her perseverance eventually breaks through their tough exteriors. Tension and disrespect also run rampant in the classroom and is aimed at students and teacher alike.ĭespite the students’ aggressive outbreaks and the administration’s lack of support, Erin pushes herself to connect with her pupils. However they are likely too graphic for some teens and especially children. Even Erin’s husband Scott (Patrick Dempsey) distances himself as the highly-motivated educator commits more and more of herself to her students.īloody depictions of gang violence (drive-by shootings, beatings and gunfire) and frequent profanities including one sexual expletive help to establish the rough backgrounds from which these students come. Threatened by Erin’s persistent and sometimes unorthodox efforts, Margaret Campbell (Imelda Staunton), the English department head, becomes increasingly stingy with resources and hesitates to help the class of “at-risk” underachievers. In turn, as she reads through the scrawled entries, Erin gains a whole new appreciation for the challenges and ordeals her students face every day on the streets. ![]() It becomes their avenue to record and help make sense of their lives. Later, she teaches her pupils the power of the written word by giving each student a journal in which to record his or her own experiences. She introduces her class members to the horrors of the Holocaust and The Diary of Anne Frank. Along with sentence structure and vocabulary lists, she tackles the racial tensions that dominate the classroom by initiating innovative approaches to English.
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