Tear Jerker / Freedom Writers

• Many, if not all, of the students that Erin teaches have extremely sad backstories, mostly about family members being sent to jail, beaten, or even killed, as well as friends.
• The "Toast for Change" scene. One student reads an entry from his journal, which recounts the time when he and his mom got evicted from their house, and how worried he was about being made fun of for being homeless. But when he came to his English class' first hour, nothing else mattered. He was home. He reads it all on the verge of tears himself, and then the whole class—people who were formerly gang rivals who hated one another—gather around him for a group hug.^note Also worth noting: the journal entry was not written for the film and comes directly from a student's diary.
• Erin Gruwell's divorce. Considering she spent so much time wanting to help her students that she spent away from her husband, so much so he spends his time complaining before finally deciding to leave her. It's heartbreaking especially considering how much Erin spends most of the film in smiles despite everything that occurs.
• Marcus's reunion with his mother. She's clearly not enthusiastic to see him. He very quietly apologizes and admits that he wants to change, but that he can't do it alone and needs her. It turns heartwarming when she silently accepts him back home.
  • Earlier in the film, one of the entries he writes is "I miss my moms[sic]"