Student Question
What does the peanut symbolize in diaries #17 and #18 of The Freedom Writers Diary?
Quick answer:
In "The Freedom Writers Diary," the peanut symbolizes the idea that one's true worth is found within, not based on external appearances. In Diary 17, the student recalls being bullied for her weight and relates this to a classroom exercise where the teacher emphasizes judging a peanut by its inside rather than its shell. This metaphor encourages students to recognize shared humanity beyond superficial judgments.
In the 1999 non-fiction book, The Freedom Writers Diary, the student-author of Diary 17 remembers a time when she was bullied by a group of girls on the bus on account of her weight. The girl remembers this on occasion of their teacher facilitating a "Peanut Game," in which the students were invited to come up with verbal descriptions of peanuts from the outside and inside, comparing the two. The teacher admonishes her students: "Don't judge a peanut by it's shell, judge it by what's inside of it," (Diary 17). This lesson not only brings to mind for the student the haunting memories of the taunting she endured in junior high (which included physical assault), but also invites the student to understand that, despite her appearance, she shares her humanity with all others. In this way, the peanut is a metaphor for the body.
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