Original Piece

In the film Akeelah and the Bee we were presented with several characters who not only had problems fitting in with their peers, but had problems really figuring out who they were. In this story the struggle to become apart of those around us is not only external, but internal.
Akeelah is a bright, young person who has trouble accepting her intelligence. She comes from a place where being smart is frowned upon. As Akeelah is getting a drink at the school water fountain she is approached by two bullies who call her names, like "freak." They say that they know she is smart and that she will do their homework; when she tries to run she is attacked. The fact that Akeelah can't excel in school without being criticized for it makes her feel isolated from the rest of her school that doesn't value those unique qualities she possesses. Another example of this is when Akeelah is studying for the spelling bee; her "gang-banging" brother comes in and states that "those white folks are going to tear your black ass up." Akeelah feels like an outsider because she is an African-American and she is competing against rich, white kids.
Another character in the film who is made to feel like an outsider is one of Akeelah's competitors, Dylan. However, unlike Akeelah, Dylan's isolation is forced upon him by his father. At the beginning of the district spelling bee all of the kids are mingling and getting to know one another, but Dylan is sandwiched between his parents and isn't allowed to fraternize. Even if he wanted to his father would look down upon it and cause Dylan to re-think his own desires of having friends. Another example of this is when Akeelah decides to invite Dylan to drink soda and goof-off with the other spellers. She is met with a firm "no" and a swift goodbye from Dylan's father. He is made to study continously and never really has a chance to be a kid. Even when he is in school he isolates himself from others; he is seen studying alone in a classroom after school when other children are meeting to study spelling. He has become so isolated that he doesn't even think about going to join them.
These two characters are presented throughtout the movie has strong, but unsure of who they really are. They over-achieve in areas that most of us would fail in. Because of their uniqueness they are shunned and made to feel like outsiders. In the end though, they see that they should celebrate their differences and embrace who they really are; this is the only true way to happiness.
Since each of us has something unique about us I feel that we can all sympathize with these two characters. We know what it is like to be different and we know what it is like to want to be accepted. In every aspect of our lives there is room for prejudice. We see what we want to see even without facts to base it on. We constantly make assumptions about others. If we ever want to look past their differences we need to be comfortable with our own. Akeelah realized this by the end of the movie and in return she became closer to her loved ones