essay about the freedom writers

In Defense of the 'Freedom Writers'

The teacher who inspired the 2007 Hilary Swank film still believes memoir writing is the best way to reach struggling students.

In the early 1990s, a young schoolteacher named Erin Gruwell made a radical change in her curriculum. Frustrated by her efforts to inspire her low-achieving students, she handed out journals and asked the kids to write about their own lives. Their poignant personal essays were later published in The Freedom Writers Diary , a book that inspired the 2007 film Freedom Writers .

Today, Gruwell runs the Freedom Writers Foundation, which aims to help teachers "engage, enlighten, and empower at-risk students to reach their full potential." She spoke with Atlantic senior editor Jennie Rothenberg Gritz about the October magazine story "The Writing Revolution" and her conviction that personal writing still belongs in the classroom.

There's a scene in the movie Freedom Writers where Hillary Swank is standing helplessly in front of a blackboard, trying to teach essay writing while the students revolt. What happened in real life when you tried to teach those kinds of lessons?

When I first walked into that classroom, there were 150 kids who hated writing, hated me, hated everything. I had to learn how to make things relevant to them. Part of the challenge, for me, was to model great writing. In the beginning, when my syllabus kept coming back to me in the form of a paper airplane, the students kept asking, "Why do we have to read books by dead white guys in tights?"

What inspired you to focus on memoirs?

The question was, how do you engage a kid from who, from the get-go, doesn't want to read or write? So I thought, "I'm going to go out and find stories that matter to them -- stories by Alice Walker and Gary Soto and Amy Tan, people writing about things that are so relevant to these kids who can't see a future outside their own community." I love "a rose is a rose is a rose," but when you have your students sit down and deconstruct Tupac's "The Rose That Grew From Concrete," they think, "Wow, this teacher cares enough about us to find subject matters in our world."

Peg Tyre's Atlantic story is about New Dorp High School, a low-performing school that traded in journaling and creative writing for more a rigorous academic curriculum. How do you feel about that decision?

Students have to be able to think critically. But where I saw huge cause for alarm in that piece was the idea that we don't want to focus on memoirs. When I read that quote from David Coleman saying, "As you grow up in this world, you realize people really don't give a shit about what you feel or what you think" -- that's a very cavalier comment. It negates all of those kids who are marginalized.

At Freedom Writers, we do give a shit what those kids think and feel. We're training teachers who work with at-risk kids in some poorest schools in the country, kids who have been written off. So while I'm excited that New Dorp is trying a new direction, to throw the baby out with the bathwater is really unfortunate.

Were you able to teach your students the fundamentals of writing in the process of having them read and write memoirs?

Absolutely. When you're too robotic and scripted, the students tune you out. So I always tried to use different learning modalities -- kinesthetic, auditory, visual, whatever might bring learning to life. At one point, I brought in two sandwiches. One of them was a really simple sandwich: a piece of white bread, a piece of baloney, and another piece of white bread. The other one was a really fancy sandwich that had French bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and heaps of turkey.

I used that as a metaphor to help my students deconstruct sentences. You can write a really simple sentence. Or you can use language to communicate all of these other things. I pulled sentences out of whatever we were reading and broke them down. And if one of my students wrote an incredible line, that also got thrown into the mix. The absolute best lines in the movie Freedom Writers directly came straight from my students' journal entries.

Do you see journaling as a means to an end -- a way to get students excited about writing so they'll go on to write academic papers? Or do you think memoir writing has its own value?

Definitely both. I want to give credit to a Holocaust survivor named Renee Firestone. She was at Auschwitz when she was a teenager, so she missed out on high school, graduation, and college. When my students met her and asked, "Why do you continue to tell your story?" she told them, "Evil prevails when good people do nothing." It was a rallying cry to all of my students to do something.

And so we put together this little book -- a book that not only got published but went on to help so many kids around the world think, "Now is the time to write my own story." Our book is one of the most stolen books in every school library. It's the go-to book in juvenile halls. By telling their own stories, my students helped give a voice to the voiceless.

Writing is powerful. Whether it's a little girl hiding from the Nazis in an attic, or Amnesty International writing letters on behalf of political prisoners, the power of telling stories is usually what causes change.

Is that part of your goal, to encourage students to become activists by telling their own stories?

One of the teachers we trained this summer was from Rwanda. He lost his family in the 1994 genocide. Now he's an educator in a school made up entirely of refugees. Every single one of those kids is an orphan from that situation. How can this teacher inspire every single one of those kids to know that they have a story? For instance, there was one young girl writing about sex trafficking and the proliferation of AIDS in Rwanda today. Part of her conclusion is that she has a choice. No one has to continue living this lifestyle.

Phillips Academy Andover recently had us do a presentation there. Most of the kids were headed to Harvard, Yale, all the Ivy Leagues. But they loved The Freedom Writers Diary . It was really important for them to realize that not every kid has a parent who can pay for SAT prep. Some kids have to work 3 or 4 jobs just to pay the rent. Writing really evokes empathy in a way very few things can do.

What would you say to a school like New Dorp that's planning to shift away from memoir writing and take on a more academic approach?

To take an element of the writing process away from these kids does them a disservice. When it comes to teaching writing, I just don't think it can be black and white. The political timing of your article is fantastic. I was glued to the TV during the Chicago strike. I am a teacher born and bred, and I believe in the advocacy of teachers. It's a calling. We want our students to feel impassioned and empowered. For me, was about having that incredible mix of diverse and dynamic literature. But we all want our kids to be literate, to graduate and go to college -- by any means necessary.

Watch a scene from the movie Freedom Writers

About the Author

The Liberation of Expression: a Reflection on “Freedom Writers”

This essay is about the film “Freedom Writers,” which explores the transformative power of writing and empathy in the lives of marginalized students. It delves into themes of freedom, agency, and resilience, highlighting how the act of expression becomes a form of resistance against oppression. Through the exchange of personal stories and the cultivation of empathy, the students bridge divides and foster reconciliation in their community. The film underscores the importance of education as a catalyst for social change, empowering individuals to challenge injustice and envision a more equitable society. Ultimately, “Freedom Writers” serves as a testament to the enduring dignity and resilience of the human spirit, inspiring viewers to embrace the transformative potential of empathy and expression in their own lives.

At PapersOwl, you’ll also come across free essay samples that pertain to Freedom Writers.

How it works

In the ever-evolving tapestry of human existence, there exist narratives that transcend the boundaries of time and space, resonating with the essence of our shared humanity. Among these narratives, the story of the “Freedom Writers” stands as a beacon of hope, illuminating the transformative power of words and the indomitable spirit of individuals striving for liberation. Through the lens of philosophy, we can unravel the intricate layers of this tale and discern its profound insights into the nature of freedom, resilience, and the pursuit of truth.

At its core, “Freedom Writers” embodies the fundamental quest for freedom – not merely the absence of constraints, but the emancipation of the mind and spirit. The protagonists, a group of marginalized students facing systemic oppression and societal indifference, embark on a journey of self-discovery through the transformative power of writing. In their struggle to navigate the complexities of their reality, they find solace and strength in the act of expression, transcending the limitations imposed upon them by circumstance.

Central to the narrative is the concept of agency – the inherent capacity of individuals to shape their destinies through conscious action. Despite facing adversity at every turn, the students refuse to succumb to despair, choosing instead to assert their autonomy through the written word. In doing so, they reclaim ownership of their narratives, defying the oppressive forces that seek to silence them. In essence, the act of writing becomes a form of resistance, a declaration of their humanity in the face of dehumanizing conditions.

Moreover, “Freedom Writers” underscores the transformative potential of empathy – the ability to transcend the boundaries of self and connect with the lived experiences of others. Through the exchange of personal stories and the cultivation of understanding, the students bridge the chasms of prejudice and bigotry that divide their community. In embracing empathy as a guiding principle, they dismantle the walls of ignorance and hatred, paving the way for reconciliation and collective healing.

Indeed, the journey of the “Freedom Writers” serves as a testament to the enduring power of education as a catalyst for social change. By providing a platform for marginalized voices to be heard and validated, it empowers individuals to challenge the status quo and envision a more just and equitable society. In the classroom, the students transcend the confines of their circumstances, embarking on a voyage of self-discovery and intellectual growth. In this transformative space, they learn not only to articulate their truths but also to listen with open hearts and minds, fostering a community bound by mutual respect and understanding.

In conclusion, “Freedom Writers” offers a poignant reminder of the inherent dignity and resilience of the human spirit. Through the prism of philosophy, we can discern its profound insights into the nature of freedom, agency, and empathy. As we navigate the complexities of our own existence, let us draw inspiration from the courage and perseverance of the “Freedom Writers,” and strive to create a world where every voice is heard, and every soul is free to flourish.

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Movie Review | 'Freedom Writers'

To Ms. With Love: A Teacher’s Heart Fords a Social Divide

By Manohla Dargis

• Jan. 5, 2007

As a cinematic subspecies, films about teachers working with throwaway kids tend to follow a predictable arc involving conflict and resolution, smooth beats and bitter tears. Sometimes, as with “Dangerous Minds,” the 1995 film in which Michelle Pfeiffer uses her cheekbones to disarm high school toughs, the results are risible. Sometimes, as with the egregiously offensive “187” (1997), wherein Samuel L. Jackson makes like Charles Bronson with some bad students, it’s an argument for universal home schooling.

“Freedom Writers,” a true story about a white teacher trying to make a difference in a room crammed with black, Latino and Asian high school freshmen, has the makings of another groaner. One worrisome sign is Hilary Swank, the two-time Academy Award winner with the avid smile who recently vamped across screens as a femme fatale in Brian De Palma’s period thriller “The Black Dahlia.” Ms. Swank is an appealing actress of, at least to date, fairly restricted range. In her finest roles — a transgender man in “Boys Don’t Cry,” a boxer in “Million Dollar Baby” — she plays women whose hard-angled limbs and squared jaws never fully obscure a desperate, at times almost embarrassingly naked neediness.

In “Freedom Writers” Ms. Swank uses that neediness to fine effect in a film with a strong emotional tug and smartly laid foundation. She plays Erin Gruwell, who in 1994 was a 23-year-old student teacher assigned to teach freshman English at Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif.

Twenty-two miles from downtown Los Angeles, this ethnically diverse port city, birthplace of both Bo Derek and Snoop Dogg, is south of Compton (home of N.W.A.), right at the edge of Orange County (home of “The O.C.”). In 1992 the Rodney King riots that rocked Los Angeles spilled into Long Beach; recently the city made news for an alleged hate crime involving black teenagers charged with severely beating three white women.

By the time Erin steps into her classroom, a scant two years after the riots, the climate inside is at once frosty and scorching. Turned out in a cherry-red suit and black pumps, her strand of pearls gleaming as bright as her teeth, Erin cuts an unavoidably awkward, borderline goofy figure.

The students are understandably skeptical, excruciatingly contemptuous. From where they sit, slumped and hunched, some with their backs literally turned away from the front of the room, Erin looks like the stranger she is. She’s an interloper, a do-gooder, a visitor from another planet called Newport Beach, and the class sees through her as if she were glass because the writer and director Richard LaGravenese makes sure that we do too.

Funny how point of view works. If so many films about so-called troubled teenagers come off as little more than exploitation, it’s often because the filmmakers are not really interested in them, just their dysfunction. “Freedom Writers,” by contrast, isn’t only about an amazingly dedicated young teacher who took on two extra jobs to buy supplies for her students (to supplement, as Mr. LaGravenese carefully points out, a $27,000 salary); it’s also, emphatically, about some extraordinary young people. In this respect Mr. LaGravenese, whose diverse writing credits include “The Ref” and “The Bridges of Madison County,” appears to have taken his egalitarian cue from the real Erin Gruwell, who shares author credit with her students in their 1999 book, “The Freedom Writers Diary,” a collection of their journal entries.

Mr. LaGravenese keeps faith with the multiple perspectives in the book, which includes Ms. Gruwell’s voice and those of her students, whose first-person narratives pay witness to the effects of brutalizing violence, dangerous tribal allegiances and institutional neglect. The film pops in on Erin and her increasingly troubled relationship with her husband, Scott (Patrick Dempsey), and there’s a really lovely scene between the two that finds them talking ruefully over a bottle of wine about the divide between fantasy and reality in marriage, a divide one partner tries to bridge and the other walks away from. But while we keep time with Erin, we also listen to the teenagers, several of whom tell their stories in voice-over.

Among the most important of those stories is that of Eva (the newcomer April Lee Hernandez), whose voice is among the first we hear in the film. Through quick flashbacks and snapshot scenes of the present, Eva’s young life unfolds with crushing predictability. From her front steps, this 9-year-old watches as her cousin is gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Later her father is arrested; she’s initiated into a gang. One day, while walking with a friend under the glorious California sun, a couple of guys pull up in a car and start firing in their direction. Eva dodges bullets and embraces violence because she knows nothing else; she hates everyone, including her white teacher, because no one has ever given her a reason not to.

In time Eva stops hating Erin, though the bullets keep coming. It’s a hard journey for both women, one that includes other students, most of whom are played by actors who look too old for their roles and are nonetheless very affecting. None of these actors are outstanding, but two are memorable: the singer Mario, who plays an angry drug dealer, Andre, and another newcomer, Jason Finn, whose big, soft, moon face swells with fury and vulnerability as a homeless teenager named Marcus.

Mr. LaGravenese isn’t a natural-born filmmaker, but he’s a smart screenwriter whose commitment to characters like Marcus makes up for the rough patches in his directing. Like Ms. Swank, who shares the screen comfortably with her younger co-stars, he gives credit where credit is due.

“Freedom Writers” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). There is some gun violence and adult language.

The headline for a film review in Weekend on Friday about “Freedom Writers” misidentified the California city in which the movie is set. It is Long Beach, not Los Angeles.

The listing of credits omitted a producer. Danny DeVito was a producer, along with Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg.

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Freedom Writers: Promoting Good Moral Values Essay

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Introduction

Brief synopsis of the plot, synopsis of the moral issue, works cited.

“Freedom writers” is a Christian movie that presents strong moral teachings to young people. The movie portrays a strong and civilized view of the world; it encourages development and use of positive moral values by people in making the world a better place. The main values encouraged in the movie include doing right, being kind, polite, respecting other people, seeking the truth and applying it in life. Precisely, its main theme is centered on promoting good moral values.

The movie focuses on a young teacher (Hillary Swank) who teaches in a high school made up of students from different racial backgrounds (IMDb 2012). She promotes cohesion and peaceful existence among students by teaching them about the genocide against the Jews that took place during World War II (IMDb 2012).

She successfully transforms the rogue students into good people by instilling good moral values in them. In addition, she encourages them to do the right thing all the time, be kind to others and use the moral values learnt in class to improve their lives.

Doing right all the time is the main moral issue highlighted in the movie. Doing the right thing presupposes being polite, kind, respectful, seeking the truth and using it to transform lives. The students, who come from different racial backgrounds, form ethnic gangs that they use to perpetuate violence, racism and hatred among themselves.

The students carry their street gang activities and racism sentiments into class, giving the teacher a rough time in dealing with them. However, she teaches them of the importance of doing the right thing always. Gradually, the students change and become better people with positive and strong moral values.

According to the natural law theory, good moral behavior is part of human nature which is realized by observing the nature of humanity (Finnis 53).

The students were able to critically evaluate the evils of racism and violence in the society, and thus change. Learning about the Jews holocaust, they realize the dangers of racism and violence motivating them to change their morals. According to Kantianism, an act is more important than the outcome, thus everyone should be more concerned with the moral value of actions (Ward 47).

Doing right is more important than the outcome of doing right. It is expected that practicing good moral values generates positive outcomes. Therefore, it is more important to be kind, polite and respectful because by exercising these moral values, good outcomes are guaranteed. Utilitarianism teaches that the outcome of an action determines its moral value as evident from the students changed behavior.

The social contract theory holds that individuals willingly give up a portion of their freedom in exchange for protection of their rights (Rousseau and Cole 72). The students in the movie give up a portion of their freedom that allows them to perpetuate violence, racism and other evil deeds.

The best theory to operate under the given moral issue in the movie would be the natural law theory. The students would learn best by observing the actions and the consequences of humanity in the society they live. For example, by learning the consequences of racism and gang violence, the students would be highly motivated to change their behavior for their good and the good of the society.

If presented with the same moral issue, most students would fight back and thus perpetuate violence and racism. According to utilitarianism, the moral value of an action is determined by its outcome. Most students would argue that by fighting back, they protect themselves and discourage other students from bullying them into silence and submission.

The movie ‘freedom writers’ encourages people to develop and use positive values to make the world a better place. The main values encouraged in the movie include doing right, being kind, polite, respecting other people, seeking truth and applying it in life. Precisely, its theme is centered on promoting good moral values. It can be viewed from different philosophical perspectives based on the moral issue presented in the movie.

Finnis, John. Natural Law and Natural Rights . London: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.

IMDb: Freedom Writers . n.d. Web.

Rousseau, Jean and Cole, G. The Social Contract. New York: Cosimo Inc, 2008. Print.

Ward, Ian. Kantianism, Postmodernism, and Critical Legal Thought . New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997. Print.

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books that slay

book summaries & discussion guides

The Freedom Writers Diary Summary, Characters and Themes

The Freedom Writers Diary is a book based on the real-life experiences of teacher Erin Gruwell and her students at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. 

Gruwell, a first-year teacher, used journaling as a way for her “at-risk” students to share their stories of hardship, violence, and struggles. The diary entries became a powerful tool for healing and understanding, changing these students’ lives and inspiring them to advocate for tolerance and acceptance. It also led to the 2007 film “Freedom Writers”.

In 1994, Los Angeles is still reeling from the Rodney King riots, a stark reminder of the racial tensions tearing at the fabric of society. 

Inspired to make a difference, idealistic young teacher Erin Gruwell begins her career at Wilson High School, a diverse institution struggling with internal strife along those same racial lines.

Initially, Gruwell’s attempts to create a neutral classroom fall flat. A racist caricature of a student reveals a stark truth: these kids live in a world fueled by prejudice and violence, and the concept of tolerance is alien to them. Worse, they don’t know about the horrors of the Holocaust, a historical event that underscores the dangers of unchecked hatred. 

Determined to change this, Gruwell pivots her curriculum towards understanding intolerance.

Her next class is filled with “at-risk” freshmen, kids labeled as failures long before they’ve had a chance. 

These students arrive with deep-seated divisions based on race, forming gangs as a twisted form of protection amidst the violence of their neighborhoods. Gruwell’s mission becomes even more complex: she must break down these internal walls and instill a sense of worth within these students.

To connect with them, she finds literature that reflects their experiences. The diaries of Anne Frank and Zlata Filipović, young girls trapped in warzones, resonate deeply. 

The students begin to understand the destructive power of unchecked ethnic violence and find therapeutic release in their own diary writing . These raw and vulnerable accounts reveal lives marked by gang violence, domestic abuse, and a crippling lack of hope.

Ms. Gruwell’s teaching methods draw criticism from traditionalist colleagues, but her results are undeniable. 

The students take ownership of their education , delving into Holocaust studies with an intensity fueled by the realization that anyone can descend into darkness. Interactive projects, museum visits, and visits from Holocaust survivors cement their understanding, transforming them into advocates for peace.

The classroom itself becomes a haven. Ethnic divisions start to blur as the students uncover common ground – experiences with pain, loss, and a desire for a better life. 

They gain confidence, inspired by the idea that their words, their actions, can shape the world around them. In a pivotal moment, they embrace the title of ‘Freedom Writers’, inspired by the Civil Rights activists, the Freedom Riders.

To fund projects, Gruwell holds multiple jobs. 

The students, now deeply connected, compile their diaries into an anonymous book that they proudly present to the world. 

Their visibility grows – trips to Washington D.C., awards for their work, and media attention affirm their transformation. Ms. Gruwell’s focus shifts towards ensuring their future success, paving the way for every one of her students to attend college.

The Freedom Writers’ graduation is bittersweet: an end, but also the start of a new chapter. Gruwell, their beloved ‘Ms. G.’, transitions into training other educators. 

The Freedom Writers Foundation is established, ensuring their methods live on. And many of those same students go on to become educators themselves, determined to pay their success forward, ensuring generations to come have the chance to break the cycle of violence and reach their potential.

Erin Gruwell

Ms. Gruwell is the heart of the story. She begins as a naive, idealistic young teacher. While well-meaning, her initial attempts to create a neutral classroom fail because she lacks an understanding of the lived experiences of her students. 

She is forced to confront her own biases and privileges. 

Gruwell’s transformation is a gradual one. Her unwavering dedication to her students, her willingness to work multiple jobs to support their projects, and her fierce advocacy in the face of administrative pushback demonstrate both her love for her students and her unwavering belief that they are capable of greatness.

The Freedom Writers

The real power of this story lies in the collective voice of the students. Their initial presentation is as divided, angry teenagers resigned to their “at-risk” label. Through their diaries, we gain a glimpse into their worlds – ones scarred by unimaginable hardship. 

It’s within the classroom, under Ms. Gruwell’s guidance, that their healing begins. As they learn of historical atrocities, their own experiences gain perspective. More importantly, they start to see their similarities – shared pain, dreams, and a desire to escape the cycle of violence they’ve inherited. 

Despite the odds, this fragmented group eventually finds unity, strength, and purpose, inspiring each other to believe that they can create a better future for themselves and their communities.

Miep Gies, Zlata Filipovic, and Other Historical Figures

While not physically present for much of the story, the figures of Anne Frank, Zlata Filipovic, and the Holocaust survivors play a pivotal role. It’s through their words and experiences that the students confront the brutal reality of unchecked hatred. 

Anne Frank becomes a symbol of lost potential, while Zlata and the survivors become living proof that strength and resilience can emerge even amidst horrific circumstances. 

When the students meet these figures, it drives home the significance of their own stories and their own responsibility to use their voices to fight against intolerance.

Antagonists

It’s important to acknowledge the presence of antagonistic forces in the story, though they are often more systemic than individualized. There’s the pervasive prejudice and violence that exist within the students’ communities and shape their worldview. 

Additionally, there are members of the school administration who view Gruwell’s methods as unconventional and the students themselves as lost causes, serving as bureaucratic obstacles hindering change. 

These forces highlight the challenges Gruwell and the students face, underscoring the importance of persistence and the power of standing up against systems that perpetuate cycles of failure.

1. The Transformative Power of Education

The Freedom Writers Diary fundamentally highlights traditional education’s failure to connect with those labeled “at-risk.” 

Erin Gruwell, rather than giving up, demonstrates how the right approach can unlock incredible potential. She discards outdated curriculums, instead connecting with her students through literature that mirrors their struggles. 

Anne Frank’s diary and Zlata Filipović’s account of the Bosnian War ignite empathy and a hunger for knowledge previously absent. 

Field trips and meetings with survivors turn abstract history lessons into potent experiences, shaping the students’ understanding of the world and their place within it. This newfound knowledge fuels a desire for tolerance and dismantles the racial divisions that once plagued their lives. 

Importantly, Erin Gruwell shows that education isn’t merely imparting facts – it’s about fostering critical thinking, self-belief, and a sense of agency to create a better future.

2. Finding One’s Voice Through Writing

At the core of the Freedom Writers movement is the cathartic and empowering act of journaling. The students, many of whom have never felt truly heard, are given a safe space to express their pain, fears, and hopes without judgment. 

These diaries become tools for self-reflection, allowing them to process complex emotions and understand their own experiences. The simple act of putting pen to paper helps them recognize the universal nature of their struggles, fostering connection and empathy. 

Through sharing their writing, the students learn to trust and find support within a community that genuinely understands them. 

The power of their collective voice is solidified when they compile their anonymous diary entries into a book, giving their stories a platform on the world stage and empowering them to become agents of change.

3. Overcoming Adversity and Redefining Success

The Freedom Writers’ lives are riddled with obstacles that would break many. Gang violence, poverty, homelessness, and family dysfunction are constants. Erin Gruwell does not minimize these traumas, but she steadfastly refuses to let them define her students’ capabilities. 

Her unwavering belief in their potential becomes the catalyst for their own transformation. As their self-respect grows, so does their academic drive. The once “unreachable” kids begin to envision a future beyond the streets, many becoming the first in their families to attend college. 

The Freedom Writers Diary challenges societal notions of success. 

It demonstrates that overcoming adversity isn’t just about material achievements; it’s about breaking cycles, defying expectations, and finding self-worth in the journey towards a better life.

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The life-changing power of the freedom writer essay – overcoming adversity and inspiring hope for a better future.

Have you ever felt a burning desire to express yourself? To let your ideas soar freely onto paper, unencumbered by the constraints of society? The Freedom Writer Essay invites you to tap into the boundless potential of your creative mind and unleash the power of your thoughts. In this captivating journey of self-discovery, you’ll embark on a profound exploration of the written word, discovering new depths of emotion, intellect, and personal insight.

Beneath the surface of every individual lies a unique voice, waiting to be discovered and nurtured. The Freedom Writer Essay acts as a catalyst for this discovery, igniting the flames of self-expression and empowering individuals to embrace the power of their own ideas. Far from a mere exercise in writing, this transformative experience serves as a tool for personal growth and liberation. It encourages each writer to fearlessly embrace the art of self-reflection, to delve into their deepest thoughts and emotions, and to fearlessly expose their innermost vulnerabilities to the page.

Through the medium of the written word, individuals are endowed with the extraordinary ability to captivate minds, evoke emotions, and challenge conventional thinking. The Freedom Writer Essay celebrates this power, harnessing it as a force for positive change in both the writer and the reader. By articulating their thoughts and experiences with conviction and authenticity, writers become agents of truth and catalysts for empathy. In this way, the essay transcends its own boundaries, morphing from a simple collection of words into a powerful instrument of connection, understanding, and change.

Exploring the Power of Writing

Unleashing the potential of language and expression, writing possesses an unmatched ability to captivate hearts, challenge norms, and inspire change. Through the artful arrangement of words, writers have the power to evoke emotions, challenge ideas, and shape perspectives. In a world where communication is essential, the written word becomes a key that unlocks the doors of understanding and empathy.

Writing grants individuals the remarkable ability to communicate their thoughts, experiences, and dreams. Whether it be through personal narratives, persuasive essays, or creative fiction, writers can convey their unique perspectives, inviting readers into their world. Writing has the power to transcend time and space, allowing writers to connect with people they have never met and share experiences they have never encountered.

The words written on a page have the potential to spark revolutions, challenge deeply ingrained beliefs, and ignite movements for change. Writers possess a certain level of autonomy to address social issues, push boundaries, and expose injustices. With their words, they have the capacity to inspire and motivate individuals to take action and fight for a better world. Writing becomes an agent of social change, a tool for advocating justice, equality, and freedom.

Furthermore, writing serves as a form of catharsis, allowing individuals to release their inner thoughts and emotions onto the page. It serves as a refuge for the voices often silenced by society, a safe space where one can be authentically themselves. Through writing, individuals can explore their own identity, challenge societal norms, and find solace in the beauty of self-expression.

In conclusion, writing is a powerful tool that has the potential to shape minds, challenge the status quo, and bring about societal transformation. Through its ability to connect, inspire, and empower, writing serves as a catalyst for change, giving a voice to the voiceless and bringing light to the darkest corners of society.

Discover how writing can unleash your inner thoughts and emotions.

Explore the power of putting pen to paper and uncovering the depths of your mind and soul. Through the act of writing, you have the ability to tap into the hidden recesses of your thoughts and emotions, giving them a voice and allowing them to be heard.

Writing offers a unique medium of expression, allowing you to convey your innermost desires, fears, and dreams. It is a way to break free from the constraints of daily life and societal expectations, enabling you to explore the full range of your thoughts and emotions without judgment or inhibition.

With each stroke of the pen, you release a part of yourself onto the page, allowing your thoughts and emotions to come alive. As you give form and structure to your ideas, you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Through writing, you can dive into the complexities of your mind, unraveling the webs of thoughts and emotions that often go unnoticed. It is a journey of self-discovery, a process of peeling back the layers and revealing the true essence of who you are.

Writing provides a sense of liberation and empowerment. It allows you to confront your fears, confront your past, and confront your truths. It gives you the courage to be vulnerable, to express yourself authentically, and to connect with others on a deeper level.

So pick up a pen or sit at a keyboard, and let the words flow. Allow yourself the freedom to express your innermost thoughts and emotions, and see how writing can unleash a transformative power within you.

Overcoming Societal Constraints

Breaking free from the confines imposed by society is a fundamental aspect of personal and intellectual growth. Society often imposes limitations and expectations on individuals, hindering their ability to express themselves and explore their own unique perspectives. Overcoming these constraints requires courage and a willingness to challenge societal norms.

• 1. Embracing individuality: Society often pressures individuals to conform to certain standards and expectations. However, embracing one’s individuality is crucial for personal development and creative expression. By embracing their unique traits, individuals can break free from societal constraints and truly unleash their thoughts and ideas.
• 2. Questioning societal norms: Societal norms can be restrictive and limit the potential for personal growth and exploration. By questioning these norms and critically analyzing them, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of their own values and beliefs. This process of questioning allows individuals to challenge societal constraints and pave the way for new ideas and perspectives.
• 3. Empowering marginalized voices: Society often silences and marginalizes certain groups, inhibiting their ability to freely express themselves. Overcoming societal constraints involves actively amplifying the voices of marginalized individuals and empowering them to share their stories and perspectives. By doing so, society can become more inclusive and diverse, allowing for a greater range of thoughts and ideas to emerge.
• 4. Creating safe spaces for expression: Building safe spaces where individuals feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment or retribution is essential for overcoming societal constraints. By fostering an environment that encourages open dialogue and respects diverse opinions, individuals can freely share their thoughts and ideas, breaking free from the constraints imposed by society.

Overcoming societal constraints is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one for personal and intellectual growth. By embracing individuality, questioning societal norms, empowering marginalized voices, and creating safe spaces for expression, individuals can break free from the limitations imposed by society and truly unleash their thoughts in the Freedom Writer Essay.

Learn how the Freedom Writer essay empowers individuals to break free from societal norms.

In a world driven by societal norms and expectations, it can be challenging for individuals to find their own voice and express their unique thoughts and experiences. However, the Freedom Writer essay serves as a powerful tool to empower individuals to break free from these societal constraints and unleash their true potential.

The Freedom Writer essay encourages individuals to embrace their individuality and speak their minds, regardless of what society may deem acceptable. It allows individuals to challenge conventional wisdom and explore different perspectives, giving them the freedom to deviate from the norms that may hold them back.

By providing a platform for self-expression, the Freedom Writer essay empowers individuals to share their personal stories and experiences, promoting a sense of belonging and validation. It encourages people to speak up for what they believe in and advocate for change, fostering a more inclusive society where diverse voices are celebrated.

Moreover, the Freedom Writer essay encourages individuals to question the status quo and push boundaries. It prompts individuals to critically examine the world around them and identify areas for improvement. By challenging established norms, individuals can spark conversations and inspire others to think differently, ultimately leading to positive social change.

Through the power of storytelling, the Freedom Writer essay allows individuals to break free from the constraints of their past and rewrite their own narrative. It provides a safe space for individuals to explore their feelings, hopes, and dreams, offering a sense of liberation and self-discovery.

In conclusion, the Freedom Writer essay serves as a catalyst for personal growth and societal progress. By empowering individuals to break free from societal norms, it allows them to embrace their uniqueness and make a meaningful impact in their communities and the world at large.

Embracing Vulnerability through Writing

Opening up and revealing one’s vulnerabilities can be a daunting experience. However, through the art of writing, individuals have a unique platform to embrace vulnerability and express their innermost thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or rejection. Writing allows individuals to explore their emotions, confront their fears, and share their personal stories in a way that is both cathartic and empowering.

In conclusion, writing offers a powerful tool for embracing vulnerability. It provides a platform for individuals to explore and express their innermost thoughts and emotions, connect with others on a deeper level, and navigate through difficult and sensitive topics. By embracing vulnerability through writing, individuals not only empower themselves but also create a space for healing, understanding, and connection.

Explore the transformative effects of expressing vulnerability in the Freedom Writer essay.

Discover the profound impact of embracing and openly expressing vulnerability in the powerful and inspiring Freedom Writer essay. This section delves into the significance of vulnerability as a catalyst for personal growth, empathy, and connection.

In conclusion, the Freedom Writer essay showcases the transformative effects of expressing vulnerability. It demonstrates the power of vulnerability as a catalyst for personal growth, empathy, and connection. By embracing and celebrating vulnerability, the writers not only find their own strength but also inspire readers to embrace their own vulnerability and foster a sense of shared humanity.

Finding Healing in Words

In the realm of self-expression, there exists a profound and transformative power that resides within the written word. This power transcends borders and breaks down barriers, serving as a conduit for healing and personal growth. When individuals find solace in their thoughts and give them voice through their writing, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and introspection. In this pursuit, words become a sanctuary, a medium through which one can navigate the complexities of emotions, seek understanding, and ultimately find healing.

As writers, we are endowed with the ability to convey our deepest thoughts and emotions through language. Whether we choose to pen poems, stories, or personal reflections, each word carries with it a profound weight and significance. It is through these carefully crafted expressions that we allow ourselves to confront and examine our innermost struggles, fears, and joys. In doing so, we create a space for self-reflection and growth, enabling us to heal and move forward in our journeys.

The act of writing itself is a therapeutic process. When we put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard, we surrender ourselves to a realm of uninterrupted exploration. In this realm, we are free to delve into the depths of our psyche, unearthing buried memories, untangling complex emotions, and making sense of our experiences. It is through this introspective expedition that we find solace, catharsis, and ultimately, the healing we seek.

Furthermore, writing allows us to connect with others who may be on similar paths or facing similar challenges. The written word transcends time, space, and circumstances. It serves as a bridge between individual experiences, weaving together stories and experiences that resonate with one another. In sharing our journeys through the power of words, we form connections and find solace in knowing that we are not alone. These connections, forged through writing, contribute to our healing process, reminding us that we are part of a larger community of individuals striving for growth and self-discovery.

In conclusion, the act of writing offers a sanctuary for individuals seeking healing. Through the power of words, we can confront our innermost struggles, explore our emotions, and connect with others on a profound level. Writing provides us with a means of self-expression, self-reflection, and connection, enabling us to find solace and healing in our journeys towards self-discovery.

Discover the therapeutic power of writing and its ability to mend emotional wounds.

Writing has long been regarded as a profound form of self-expression, offering solace and healing to those who embrace its cathartic nature. This powerful tool provides a pathway for individuals to delve into their deepest emotions, allowing them to make sense of their experiences, and ultimately find solace and healing.

The act of writing can be likened to a journey of self-discovery, as it allows individuals to explore their innermost thoughts and feelings. By putting pen to paper, they can release pent-up emotions that may have been locked away, and experience a sense of liberation. In the process, writing can serve as a means of release, releasing burdens and enabling individuals to move forward with a newfound sense of clarity and joy.

Writing is a gateway to personal growth and healing. Through the act of writing, individuals are able to gain a better understanding of themselves, reflect on their experiences, and gain valuable insights into their own psyche. It enables individuals to confront their emotional wounds head-on, providing an opportunity for healing and growth.

Furthermore, writing can be a source of validation and empowerment. By putting their thoughts and feelings into words, individuals can find validation in their own experiences, realizing that they are not alone in their struggles. It can also be a tool for empowerment, as individuals can use their words to reclaim their narrative and redefine their own identity.

In conclusion, writing is an incredibly powerful tool that has the ability to heal emotional wounds and promote personal growth. Its cathartic nature allows individuals to navigate through their innermost thoughts and emotions, offering a sense of relief and liberation. Through writing, individuals can gain valuable insights, find validation, and empower themselves on their journey towards healing.

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The Freedom Writers Diary

77 pages • 2 hours read

The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

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Racial Identity and Tolerance

In and outside of school, the students’ lives are organized according to their racial identity. As one student writes, “ Schools are just like the city and the city is just like prison. All of them are divided into separate sections, depending on race” (9-10). Because students regularly encounter race-based violence on the streets, they self-segregate by race at school. Even if they avoid joining a gang, they might be attacked on the street simply for the color of their skin.

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Race, Ethnicity, and Tolerance

The students at Wilson High School are used to navigating racial and ethnic divisions. The rivalry between black, Asian, and Latino gangs affect their everyday lives, constantly making them potential victims in a war where only external appearances and group loyalty matter. As a consequence, at school and in their neighborhood, students learn to remain within the confines of their own identity group. However, when Ms. Gruwell begins to teach her class about the historical…

Education and Healing

While Wilson High School assigns Ms. Gruwell a group of students that have already been labeled “unteachable” by the rest of the school staff, the new teacher soon discovers that her students are far from a hopeless cause. Instead, these adolescents are merely the reflection of the low expectations that adults have imposed on them all their life. To make her students feel more engaged in academic life, Ms. Gruwell adopts a teaching method in…

Family and Home

The family life of Ms. Gruwell ’s students impacts them well beyond the boundaries of their home. While some students benefit from strong parent support and feel encouraged to pursue their education, many others struggle with difficult family situations which affect their performance at school. Missing or uncaring parents, domestic abuse, and homelessness all leave a toll on students’ well-being, affecting their sense of self-confidence and their motivation to succeed academically. While Ms. Gruwell cannot…

Violence, War, and Death

Violence and death are so present in many of Ms. Gruwell ’s students’ lives that, when they read about Anne Frank and Zlata Filipović ’s experiences in war-torn countries, many of them feel that they, too, are suffering from an undeclared war—one made of domestic abuse and gang violence, where death can strike at any moment. Through Ms. Gruwell’s teaching, though, students become empowered about their capacity to break the cycle of violence. Inspired by…

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Freedom Writers — The Power of Education and Empathy in “Freedom Writers”

The Power of Education and Empathy in "Freedom Writers"

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

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Overcoming stereotypes and prejudices, role of the teacher.

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Friday essay: We all live in the world of Ayn Rand, egomaniac godmother of libertarianism. Can fiction help us navigate it?

Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney

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Love her or loathe her, Ayn Rand is an undeniably influential figure. Her contemporary admirers range from celebrities – Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Rob Lowe – to politicians, including Donald Trump. Cultural commentator Lisa Duggan has called her “the ultimate mean girl”.

Rand was implacably opposed to all forms of altruism, social welfare programs and governmental oversight. She also harboured a lifelong hatred of communism. She was “one of the first American writers to celebrate the creative possibilities of modern capitalism and to emphasize the economic value of independent thought,” according to intellectual biographer Jennifer Burns .

And while Rand founded a philosophical movement, Objectivism, which privileged the “concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life”, her ideas are not the key to her influence. Her “blockbuster” novels, The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957), lie “at the heart of her incalculable impact,” as Duggan writes.

Trump has said of The Fountainhead: “That book relates to … everything.” He told a journalist in 2016 that its depiction of the tyranny of groupthink reflects “what is happening here”.

The attitude of John Galt, hero of Rand’s best known book, Atlas Shrugged, is best summed up by his famous credo: “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” Of course, this has since become a rallying cry for libertarian politicians and thinkers.

Atlas Shrugged attracted largely negative reviews on publication: Time called its philosophy “ludicrously naïve” and the Atlantic Monthly said it “might be mildly described as execrable claptrap”. But for Gregory Salmieri, co-editor of the Blackwell Companion to Ayn Rand (2016), the Russian-born American philosopher is “one of the most important intellectual voices in our culture”.

Rand’s celebration of egotism and rapacious capitalism remains resonant today. But there’s another way she resonates with today’s culture, too. In the McCarthy-era witch trials of the 1950s, she denounced supposed communist sympathisers , participating in the very kind of public shaming that is often identified with cancel culture.

Rand’s enthusiastic participation in these public show trials may seem surprising at first glance, especially as it appears to conflict with her reputation as a libertarian champion of free speech and individual rights.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised. Even the loudest advocates of free expression sometimes engage in silencing others. Think, for example, of self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist (and Rand fan) Elon Musk’s tendency to suspend journalists from X when they publish articles he doesn’t agree with.

This inherent contradiction – where defenders of individual liberty may also attempt to suppress opposing voices – continues to resonate in today’s political and cultural landscape, as a glance at the online swamp formerly known as Twitter demonstrates.

Cancel culture: battle or moral panic?

“Cancel culture has upended lives, ruined careers, undermined companies, hindered the production of knowledge, destroyed trust in institutions, and plunged us into an ever-worsening culture war,” argue researchers Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott in The Cancelling of the American Mind (2023). They believe cancel culture is “part of a dysfunctional way members of our society have learned to argue and battle for power, status, and dominance”.

Adrian Daub, author of the new book The Cancel Culture Panic (2024) disagrees. He sees the anxiety over cancel culture as a form of moral or ideological panic – one that distorts societal shifts by selectively focusing on certain examples, while conveniently overlooking others.

He says it keeps us from finding solutions to real problems by distorting “real problems like a carnival mirror – problems of labor and job security, problems of our semi-digital public space, problems of accountability and surveillance”.

These complex, often bitterly oppositional debates have long since spilled over from the academy into popular culture.

The many creative works that explore cancel culture differ in approach and tone. But they all focus on the dynamics of cultural conflict – and the often unpredictable consequences of public shaming in an increasingly censorious age.

We see this in recent films like Todd Field’s Tár (2022), where accusations of misconduct lead to a famous conductor’s public downfall, and Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario (2023), where an ordinary professor becomes a viral sensation, only to have his fame curdle as his public image unravels.

Cancel culture is also central to two recent satirical novels that explore the trials and tribulations of cancel culture: Australian Lexi Freiman’s The Book of Ayn and American author Lionel Shriver’s Mania , both released locally this year.

The shadow of Ayn Rand, with her philosophy of uncompromising individualism and rampant egotism, looms large over both these books.

We’re all pretending not to be selfish

People often revisit and reinterpret works by controversial authors from the past, trying to find “redeeming qualities” despite their problematic views.

Freiman, whose first novel, Inappropriation (2018), was longlisted for the Miles Franklin, is curious why this kind of reappraisal hasn’t happened for Rand – whose books continue to sell by the bucketload.

Rand’s work is “worth exploring”, as she says, because “we are all pretending not to be selfish, individualistic, slightly narcissistic people”.

I feel like nobody’s tried to do that because we’re still living in the nightmare of the capitalist world that she envisaged.

Freiman centres The Book of Ayn, her second novel, on an unreliable narrator, Anna, who becomes obsessed with Ayn Rand after being “cancelled”.

Yet the author is candid in her criticism of Rand’s overstuffed fictions.

They are vehicles for her ideology, and they’re not well-written. So to me, when I see an Ayn Rand book on someone’s shelf […] I think, “Oh, this person doesn’t know a good book.”

Anna begins the novel (which was published in the US, by a US publisher, long before it was released in Australia), acknowledging she is a contrarian. The label has also been applied to Freiman herself, who told the Australian earlier this year that the framing of Inappropriation, a satire of identity politics, carefully avoided the novel’s subject. “They were afraid to say it was a satire of identity politics […] because they were afraid of cancel culture, ironically.”

While The Book of Ayn did not initially get an Australian release, it was prominently featured in US literary and cultural outlets, including the New York Times , the New Yorker and The Daily Show – and Freiman was a guest at this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival .

In The Book of Ayn, Anna says:

Maybe the verboten felt more alive; maybe it just got me more attention. Maybe they were the same thing. Whichever it was, the culture had now changed.

After nearly 40 years of self-declared bad behaviour, Anna lands herself in hot water after publishing a satire on America’s opioid crisis, castigated by the New York Times as irredeemably “classist”. Anna, who has been living rent-free in a swanky Madison Avenue pied-à-terre, admits (to the reader, at least) she knew she was courting controversy:

I’d known that scatological humor was now banned from descriptions of the rural poor; that you were no longer allowed to write about the working class if you’d gone to a Manhattan prep school; that “Mountain Dew” was an unacceptable punch line. But there were so many new rules – all set by college students paying two hundred thousand dollars for their humanism.

The New York Times labels Anna a narcissist. This shocks and confuses her: she had always assumed “narcissists were very attractive people who couldn’t admit when they were wrong, and I possessed neither of those qualities”.

Bruised and bewildered, she starts to burn her remaining social bridges. Having been turfed out of a female genital mutilation awareness luncheon for expressing the opinion that the clitoris is actually “privileged”, she randomly bumps into an Ayn Rand walking tour huddled on the corner of Lexington Avenue. The group is “looking up at a telephone pole where a hawk was tearing into the body of a bloody pigeon”.

Intrigued, Anna follows this group of “quiet, stoic people who appeared to believe that the planet was actually cooling” into a nearby Starbucks. She asks them about Rand, about whom she knows next to nothing, bar

that she was the godmother of American libertarianism who had written two very long, didactic novels. I had always considered her the gateway drug for bad husbands to quit their jobs and start online stock trading.

Growing giddy on heresy

Returning home, Anna reads up on the founder of Objectivism . She finds herself inexorably drawn to Rand’s idiosyncratic take on life, the world, and everything in it:

She said that selfishness was a form of care; that self-responsibility was the ultimate freedom. Her ideas had the uncanny chime of paradox. The dizzy zing of the counterintuitive. She wasn’t funny but I enjoyed her thoughts like I enjoyed jokes. Like anything audacious; true because it’s wrong.

Growing giddy on her “new heresy,” Anna sets off on an increasingly bizarre – and very funny – journey of self discovery, age-inappropriate romance, and re-cancellation. Her adventure culminates in an “ego suicide” workshop on the Greek island of Lesvos, the experience of which leaves her anxious that the only thing she’s now capable of writing is Eat, Pray, Love as “narrated by Humbert Humbert ”.

Freiman has no problem acknowledging Rand “was basically the worst person I could write a book about, which really appealed to me”. By the same token, she appreciates that

it is the conflict between selfishness and altruism that is Ayn Rand’s whole philosophy that I feel is kind of distilled in the artistic temperament, in the artist’s personality […] And narcissism plays into that really beautifully and is also funny.

This nuanced take on things is, I think, characteristic of Freiman’s writing in general. It informs her take on the politics of cancel culture, which she refuses to see in purely negative terms. For instance, it can, as Freiman affirms, help to shift the cultural needle and, occasionally, move us towards new forms of “enlightenment” – provided we are at least willing to hear each other out.

Freiman is emphatic on this point. She is searching for something “deeper than just a kind of knee-jerk, reactive response”. She is, moreover, “always looking for the person who everyone else disagrees with and trying to see the place that I might agree with them”.

This, in turn, chimes with her understanding of the power of satire as a genre. Freiman maintains that when it comes to satire,

self-exposure is just part of the deal. You get energy from a type of writing that’s very close to opining, and so you have to accept the brunt of your readers’ disagreement.

A satire, she believes, is “a kind of argument, though not – in the best cases – one that seeks to drive home a definitive point”. She acknowledges that ideas are ultimately replaced by human complexity – something that unfolds, by degrees, in The Book of Ayn. “But obviously, it’s a risky time to be a satirist.”

“The thing I’m trying to do is to say something that feels true to me,” Freiman insists , “and if that means that I’m going to offend a few people, then that’s OK.”

Provocative. Empathetic. Risky. These are three reasons why, if you’ve yet to do so, you should really spend some time getting to know Lexi Freiman and The Book of Ayn.

‘Mindless’ herd behaviour?

Self-described iconoclast Lionel Shriver has been, at her own estimate, the target of multiple attempted cancellations – including one in Australia in 2016, after she delivered a speech on Fiction and Identity Politics at the Brisbane Writers Festival while wearing a sombrero.

Her speech prompted some affronted audience members to storm out – and sparked worldwide media debate , including accusations of promoting racial supremacy .

Shriver’s argument essentially boiled down to the belief that “the last thing fiction writers need is restrictions on what belongs to us”. Her attendant idea that “writers have to preserve the right to wear many hats” was literally illustrated by her headwear.

In a subsequent interview with Time , she said:

The whole notion of re-enfencing ourselves into little groups, first off, encourages pigeonholing. It means that we don’t read books about people who are different; we just read books about people who are just like us.

She continued: “we all the more think of each other in terms of membership of a collective”. Shriver has reservations about collectives and collective behaviour. In her collected essays , she writes:

Herd behaviour is by nature mindless. Parties to modern excommunication never seem to make measured decisions on the merits for themselves […] but race blindly to join the stampede.

What if calling someone stupid was illegal?

These ideas reverberate throughout Mania, a dystopian novel that riffs on George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985). It is set in an alternative version of the 2010s, against a backdrop of heightened societal sensitivity to mental ability. Its cover tagline is: “what if calling someone stupid was illegal?”

The novel tells the tale of Pearson Converse, a untenured English academic and contrarian living in a quiet college town in Pennsylvania with her partner Wade, who works as a tree surgeon, and their three children.

Mania opens with a phone call from school. Pearson’s eldest, the intellectually precocious Darwin, has been accused of bullying: he “ridiculed one of his classmates” and “employed language we consider unacceptable in a supportive environment, and which I will not repeat”. Darwin has been caught using the term “dummy”, now considered a reprehensible slur – and is suspended for it.

In 2010, in Shriver’s fictional universe, the improbably named Carswell Dreyfus-Boxford published a “game-changing, era-defining” book, titled “The Calumny of IQ: Why Discrimination Against ‘Dumb People’ Is the Last Great Civil Rights Fight”.

“At best,” Pearson recalls somewhat dismissively,

the ambitious got through the set-piece introduction of forty pages, full of heartrending anecdotes of capable young people whose self-esteem was crushed by an early diagnosis of subpar intelligence.

Despite being “widely ridiculed” upon initial publication, The Calumny of IQ quickly started to gain traction in certain circles. Though the “cerebral elite” at first “lampooned the notion that stupidity is a fiction as exceptionally stupid”, their “sharpest tacks”, the novel tells us, “jumped on the fashionable bandwagon first”.

Thus, the Mental Parity movement was born. As the critic Laura Miller observes , this imaginary ideology “not only borrows from the left’s obsession with egalitarianism, safetyism and language hygiene but also draws on the right’s mistrust of expertise and credentialism”. She points out that the novel’s critique “could have bipartisan appeal if it weren’t so patently absurd”.

Signs supporting “cognitive neutrality” pop up on suburban lawns. The New York Times crossword suddenly disappears. Everything begins to unravel.

The suspiciously articulate Barack Obama is one of the first public casualties. “Never having gotten the memo about suppressing that silver tongue,” Pearson laments, “he still deliberately rubbed the popular nose in his own articulacy”. Declaring him an electoral liability, the Democrats stage an internal coup and unceremoniously oust him from the White House.

They replace him with “the impressively unimpressive” Joe Biden, whose “delectably leaden” oratorical style proves a hit with voters captivated by “cognitive egalitarianism”.

This decision brings disastrous consequences – most notably, paving the way for the 2016 election of Donald Trump (who runs as a Democrat). “Whatever you think of his policies,” Pearson notes, “the big galoot has radically transformed the template for high office in the United States”.

From this point on, we read, it is a given that in order for a political figure to be considered a presidential contender,

he or she will necessarily be badly educated, uninformed, poorly spoken, crass, oblivious to the rest the world, unattractive and preferably fat, unsolicitous of advice from the more experienced, suspicious of expertise, inclined to violate constitutional due process if only from perfect ignorance of the Constitution, self-regarding without justification, and boastful about what once would have been perceived as his or her shortcomings.

Pearson testifies to America’s steady and systematic decline, including imploding healthcare (“wrong doses of anaesthetic and infections from inadequate care”) and education. International students turn their backs on American universities, leaving the sector financially exposed. Domestic students start reporting their teachers for acts of “cognitive bigotry” and similar ideological transgressions.

Much to her horror (if not surprise), the nonconformist Pearson finds herself the subject of scrutiny from her own students. In one of her creative writing classes, Pearson rants about the rank hypocrisy of it all:

Are you people really so stupid that you believe this claptrap about “everyone being as smart as everyone else,” or are you cynically playing along with a lie that you know is a lie?

She calls the US “a laughingstock!” and warns: “China and Russia think we’re retards , And they’re right!”

Complexity vs point-scoring

Pearson’s diatribe, which leads to her cancellation, is emblematic of Mania as a whole. Harangues of this sort, which quickly become tiresome, dilute the novel’s satirical impact. It brings to mind the overwrought rhetorical flourishes of Ayn Rand’s prose. Indeed, this intemperate passage could almost have been lifted verbatim from the pages of Atlas Shrugged.

Rand’s hero, John Galt, an egotistical scientist and inventor, is given to lengthy, impassioned speeches about the virtue of selfishness , the dangers of collectivism, and the innate superiority of the elite. As Lexi Freiman says, you have to be “a bit into” what Rand’s saying “to plow through 1,000 pages”. She calls it “belabored […] relentless and exhausting” and of course, “didactic”.

Freiman is spot on here. And as I write, I can’t help but think of my own experience with Shriver’s Mania. As with Rand, Shriver’s prose is weighed down by a barrage of ideological rants that overwhelm the story, sacrificing nuance and narrative in favour of blunt, often exhausting polemics. To be perfectly honest, it left me questioning who the novel was intended for.

Pearson’s rhetoric does not align exactly with Galt’s unfettered enthusiasm for laissez-faire capitalism. But her outrage at a world that increasingly prizes “uncredentialed mediocrity” and enforces “cognitive equality” echoes what we can describe as a peculiarly Randian disdain for anything that undermines individual brilliance or suppresses intellectual achievement.

Shriver, who makes no bones about her libertarian sensibility, has claimed she doesn’t “sit around reading Ayn Rand novels”. However, with its consistent embrace of individualist ideals and critiques of collectivism, I find, as do others , the parallels between Shriver’s recent work and Rand’s infamous novels hard to ignore.

While Freiman is alive to the complexities and contradictions of cancel culture, Shriver seems intent on delivering a straightforward ideological message, which renders her work, much like Rand’s, a relentless – and ultimately fruitless – exercise in polemical point-scoring.

One of these writers proffers a useful critique of our present predicament and narcissistic tendencies, and gestures towards a more nuanced understanding of our shared societal challenges.

• objectivism
• Friday essay
• Cancel culture

Lecturer in Strategy Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Education Focused) (Identified)

Professor of Indigenous Cultural and Creative Industries (Identified)

Lecturer / senior lecturer in construction and project management.

Research Fellow in Dynamic Energy and Mass Budget Modelling

Communications Director