Finding Forrester Reaction

1. Stereotyping is a huge issue within Finding Forrester. Many people portray Jamal as a low-class typical black kid that doesn't have a future. Everyone in his life seems to underestimate him; that is everyone except William. The stereotypes aren't just with Jamal though. It becomes considerably obvious that everyone has an issue with stereotyping. It occurs everywhere from skin color to intelligence. It's one of the most common themes that the movie seems to be trying to get across.

2. Christians are called to be different. Breaking stereotypes is a way to show the love that Christ first showed us. We need to break down any barriers that prevent us from spreading his Word. My first example occurs in John 4 where Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman at the well. Jews don't associate with Samaritans; much less men associate with lone women. Another example comes from Luke 15. The Pharisees had found him with tax collectors and sinners gathered around him. The Pharisees couldn't believe their eyes because it was normal for a good person to hang out and eat with sinners.

3. Jamal was naturally attracted to people that he knew would make him better at things. He found William and couldn't stop going to his apartment for advice. Once he set his mind to a goal, he didn't let down until he accomplished it. He continually surrounded himself with resources that aided his ability to write and play basketball.

4. Jamal seemed to keep both of them connected. What he was doing academically influenced the way he played basketball. He used both of them to balance his life so that neither academics or sports took over. That way of thinking helped him to stay focused and be able to accomplish anything he set his mind to.

5. Having found William by chance, Jamal took the relationship to the next level. Jamal persistantly tried to connect to William in order to develop a deeper, more trusting relationship. He got William out of his own, confined box and back into reality. William had been stuck on what had happened to his family, and never had moved on. William helped Jamal open his complex mind and put it on paper. He showed Jamal that he needed to break his stereotypes against professors and other students in order to learn to his fullest.

6. The writing practices used by William and Jamal include starting with an idea from something else. William had told Jamal to take ideas from other places in order to get past writers' block. They also try typing without even thinking until something comes out and they get into the flow. Whenever they felt the need to write something down, they didn't hesitate to. Both continued to trade ideas and concepts with the intention of writing better than they had before.

7. When William had left to take care of unfinished business, he really went to heal the broken relationship between him and Prof. Crawford. They had had a history of breaking each other down and trying to ruin each other's ideas.

8. William had left Jamal the permission to write the forward to William's second book. Their relationship had grown so much that Jamal had finally influenced William to step out and publish a second book.