Antwone Fisher Review PDF

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ANTOWNE FISHER REVIEW CHS 230...

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Karisma King November 12,2019

Antwone Fisher Review Antwone Fisher was a Navy-enlisted young man who has experienced several traumatic events throughout his life. Based on his upbringing, he suffered a great deal of abuse and heartache along with the absence of both parents. His early emotional state in the film was unstable and full of rage. An example of his mentality resulted in several outburst throughout the film. With the slightest provocation, he is at the center of many fights. At the start of the film we witness a young Antwone in a field as he is in a dream. He then is invited to a dinner feast surrounded by family that accepts him. Shortly after he awakes from a dream, his fellow crew member teases him asking him” what's on his face.” Antwone then attacks the man and is instructed to attend mandatory therapy. Even in the beginning of his session's Antwone was defensive and standoffish. Another example of his instability to control his anger, would be when he went out with his friends. At the table, each of his friends had a lady besides them. Antwone refuses as he is approached by a woman to dance with them because has a girlfriend. One of his friends mocks him claiming that no one has seen this “girlfriend” and that he was a “faggot”. This results in a fight which lands him in a holding cell. In social work, human rights are very important because it adheres to values such as dignity, respect, and self determination. In the film, Antwone’s rights were violated from since he was a little boy from the abuse of Ms. Tate and Nadine. He was abused, beaten and molested. A prime example of this violation was when Ms. Tate tried to take money from him that he had earned raking lawns. He refused to give her the money which resulted in him getting kicked out and going to the men’s shelter. “The foster system don’t take black teenage boys” she stated. After a long search, Antwone is reunited with his mother. In the scene you see a regression emerging as he prepares to confront her. Once his identity is revealed to his biological mom, you can see the regret and pain in her eyes. She is emotionally incapable of responding to him. Antwone let’s her know how successful he has been in her absence. He doesn’t talk down on her but rather let her know that he has a life and avoided going down the wrong path. I would say that this interaction resulted in closure. According to the NASW code of ethics, Antwone was failed by the helping professionals because they didn’t find a suitable home for him. For a person like Ms. Tate to have custody of the children in the household shows that there was no social justice being practiced or provided. Antwone. wasn’t treated as a young boy with value. The helpers assigned to his case should o with the boys to see if there was any abuse. Multiple institutions failed Antwone in his life which was the foster system and shelter system. Racism played a massive role in how he was perceived since a child. A sense of not feeling wanted and not being treated as human. Both universal elements and personal trauma from these institutions has impacted his behavior.

I believe that Antwone had his reasons for his fight in the navy because of what he went through in his childhood. His reaction wasn’t the best choice but it resulted his punishment having three sessions with Dr. Davenport in helping him cope with his pain. Dr. Jerome Davenport helped Antwone confront his personal pains. I believe he was in fact a “liberated gatekeeper based on his actions in the film. He not only tolerated Antwone’s behavior in the beginning of the first sessions till he opened up, but he gave him advice and helped him get through his first date. His wife invited him to dinner and shows Antwone his own family , how they eat at the table. The foster care system demonstrates “institutional failure” based on colorism and prejudices. Antwone state’s in the film that” the first kids who were adopted were the light skin girls. Then the light skin boys , dark skin girls and lastly , dark skin boys. Ms Tate comment of how the foster system doesn’t take in teenage boys resulted in Antwone being homeless. Antwone’s girlfriend brought him hope. She gave him motivation into wanting to be a better man and control his anger. She was a support system and gave him guidance. Not only did she travel with him to find his family but she stuck with him till he saw things threw by joining the search. She supported him by also providing romance in his life. Cheryl, Antwone’s girlfriend , gave him much needed emotional support. She encouraged him and was patient with him. From their first date, both was shy but eventually opened up to each other. You can see the genuine concern in her face as Antwone began to open up his reasons for seeing a psychiatrist. The importance of family in the film shows how reconnecting with your roots is significant. Having a sense of identity from where you come from helps shape you into the person you are. Self identity and support helps connect you and support you throughout life. The film emphasizes this idea by the representation of food and family dinners that bring family together. Antwone even makes a reference to food saying” if I smelled pancakes, I knew it was going to be a good day”. Antwone’s relationship between him and his psychiatrist is like a father and son. Dr. Davenport assures Antwone of his self worth. Although Dr Davenport was being supportive, you can tell that he feels Antwone is getting a little too attached and being intrusive in his life a bit. Eventually all is resolved once Antwone reveals to him that he was able to find his family. Dr. Davenport’s relationship with his wife was distant in the beginning of the movie. There would be periods of time where he would shut down very subtly. It is revealed towards the end that she was not able to have kids and was seeing a therapist. Dr Davenport revealed that Antwone influenced him in a positive way of wanting to be a better husband. After watching the story of Antwone Fisher, I have learned great lessons that touched my heart. I learned how strong the human will is. Against all odds, Antwone was able to go into the navy and learn two languages plus a third on the way. This to me was truly inspiring to see how this young man was able to escape stereotypes that plague the black community. Another lesson I learned was to address issues within myself in order to become a better person. Once Antwone was able to identify his pain, he was able to address his reasons for being mad at the world. With the help of Dr Davenport and his girlfriend Cheryl, he was able to gain closure and move on with his life.

Lastly, I learned how Persistence and patience are rewarding. The best way to prove to people how strong you are is through success. Despite everything, Antwone did not fold or break....