An Analysis of the Character of Mr Escalante in the Movie Stand and Deliver Essay

In the movie Stand and Deliver, double entendre ran rampant. During anAlgebra lesson one day at the beginning of the school year, Mr. Escalante toldAngel, a gang member, to "fill the hole". Not only was he referring to the holeas an illustration, but also to the hole in the students lives as a result oflack of education, the gangs, and in many cases, a poor upbringing.Mr. Escalante must have seen some potential in Angel and was tryingdesperately to fill the hole caused by a lack of education in his life. However,Angel, tied very deeply to his gang "family", would have none of it. Jaimewants Angel to pull a complete attitude reversal by learning and selfimprovement, but Angel, stubborn to the core, was not going down without a fight. Through seemingly endless struggles, Mr. Escalante endures hardships andinsults to try and save the students and the school. Finally, he finds ahandhold and clings to it as if his life depended upon it. In the end, Angel,as well as the other students, makes a huge stride by studying and passing theAP Calculus exam.In yet another interpretation of this seemingly meaningless statement,Mr. Escalante could be referring to the hole caused by discrimination. Jaimeknows that because of their ethnic origin, they will have a constant struggle toovercome the hurdles life has already set for them. ETS questioning of theresults of the first AP exam is just one of the many obstacles his students willencounter in their strive for success. Mr. Escalante is doing his best to fillthe discriminatory holes for his students, even as life undermines his efforts.Analyzing the statement once again, it could be said that he isregarding the hole caused by low expectations. Mr. Escalante believes with allof his body and soul that the students will rise to the level expected of them.To the astonishment of the teaching staff, his methods begin to prove themselves. Jaime even begins to teach an AP Calculus class to his Algebra...

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