Through the expectations of her friends and family, a young girl is forced to choose between right and wrong. In Entry 33, of The Freedom Writers Diary an adolescent must make the decision either to lie and send an innocent man to prison for a murder he didn't commit or tell the truth, which would in turn send her close friend to prison for this horrendous crime. "You can't go against your own people, your own blood." These were the words that ran through her mind in court that day. This statement was all she had ever known. These were the words of her family. It was the reason why everyone in court, who came to support her, never expected that she might tell the truth. Disregarding the values of her family, she deeply regretted the thought of sending an innocent man to prison, never to be with his family. Someone had already done this to her family, and she couldn't bare the thought of doing it to another. It wasn't possible. Morally, she was better than these expectations and couldn't lower herself to do such a thing. Even if it meant going against the people that were suppose to be her family. Often in life, a family's expectations are truly important in the growth of an adolescent, but more significant still is the way in which the adolescent perceives these expectations.
Most parents or family units have some form of ideals or expectations of how they would like an adolescent to live. Often these standards are there to set guidelines for how one might conduct themselves in the outside world. The expectations can vary. One family might teach their son or daughter to always do the right thing and know the difference between right and wrong. This adolescent is then expected to exercise these beliefs. If they ever come across a situation of conflict they will hopefully make the right decision. But one might also decide to defy these expectations. Resisting these beliefs doesn't mean that as a person, one is making a morally incorrect decision.
