Stereotypes In Finding Forrester

The film Finding Forrester defies the standards of a regular sports film, instead it depicts characters that find hope through venturing into the unknown. This film portrays the paths of two major characters, a striving African- American teen Jamal, and a Pulitzer prize winning recluse author William, who overcome stereotypes, prejudices, and myths which had fueled their unfounded fears. Throughout this process, they are also able to defy the assumptions made about them by others in order to reach their full potential. Jamal and William both realized by venturing into the unknown they would break the barrier that separated them from ultimate success. To begin, the film is able to perfectly capture the delicate topic of stereotypes. A aura of reality versus perception could be found in these stereotypes. The major stereotype in the film is a black teen such as Jamal can only assume the role of a great basketball player receiving only mediocre grades, though that is the perception and assumption of his fellow peers among others. The reality is Jamal is not like his of peers. Jamal is able to break through this stereotype by achieving great test result scores which creates interest for Mailor-Callow, a prestigious prep school offering Jamal a place in their student body. This reality creates a problem for Jamal as it
Prejudice by definition is a opinion that is not based on facts and previous experience. This type of opinion, a perception, can be found within Professor Crawford, who states that a person from Jamal's standing and background could not have written such prodigious work. This horrible assumption denied the reality, it denied that Jamal had natural talent until it was revived by a reading of Jamal's letter to the board by William. It was as William had warned, braving the unknown meant braving prejudice, and the dream of becoming an author had to be stronger in order to