Analytical Paper

Analytical Movie Paper

Catherine Jackson

University of Missouri St-Louis

February 25, 2015

Analytical Movie Paper

“We are not teaching Radio, Radio is teaching us,” the expression Coach Jones utilized to describe the impact Radio had on the community. Radio, a deprived and mentally-challenged adolescent, integrated into South Carolina’s educational system and the community in 1976, with the assistance of Coach Jones. However, the nameless mental disorder and lack of information on Radio’s condition raised many concerns and ambiguity among the community. People were visibly afraid and feared the unknown. As a result, neighboring citizens and school officials put in endless effort to barred and eliminate his presence. Still, Coach Jones continued to facilitate the differences in hopes to foster an attitude of acceptance in the community for Radio.

Assessment One

The film Radio begins with the teenage life of James Robert “Radio” Kennedy and, as a result, vital details surrounding his childhood, mental disorder and educational background were excluded from the story. Radio is an African American with a mental disability and given the time period in which the events took place in the film, viewers can have understanding into his background. During the 1970’s African Americans, especially those with disabilities were poor, discriminated against, and set apart from the mainstream of society. The majority of the households consisted of poverty-stricken single mothers who endlessly worked in order to maintain a minimal adequate standard of living. Perchance, this describes the life of Radio’s mother, a nurse who worked excessive hours for the upkeep of her home and Radio. Unfortunately, she did not earn enough to provide Radio with the sufficient means to improve his health and with low socio-economic status, Africa Americans were isolated from information and resources necessary to manage their overall needs. Children with disabilities had limited educational...