Discussion Topic
The impact of labels and books on the students in The Freedom Writers Diary
Summary:
In The Freedom Writers Diary, labels and books profoundly impact students by helping them find their voices and understand their identities. Labels often initially limit their potential, but books and writing provide an outlet for expression and self-discovery, fostering empowerment and transformation.
How did the books impact the students in The Freedom Writers Diary?
Books serve as a key to open the students’ eyes to other children’s suffering and danger. Most of the information their previous teachers had put in front of them seemed remote from their lives. It seems their families did not have books at home. The students had not known that a girl in hiding during the Holocaust kept a diary, as Anne Frank did. They did not realize that European children in their own day-and-age were bombed during war, as Zlata Filipović was. Looking at the diaries as the kind of work they could make themselves, forges the connection between experience and words.
The teacher, Mrs. G., also gives them an assignment to turn a book into a movie, and they are all pleased with their adaptation. Their participation helps demystify the creative process, and forces them to get inside the text.
In The Freedom Writers Diary , books...
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made a monumental impact on the students’ lives.
Throughout the book, the students began reading about people from other cultures. Despite their physical or temporal distance, students began to relate to the characters and authors. For example, students were able to sympathize and learn from heroic individuals, such as Anne Frank.
Furthermore, students began to transform their lives. Many students became inspired to learn more and read more. They also began to apply these principles to their personal lives. For example, a student who was considered a “problem student” became a “star pupil” who wanted to read more books. As Mrs. Gruwell illustrated:
“My once apathetic students seemed to transform themselves into scholars with a conscience.”
Thus, the books had a profound impact on many of the students. By reading, students related to and sympathized with historical leaders. Furthermore, students applied important concepts to their personal lives. Thus, the students were changed academically and personally.
In The Freedom Writers Diary, how did the labels impact the students?
In The Freedom Writers Diary, labels impacted many of the students. Although not all of the labels were “negative,” they all influenced how the students were viewed.
Throughout the book, many of the students were labeled as “problem students.” For example, many of the students performed poorly at school. As a result, the teachers did not expect much from the students. Additionally, many of the teachers tried to have the “problem students” moved out of their classroom.
Furthermore, students were labeled by their race. Many of the students took pride in their label as “Latino” or “Asian.” However, as the book continued, some realized that this label distracted from their identity as human beings. As one student revealed:
“I’ve always been taught to be proud of being Latina, proud of being Mexican, and I was. I was probably more proud of being a label than of being a human being."
Thus, labels had a monumental impact on many of the students. As a result of these labels, students became more focused on their labels (such as being a “problem student” or a certain race), instead of focusing on simply being human.