The Movie Precious - 883 Words | Essay Example - IvyPanda


Precious is an African American girl who is portrayed as overweight, illiterate, having a poor memory, and being disrespectful to others. She has been raised in an impoverished home, with the story being set in Harlem, New York, in the year 1987. Precious lives with her mother, Mary, who is a volatile woman. She is unemployed and collects welfare as a means of income. She suffers from verbal and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, Mary. Mary continues to berate Precious, calling her dumb and worthless, as she blames her for the father's sexual abuse. Precious becomes pregnant with her first child at the age of twelve, having been impregnated by her father due to repeated sexual abuse. During the time this film takes place, Precious is pregnant a second time by her father, though there is no mention of him being brought to justice for his crimes. This movie entails Precious' challenging journey in deciding what is best for her and her children, and how she learns to deal with her traumatic past.


In the movie “ Precious “ by Lee Daniels, Gabourey Sidibe plays a sixteen-year-old, illiterate and overweight girl named Precious, who lives in Harlem, New York. She lives with her mother Mary Jones, who was abusive to her. The abuse and oppression was so traumatic for Precious, she would often dissociate herself from the situation and pretend to be someone else. Losing track of time, her situation and herself was her coping mechanism; throughout the movie it appeared that she would have these dreaming episodes where she would be another person in a much better situation. Precious became pregnant twice from her biological father, who had abandoned the family and infected both she and her mother with the HIV virus.

In the movie the teen, Clarice Precious Jones would have frequent flashbacks and dreams. Precious would have flashbacks of things that have happened to her and dreams that she was in another life. From the studies done on dissociative disorders it could be said that she suffers from DD. Dissociative disorder are conditions that involve disruptions, breakdowns of memory, identity, or perception. People with dissociative disorders use dissociation, as a defense mechanism, involuntarily. Dissociative disorders are thought to primarily be caused by psychological trauma. Research says “To date, clinical data indicate that dissociation may be associated with a more difficult, chronic course of symptoms in standard trauma treatment as well as high levels of attrition from treatment (see Brand, Lanius, Vermetten, & Loewenstein, 2012). A high proportion of the dissociative disorder

Precious Movie Essay - 227 Words | Cram

One level to address when watching the film Precious is the Micro issues that Precious faces in the movie. The movie does not directly describe all of Precious’s immediate family members but one can see

Claireece Precious Jones is a fictional character from the film "Precious" which is based on the novel "Push". The movie is a vivid illustration of the life of a teenager who has suffered years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and how these traumas have led to an array of psychological problems which are present today. This movie is a perfect case study to profile throughout the essay due to the clear-cut symptoms of depression, anger, and anxiety that Precious portrays. Precious is a 16-year-old African American teenage girl who resides in Harlem, New York, with her abusive mother, Mary. Her story takes place in 1987, which gives insight into the racial prejudice and discrimination facing African American women. Precious is a high school dropout, illiterate, and has two children fathered by her biological father, whom she lived with until she was taken into care. He is diagnosed as HIV positive, and therefore the children are diagnosed with this disease too. Both children are from two pregnancies which are attributed to Precious being sexually abused by her father. The abuse is evident in the film when the father is shown molesting Precious on two occasions. The children are now aged three and four, and Precious has been expelled from school due to her second pregnancy. This is what triggers her to seek an alternative pathway in gaining an education, and this is where she is referred to an alternative school named "Each One Teach One".

The individual who is enduring abuse always faces the aftermath of their abuse that has psychologically affected them, regardless of what form of abuse it might have been. Abuse can have a significant damaging impact on an individual's mental state. A few of the effects abuse can have on an individual consist of the development of maladaptive coping mechanisms, emotional trauma, and triggers that may cause depression (D'Onofrio M.J., 2006, pp. 2), all of which are significant factors that have influenced Precious throughout her life and further into her education. Precious suffered from emotional trauma due to the abuse she faced at home from her parents. Emotional trauma is defined as the mental impact in which a deeply distressing or disturbing experience is remembered and that is often re-enacted, either on a conscious or unconscious level (What is, 2010). This is particularly relevant here mentioned in the way that Precious was removed from a previous school as a result of having the father of her first-born child still being enrolled there. This is a very discomforting thought and it may be possible that Precious was too fearful to go to school and risk the possibility of having to face that situation again. This resulted in Precious being homeschooled from that point on. Another example is the consistent verbal abuse she received from her mother. A particularly memorable moment was when Precious was holding her second son, her mother tells her that she is stupid and that she will always be stupid and to put the baby down because that is the only thing she will ever have in her life. This is a horrible forceful way for her mother to try to persuade her to be on welfare and to keep depending on her. These remarks made by her mother are very likely to be deeply distressing and would have made a significant impact on the way that Precious perceived herself and her life. It is a clear example of what emotional trauma is, and it is almost certain that these remarks are something that Precious will remember and be in the back of her mind for the rest of her life.

(Bowen, 2000.) Although not much insight is given into the awful relationship Mary had with her late husband, there’s is evident that she resents her daughter. Precious became the target of neglect and abuse due to the fact that, her father raped her and her mother instead of protecting her became jealous of her own daughter. Mary intentionally tries to impair her daughter Precious by constantly demoralizing her by telling her that she is ugly, fat and stupid. Mary is fixed on the idea of hurting her physically, emotionally and psychologically. Mary is a constant remind to Precious of how she will be nothing without her. As a result, she internalizes this tension and many aspects of her life suffers. Precious is performing poorly at school, her physical health is bad as she is overly obese and she is a loner in the sense that she makes no effort to befriend anyone. She is constantly worried about what her mother is going to do to her for the day or she is constantly on edge with her mother, not knowing what to


Analysis Of The Movie Precious - 754 Words | Cram

The word "trauma" is rooted in the Greek word for "wound," and it is an accurate descriptor for the impact of the emotional abuse Precious suffered at the hands of her mother, and later her father. Indeed, there is a direct correlation between emotional abuse and the severity of one's traumatic experience. The absence of "overt" abuse does not equate to an absence of emotional trauma. Cindy Miller-Perrin and Robin D'errico point out in their article "Assessment of Emotional Abuse in Young Children" that emotional abuse acts no differently on a child than physical or sexual abuse...it is simply harder to detect. With the constant degradation, oppression, and manipulation Precious suffers, it is no surprise her sense of self-worth is so low. A significant percentage of children who experience abuse develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a term one would generally only apply to survivors of war or normally "unthinkable" traumas. The British Journal of Psychiatry, in a study on "Life Events and PTSD in a General Population," states that PTSD is an anxiety disorder which follows exposure to a traumatic event. Flashbacks, nightmares, and startle reaction...these symptoms must occur more than one month after the trauma (McManus et al., 2007). Precious' rich fantasy life, in which she imagines herself as a well-loved and respected woman, is essentially an "escape" from her current reality, a common manifestation of an attempt to cope with PTSD. One can see this most deeply rooted in Precious' admission (in her literacy class via journal writing) that she no longer has the desire to kill herself. This desperate realization that life is worth living is often the first progressive move in rebuilding one's sense of self-worth after trauma. In the case of Precious, it is her developing relationship with her literacy teacher (and her newfound ability to express herself) which inspires this change in attitude - "The teacher gave me a journal, it's like a present... all the words are my words and I decide long story big one, short subjects... Maybe I will find a way to call her and read her what I wrote...?" It is here that Precious has finally acquired the self-belief to view herself as worthy of a good life. Moving out of an abusive environment is generally accepted to be the most effective measure for preventing future emotional trauma. However, individuals may require therapy and/or medication to effectively deal with lingering issues of maladaptation. It may be a one step forward, two steps back process, but as Precious' ending shows, a better life is not an unattainable goal.

Movie Review: Movie Analysis Of The Movie Precious | 123 Help Me

The movie Precious, is based off of the novel Push by Sapphire. In this movie, there is a 16 year old girl named Precious. She is pregnant with her second child from her father, still in junior high, and is morbidly obese. Not only that, but is continuously abused by her mother and father; verbally, mentally, and physically.