Brainstorm
Theme -> Racial Tension – ” everything would be better if they weren’t here”
What happened -> a drawing is passed around of Jamal with racist oversized lips. Mrs. Gruwell gets engaged and compares it to the Holocaust. The student argue back that she doesn’t understand.
Techniques -> Prop – hat – put on by Jamal after he sees drawing, used to hide, body language supports this – head down, shoulders hunched, he feels embarrassed.
Mid Shot – Shows us how the student as a collective, lots of emotional reactions.
Shallow/Soft focus – used to make us focus on one character amongst the class.
Music – ambient sounds – breathing, sniffing, desks shifting. Atmosphere – emotional, tension, sympathise, body language & dialogue. At the end we get music when Mrs. Gruwell asks if they have been shot at. Used to show Mrs. Gruwell realisation – starts quiet, gets louder, builds intensity.
Audience feels – sympathetic for the students because they’ve suffered, we sense Mrs Gruwell’s guilt at not having that background or understand their experience. Mrs G realised no one had tried to teach these kids before.
Directer – To show the disconnection between students and staff – teachers don’t try, students feel teachers don’t care, think they’re stupid, belief that not all teachers are good – body language/dialogue, close-ups, over the shoulder, soft focus
link – contrast – opposite/juxtapose
- I cant teach seniors’ scene – students are disappointed, frustrated because Mrs G can’t teach them because the education board doesn’t allow it.
In ‘The Holocaust Scene’, over-the-shoulder shots are used to bring the audience into the conversation this is demonstrated during a lesson, a picture is passed around the class showing Jamal with offensive oversized lips. Mrs Gruwell intercepts it and a class argument begins comparing it to images of Jews during the holocaust – over-the-shoulder shots used when the students respond to Mrs Gruwell in an aggressive manner to show that the class as a whole disagree with her views of them. This makes us understand that, although their experiences are different, each member of the class feels disconnected from school and the purpose of learning. Eva says “what can you teach me in here that that makes a god damn difference in my life” The director did this to show that the theme of racial tension extends beyond the just between the students, but also towards teachers.