Character Analysis: An Analysis Of Akeelah And The Bee

Introduction
As a child, you are given plenty of opportunities and scenarios, that in combination, allow for plenty of growth within yourself. In Akeelah and The Bee, the young main character strives for her newly acquired goal with the encouragement from her educators and parental figures which ultimately results in her being successful. Akeelah pushes her learning beyond her limit and with this knowledge, she wins the spelling bee. An analysis of the movie, Akeelah and The Bee (Atchison & Fishburne, 2006), exhibits that children’s development relies heavily upon the help of adults as well as the social circle that the child is in. Within this paper, we will explore the many theories that are clear throughout the film. First, we will use …show more content…
In the movie, Akeelah is given an opportunity for a chance to win the national spelling bee. Although the need for adult guidance is prominent throughout the film, Akeelah is skilled enough to be able to train on her own. I believe there are two major influences within her life at this point and those people both have conflicting views of what she is capable of. Firstly, Dr. Larabee is under the impression that Akeelah is made to succeed. He speaks to her with complete maturity and expects her to reciprocate. She is capable of not only making it to the national bee, but she can win the competition with minor instruction. Lastly, her mother’s view of Akeelah’s capabilities shift and alter from the beginning of the movie to the end. Her mother supports her dreams for winning the spelling bee, although she expects Akeelah to realize that school is number one priority. She speaks to her completely with a mother/daughter relationship and nothing less. Akeelah is restricted to making very few decisions in her mother’s eyes because of her young age. Even though I agree with Dr. Larabee allowing her freedom to make minor decisions, I understand her mother’s opinion. The fact that Akeelah is only eleven years old means that she does not fully grasp all the ramifications that may occur from her decisions. Comparing the two contrasting views to Piaget’s stages of development, Akeelah is at the stage in her life when she is able to think rationally and abstractly with hypothetical events. Her mother should become aware of the stage that she is at and trust that she is able to make and support her own choices. On the other hand, Dr. Larabee knows the developmental stage she is at and understands the need for personal enlightenment. By both characters supporting her choices, Akeelah will continue on her path of development mentally and