Hope

     A word that came to me while watching The Boys of Baraka was hope.  The boys in the film had so much hope for a greater future.  They wanted to make something of their lives and become something more.  When Richard was talking about his father in jail he said, "I want to be somebody.  I won't have to worry about going to jail and not seeing my kids."  All the boys had hope for a better tomorrow.  Montrey had hopes of going to college and getting his masters and becoming a scientist. 
     The boys' families also had hope for them.  When the school was about to shut down the family stood up for their education.  They wanted action to be taken so that they could go through this program or something similar.  They knew that this program was a way for them to get an education and succeed.  When they realized their boys wouldn't have this opportunity anymore I think many of them felt heartbreak.  This makes me think of the power that the school had over the boys' education.  The school was like a gatekeeper.  The school in Baraka was an opportunity for these kids to succeed in school and get away from the violence and negative behaviors going on in their neighborhoods.  When the school closed down they had no other option but to go back to public school.  These boys had many struggles and challenges they faced while going to pubic school.  It makes me think about the privilege that some children have over others.  Some children don't have to worry about the violence or certain behaivors going on in their school or neighborhood, while others struggle with it on a day-to-day basis.  This film made me more aware of that privilege and the challenges that some students have to go through.