Name:______

Freedom WritersAssignment

Senior English (CP)

Argument

1. Choose three topics about which the film makes an argument, whether stated or implied. For each, explain what ARGUMENT the movie, as a whole, makes regarding this topic. Each explanation should be 2-3 complete sentences and should include specific examples from the film. Some topics to consider: teachers, education, reading/writing, race, war, violence, territory, silence, homelessness, heroes, death, mentors, change, families, dreams, injustice, tolerance

Example: The film makes an argument that blind hatred towards others will lead nowhere. For example, in the beginning of the film, students from different racial and ethnic groups will not even sit near each other in Ms. Gruwell’s classroom because they “hate” each other. Also, the shooting that takes place in the beginning of the movie occurs mainly because of blind hatred, and this puts Eva in great danger.

Freedom Writers and Outliers Connections

Answer each question in a well-developed response, using complete sentences and details from Outliers (where applicable) and the film.

2. Think about the students in the KIPP program described in Outliers. Gladwell describes the KIPP students as a “motley group of randomly chosen lower-income kids from dingy apartments in one of the country’s worst neighborhoods- whose parents, in an overwhelming number of cases, never set foot in a college.” What do KIPP students and the students from Freedom Writers have in common in terms of cultural legacy? Explain, using specific details from both Outliers and Freedom Writers.

3. Gladwell talks in-depth about the importance of “opportunity” for success. How does this same theory apply to the students in the film? Include at least two specific film examples in your response, and be sure to explain each.

Narrative

4. The film revolves around the idea that writing personal narratives (stories about oneself) can be very powerful for both the writer and the reader.

a.  Give a specific example from the film that shows the power of personal narratives for the WRITER:

b.  Give a specific example from the film that shows the power of personal narratives for the READER:

5. Whose personal narrative in the film did you find the most powerful? What made it so powerful?