The film ‘Freedom Writers’ displays the story of Ms. Erin Gruwell, a new, dedicated teacher in a high school full of at-risk teenagers in need of a change. Doing all she could, she tries different methods of inspiring her students to learn, to respect themselves and each other, as well helping the students to develop dignity and conscience.
The English term ‘dignity’ comes from the Latin word ‘dignitas’, meaning ‘worthiness’. It implies that each person is worthy of honor, respect and to be treated ethically for who they are, and not just for what they can do, holding significance in morality, ethics, law and politics. Conscience, meaning a person's inner moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's behavior or impelling one towards a right action, is of course impacted by dignity. Human dignity impacts conscience greatly, showing how different religions determine whether something is right or wrong. Modern monotheistic religions, in particular Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and to a certain degree others such as Sikhism, define right and wrong by laws and rules set forth by their individual gods, and are also interpreted by religious leaders within the particular faith. Although, polytheistic religious traditions tend to be less absolute. Meaning, within Buddhism, the purpose of an individual and circumstances play roles in determining whether an action is right or wrong.
Eva Benitez, a 9th grader at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School was one of the main characters in the film which had a poorly developed conscience, that was in need of growth. Throughout the film, she gradually grew into a much better person overall, with many different decisions made along the way to get her to have a fully developed conscience by the end of the film.
Eva finds that because of her race, everything has to be hard, and, whilst being at school she finds it even harder, stating, “My PO doesn't understand that schools are like the city and the city is just like a prison” (Freedom Writers, 2007). So, in her eyes, every day is hell. Her father was a respected gang leader, and as a result she became a third-generation gang member, which affected her as a person on the inside a lot. Because of this, she was an aggressive and tough woman, and was often keen to lie rather than actually tell the truth in order for a fellow gang member of hers to avoid going to jail. She often skipped school, got into fights regularly, frequently participated in illegal activities, and made many other poor choices. Eva recognized that even in the classroom, students separated themselves based on their racial identity, and for her, the environment outside was no better.
One main thing that she had witnessed and gone through which began to show that her conscience was developing was when she saw her boyfriend, Paco, shoot Sindy’s boyfriend. She later risked her life, testifying against Paco in court, intending to guard 'her own' testimony. She did so as she was inspired by the books, ideas and people introduced to her by Ms. Gruwell. As a result, she soon realized that some of the difficult things in life are the right things to do.
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Eva’s fully developed conscience was noticeable after the Holocaust Museum experience that Ms. Gruwell offered her the opportunity to. The museum featured exhibits on civil rights and contemporary human rights violations that exist in the world today, providing a huge bonding experience for Eva and her classmates. After meeting and learning about the Jewish Holocaust survivors and their experiences, Eva began to realize that having rivalry against one other, because of their race, should not be a reason to prohibit their relationship and connections. After this realization, she began to accept others, not ignore nor make fun of them, and became an overall respectful and understanding student.
As Ms. Gruwell transferred into her new job, she was assigned the low-performing and disrespectful students, and soon recognized that she had something to focus on in next year that she was going to spend with them. Therefore, she did what she had hoped to do, which was to prove that school and respect is really worth their time.
In the path of their development, she helped all of the students, but mainly Eva by first assigning her a journal which was a safe space for self-expression, self-exploration, together with a healthy release of problematic emotions that previously lacked an outlet. Through this process, she learned about others as well as herself. Ms. Gruwell had also introduced Eva to ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, which made her immediately have a connection to Anne’s story. As Eva learnt about the intense racial hatred and brutal war this young girl experienced, she eventually began to like her, realizing that violence is never a solution to one’s problems. Instead, she began to believe in the importance of loving and respecting people regardless of their racial or ethnic identity. This made her assess situations differently, leading to making better decisions more frequently. The final way that Ms. Gruwell helped Eva in developing as a person was by giving her the opportunity to meet people that experienced the Holocaust and had overcome their own adversity. Ms. Gruwell spoke to Eva about the importance in making history relevant to younger generations, helping her to connect with the past, inspiring her to act, taking Eva and her classmates to concentration camps in Poland where people often heard the screams of those dying and did nothing to stop it. She stated, “It's often easier to stand idly by, but educators can teach their students to act, make their voices heard and defend others when they see injustice” (Freedom Writers, 2007).
Overall, Ms. Gruwell had an extremely positive influence on Eva by primarily inspiring her to value herself, and mainly encouraging her to believe. By trusting her students and inciting their own appreciation for themselves, it influenced them the most, with Eva showing the best development from these experiences that were provided.
The film ‘Freedom Writers’ was based on true story about a dedicated teacher in a racially divided Los Angeles school, full of a class of at-risk teenagers deemed incapable of learning. Instead of giving up, she inspires her students, but mainly Eva to take an interest in their education and helped in planning their futures. Over four years, Eva gradually became united through interpersonal growth, empathy, respect, and the realization that all people are human, often suffering in similar ways. Through the sharing of experiences amongst one another, Eva was able to understand the various ways she was more similar to her peers than different. Gradually, her preconceived opinions and learned behaviors were stripped away, helping her to develop into much better version of herself towards the end of the film.
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