Outside, Looking In

Outside, Looking In-Nightmare

How other people perceive us helps to define our sense of belonging. The movie "Finding Forester" demonstrates this when Jamal is on the basketball court with the other black student and the student let him know that just because Jamal was black does not mean they were the same. Even though Jamal clearly deserved to be there, he still did not feel like he fit in. A few years ago, I was at work and we liked to listen to country music at work. I asked my black friend if she wanted to go to the upcoming Faith Hill and Tim McGraw concert with me. Her response was "girlfriend, are you insane? I'd stick out like a sore thumb!" Even though she liked country music, she did not want to go to the concert because, she did not feel like she would fit in. It was not until a few months later, when I attended the concert with another friend when I realized, she was right; there really were not many other black people at the concert. Even though she clearly enjoyed listening to country music, she did not want to feel out of place at the concert.

My sons were raised by a single mother. We did not have a lot of money while they were growing up and I have never been able to afford to buy them the "in" clothing. My oldest son is half black like Damon in the movie. I was discussing this assignment with my son Anthony. I was telling him about how I can relate this assignment to his younger brother, Nelson because, Nelson is very smart, he even scored higher than anybody else at his school on his reading WASL in eight grade. Nelson has this whole hippy thing going on. For a while, he had long hair, and he really did not want to be associated as the "smart" kid. Thankfully, he is starting to apply himself more and is less worried about what his friends think and more worried about his grades. I asked Anthony about where he thought he and his brother fit at the High School. Although he has graduated, I wanted to get his take. He told me he has actually discussed this with his friend and this is how they would describe it. It's like a pie chart, and he named several different groups at the school, and they would each have a large slice of the pie, and some of the kids are trying to get into this group but they don't fit in, so they try to get into that group, and they don't fit that group either so they just form their own group. So, on the pie chart there's always a little slice of the pie and it always labeled Other. He said "we're the Other piece of the pie. We didn't fit into the mold so, we just formed our own group." I thought this was an interesting analogy. Even though my sons have a lot of friends they don't feel like they fit into the mold.

Even though Jamal clearly deserved to go to Callo Mailor, he was still treated as an outsider by both his friends from his old neighborhood and his new classmates. His Professor thought that he could not possibly be there because of his writing ability. In an attempt to fit in Jamal developed a close relationship with a gifted writer. In an attempt to fit in, we often try to change who we are. Developing different relationships and often acting differently around different groups of friends.

On the Outside, Looking in-Revision

The movie “Finding Forrester” does a good job of defining what it means to be an outsider. There are many instances in the film where Jamal is shown to be an outsider by both his friends and his classmates and teachers. Jamal Wallace is a bright young black student from the inner city who is afraid to let his friends know that he is smart. He gets by with average grades but excels in basketball at his inner city school. Jamal and his friends pass the time shooting hoops and making fun of the reclusive man watching them through the window of the apartment above the court. One day, Jamal’s friends dare him to break into the man’s apartment. Afraid of not being liked by his friends, Jamal accepts the dare. After being caught by the man, Jamal leaves the apartment, forgetting to take his backpack with him. When he goes back to retrieve the backpack, an unlikely friendship begins to form. The man, William Forrester, soon starts helping Jamal with his writing. Jamal hides this from his friends. The film demonstrates that we often change our behavior in order to try to fit in, even though the behavior might not be a bad thing.

Shortly after befriending Forrester, Jamal’s principal invites Jamal’s mother for a meeting at the school, she has no idea what to expect, fearing Jamal may be in some sort of trouble. She is surprised to learn that Jamal’s above average standardized test scores do not reflect his grades in school. When Jamal is offered a full scholarship to a prestigious high school, he is faced with the choice of leaving the school where he feels comfortable and the opportunity for a better education at the new school. Forrester helps Jamal make the decision telling him, “There is a question with your life and that is what do you want to do with your life, and that’s a question your present school can’t answer.” When Jamal chooses to attend the school, he must commute a long way to a much different neighborhood from the one he lives in. He must leave a school where he feels accepted to a much more academic atmosphere.

Upon arriving at his new school, it is evident that everyone at the school including the only other black student at the school, Damon, considers Jamal an outsider. Although Jamal is under the impression that he is there because of his test scores, it soon becomes apparent that he is there for his basketball abilities as much as anything. Professor Crawford makes it evident to Jamal that he thinks Jamal is there for his basketball abilities, noting that at his previous school, Jamal’s academic abilities were lacking. Later when Jamal relates the incident to William, he states, “It’s like he knew he was better than me.” After Jamal’s writing ability improves, Professor Crawford even goes as far as accusing Jamal of plagiarism, claiming that his writing could not have improved that much. When Crawford demands that Jamal apologize and he refuses, Crawford arranges an official meeting with the board, trying to get Jamal expelled. When Jamal intentionally misses the final free throw in the final play of the game, he lets the board know that he will not be used for his basketball talent.

Although Jamal strived hard both academically and athletically, he was treated like an outsider. He did not fit in with his new classmates or his old ones. It seems like the only person he was able to fit in with was his new friend William. It was not until the end of the film when Jamal finds acceptance at his new school. After Jamal is banned from a writing completion, Jamal chooses to attend with his friend Clare even though he will not be allowed to participate. During the competition, Crawford starts to ridicule Jamal’s work. To everyone’s surprise, reclusive Forrester shows up and begins to recite an essay. Crawford is speechless listening to the beautiful work of art. Crawford tells the class that Forrester is a great writer and the class has actually read his book. Forrester in fact has a plaque on the wall right beside Crawford. When Forrester revealed to Crawford that the essay he read was Jamal’s, Jamal was finally able to fit in at his new school. The film did a great job of defining how a person can feel like an outsider even if they clearly deserve to be somewhere.