Let's admit it... most of us love Freedom Writers. Lucky for us, it applies to most of our reading. =)
Response Requirement:
- In what ways are Bees and Freedom Writers similar?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wk. 3 Option #6: Freedom Writers
Prompt:
Let's admit it... most of us love Freedom Writers. Lucky for us, it applies to most of our reading. =)
Response Requirement:
Let's admit it... most of us love Freedom Writers. Lucky for us, it applies to most of our reading. =)
Response Requirement:
12 comments:
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The movie Freedom Writers and the book Secret Life of Bees have a lot in common. For starters, there were many conflicts inside all of the characters in Freedom Writers. From what I remember, a girl was beaten by her boyfriend, and Marcus was kicked out of his house by his mother. Lily's mother Deborah was hurt by her husband T. Ray, and Lily was hurt by him too. T. Ray made her kneel on grits, an unusual but no less painful punishment. Lily was not kicked out of her house by her father, but she chose to leave herself. In a way, T. Ray did kick her out. He led her to hate him so much that she just decided to run. Also, in Freedom Writers, Mrs. Gruwell needed to dig deep to find out what was going on with her students. She handed out journals, a place where the kids could release their feelings. This is much like the journal Zach gave to Lily as a gift. Mrs. Gruwell read the journals. She had no idea what had been going on in these children's lives; she didn't realize how bad they were. In a way, these students had secret lives, quite like the bees. No one really knew how the students felt, and they weren't keen to let anyone in on their secrets. This also applies to Lily. She had no one to talk to about her controversy over killing her mother, the cruelness of T. Ray, and her loneliness, and being trapped inside her own mind. In Freedom Writers, there were serious racism issues in Southern California. In the Secret Life of Bees, we have seen many demonstrations of racism and segregational violence. First, we saw Rosaleen spit her snuff juice and be arrested. Then, she was beaten twice, once whilst the police officer was in clear view of her pain. Recently, in Chapter 9, Zach and his friends were arrested. Even though Zach didn't do anything, he was taken in. Later on, police officers ask Lily why she would sink so low to live with a bunch of blacks. A bunch of black women, no less. Freedom Writers was a story that dealt with hurting, secret lives, writing, and racism, almost exactly like the Secret Life of Bees.
ReplyDeleteIn Bees, there is discrimination. Blacks vs. whites is a big problem, as one of the calendar sisters, April, killed herself because of discrimination against her race. As well in Freedom writers, each nationality has its own group of friends in school. Blacks hangout with blacks, spanish with spanish, chinese with chinese and they all hate eachother. Each group discrimintates against the other which leads to death, hate, injuries, suicides and all sorts of drama. As stated, in Bees it lead to death and suicide as well, along with not allowing couples to be together (Zach and Lily)
ReplyDeleteThe novel the Secret Life of Bees and the novel + movie Freedom Writers have a lot in common. For example, they are both around the same time,the colored folks are not very welcome in either of the books. They are different however. They are different because they have different settings. In The Secret Life of Bee's the main character runs away from her abusive father. In the Freedom Writers the main character is a white school teacher who has to teach colored kids with a lot of problems.
ReplyDeleteFreedom Writers and The Secret Life of Bees share deep similarities that mainly have to do with discrimination, or the separation of different races. In Freedom Writers, teens were given up on because nobody believed they could succeed, and that a proper education would’ve been a waste of money and teachers’ times. Why didn’t schools believe these teens could succeed? To teachers, the reason was because they were black and that the area they grew up in wouldn’t help the teens learn. Everyone deserves an education though, and the only reason these teens were behind was because their teachers and the schools didn’t have any hope. Like The Secret Life of Bees, a hero was introduced to make a change in these characters. In both these novels, characters were segregated and unhappy, confused at why nobody could come to accept them. Each time characters were put down or abused, they only got stronger and so did their outlook on life. It was up to the people in these novels to stand up for what they believed in to make a change for themselves and others. On page 121 in The Secret Life of Bees, Lily and Zach are having a conversation about their futures and what they both want to be. Lily suggests that Zach becomes a football player, but Zach shoots back and says he’s going to be a lawyer. “You gotta imagine what’s never been,” is what Zach said to Lily after she questioned his future. Zach knew it was up to him to make a difference. Hoping for something to come true would never happen unless you imagined it and followed through. Characters in both novels learned the hard way that, for people like them, opportunities were not just handed to them, so it was their job to initiate what everybody else only dreamed about. Both novels, like I mentioned before, had heroes who helped the characters pursue their dreams and ignore what everyone else was saying. In Freedom Writers, this hero was Ms. Gruwell and in The Secret Life of Bees, it was the Boatwright sisters. These books share similar meanings and morals that help readers realize the struggle to do what’s right.
ReplyDeleteFreedom Writers is na amazing and inspiring story that everyone loves. This movie can very much relate to this novel, "The Secret Lives Of Bees."
ReplyDeleteIn Freedom Writers, the children in the school do not come from a good home. They are living in a terrible place and go to school to get away from all of the misery in their lives like it is a safe haven for them. Ms. G takes them in and teaches them schoolwork as well as valuable life lessons. She helps them onto their feet anjd set them on the right path toward a better life. In this book, Lily's story is very similar. Lily is living in a terrible place and has an awful home life. She runs away from home to find the Boatwrite sisters, willing to take her in and give her a safe place to live and stay. The three sisters taught them about their special religion, about beekeeping, and about life. This religion connects to Lily in a very personal way. She feels as if the story of Our Lady Of Chains relates to herself and how she ended up in the Boatwrite house. Also, the lives of bees fascinates her as well as relates to her life. For example, her mother bieng the Queen Bee in her life and how she "follows" her queen wherever she may go. Her mother seemed to have gone to Tiburon, so Lily went there to find out information about the mother she had never known. That is how "The Secret Lives Of Bees" is similar to the movie "Freedom Writers."
In the beginning of the year we watched a movie called Freedom Writers. It was a good mover, but I didn't quite like it. But Freedom Writers and Secret Life Of Bees are similar in almost every way. One reason how they are similar is by: they both have something to do with someone getting away from what other people want. I think so because in the Secret Life of the Bees, Lily and Rosaleen are trying to get away from T.Ray, while not listening to come home. In Freedom Writers, the teacher is trying to not listen to what her husband and her father want to do by teaching these people. Also these stories both have in common is racism. they have that in common by: Lily being in a family with all black people and her dating Zachary Taylor, which they really cant be seen in public because of their different skin tone. In Freedom Writers, the teacher is teaching all of the black people, and the dad doesn't care about them at all because of their race.
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Life Of Bees is similar to Freedom Writers, in a couple ways.
ReplyDeleteOne way they are close is that Lily and the students alike had hard, abusive, lives. Lily was all alone with her dad, which caused her anger, while the students of Erin Gruelle's class were alone in the world with no one to guide them until Erin came along. Lily's savior, in a way was August.
Another way the two storys are similar, is because Erin gave the students notebooks to write about their past, so they can get it on paper. Lily writes in her journal, the one Zach gave to her, to get it out on paper as well. With their stories on paper, they made room in their mind for other things.
One last text to text connection is that in Freedom Writers, the students published their books, and that made them feel like they mattered in the world. I predict that Lily, who wants to be a writer when she grows up, will make her journals into a book as well!
The Secret Life of Bees book is very similar to the movie Freedom Writers. Freedom Writers is an amazing movie that is about gangs, life, and drama. It is such a good movie and it’s based off a true story. There are a few things that both this book and movie have in common, dreams, writing, racism, and acceptance. In Freedom Writers all the young teenagers have a dream after Erin Gruwell their teachers come in. The kids had dreams to be teachers, lawyers, and anything else. They were all born to be somebody and to go for their dreams. In the Secret Life of Bees novel, Lily has a dream of becoming an author and writing stories. She loves writing. In Freedom Writers there is writing going on, if you could not have already told by the movie title. Freedom Writers is about how all the teenage students all get a journal just for them to write thought down, dreams, goals, and anything else. It’s a place for them to be along and go to and it’s private. In the book, Lily Owens loves writing she talks about being an author. Zach also gives her a notebook where she can start off with and write down anything. On page 135, “For days I carried the notebook everywhere. I wrote constantly. A made-up story about Rosaleen losing eighty-five pounds.” Lily loves writing down her thoughts and about things that are on her mind. Another place in this book where writing is relevant is May’s Wailing Wall. She writes on slips of paper and puts them inside the wall. The things that make her sad and it helps her, it’s her own form of consolation. Another topics is racism and acceptance. In the movie there is tons of racism. The Freedom Writers movie is based upon people not accepting people for who they are and different races. People dislike other people due to their race and don’t accept them. In the book of bees, Lily deals with the police telling her that she should not be staying with the Boatwright’s and that she is lowering herself because she is white. The Boatwright’s accepted Lily for who she was even though she was a different race then them. (Page 198) These are some of the topics on how the S.L.O.B is similar to Freedom Writers. The movie and the book both teach valuable lessons about life and about acceptance.
ReplyDeletethere are many ways that the secret life of bees and freedom writers are similar. For example they are full of deth, from the gangs in freedom writers, to the deth of lillys mom and also may. Second there are people living on the streets like marcos was and lilly ran away. also there are loving people out there like the boatrights and like how Ms. Gruwell changed all those kids and gained their respect. she changed them inside they are better people now.
ReplyDeleteFreedom Writers and the Secret Life Of Bees are very similar. They are both similar becuase their is discrimination, a teacher, and and a lost friend.
ReplyDeleteIn Freedom Writers, students are discriminated by which gang you are in. If you are in a different gang that another person, you are treated horribly and a target for future attacks. In the Secret Life of Bees, there is discrimination between black and whites. June didn't like Lily becuase she was white, but they eventually became friends. "...we were laughing about- I was glad we were doing it together." June finally became friends after they played with the sprinklers on a hot humid day.
The teacher in Freedom Writers was Erin Gruwell. She gave trust and hope to the students that they can graduate and be smart. Erin would also break the barrier between each gang. In the SLOB, August was Lily's teacher. She taught her how to care for bees and how to make honey. Both teachers would change their students lives forever. Erin's students were given a better education and became friendlier with each other. One of her students would move back to his mother's house. Lily's life was changed becuase August would allow her to work for her and live with her.
Losing a friend is one thing similar in the Bees and Freedom Writer. "L looked away. I knew then. May was dead." (193) May died in Bees becuase she couldn't bare the pain anymore and didn't want to bother the sisters. In Freedom Writers, a boy died from being shot. Both victims were loved and unfortunately left the earth. Both Freedom Writers and the SLOB are similar even though they take place in different time periods and settings.
Freedom Writers and The Secret Life of Bees have much in common. They both are centered around topics such as adversity, prejudice and secrets. In Freedom Writers, many if the students didn't feel safe in their own home, which is how Lily felt. The freedom writers felt excepted in Mrs. Gruwell's class. Lily loves being at the Boawrights home. Characters in both stories have to learn to adjust to adversity. They had to grow up at a young age and deal with things many of us couldn't even imagine.
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Life of Bees and Freedom Writers are similar in many ways. The major theme of The Secret Life of Bees is “Most people don't have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don't know anything about.” says August on page 148. This theme of The Secret Life of Bees relates to the plot of Freedom Writers. The characters of Freedom Writers, had to deal with gangs, violence, and racism. Their focuses are almost the same. Lily, the main character of The Secret Life of Bees faces the problem of having no mother. Her mother died when she was very little. Eva, the main character of Freedom Writers faces the issue of being fatherless. Her father was taken by the police. Both main characters faced the problem of losing one parent. The Boatwrights taught Lily to chase after her dreams, who originally had no goal, or ambition. Just like Lily, students of Erin Gruwell had no ambition, their only goal was to survive. However, Erin was like the Boatwrights because she gave her students the reason to dream big, become ambitious, and follow their dreams. She also taught them that everyone should be treated equally, no matter what the skin color. Lily learns that people of different skin color are equal when she becomes attracted to Zach. On page 135, Zach gives Lily a journal because she wanted to become a writer, and in Freedom Writers, Erin gives her students journals to write in, as well. For Lily, the journal was used so that she could follow her dreams. In Freedom Writers, the journals symbolized the life stories of Erin's students. Acceptance plays a major role in both. Lily wants to receive acceptance from June Boatwright, who is biter towards Lily because of her skin color. The students of Erin wanted acceptance from people that were racist towards them. Freedom Writers involved lots of racism, so the students of Erin wanted to show them that everyone was equal and should be accepted for who they are. The similar themes of The Secret Life of Bees and Freedom Writers are very valuable to understand.
ReplyDelete