Guest Blogger: Ashley 1

Freedom Writers is an inspirational movie directed by Richard LaGravenese and co produced by Tracey Durning. It is a movie that draws you in, a movie that brings the characters to life, and it emphasizes the struggle of everyday lives that teens in the gangs have to face. Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, April Lee Hernandez, Mario and Jason Finn all played characters in the movie that made you really feel for the actual characters. All actors and actresses who played the characters in the movie felt real like it was really their lives. Freedom Writers is a film about a new high school English teacher named Erin Gruwell played by Hilary Swank who wasn’t at all prepared for the teaching job she took. Her life changed starting at the job; she went through ups and downs, taking a glimpse of the lives of her students. Erin went through a hard time trying to open up her students who were gang affiliated and who only lived by the moral code of “protecting their own at any and all cost”. Her students thought that she was just some rich stuck up white teacher that didn’t care about them, but not knowing that Erin really did care. Erin didn’t know how to get through to her students until she decides to do a different teaching method she calls a “toast for change” which required them to write in their very own journals she provided for them about anything they wanted. It was a journal where they could open up and write about anything they felt at the time and Erin gave them the option to let her read it or not. This method changed everything and that is where the title Freedom Writers comes from. Erin Gruwell was very passionate about her job and motivated to help her students become successful in life. Segregation is a main stream in Freedom Writers, teens told “you can’t go against your own people; your own blood” had a real impact on the students and was a reason for the segregation. NY Times Manohla Dargis says “Ms. Swank uses that neediness to fine effect in a film with a strong emotional tug and smartly laid foundation” which I agree Hilary is a strong actress and brings emotion in her work. In all Freedom Writers is worth it because of its message it sends.