The Freedom Writers Diary: Part I: Diary 13 Summary & Analysis

This student is amazed at Ms. Gruwell’s teaching methods and, in particular, at her activity of making the students turn Durango Street into a movie. Both this student and his friend want to play the part of Rufus. This student felt that he was a better choice than his friend, since he lives in the projects and has never known his father. While he was chosen for the part, he later realized that his friend, too, had grown up without a father. This allowed the student to understand why his friend had wanted to play the part of Rufus.

Making the movie allows the students to learn more about the book and about each other. The activity is so successful that students in other classes want to be part of Ms. Gruwell’s class. Ms. Gruwell then takes her class to see Hoop Dreams, a movie where the characters—boys from the Chicago projects with a passion for baseball—feel strikingly similar to Ms. Gruwell’s students. The movie proves that, with enough passion, people can achieve their highest dreams, even if everyone believes they are going to fail.