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Part VI: Diary 85
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Freedom Writers Diary, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race, Ethnicity, and Tolerance
Education and Healing
Family and Home
Violence, War, and Death
Summary
Analysis
This student feels horrified at the pictures of dead bodies in the Holocaust museum, and is particularly shocked by the experiments that Dr. Mengele performed on twins. Since she also has a twin, she feels that she can imagine herself as one of Mengele’s victims, and wonders what she would have done if she had been in that situation. She wonders if she would have tried to fight, run away, or save others. She is shocked by Mengele’s cruelty and lack of respect for innocent human lives.
This student takes a humble approach to the past, wondering if she would have been courageous or not. She realizes that, until one finds oneself in such a horrible situation, it is difficult to predict what one’s behavior might be. Nevertheless, with enough historical distance to view this situation critically, she is fully aware of the indignation it inspires in her.
Themes
This episode makes her grateful for her twin sister, who is always by her side, despite the difficult periods they may go through. When she sees the bodies of these dead twins, she realizes that she is lucky to have the opportunity to fulfill her dreams and change for the better.
This student realizes that, despite the difficulties she might face, she lives in a freer historical period, which allows her to avoid certain horrors of the past. She realizes that her own life is filled with hope and love.
Themes
