Freedom Writers

Hilary Swank is one of my favorite actresses and I have wanted to watch this movie for a while, now I finally had a reason to!

Freedom Writers is an incredibly moving film and brings up a lot of issues. First, Erin's determination to teach. She was stuck with the most unreachable kids, wasn't given any resources, and she still made it work. She put her heart and soul into not only educating her students to the public standard, but giving them the opportunity to have a higher quality of life and encouraging them to take it.

Next, issues of discrimination and hate are the driving force in this movie. These kids were brought up their entire lives being told that no one except their own culture could understand them or that they would never have anything in common with someone different than themselves. But as they read about the horror stories of others they realized that they were not alone and that caring for others can be difficult but much more fulfilling than hating others.

To me, the best part was Eva's decision to tell the truth in her testimony. Her entire life the "right thing" to do was look out for her "kind" because they were the only ones that would look out for her, but after opening her mind to the powerful words of a guest speaker she re-evaluated her decision and had a change of heart.

This film is based on a true story of tolerance, understanding, and acceptance, the three things we have been learning about this semester in this class. I'm glad this class is offered at WSC and hopefully other campuses around North Dakota. We are a sparsely populated state and we have the luxury of rarely facing these social issues throughout our lifetimes. However, that is no excuse for us to act in a way that doesn't convey tolerance, understanding, and acceptance. I realize that it is our right by United States law to be idiots and that for whatever reason, a lot of us are. But I try not to be. The only problem I have with people are those who want to live in a world of separation and hate.