The Will To Survive: A Review of “Precious”
by Nijah Valencia Keye | originally posted on Jan 31, 2010
Many have heard about the movie “Precious” based on the book Push by Sapphire. This past November, members of Sister Sol’s Soul & L.I.F.E. and Soul Apoyo chapters took a trip to see “Precious.” Before going to see the film, we read the book Push. The film is an uplifting, breathtaking movie about the need to overcome one’s obstacles. It is about a Harlem teenager named Clareece Precious Jones, who is the victim of incest. Precious is impregnated by her own father twice, and as if being raped by her own father was not bad enough, Precious also suffered physical and emotional abuse from her mother, played by famous comedian Mo’Nique. Precious, who can neither read nor write, and is constantly teased because she is fat, must find a way to break through.
When Precious is kicked out of school for being pregnant, she entered Each One Teach One, an alternative school. There, she learned to read and began to use writing as an outlet for her emotions, with the help of an inspirational teacher named Ms. Blue. Later in the film, Precious finds out that she was infected with the HIV virus by her father. Upon finding this out, Precious believes no one has ever loved her, or ever will love her. Through the support of her new friends at the Each One Teach One alternative school, Precious soon learns that her life is full of love: her teachers and friends at Each One Teach One love her, and most especially, her new baby boy loves her, and as his mother, she must return his love in the best way she can.
Precious confronts very serious issues that affect many people in urban communities. Teen pregnancy is one such issue. According to the CDC, the rate of teen pregnancies in urban areas is rising. When teens become pregnant, they might react in a couple of different ways: either they don’t take it seriously enough, or automatically they think that their life is over. Well, not Precious. Even though Precious went through so much, she kept pushing forward and did what she needed to do to get her baby back, and so that her and her children can live a better life. This goes to show you that with hard work and the strength to carry on, anything is possible. Precious wasn’t raised in the best home environment and because she didn’t have the best, I believe she wanted her children to have the life she always wanted. I honestly believe that Precious’ true inspiration was her own mother. If it had not been for her mother’s neglect, she might not have been so strong-willed.
Nijah Keye is a junior at Mott Hall High School. She is also a member of Soul Apoyo and the Liberation Program. She will be studying abroad in Ghana with its International Study Program in summer 2010.
Bro/Sis Photo@Random
