The Freedom Writers Diary

The Freedom Writers Diary

by

Erin Gruwell

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Freedom Writers Diary makes teaching easy.

The Freedom Writers Diary: Part IV: Diary 46 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
This student finds her friendship with her best friend similar to that of Zlata and Mirna, except that her own family prevents her from seeing her best friend because she is white. Her father gets angry when he hears about his daughter’s white friend because he grew up in the South and is overwhelmed by the racism he experienced. This student explains that her friend’s skin color is irrelevant to their friendship and that she would never use her as an excuse to hate an entire race.
This student explains that her father’s experience with racism has made him intolerant of white people in general. Her father has adopted the opposite attitude to the one that Holocaust survivors preach, in which one’s past experiences of adversity should inspire one to adopt a more tolerant outlook toward different peoples, cultures, and ethnicities.
Themes
Race, Ethnicity, and Tolerance Theme Icon