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Part VIII: Diary 117
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
After three days in New York spent visiting famous monuments and meeting famous people, this student realizes that her/his father is in a similar position of power, but takes advantage of it. S/he describes the physical and verbal abuse that he makes his children suffer through, but explains that during his/her parents’ divorce, her/his father was able to bribe court psychologists so that he would be given custody of the children. One weekend, her/his father locked her/his brother in the backyard and didn’t give him either food or drink for an entire weekend.
This student realizes that obtaining social and economic power is not a positive objective per se, since power can be used for good and for bad purposes. S/he explains that power often comes with credibility and authority, and that it can hide cruel behavior. S/he describes a legal world in which people are happy to draw profit from situations that benefit them, without caring about the harm done to more vulnerable people.
Themes
While psychologists have failed to see her/his father for who he is and he continues to verbally abuse his children, this student has decided that s/he will not let him spoil her/his education and her/his experience as a Freedom Writer. S/he commits to putting an end to similar abuse when s/he becomes powerful.
This depressing situation does not affect this student’s capacity to recognize violence for what it is and, more importantly, to trust optimistically in her/his own powers as an individual.
Themes
