preview

Historical, Social and Political Issues in the Movie Freedom Writers

Decent Essays

Historical, Social and Political Issues in the movie FREEDOM WRITERS The thorough presentation of a well researched context in the film provided the environment for priming the viewers on the concept of belonging which was highlighted in the film. This grounded the film and prepared the viewers on the film’s main focus. Through the brief but meaningful snippets of what happened during the trial of Rodney King, the viewers were introduced to the conflict used in the film that surfaced and distinctly placed attention on the concept of belonging. In the film, the Freedom Writers were made following the Rodney King trial in 1992 and the OJ Simpson murder case in 1994. These trials brought out the sensitive issues about injustices …show more content…

This summed up their sense of belonging, ensured by having their own territory and being with their own race. The need for belonging stemmed from their perception and actual experiences not only in school but the community as a whole. There was always the fight for one’s own turf. This was emphasized during this scene that showed the two Latinos who had to run from the group of Cambodians who were chasing them and the attack on these Latinos that necessitated them to split up. Unfortunately the woman made a wrong turn and bumped into another group which caused her to be physically harmed. This scene highlighted that though they belonged to one community, they did not quite see themselves as part of that community and sub-groups or tribes abounded because it was in these smaller groups that they found security. They needed to form groups based on their race and color. They stuck together and supported each other because they found comfort from one another just like members of a family caring for each other. They became so distrusting of other groups because of the past painful events that happened in their lives. Every race needed to establish that they were not inferior over the others. But all of these initial behavior and attitude changed because their English teacher paved the way for them to trust and support each other. As Eva said “It’s a sign of respect... for you”,

Get Access