Theme Analysis-Freedom Writers' Diary
Segregated By Race, Brought Together By Education
Segregated By Race, Brought Together By Education
Segregation has been a problem for quite some time, and it has trickled down from generation to generation, influencing younger and younger children every day. The problems the teenagers were facing in this book, The Freedom Writers Diary, were simply because of the segregation they were either taught or learned from the people around them. With the help of Ms. Gruwell, these teenagers became more open-minded about their peers and realized they needed an education. “You can’t go against your own people, your own blood.” (pg. 64). Like most people, these students are drawn to where they feel the most comfortable. Because they are always around their race and their race only, it is normal for them to cling only to people that look like them. During their lunch hours, it was very apparent of how segregated the students of Wilson High School were. Each race had its own section and no one dared to mix. The school was the site of an enormous melting pot, but the different ethnicities refused to blend together. The rich white kids, the Asians, the Hispanics, the Blacks, and the “druggies” all had their own separate sections. It was obvious that the divisions that took place during their lunch, and in their lives, would carry into the classrooms. The segregation had taken a toll on the students of Wilson High School, turning them into violent teenagers. “The war has been declared, now it’s a fight for power, money, and territory; we were killing each other over race, pride, and respect.” (pg. 10). “Knowledge comes in strange ways. I never thought that a person who lived over 10,000 miles away could impact me, but tonight, that changed.” (pg. 92). The students started learning from the books they were reading and began to get inspired. Ms. Gruwell had the gift that helped her to relate the books back to the students, which helped them understand what they were
Segregated By Race, Brought Together By Education
Segregation has been a problem for quite some time, and it has trickled down from generation to generation, influencing younger and younger children every day. The problems the teenagers were facing in this book, The Freedom Writers Diary, were simply because of the segregation they were either taught or learned from the people around them. With the help of Ms. Gruwell, these teenagers became more open-minded about their peers and realized they needed an education. “You can’t go against your own people, your own blood.” (pg. 64). Like most people, these students are drawn to where they feel the most comfortable. Because they are always around their race and their race only, it is normal for them to cling only to people that look like them. During their lunch hours, it was very apparent of how segregated the students of Wilson High School were. Each race had its own section and no one dared to mix. The school was the site of an enormous melting pot, but the different ethnicities refused to blend together. The rich white kids, the Asians, the Hispanics, the Blacks, and the “druggies” all had their own separate sections. It was obvious that the divisions that took place during their lunch, and in their lives, would carry into the classrooms. The segregation had taken a toll on the students of Wilson High School, turning them into violent teenagers. “The war has been declared, now it’s a fight for power, money, and territory; we were killing each other over race, pride, and respect.” (pg. 10). “Knowledge comes in strange ways. I never thought that a person who lived over 10,000 miles away could impact me, but tonight, that changed.” (pg. 92). The students started learning from the books they were reading and began to get inspired. Ms. Gruwell had the gift that helped her to relate the books back to the students, which helped them understand what they were