3/18/2020 0 Comments Lean On Me Film Review EssayIn the film Lean on Me, Joe Clark, played by Morgan Freeman, took on the responsibility of being the principle for a troubled inner-city high school. The students at this high school were mainly minority children, faced by issues of poverty, drugs, and racism everyday. The state of New Jersey claimed that this school was heading nowhere but down and that the teachers were unable to teach the children the basic skills they needed to survive in the world. I feel the causes of the schools poor quality was to the lack of money & funds they receive from the state which lead to poor programming. The children whom attended the school had a lack of motivation and direction. They were unsure as to what they wanted to achieve with their lives. They needed to be inspired by their teachers, and their families. However, as seen in this film, children in the inner-city setting often never find the inspiration and direction they need to succeed. Many of them have parents that do not want to play an active role in the lives of their children. I feel that in the case of this film, Joe Clark?s authoritarian methodology of administering was very effective. This school and the children who attended it needed someone to ?take charge?, and build it back up to shape. He first kicked out the ?trouble students?, then he cleaned the halls of the graffiti, then he chained the doors to keep the drug dealers out. He gave students confidence and inspiration to succeed. He gave them a common goal, to ?prove the state wrong?. He enforced in their minds that they were not ignorant and they were capable of anything. By insisting they learn the school song he gave them a sense of pride. I feel that Joe Clark did just what the school and most importantly the students needed to ?turn the school around?. In the end, his methods of leadership worked, for the students achieved just what they had set out to do, pass the basic skills test given by the state. The women who fought Joe Clark?s methodology, was played by Lynne Thigpen. She was portrayed as ?wench?, who was demanding on the city to get rid of Joe Clark because he chained the school doors and was in violation of the cities fire code. However, I feel she was really just upset because he expelled the ?problem children? out of the school, one of whom was her son. Instead of blaming herself as a parent for the failure of her son, she turned the blame on the school system and those who run it. While some critics would say that she was being portrayed in a positive light, as being a strong and determined black women. I feel that is false, I feel she is being portrayed as ignorant and arrogant and just wants revenge for something that was her own fault because she is not being an attentive and responsible parent. I also feel that the music plays an important role in this film. The music in the film is what gives the children hope and pride. The title of the movie is from the song ?Lean on Me?, written by Bill Withers. This song has lyrics that bring hope to the children. ?Some times in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow, but if you are wise we know there is always tomorrow. Lean on me, when your not strong, and I?ll give you hope, I?ll help you carry on.? It is relating to the students by saying we all face struggles, but we need to have hope that we can survive, and sometimes we need to get support and inspiration from others in order to stay strong and succeed. This song reminds these children that they are not alone and they can achieve anything if they put their minds to it. I feel that this song explains the theme of the movie, in the face of trouble anyone can succeed as long as they are motivated and try their hardest, and they have the love and support of others. In conclusion, I enjoyed this movie and I feel this film was very palatable because its characters were well developed and very believable. Its screenplay was written very well and is very realistic. We, as young adults can relate to this film because the issues these children face are the same issues that children in face everyday, and even more so for those who come from the inner city themselves.
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12/26/2019 0 Comments King Richard 1 Lion Heart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 wordsKing Richard 1 Lion Heart - Research Paper Example For this reason, King Richard is suspect of being a bad king. Nevertheless, there are some qualities in him to be appreciated. The label of a ‘bad king’ may not fully suit him. As king, he gave much on the behalf of others. Unfortunately, those ‘others’ were not the people of his kingdom. King Richard should be taken as he is and not quickly judged. The conclusion that he was neither a good or bad king, but a king, most correctly suits him. While not perfect, he was not wholly corrupt. An intelligent man, King Richard had a reason for his actions. Surely, the people of his land desired a better life than what he brought them. However, their suffering served a purpose that was to benefit a greater good. King Richard fought on behalf of what he believed to be right. He fought for that right with all that he had; which happened to include everything that the people of kingdom had. It is not amazing in medieval times for the peoples of a kingdom to lack social mobility. The oppression of his people for the sake of financial gain made such mobility impossible for those under King Richard’s rule. In this paper, the evidences that have been presented to label King Richard as either a good or bad king will be discussed and analyzed. The intent is to demonstrate that neither of these labels can fully describe him. Having some qualities from both categories, King Richard does not fit neatly into either. The actions of King Richard often depict a King that was not very interested in caring for his kingdom. He was obsessed with money. The kingdom was no more than a source of revenue to him. King Richard was able to extract large amounts of wealth from his people and land. This money he used for his own purposes. Therefore, his people did not get to enjoy the best of lives. Instead, King Richard pressured the people to pay taxes. He did not seek to enrich the lives of his own people. Their lives were full of work and yet they languished because of poverty. It is because of King Richard that the legend of Robin Hood was born. Robin Hood was a bandit, an outlaw, who sought to promote financial equality. The low distribution of wealth was the result of King Richards rule. He raped the land and the people of riches. Many people resented King Richard’s actions; especially since his father was considered to be a much better king. However, King Richard was hardly interested in following his father’s example. In fact, during his younger years, King Richard had actually engauged in war against his father. As it has been reported “ In 1173 he, the Young King and a younger brother, Geoffrey, backed by their mother, took up arms against their father in a war that lasted eighteen months†(Cavendish 2007). King Richard came to be despised by many of his people. For his greed of gain he is considered to be a bad king. When the thought of a king is someone who is beloved of the people and seeks their best interests arises, King Richard seems to fall nicely into the category of ‘bad king’. His lack of patriotism also helps him to fit into this category. It has been noted that “historians have traditionally spoken of him as incompetent and destructive, small-minded and incapable†(Heiser 1997; p.1). It was only about five months out of each year of his reign that the king actually resided in his own land. The rest of this time he spent in France. When King Richard made decisions about his kingdom they were often misguided. Being absent from
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