Precious is an African-American female who is currently impregnated by her biological father for the second time. She is sixteen years of age and can neither read nor write. She constantly suffers pitfalls at her young age. She is heavily obsessed and is subjected to abuse at the hands of her vicious, dysfunctional, abusive, and unemployed mother. With the proper support from an engaged principal, teacher, and social worker, Precious’s life turns into the positive. Family Living in the ghetto of New York City: Harlem, the family relied on public assistance and welfare to survive. Precious endures physical, mental, and sexual abuse by both parents regularly. She lives with her mother, and her father allegedly has another family across town. The plan was for Precious to obtain a GED. Not knowing Precious’ dysfunctional home situation, the principal assumes that Precious is promiscuous and needs to turn her life around. Little did the principal know that she would be the saving grace and the start of a new life for Precious and her born and unborn babies. Sadly, in the movie, Precious endure another abusive attack by her mother upon mother’s knowledge that the principal came by her home to speak with her about Precious’ school performance. Mother was thinking that Precious was misbehaving at school or telling the “white” people about their family business. At the alternative school, Precious is inspired and encouraged by a very caring and passionate teacher, Blu Rain. She also meets many other female peers just like herself in the program. They all become a support system for each other. Precious learns to read and write, and starts journaling daily about the life that she daydreams about having for herself. She feels as that her body, looks, incest, and abuse in her home with her mother have caused her life to be unpleasant. She daydreams about dating a “light” skin guys, being in movies, and having a very functionally family with her two
Sofia is a very talented girl who is struggling to make a tough decision, whether to go to the elite boarding school that’s 350 miles away from home or follow the path every young woman in her culture is expected to take to become a good comadre.It all began when sofia was trick-OR-treating she was unsatisfied with what she was getting in her pueblo,so she asked her dad to go to the other side of town where the rich people lived and was happy about what she gotten from the rich side of town. After that sofia wanted to
While she might think that her plans are working, they only lead her down a path of destruction. She lands in a boarding house, when child services find her, she goes to jail, becomes pregnant by a man who she believed was rich. Also she becomes sentenced to 15 years in prison, over a street fight with a former friend she double crossed. In the end, she is still serving time and was freed by the warden to go to her mother’s funeral. To only discover that her two sisters were adopted by the man she once loved, her sister is with the man who impregnated her, and the younger sister has become just like her. She wants to warn her sister, but she realizes if she is just like her there is no use in giving her advice. She just decides that her sister must figure it out by
The Soloist (Foster, Krasnoff & Wright, 2008), is based on a true story of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr. who develops psychosis and becomes homeless. In the film, Nathaniel is considered a cello genius who is discovered on the streets by Steve Lopez, a journalist from the Los Angeles Times. Steve was searching for a city story and he decided to write a newspaper article about Nathaniel. Nathaniel always had a passion for music. He was a child prodigy and attended Juilliard School of Music. However, he faced many complications at Juilliard, particularly hearing voices speaking to him. Unable to handle the voices, Nathaniel dropped out and ended up living on the streets of Los Angeles. Steve and Nathaniel develops an unexpected friendship, in which Steve tries to help Nathaniel to live a normal life; having a home, treat his mental disorder, and to fulfil his dream of being a cellist again.
Baby narrates her story through her naïve, innocent child voice. She serves as a filter for all the events happening in her life, what the narrator does not know or does not comprehend cannot be explained to the readers. However, readers have reason not to trust what she is telling them because of her unreliability. Throughout the beginning of the novel we see Baby’s harsh exposure to drugs and hurt. Jules raised her in an unstable environment because of his constant drug abuse. However, the narrator uses flowery language to downplay the cruel reality of her Montreal street life. “… for a kid, I knew a lot of things about what it felt like to use heroin” (10). We immediately see as we continue reading that Baby thinks the way she has been living her life is completely normal, however, we as readers understand that her life is in fact worse then she narrates. Baby knows about the impermanent nature of her domestic security, however, she repeatedly attempts to create a sense of home each time her and Jules move to another apartm...
People label things as “normal” because they have become habituated with these things. Beth Harry’s book, Melanie, Bird with a Broken Wing, her ideal view of a mother is challenged when she gives birth to a child with cerebral palsy. Through her story, she provides an insight into what she felt as a mother of a child with a disability and her journey up until Melanie’s death. The memoir left me with mixed emotions because, in the beginning, Harry expressed her thought of wanting her child to die, if the child had caused any trouble. Harry challenges my core beliefs and values, however, through Melanie, I was able to see Harry grow as a mother and a person. The little ackee seed sprouted a new perception for her mother, as well as it did for
The 2009 film “Precious”, based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, tells the tragic story of sixteen-year-old Claireece Precious Jones; an overweight, illiterate who is now pregnant with her second child. Her life at home is a complete nightmare; her mother, Mary, verbally, emotionally and physically abuses her daily. Her father, Carl, molested her on multiple occasions and impregnated her twice then disappeared. Precious was kicked out of public school and took an offer to attend an alternative school where she meets her inspirational teacher Miss Blu Rain. Precious begins to believe in herself and prepares herself for her future. She becomes engaged in class and learns how to read and write; she was called stupid and dummy all her life and
Precious, a movie based on the book Push written by Sapphire, is an interesting movie directed by Lee Daniels. Precious can be easily analyzed using basic motivation and emotion theories in psychology. The movie is about Claireece "Precious" Jones and how she becomes a strong, independent woman after breaking through her curse of physical and sexual abuse which she has endured since she was three months old. At the beginning, Precious is physically and verbally abused by her mother. In addition, Precious was raped by her father multiple times and impregnated twice. After being kicked out of her school because she was pregnant, Precious willingly joins the Each One Teach One alternative school so she can improve her reading and writing skills while, eventually, taking care of her two children. After some guidance from her teacher, Ms. Blu Rain, Precious starts feeling safe and starts to love herself and others around her. A lot of the behaviors in the movie can be easily explained by biological needs, psycho-social needs, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
A record holding olympic runner, the man who survived more than 30 days on a raft only to be rescued by the japanese and put in pow camps, Louie Zamperini was the man who done this, and lived. Louie was a very disobedient child, he drank beer and smoked cigarettes at a very young age. Louie loved running and since his childhood he was so fast he could outrun police foot runners, and his brother Pete put this in use and later Louie went into the olympics. Although Louie Zamperini didn't get first place he had broken the fastest lap world record, and soon zamperini went to war. The book Unbroken was a story Laura Hillenbrand made from the great story of Louie Zamperini, Louie was said to be optimistic and forgiving at all circumstances.
Precious is, in every sense, a film that pushes this country to eschew self-congratulation and forces us to really take inventory of how we live and function as a society. The final moments in which Precious escapes from her wrecked home to begin her life on her own, is the best part of the entire film; the hope that is rebirth and new possibilities spring forth like a Phoenix from her ashes. Those Marco systems that failed her as a child will now be her primary sources of support as an adult.
Today it is common thought that a 13 year old would spend their days trying to conform to the new found norms of being a teenager but Yoshino has made a strong argument that perhaps our desire to fit in last way longer than our awkward teenage years. Yoshino introduces us to covering, the concept of conforming to the mainstream, and he suggest that in some way shape or form everyone covers. In the popular movie Mean Girl Regina George even though some could argue is a perpetrator of covering. Even with her cult like followers and adoring student body to me Regina George covers the most out of any character in the film and because of her insecurities and way of life is able to hide her true self for years.
Personality has been a subject matter of interest and controversy for decades; there are various theories and theorists that have been developed because of this. Theory and research however has become more complex due to conceptual and methodological limitations. It can be said that psychoanalytic roles can change for a brief amount of time before eventually the individual’s personality will revert back. In the film ‘Mean Girls’ Cady demonstrates a distinct personality; one that undergoes change throughout the film.
Hands down the 90's were the best decade for movies. On July 19, 1995, a movie called Clueless was released. Clueless Is about a young, rich, teen in high school who tries to boost a Fellow classmate, but ends up falling in love. The three leading Roles Cher, Dionne, and Tai were strong, independent, yet still Vulnerable. Clueless showed young girls that they can be popular, Smart, beautiful, and independent without a man. "Cher, Dionne, and Tai taught me to hold my head high and that my standards were my own, were valid, and deserved respect." ("8 Reasons Why "Clueless" Was the Most Progressive Teen Film of the 1990s," 2015). March 23, 1990, Pretty Women was released, a film about a woman named Vivian Ward who had to found a living by working
The film Serpico, created in 1973, tells the true story of New York City police officer Frank Serpico and how he struggled to deal with police corruption. Serpico is a dramatic crime movie that displays the culture of police corruption that once was in New York in the 1960’s. At different points in the film you start to understand why some of the officers were corrupted. The film also displays the treatment that Frank Serpico received due to his reluctance to become corrupted himself. Ultimately the decisions that Serpico made nearly led to an untimely death. When watching this movie one theory surfaces which is Robert Merton’s “General Strain Theory.” I believe this theory partly explains some of the corruption, and why Serpico never
A very well-known Disney character in history is Scar. Scar is the main antagonist for the film The Lion King, leading him to be the “villain” of the movie. I have diagnosed him with Antisocial Personality Disorder because he is angry, arrogant, manipulative, and is disregarding to others’ safety when it comes to getting what he wants. Someone with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) typically shows “lower emotional intelligence” (book, pg 563) which leads to manipulating others and they are often criminals who go off of impulse, leading to terrible consequences like death. A person with APD doesn’t have conscientiousness towards anybody, including family (book 563), which leads me to diagnose Scar as someone with APD because he killed his own brother with no remorse, he manipulated 3 hyenas for his own benefits, and he was arrogant about his intelligence while making himself seem like he was worthy of being king of Pride Rock.
Precious is a 16-year-old African American who is morbidly obese. She suffered sexual abuse from her father, and physical and emotional abuse from her mother. As a result of the sexual abuse she incurred from her father, she contracted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). She has two children, a daughter and son, both conceived from her father. Likely a result of incest, her daughter has Down