The Freedom Writers Diary
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Part I: Entry 1: Ms. Gruwell Part I: Diary 1 Part I: Diary 2 Part I: Diary 3 Part I: Diary 4 Part I: Diary 5 Part I: Diary 6 Part I: Diary 7 Part I: Diary 8 Part I: Diary 9 Part I: Diary 10 Part I: Diary 11 Part I: Diary 12 Part I: Diary 13 Part I: Diary 14 Entry 2: Ms. Gruwell Part II: Diary 15 Part II: Diary 16 Part II: Diary 17 Part II: Diary 18 Part II: Diary 19 Part II: Diary 20 Part II: Diary 21 Part II: Diary 22 Part II: Diary 23 Entry 3: Ms. Gruwell Part III: Diary 24 Part III: Diary 25 Part III: Diary 26 Part III: Diary 27 Part III: Diary 28 Part III: Diary 29 Part III: Diary 30 Part III: Diary 31 Part III: Diary 32 Part III: Diary 33 Part III: Diary 34 Part III: Diary 35 Part III: Diary 36 Part III: Diary 37 Part III: Diary 38 Part III: Diary 39 Part III: Diary 40 Letter to Zlata Entry 4: Ms. Gruwell Part IV: Diary 41 Part IV: Diary 42 Part IV: Diary 43 Part IV: Diary 44 Part IV: Diary 45 Part IV: Diary 46 Part IV: Diary 47 Part IV: Diary 48 Part IV: Diary 49 Part IV: Diary 50 Part IV: Diary 51 Zlata’s Letter Part IV: Diary 52 Part IV: Diary 53 Entry 5: Ms. Gruwell Part V: Diary 54 Part V: Diary 55 Part V: Diary 56 Part V: Diary 57 Part V: Diary 58 Part V: Diary 59 Part V: Diary 60 Part V: Diary 61 Part V: Diary 62 Part V: Diary 63 Part V: Diary 64 Part V: Diary 65 Part V: Diary 66 Entry 6: Ms. Gruwell Part VI: Diary 67 Part VI: Diary 68 Part VI: Diary 69 Part VI: Diary 70 Part VI: Diary 71 Part VI: Diary 72 Part VI: Diary 73 Part VI: Diary 74 Part VI: Diary 75 Part VI: Diary 76 Part VI: Diary 77 Part VI: Diary 78 Part VI: Diary 79 Part VI: Diary 80 Part VI: Diary 81 Part VI: Diary 82 Part VI: Diary 83 Part VI: Diary 84 Part VI: Diary 85 Part VI: Diary 86 Part VI: Diary 87 Part VI: Diary 88 Part VI: Diary 89 Part VI: Diary 91 Part VI: Diary 92 Part VI: Diary 93 Part VI: Diary 94 Part VI: Diary 95 Part VI: Diary 96 Part VI: Diary 97 Part VI: Diary 98 Entry 7: Ms. Gruwell Part VII: Diary 99 Part VII: Diary 100 Part VII: Diary 101 Part VII: Diary 102 Part VII: Diary 103 Part VII: Diary 104 Part VII: Diary 105 Part VII: Diary 106 Part VII: Diary 107 Part VII: Diary 108 Part VII: Diary 109 Part VII: Diary 110 Part VII: Diary 111 Part VII: Diary 112 Part VII: Diary 113 Entry 8: Ms. Gruwell Part VIII: Diary 114 Part VIII: Diary 115 Part VIII: Diary 116 Part VIII: Diary 117 Part VIII: Diary 118 Part VIII: Diary 119 Part VIII: Diary 120 Part VIII: Diary 121 Part VIII: Diary 122 Part VIII: Diary 123 Part VIII: Diary 124 Part VIII: Diary 125 Part VIII: Diary 126 Part VIII: Diary 127 Part VIII: Diary 128 Part VIII: Diary 129 Part VIII: Diary 130 Part VIII: Diary 131 Part VIII: Diary 132 Part VIII: Diary 133 Part VIII: Diary 134 Part VIII: Diary 135 Part VIII: Diary 136 Part VIII: Diary 137 Part VIII: Diary 138 Part VIII: Diary 139 Part VIII: Diary 140 Part VIII: Diary 141 Part VIII: Diary 142 Epilogue Afterword Afterword: Diary 1 Afterword: Diary 2 Afterword: Diary 3 Afterword: Diary 4 Afterword: Diary 5 Afterword: Diary 6 Afterword: Diary 7 Afterword: Diary 8 Afterword: Diary 9 Afterword: Diary 10
Themes
All Themes Race, Ethnicity, and Tolerance Education and Healing Family and Home Violence, War, and Death
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Erin Gruwell The Freedom Writers Anne Frank Zlata Filipović Miep Gies John Tu Sharaud Renee Firestone Peter Maass Gerda Seifer Hanneli (“Lies”) Richard Riley Tommy Jefferson Sarah Paco Tony Cheryl Best John Lewis Thomas Keneally O. J. Simpson
Symbols
All Symbols The Diary of Anne Frank
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The Freedom Writers Diary

by

Erin Gruwell

The Freedom Writers Diary: Part VII: Diary 101 Summary & Analysis

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
Since this student’s cousin has been murdered and her/his parents have left the country, s/he has been in charge of the entire household, working and baby-sitting for money, paying for the rent, and taking care of her/his little sister. Since s/he’s discovered that s/he still needs a lot of money to pay for the rent and, in addition, that s/he is failing one of her/his classes, s/he feels completely lost. S/he has always been a model student but hasn’t been able to attend classes regularly, which has only attracted teachers’ disapproval, despite her/his explanation of the situation.
Once again, it becomes apparent that some of Ms. Gruwell’s students experience academic problems not because of lack of motivation, but because of their family situation. The need to take on an adult role has kept this student from fulfilling her/his goals as a student. Her/his teachers’ lack of understanding is unfair, as they prove incapable of accepting that this student’s lower performance is the result of circumstances beyond her/his control.
Themes
While this year is supposed to be her/his best year, s/he feels that this has been the worst period of her/his life. When s/he confides in Ms. Gruwell and her fellow Freedom Writers, though, they are extremely understanding and make her/him feel better. S/he has decided not to quit school but, instead, to keep on being strong and to graduate, with the help of her Freedom Writers family.
Even though the Freedom Writers have solved none of this student’s actual problems, they have lightened her mood, allowing her to be optimistic and trust in the future. This demonstrates the huge power that love and care can have, as it can motivate individuals to fight against difficult situations and make them feel less alone.
Themes
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