Akeelah and the Bee (Review)

In the movie, Akeelah Anderson is broned into a middle classed family. Akeelah's father had passed away when she was still young and she only had two elder brothers a her mother as company. The eldest brother was working in the military while the second one was a hooligan. Akeelah's mother did not graduate from college and supported the family by working as a nurse.

Akeelah always wanted to take part in the National Spelling Bee competition afetr watching the programme in TV. She was fascinated and took part in her school bee. She then met Dr Larabee who coached her and taught her how to spell well. He knows that Akeelah has a flair at spelling and wanted to help her win the Bee. During the course of the competition, Akeelah had many conflicts with her mother as she disapproved of her participation in the Bee. However, Akeelah was persistent and so she studied hard and worked hard and finally she qualified for the trip to Washington DC, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. After a close fight with another competitor, Akeelah persevered and pulled through. She ended sharing the championship with one of her opponents.

'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.' This was a quote from the movie which caught my attention. This quote tells us that we should trust our abilities and not doubt them. We are sometimes to sure of ourselves or lack confidence in what we do, and so, our deepest fear is actually batlling against our own character. I feel that this qoute is very important as we have to believe and when we believe, we will succeed.

This movie has shown me that no matter what you do, you must have interest in it and als o work hard towards your goal. being able to convince others that you can succeed is not an easy task and Akeelah was one of the examples who achieved this. Akeelah really shows me that nothing is impossible and we have to follow our hearts in whatever we do.

Akeelah and the Bee (Summary)

RATING: PG for some language

Starring Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, J.R. Villarreal, and Curtis Armstrong

An inspirational drama, Akeelah and the Bee is the story of Akeelah Anderson (Palmer), a precocious eleven-year old girl from south Los Angeles with a gift for words. Despite the objections of her mother (Bassett), Akeelah enters various spelling contest, for which she is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), her principal Mr. Welch (Armstrong) and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah's aptitude earns her an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and in turn united her neighborhood who witness the courage and inspiration of one amazing little girl. (Lionsgate)

Duration of movie: 112 minutes

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OluD1dQ0IxY

Interview on Courage, Prejudice and Discrimination

Q: What do you think courage is?
A: I think that courage is the quality of mind that enables a person to face difficulties and overcome adversities. Courage can also mean bravery.
Q: Courage can be in the form of moral courage and physical courage. What do you know about them and how do you think you will define them?
A: I think that physical courage is just the ability to do things in times of difficulties like to complete a dare or catch a bird. Moral courage should refer to the moral values f a person which guides him into making correct choices according to his own morals.
Q: What do you think prejudice is?
A: I think that prejudice is having an unfair or bias view towards something or someone, not necessarily good or bad.
Q: What do you think discrimination is?
A: I think that discrimination refers to the power of making decisions, unjust judgement.
Q: Do you think that prejudice and discrimination are the same?
A: I think that prejudice and discrimination is relatively the same as both refer to a person having a unfair judgment over a matter before even knowing deeply about the issue at hand.
Q: During the Civil Rights Movement in America, Blacks were hugely discriminated against. What are your views over this matter?
A: I think that it is true to use discrimination to label the whole racial issue. This would not have happen if the Whites and the Blacks are willing to live with one another peacefully. However, the Whites had the superiority as the governors were prejudiced to the Blacks. This allowed the Whites to have better living conditions, better rights and a better life as compared to the Blacks. This is a very clear example of discrimination.

Comments on the Drama Play

I have chose this extract from the novel to act out as a play as I feel that this extract clearly ties in with the topic of courage. In this scene, Calpurnia's rebuttals and arguments with Lula clearly shows us an example of moral courage. Despite knowing that she may be ostracised for having close relationship and contact with Whites, she does not stop working for the Whites. Furthermore, she even brought Jem and Scout, who were the White children, to her church which catered only to Blacks. By doing so, she is exhibiting moral courage that there should not be any racial discrimination and different races should not ostracise each other but should lve together in harmony. Thus, I feel that Calpurnia has played an important role in this story showing her resilience that there should not be any racial differences and all should be euqal. In this example, she has also portrayed the trait iof moral courage and so I chose this part if the story to be made as a drama play.

Linguistic: Drama Play

Calpurnia’s confrontation with Lula at the church Page 124 – 125
Lula: What are you up to, Miss Calpurnia?
(Calpurnia hand’s holding on to Jem and Scout’s shoulders)
Jem: What is wrong Calpurnia?
(Calpurnia remains quiet)
(Lula rests her weight on one leg, has a hand propped to her hip and points to Calpurnia and company)
Scout (whispering to Jem) : Wow, that woman is huge. She is much taller than Atticus.
Jem: Shush Scout, she may hear you.
(Miss Calpurnia starts to talk)
Calpurnia: What do you want, Lula?
Lula: I want to know you bringin white chillum into our nigger church.
Calpurnia: Is that your business?
(Lula points at Scout and Jem)
Lula: Get lost now, you little filthy white chillum! Out of the church!
(Calpurnia holds on to Scout and Jem tighter)
Calpurnia: They’s my company.
Lula: They your company at the Finches, the Whites? What a joke!
(Lula lets out cries of hysterical laughter.)
Scout (whispers to Jem again): She seems scary, can we leave?
Jem: She just a nasty, arrogant, old piece of trash. Don’t listen to her rubbish.
Calpurnia: Guys, don’t you fret. I shall deal with this woman.
(Lula walks off)
Calpurnia: Stop right there, nigger
(Lula turns around)
Lula: You have no right to talk to me. Bringing Whites to our church is a sin. A SIN!
Calpurnia: It all the same God. Make no difference at all.

Multiple Intelligence test

Recently, I took a Multiple Intelligence test (MI test) to find out my learning profile was like and what areas I am strong and weak in. The test questions you on your different abilities and then generates a result of how stron you are in your different intelligences.

Well, I took the test and my results are as follows (strongest to weakest):
1) Interpersonal(people smart)
2) Linguistic(word smart)
3) Intrapersonal(myself smart)
4) Visual/Spatial(picture smart)
5) Logical(number smart)
6) Kinaestatic(body smart)
7) Naturalistic(nature smart)
8) Musical(music smart)

I feel that this Multiple Intelligence test has allowed me to have a better understanding of my learning abilities. To think that answering a few simple question could allow me to know myself better, this test has really benefitted me a great deal. I think that after knowing myself better, I will be able to try to excel in my stronger intelligences and also work harder to imrpove myself in my weaker intelligences. This will allow me to be a more complete learner and I will be able to be good aat the different intelligences. Furthermore, I am able to work on my stronger areas to see what are my true interests and pursue them in the future. I think that this test is very helpful to everyone's learning and I encourage everyone to try it.

Link to the Multiple Intelligence test:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

Since I am stronger in my Interpersonal and Linguistic intelligences, I will be embarking on two tasks:

Interpersonal: Conduct an interview with a friend (not from HCI) or family member. Find out from their point of view on prejudice and discrimination. Either record the interview or write out the interview transcript.

Linguistic: You are now adapting the novel for a drama play(To Kill A Mockingbird). Depict / write out a scene from the novel.