Freedom Writers Sociological Analysis

There are many social theories and concepts. Yet there are some that are very noticeable in the movie, Freedom Writers. The lives of these students are very difficult. Since the neighborhoods they lived in were very rough, deviance and crime were very common factors that were involved in their lives as gang members. As one character once stated in the movie. To be a member of the gang is not to protect yourself but also protect your fellow “Brother”, in other words meaning the other gang members. Also the students came from a long way. Their parents and probably grandparents were gang members. It seemed like the cycle would never stop. At least that is what the students through before they meet Mrs. Gruwell. There are also many crimes in this …show more content…
There cannot be deviance without crime, at least in most cases. In this movie there was many scenarios where crime played a big role. The most eye catching scene in the movie was when Eva witnessed a crime that was committed by a member of her gang. She was the witness that was chosen to testify for the case. An African American man was already in custody for the crime that was committed by another gang member. This was a very hard process for Eva as her father once told her “You have to protect your own people no matter what”. At this point Eva had a very difficult decision to make. She could say the truth which means that she would testify against her own people or lie to protect her people, gang. In the courthouse Eva took a moment to think about all that she went through with gangs. She thought about all the change that has occurred in the classroom and how much better she got along with other students that were once gang members. Finally Eva testifies, it was against her own people, the decision she made was shocking to everyone that was present in the courthouse. In that neighborhood everyone protect their own gang, so when Eva testified against her people, the audience reacted a different way because it was not socially a norm to see someone testify against her own people in that violent environment she grew up in. Of course Eva knew the consequences of the decision she made. When she returned home the next day she was almost killed. Members of the gang she belonged to attacked her. They told her that she was lucky that they would not kill her. The leader of the group told her that she was dead to them. Eva’s father had a very high rank in the Hispanic gang that was why they had pity on her. Something that is not usual for gang members. Eva was the, “jumped”, attacked numerous times