Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Many people seem to know this quote, or have at least heard of it. Most of them even agree wholeheartedly with it. Why is it then, that we still feel the need to fit in? When watching Finding Forrester, the theme of struggling to fit in and the reality of how hard it can be when you stand out, become the most apparent to me.
In the beginning of Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace does his best to fit in with his group of friends in the Bronx by maintaining a solid “C” average in school. His test scores, however, end up making him stand out. Growing up in the Bronx, Jamal was expected to be good at sports and maybe okay at school. That’s just how things were. If he actually tried in school he was bound to get A’s, I mean, this guy read Voltaire in his spare time. Jamal knew he had to work hard at not working hard in the academic field to stay under the radar. If Jamal had gotten A’s he would have been the laughing stock of his friend group for sure so he was content with things staying this way. That is, until he gets recruited by a private school. Once he visits, Jamal decides he could potentially see himself going to Mailor-Callow. In fact, Jamal knows that he would thrive there. Not only would he play better basketball, but more importantly, his writing would improve. Unfortunately, Jamal also knows that if he starts to go there, his old friends back in the Bronx won’t welcome him with open arms anymore. The choice is easy for Jamal: Mailor-Callow it is. The problem is, Jamal doesn’t really fit in there either. He’s black, raised by a single parent, and he is there on a scholarship--not exactly the typical student at Mailor. Throughout the movie, Jamal struggles with standing out; his only real friends being William Forrester, a grumpy old man who never leaves his apartment, and Claire, a pretty girl whose father is on the board at Mailor. Watching this movie, I found that I really connected and empathized with Jamal. Growing up in Kearney, I never really felt as though I belonged. In school, most people my age were playing …show more content…
As humans, we’re group-oriented. This means that we want to be accepted and know our role within that group. In order to try and fit in, a lot of people will do things in order to become liked or to gain the approval of others. This, unfortunately, leads to people doing things that they wouldn’t normally do to become accepted. For example, in Finding Forrester, Jamal agrees to break into Forrester’s house because he doesn’t want to lose face in front of his friends. Likewise, in real life situations, teenagers feel pressured to do things such as smoke pot or drink at parties because they don’t want to look “uncool” in front of their friends.
In Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace overcomes one of the biggest obstacles: becoming okay with not fitting in. Everyone has tried desperately to fit in with a certain group at one time or another, and knows just how difficult that can be. But, speaking from experience, standing out can be so much harder. Even if, like me, it was a conscious choice to stand out it can still make for a lonely high school experience-- an ultimately rewarding one-- but a difficult
In the beginning of Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace does his best to fit in with his group of friends in the Bronx by maintaining a solid “C” average in school. His test scores, however, end up making him stand out. Growing up in the Bronx, Jamal was expected to be good at sports and maybe okay at school. That’s just how things were. If he actually tried in school he was bound to get A’s, I mean, this guy read Voltaire in his spare time. Jamal knew he had to work hard at not working hard in the academic field to stay under the radar. If Jamal had gotten A’s he would have been the laughing stock of his friend group for sure so he was content with things staying this way. That is, until he gets recruited by a private school. Once he visits, Jamal decides he could potentially see himself going to Mailor-Callow. In fact, Jamal knows that he would thrive there. Not only would he play better basketball, but more importantly, his writing would improve. Unfortunately, Jamal also knows that if he starts to go there, his old friends back in the Bronx won’t welcome him with open arms anymore. The choice is easy for Jamal: Mailor-Callow it is. The problem is, Jamal doesn’t really fit in there either. He’s black, raised by a single parent, and he is there on a scholarship--not exactly the typical student at Mailor. Throughout the movie, Jamal struggles with standing out; his only real friends being William Forrester, a grumpy old man who never leaves his apartment, and Claire, a pretty girl whose father is on the board at Mailor. Watching this movie, I found that I really connected and empathized with Jamal. Growing up in Kearney, I never really felt as though I belonged. In school, most people my age were playing …show more content…
As humans, we’re group-oriented. This means that we want to be accepted and know our role within that group. In order to try and fit in, a lot of people will do things in order to become liked or to gain the approval of others. This, unfortunately, leads to people doing things that they wouldn’t normally do to become accepted. For example, in Finding Forrester, Jamal agrees to break into Forrester’s house because he doesn’t want to lose face in front of his friends. Likewise, in real life situations, teenagers feel pressured to do things such as smoke pot or drink at parties because they don’t want to look “uncool” in front of their friends.
In Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace overcomes one of the biggest obstacles: becoming okay with not fitting in. Everyone has tried desperately to fit in with a certain group at one time or another, and knows just how difficult that can be. But, speaking from experience, standing out can be so much harder. Even if, like me, it was a conscious choice to stand out it can still make for a lonely high school experience-- an ultimately rewarding one-- but a difficult