I chose to pursue the topic of White Saviors by watching the
film Freedom Writers. The main
character, Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank), acts a white savior for a group of
freshman students from rough neighborhoods neglected by the educational
system. Other teachers at the school
believe the kids in freshman English are hopeless, however Mrs. Gruwell
believes she can interest these students by showing them that she cares about
them in the classroom and outside. Going
against all wishes and policies of the school, Mrs. Gruwell works extra jobs in
order to provide the students with books and field trip opportunities that the
school does not provide. By believing in
these students, Mrs. Gruwell acts a savior to their well being by encouraging
and interesting them in education.
Without Mrs. Gruwell the schools pattern of letting these students down
would have continued. The students would have also remained in their current positions, and continued down the wrong path in life, the same paths in which their families and siblings have gone down. Mrs. Gruwell
changes the students’ lives and gives them something to work towards in order
to better themselves and become successful in the world.
On a side note, the movie was supposedly based off of a real story. This is the picture of the real class known as the "Freedom Writers":
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I love how she is the only one who belived in these kids unlike all the other teachers who saw them as hopeless. Sets up perfectly for her to be the portagonistic white savior--she takes on some large challenge and ends up being successful. She is also the only one who gained the trust of these students. Moreover, she is far more than a teacher she is a life mentor for these kids and their savior. It is interesting to examine how accurate the film is compared to the true story, did they change things to make her even more of a white savior?
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