How was student agency depicted in the film you watched? You might describe and react to student agency in the film or compare characters in the film and whether/what kinds of agenda they possess. Feel free to also suggest topics for discussion when we meet to discuss.
I watched The Breakfast Club (1985) and within the movie, student agency is shown as the characters confront personal struggles, assert their identities, and challenge societal labels. Each enters detention with a fixed stereotype— "the brain," "the athlete," "the basket case," "the princess," and "the criminal"—but over the day, they reveal insecurities and defy these roles. Brian (the brain) faces academic pressure, Bender (the criminal) rebels against authority, and Claire (the princess) shows her vulnerability. Through these actions, they resist or reshape the identities imposed on them, highlighting the conflict between societal expectations and self-expression.
ReplyDeleteI watched "The Breakfast Club" which is about five high school students from different social groups that spend a Saturday in detention together. At first, they stick to their labels: the smart kid, the athlete, the popular girl, the troublemaker, and the outsider. As they talk, they realize they have more in common than they thought. They open up about their struggles, and each one starts to understand who they are instead of listening to stereotypes By the end, they form unexpected connections and learn more about themselves forming their Breakfast Club.
ReplyDeleteEmma Hess^^^^
DeleteThe film I watched was “The Breakfast Club”. Agency was a major theme in this film, as all five students discuss how a lack of agency at home as well as within school affects their lives. Specifically, they don’t have a lot of agency over the preconceived notions held about them by their peers, parents, and teachers. They all feel pressured to fit inside the boxes they’re put inside. For example, Brian’s grades matter so much to him that getting his first F made him feel like his life was over. Andrew messed with the weak kid in the locker room because he felt pressured by his dad to be strong and look down on those who are weak. Something I would like to discuss is how the reasons each of the students were in detention have to do with a lack of agency in their lives.
ReplyDeleteThe film I watched was "Clueless." In this film, student agency is shown by the characters' abilities to navigate high school dynamics and assert their identities. The film depicts a variety of student agencies through characters such as Cher, who uses her social standing and influence to help others, and Dionne, who incorporates her independence with loyalty to her friends. Some topics of conversation I would like to discuss in class would be friendship dynamics, for example, how relationships influence student agency. Another being how factors of race, class, and gender impact each characters' expression of agency.
ReplyDeleteI watched the film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Ferris had agency over his parents, sister, and principal. Ferris had more agency over his parents than Cameron did with his parents. Ferris knew how to make his lies believable so his parents wouldn't catch him in a lie.
ReplyDeleteIn Ferris Bueller's Day Off, student agency is strongly illustrated through the character of Ferris, who exercises control over his family, friends, and even the principal. His acts highlight the idea of asserting independence and confronting social norms. Ferris epitomizes self-determination and independence, symbolizing the aspiration to escape the strict requirements of school and family responsibilities.
ReplyDeleteI also watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and I really enjoyed it. I agree that throughout the whole film Ferris depicted student agency heavily. He fooled everyone faking he was sick; his gullible parents, his principal who knew what he was up to, and even law enforcement officers and people from his small town, just so he could have a day with his friends in the city!
DeleteThe main character, Ferris, decides to skip school to control his day, which is interesting to me. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) interestingly depicts student agency. He pretends to be sick to convince everyone around him to follow his plan. My favorite part of the film was how Ferris used his independence to enjoy his day carefree, going to baseball games, and museums, and even driving a Ferrari if he chose.
DeleteFerris' ability to manipulate his way out of school made me reflect on how much freedom students enjoy, particularly in comparison to my own experience. My parents are very strict, so skipping school or disobeying them would never be an option for me. In a way, I am more resonant with Cameron, Ferris' friend who feels like he does not have much control over his life Cameron is constantly concerned about what his father will think, which resonates with me.
Cameron takes responsibility for his actions at the end of the movie, showing how he starts taking control of his own life. I realized that student agency isn't just about being rebellious like Ferris—it's about finding your voice, too, even when you have strict parents or a lot of expectations.
I watched "The Breakfast Club". In this movie, students agency is shown by the students all banding together and opening up about their struggles and the pressure they face in their lives. They all talk about their academics, home life, and anything else they may go through that has caused them to fall into their niche "clique" and what is making them feel forced into their stereotype. For most of them, the result of them being in detention is because they succumbed to pressure from home, school, and everyday things.
ReplyDeleteThe Breakfast Club shows how schools can create social divisions but also give students a chance to grow. The movie brings together five students from different groups in detention, each starting off as a stereotype—the jock, the nerd, the rebel, the loner, and the popular girl. As they spend time together, they start talking about their problems and realize they aren’t so different after all, breaking down the barriers between them. This connects to what we’ve discussed in class about how schools shape who we are and why it’s important to look beyond labels. The movie also points out how students often feel misunderstood by adults, while showing that schools can be a place where people learn to understand each other better.
ReplyDeleteI watched "Clueless" and student agency was depicted more as individualism, or in high school terms "cliques." The movies navigated student agency as something that was either designated to you or something you could acquire with the right "resources" which could be people or items. For example, Cher, the main protagonists, had student agency due to her status and confident identity whereas Tai acquired agency through learning from Cher which is common in a lot of school environments. Student agency can be granted to anyone who wants it but is not something that is guaranteed to stick or stay constant as one learns more about themself and is impacted by their environment.
ReplyDeleteIn The Breakfast Club, student agency is depicted through the characters' struggles with societal expectations and personal pressures. Bender shows agency through rebellion, while Claire starts to question her superficial identity. Andrew fights with his father's expectations, wanting more control over his life beyond sports. Allison uses silence and eccentricity to distance herself but later opens up to reveal a more vulnerable side. Brian's sense of agency is tied to academic success, though he’s weighed down by the pressure to meet expectations. Each character grows by expressing their true selves, challenging stereotypes, and exploring their own desires for control and freedom.
ReplyDeleteI watched “Class Rank” During the film the student agency was depicted in the form of the student having agency against his school and school board regarding his campaign. Ultimately, it was impressive to see a 16-year-old kid have an agency with his campaign, however, I do admit he had little possibility of winning since once again the main character was young compared to the other school board running candidates who were much older and more experienced. The agency between Bernard and Veronica was equally the same since they both used each other's intelligence to help get signatures, followers, and supporters. Overall, the film was great however, it poorly depicts the reality of a school setting and the incapability of a young student to run for the school board of education.
ReplyDeleteI watched “Class Rank,” and these students definitely exhibited agency. Bernard runs for the local school board, and none of the adults in his life really stop him. I thought this movie was kind of strange in the writing. It was definitely more of an indie film rather than a Hollywood type film. Last week I watched Dangerous Minds, and that movie had stereotypes of low-income students of color. “Class Rank” had the polar opposite stereotypes - overachieving white kids. I will say, the division of class is handled more subtly in this movie. Veronica is from a higher income family and uses her credit card to help Bernard’s campaign. Bernard has small one-liners where he mentions that he has to save money. He also casually mentions that his parents died in an avalanche which was just so crazy to me. Overall, I enjoyed this film and found myself rooting for the two main characters to get together, even though they’re both a little toxic.
DeleteI watched the movie "Clueless," in this film, the main character, Cher, has the majority of student agency in the movie as she is learning how to balance social influence with personal growth, moving from superficial to genuine self-awareness. She can manipulate her social world so it works for her, but she realizes life is more than the superficial and that she actually has to grow as a person to get the outlook on life that she wants.
ReplyDeleteI watched the movie "Clueless", where Cher the main character had majority agency through the likeness of her peers. Cher maintained and created agency for herself by using her social skills to understand her peers better to gain more power. But after understanding that there is more to others and life she grows and has a more positive outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteAliyah Ibrahim: I watched Ferris Buellers Day Off. The movie was funny and I enjoyed watching it, I noticed how Ferris had the most agency because he fooled Cameron into taking his car. He also tricked his parents and principle into him skipping class because he was “sick”. He also had agency over his sister because he would always do these tricks and mess with his parents when his sister never could so she was always mad at his and jealous.
ReplyDeleteI watched Clueless, and the students showed agency by being confident in their identities and confident in high school. Specifically, the main character, Cher, was very confident in herself. She was very observant in interacting with her peers to stay at a higher level of popularity. Throughout the movie, Cher grows as an individual.
ReplyDeleteThe film I watched was Moxie. I think student agency was presented in many different ways. I think the main agency was the Moxie group to combat misogyny in the school. But the group was created only after the new student spoke up against the school-wide bully/protagonist.
ReplyDeleteThe main character, Cher, demonstrates student agency by learning to navigate the social dynamics, or “cliques,” of high school, using her social skills to better understand her peers. Throughout her journey, Cher experiences personal growth, understanding that despite her social status she is able to pursue a challenging career as a lawyer. Ultimately the movie “Clueless” highlights the importance of personal growth and individually among students.
ReplyDeleteI watched the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off as well. This was just an overall fantastic movie. Ferris had agency over almost everybody else in the movie (the principle, front desk workers, teachers, and other students in his class. I don't think he had agency over his two best friends, Cameron and Sloane. Ferris had the whole school talking about him like he was a celebrity, even the front desk workers at the school were talking about him.
ReplyDeleteJoey B
DeleteI watched the Breakfast Club and student agency is shown between characters as they assert their personality and identities and challenge social labels that they have. Their labels were the athlete, the popular/ princess girl, the rebel/ criminal boy, the smart/ brains boy. They are labeled these because of the way they act and the energy they give off to people.
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