“Freedom Writers”
A Film Ethics Analysis Presented by
Villaluna, Quincy Ann A.
BSED IV-E
to
Dr. Danilo B. Solayao
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
In ED 415 – Values, Ethics and Relevant Laws
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
1st Semester School Year 2011-2012
I. Preliminaries
A. Title of the Film:
“Freedom Writers”
B. Writer:
Erin Gruwell
C. Director:
Richard LaGravenese
D. Cast/Character:
Hilary Swank as Erin Gruwell Patrick Dempsey as Scott Casey
Scott Glenn as Steve Gruwell Imelda Staunton as Margaret Campbell
April L. Hernandez as Eva Benitez (as April Lee Hernandez)
Scott Glenn as Steve Gruwell Imelda Staunton as Margaret Campbell
April L. Hernandez as Eva Benitez (as April Lee Hernandez)
Mario as Andre Bryant Kristin Herrera as Gloria Munez
Jaclyn Ngan as Sindy Sergio Montalvo as Alejandro Santiago
Jaclyn Ngan as Sindy Sergio Montalvo as Alejandro Santiago
Jason Finn as Marcus Deance Wyatt as Jamal Hill
Vanetta Smith as Brandy Ross Gabriel Chavarria as Tito
Hunter Parrish as Ben Daniels Antonio García as Miguel
Giovonnie Samuels as Victoria John Benjamin Hickey as Brian Gelford
Robert Wisdom as Dr. Carl Cohn Pat Carroll as Miep Gies
Will Morales as Paco Armand Jones as Grant Rice
Ricardo Molina as Eva's Father Angela Alvarado as Eva's Mother
Anh Tuan Nguyen as Sindy's Boyfriend (as Anh Nguyen)
Katie Soo as Sindy's Friend Liisa Cohen as Brandy's Mother
Vanetta Smith as Brandy Ross Gabriel Chavarria as Tito
Hunter Parrish as Ben Daniels Antonio García as Miguel
Giovonnie Samuels as Victoria John Benjamin Hickey as Brian Gelford
Robert Wisdom as Dr. Carl Cohn Pat Carroll as Miep Gies
Will Morales as Paco Armand Jones as Grant Rice
Ricardo Molina as Eva's Father Angela Alvarado as Eva's Mother
Anh Tuan Nguyen as Sindy's Boyfriend (as Anh Nguyen)
Katie Soo as Sindy's Friend Liisa Cohen as Brandy's Mother
Brian Bennett as Brandy's Father Horace Hall as Himself (as Mr. Horace Hall)
Tim Halligan as Principal Banning Lisa Banes as Karin Polachek
Giselle Bonilla as Young Eva Earl Williams as Young Marcus
Blake Hightower as Clive Angela Sargeant as Marcus' Mother
Tim Halligan as Principal Banning Lisa Banes as Karin Polachek
Giselle Bonilla as Young Eva Earl Williams as Young Marcus
Blake Hightower as Clive Angela Sargeant as Marcus' Mother
Renee Firestone as Herself - The Holocaust Survivor
Eddie Ilam as Himself - The Holocaust Survivor
Elisabeth Mann as Herself - The Holocaust Survivor
Gloria Ungar as Herself - The Holocaust Survivor
II. Introduction
At first, we didn’t even think that the film “Freedom Writers” will be our project. We thought that he suggested only watching the film because it was nice movie and it has a relation in our lesson which was Ethics. Then he viewed us the beginning of the movie, while watching we found it nice but since it was already time, we only saw partial of the movie.
The following week, he told us that we need to do an analysis about the film. We were all shocked because we didn’t continued watching the film. So since it was one of the requirements I watched it in my laptop. It’s not difficult for me to find the movie because I copied it from our Professor.
This movie was like Gokusen, a film that the main character has a passion in teaching and she did her best to discipline the class. By the way the class she’s handling was a notorious one but the difference was the “Freedom Writers” all about the discrimination among the students and all of them has their own experiences in life. I really loved the movie and I’m very thankful to our professor for giving us the opportunity to watch the movie.
III. Synopsis
"Freedom Writers" is based on a true story and it is an inspirational movie and testimony to courage, hope and the human spirit's triumph over intolerance.
Erin Gruwell who was a new in a school and an idealistic English teacher is ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class was come from a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life and hoping for nothing. She was very excited in her first day to meet her class which was the freshmen students. Her enthusiasm was challenged a little bit when she realized that her class is difficult to teach and not the eager students she was expecting. Despite her students' obstinate refusal to participate during class, Erin tried various means to engage them on a daily basis.
The students segregate themselves into racial groups in the classroom, fights break out, and eventually most of the students stop turning up to class. Not only Gruwell meet opposition from her students, but she also had a hard time with her department head, which refused to let her teach her students with books in case they get damaged and lost, and instead tells her to focus on teaching them discipline and obedience. One night, two students, Eva and Sindy, found themselves in the same convenience store. Another student, Grant Rice is frustrated at losing an arcade game and demanded a refund from the owner. When he stormed out, Eva's boyfriend attempted a drive-by shooting, wanting to kill Grant but missed, accidentally killing Sindy's boyfriend. As Eva was a witness, she must testify at court; she intended to protect her own kind in her testimony. At school, Gruwell intercepted a racist drawing of one of her students and uses it to teach them about the Holocaust. She gradually begins to earn their trust and buys them composition books to record their diaries, in which they talk about their experiences of being abused, seeing their friends die, and being evicted. Determined to reform her students, she takes two part-time jobs to pay for more books and spends more time at school, to the disappointment of her husband. Her students start to behave with respect and learn more. A transformation is especially visible in one of her students, Marcus. She invited several Holocaust survivors to talk with her class about their experiences and takes them on a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance. Meanwhile, her teaching methods scorned by her colleagues and department chair Margaret Campbell. The next year came, and Gruwell teached her class again for sophomore year. In class, when reading The Diary of Anne Frank, they invited the woman who sheltered Anne Frank from the German soldiers to talk to them. After they raise the money to bring her over, she told them her experienced hiding Anne Frank. When Marcus told her that she was his hero, she denied it, claiming she was merely doing the right thing. Her denial caused Eva to think lying during her testimony. When she testified, she finally broken down and told the truth. Meanwhile, Gruwell asked her students to write their diaries in book form. She compiled the entries and names it The Freedom Writers Diary. Her husband divorced her and Margaret told her she cannot teach her kids for their junior year. She fought this decision, eventually convincing the superintendent to allow her to teach her kids' junior and senior year. The film ends with a note that Gruwell successfully brought many of her students to graduation and college.
IV. Value Analysis
1. Explain the title. How appropriate is it?
Freedom Writers was appropriate as a title of the film. It was entitled freedom writers because, as the students have their own experiences in life, by the journal or Freedom Writers Diary as the called, that Gruwell gave them and suggested to write everything in that, everyone wrote what they were experienced in life, what were their feelings, the reason why they were attitudes was and because of that journal, the freedom of the students to write can expressed themselves. And the time that Gruwell read their journal she did her best to transform the lives of her students and for that she was successful.
2. Characterize the protagonist /s and antagonist/s (if there’s any) of the story.
The protagonist in the story is Ms. Gruwell who fought for the rights of her students and the antagonist is that Department head, Margaret Campbel, because she didn’t let Ms. Gruwell to use the books among her students because they will just destroyed it and she said to Ms. G that she must focused on the discipline and obedience of the students and she was against that Ms. G should teach the junior and senior year of her students.
3. Who among the characters impressed you most? Expound.
I was very impressed in the character of Eva. When Marcus told the speaker that she was his hero instead of saying yes, she denied it, she claimed that she was only doing the right thing. Because of that line, since Eva was the witness in the convenience store shooting, the guest speaker denial caused Eva to change her testimony. So then, when she testified, she finally broken down and tells the truth that her boyfriend was the one who accidentally killed Sindy’s boyfriend.
And also by Ms. G. because she did her best to change her students, her attention and times was on them that caused their separation of her husband. Instead of letting her to be sad, she focused most of her time spending in her students and in school and she made a big role of each of the students that made them changed.
4. Which part of the film do you like best? Elaborate.
I liked best in part of the film was when Gruwell told among her students that she will not be able to teach them in their junior year. Her students were all got mad and they told that we can request that Ms. G should teach them in their junior year. So Ms. G talked to all people who were concern about what the students wanted to be happened. And they were successful and very glad that not only in their junior year but also in senior year that Ms. G will be their teacher.
5. Cite at least five (5) lines or dialogue in the film that reflects the character’s ethics. Interpret the meaning of each line.
· "I've never had a hero before. But you are my hero." – It means that because of the speaker something changed in his life and she inspires Marcus to change his everyday living.
· "If you look into my eyes, you'll see a loving girl. If you look at my smile you'll see nothing wrong. If you pull up my shirt you'll see the bruises. What did I do to make him so mad?" – She’s pertaining to her ex boyfriend, for her, she’s perfect but then, she don’t know what is the reason why her boyfriend left her.
· "My friends are soldiers. Not of war, but of the streets. They fight for their lives." – Means that they are not totally soldiers in war that fighting for their country but soldiers in streets fighting for their rights.
· "We are all ordinary people. But even an ordinary secretary, or a housewife, or a teenager can within their own small ways turn on a small light in a dark room." – meaning even if we are ordinary human being we still can make something good in our lives. And even we are ordinary one we can make a change by our own making.
· "Every time I jump somebody again and make somebody part of our gang it's another Baptism. They give us their life; we give them a new one." – if someone joining in their gang it’s honor for them and they assure that the one who joined with them will never be disappointed because what they did in their group is good for everyone and it helped each other, they considered themselves as a family.
6. What were your feelings toward the conclusion of the film? If you were the writer, how would you have ended the story?
My feelings toward the conclusion of the film was I’m very touched and glad because the effort of Gruwell was not useless and the students realized what is right or wrong. And the role of being teacher is achieved. Gruwell, teaches the mind, touches the heart and transforms the lives of her students.
If I were the writer I would end the story in a way that each of the students has their own family and one of them became a teacher like Gruwell.
V. Recommendations/ Conclusion
1. What values or insights have you gained from watching the film.
· Honesty is the best policy
· No truth that can never be revealed
· Don’t deprived the students
· Make a good decision
2. Would you recommend this film to a friend? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes! I would recommend this film not only to my friends but also to my family. In order for them to realize that truth is the key of peace of mind and also for them to know that teachers made a big role in life of every student.
