The Freedom Writers Diary: Part V: Diary 62 Summary & Analysis

After reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker, this student recalls an episode in which she, like the book’s protagonist Celie, was sexually assaulted. She was sleeping in the living room with her uncle Joe, whom she loved dearly, and her younger brothers. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she felt someone touch her and realized that her uncle was molesting her, making her own body feel dirty. While she wanted to cry, she found herself unable to do anything. When he got up for a glass of water, she moved to the couch and her uncle asked her what was wrong. Even though she wanted to, she could not scream or talk to anyone.

The next day, her uncle babysat her and her younger brothers, but she refused to do anything he said. He hadn’t destroyed her own views about herself, but he had destroyed the only thing she believed in: him. When he apologized, she felt that he was sincere in believing that he had done nothing wrong. When her mother came home, she told her what happened and has never had the same relationship with her uncle as she did before. Using Celie as an example, this student realizes that she too will draw courage from the difficult situation she has experienced and will bravely continue to live and find joy in life.