Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Color of Friendship:Connecting with Apartheid

Deja M. 

The Color of Friendship is about two girls from two different countries. A girl named Mahree, a white South African, who lives in a mansion with her brother and parents. They have a maid named Flora, who is African-American. She is the only friend Mahree has. But, Mahree is blinded by the fact apartheid is morally wrong. She thinks the reason why the government forbids them to read and see certain things, is for everyone's safety. She then comes to America on a foreign exchange student program to live with Piper, an African-American girl. Piper's dad is a politician that is working against the chains of apartheid in South Africa. Piper knows the reality of apartheid and how it's wrong. She doesn't understandable why it's not clear to Mahree in how wrong it really is, also the affect it's having on the world. Misconceptions are made between Piper and her family, also with Mahree. They bump heads and encounter obstacles that set them back. Through it all, everyone learns life changing lessons.

Apartheid affects the lives of everyone, especially kids and teens. In school, the white children were taught that they are dominant over the blacks. That people should be separated by color, have African Americans carry around passes, and have limits on what they can and can't do. They learn it's their responsibility to keep the African Americans in their "place". When they learn that, they act upon the information they are begin taught. When they mistreat African Americans, it makes them feel less of themselves. Feeling inferior to white people of their same age group. You would think that kids may want a change, but most don't because it was what they are taught. But it can take one person to join with another for a serious reality check. They can both learn and educate each other about the lives of their people, and issues the world is facing. Then they can come together and make a change. Just like Mahree and Piper teaching each other about their cultures and ways. Piper got through to. Mahree that apartheid was serious and shouldn't be taken lightly. Mahree experienced a great reality check, while they both made connections. They found out they are similar in a lot of ways even though they come from different places and are different races.

This is one of my favorite movies because it teaches you that race doesn't matter. Also that it shouldn't determine your friendship with others. You never really know someone till you meet them and spend time with them. You shouldn't judge people based off where they came from or they way they look. I think this is a good movie to watch. Not only does it teach you a lesson on apartheid, it shows how big things can affect people that you least expect.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKyhkMJwCms
"Disney Channel Movie:The Color of Friendship." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

2 comments:

  1. It is interesting how a rich white person from South Africa during apartheid went to America and lived with a black person. The person she moved in with taught her valuable lessons on equality. It teaches her that it doesn’t matter what color your skin is you can still be friends and equals. I like the way you included your own preference on the movie and how you noticed a lesson other than one about apartheid. One thing that could be improved is that some sentences feel like they are incomplete and missing some aspects. What were some of the ways they butt heads?

    Sam R 2A

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  2. This is a story about something that you do not typically see in South Africa. I think this shows that not all whites were for the apartheid system, and if they did agree, then they could change their opinion as soon as they saw the injustice. You really painted a picture for me and showed how powerful the experience was. You also did a really nice job of outlining apartheid, but I would like to hear more about some of the obstacles that you referenced, and how they beat them. My question is, how do you think South Africans during the time of apartheid would feel about this movie?

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