The Freedom Writers Diary

The Freedom Writers Diary was made up of journals that Erin ­Gruwell, an English teacher, told her students to write.

Dear Diary,

Historians say history repeats itself, but in my case I have managed to break the cycle because I'm going to graduate from high school and go to college, an opportunity my parents never had. My father only went up to the second grade because his father, my grandfather, needed help farming and taking care of the cattle. In the two years he spent in elementary school he was not taught to read and write. His teacher instead sent all of the "poor kids" to play outside or to work in the garden. He saw kids like my dad as working hands. This was and still is common in the rural areas of Mexico.

My mother only went up to the sixth grade because it was not the custom for a woman to get an education. Her dreams of becoming an accountant were shattered after my great-grand-mother did not let her go to high school. Instead she was sent to sewing classes, so she could become a "true woman" and not suffer when she got married.

Because of their educational experience, my parents were extra hard on me. When I was four years old my parents made me practice writing my name, numbers, and made me memorize the colors. As I grew older they made me read every day, do all my homework, and little by little, this became part of my daily life. While other kids spent their afternoons playing outside, I would be inside my house studying or reading a book.

Now Ms G. is cracking down on me too. Since the beginning of the year Ms G. has been talking about how to get into college and what different colleges are like. The thought of going to college scared me. But, Ms G. recognized our fears and planned a field trip to visit different colleges. We started our day by going to National University. There we learned about financial aid, college life, and the process of getting into college. After spending half the day at National, we went to visit a small private college and a big university so we could experience how different they were.

After the trip, I decided that I would go to a community college because the campus and the classes are smaller and more manageable than a large university, you get to interact, and have a better relationship with your professors. I am planning to transfer to a big university in two years. For now, I will worry about taking the first step.

I feel like the traveler in Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken": "Two roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

I am the traveler that came upon those two roads. I had a choice: I could take the road that is more traveled by the members of my family and get a job, or I could take the road less traveled and be the first to go to college. I decided to take the road less traveled because I knew it would be better in the long run. I know that my decision to go to college will affect my sisters' decisions and they will not be as afraid as I was of traveling this road.

The Freedom Writers Diary, 1999.

Compréhension

•  Deduce from the text:
  

  1. 1. the narrator's probable age. Quote one element.

  2. 2. the country where he probably lives. Quote two elements.

•  Where is his family originally from? Quote the text to support your answer.

• 1.  1. Use the text to state the levels of education his father and his mother attained.

  2. 2. Explain in your own words the reasons for such levels. (40 words)

• 1.  1. Which level of education has the narrator reached so far?

  2. 2. Explain how. Include two quotations in your answer. (50 words)

• 1.  1. L. 41: "I had a choice". Explain.

  2. 2. What decision did he make?

  3. 3. How did he arrive at this decision? (30-40 words)

  4. 4. How important is this decision to him?

•  Choose the expression which best sums up the main idea of the text and justify the answer in your own words. (30 words)
  

  1. 1. "poor kids"

  2. 2. "break the cycle"

  3. 3. "history repeats itself"

  4. 4. "the traveler"

•  Traduction uniquement pour la série L
  

  Translate from "I had a choice" (l. 41) to the end.

Expression

 Série L : Traiter obligatoirement les deux sujets (300 mots au total, soit environ 150 mots pour chaque sujet).
 Série S : Traiter l'un des deux sujets au choix (200 mots).

•  To what extent should children fulfil their parents' dreams?
•  One of the narrator's sisters decides not to go to university. Imagine and write out the conversation with her brother.

     LES CLÉS DU SUJET