Introduction
The movie Precious was released in 2009 and featured the story of a young African American girl called Precious, the main character. Its production was directed by Lee Daniels and adapted the story from the novel “Push” by Sapphire. The powerful drama film takes the viewer back to the 1980s by depicting the life of Precious, who endured significant trauma as a child (Rashid, 2020).
The storyline addresses several critical themes in social work through the life of Precious, including child abuse, poverty, illiteracy, poor education, and discrimination. The suffering the girl endured at home and in broader society highlights the critical significance of social work. It underscores the role that social workers should play in supporting vulnerable community members, including offering counseling services and promoting equal access to education. The film emphasizes the need to create societal support systems to deliver safe environments for people who have experienced trauma.
Presenting Problems
The movie presents an emotionally impactful, thought-provoking story filled with the many problems Precious encountered. The first presenting problem she grappled with was physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from her parents. The mother did not offer adequate protection to her, and the father took advantage of the situation to abuse her sexually. As a result, Precious fell pregnant twice, which caused her to endure deep pain and suffering.
Precious dealt with a second problem of illiteracy and poor education that saw her grow up illiterate. Despite being an adult, she could not read and write until later. Precious also faced poverty, struggling to sustain herself with meager resources. For the most part, she had to depend on welfare and stay with her abusive mother in a cramped and squalid flat in Harlem. The poor life exposed Precious to poor eating habits that led to numerous health issues, especially being obese.
Lastly, Precious struggled with discrimination because of her obesity and being a black child. The discrimination made it hard for her to secure a job and relate freely with others.
Solution to Illiteracy and Poor Education
Despite struggling with illiteracy and poor education as a child, Precious found help through Ms. Rain. The teacher provided a solution by showing dedication and compassion in helping Precious to learn how to read and write. Precious also needed to work with somebody who paid close attention to her progress in her studies. This is critical given the circumstances she grew up in, where her education was distracted by difficulties at home.
Precious illiteracy and poor education must also be addressed using different teaching methodologies (Deniz & Sevinc, 2022). Ms. Rain endeavored to use this approach by teaching Precious introductory phonetics, how to break down words into sounds, and gradually built up her skills.The problem could also be addressed by supporting the lady in believing in herself and her abilities. Early intervention measures would have been better if the problem had been noted earlier, but the teacher augmented the solution by not giving up on her. Precious further needed a safe and supportive environment where she could study independently.
Different Approaches to Social Work
Social work entails a proactive practice that provides better care and support for victims under difficult circumstances. The challenges highlighted in the movie Precious could have been handled differently. The first step would be to create rapport and establish trust with the victim. Precious had a history of being let down by people close to her, including her mother and father. A social worker would spend more time creating a reliable connection with her to make her feel more comfortable opening up about her experiences and needs.
The process also requires active listening, which means being more attentive to her expressions and feelings without interruption or dismissal (Deniz & Sevinc, 2022). Before prescribing a solution, it would be necessary to explore different alternatives, such as suitable types of therapy or counseling that would benefit her. Cultural competence is also essential, considering Precious came from a poor African American upbringing. This would help to figure out the distinctive challenges and experiences she had to endure.
Child Welfare and Social Work
The actions by Mrs. Weiss in the movie “Precious” can strongly be connected to child welfare and social work. As a social worker, she interacted with Precious and came to learn of her predicaments, including the assault. Mrs. Weiss then began to help Precious, and she acted positively by being persistent in helping Precious despite her resistance, even from her mother. She remained steadfast in providing support, especially in enrolling Precious in an alternative school to help her focus on education and escape the challenges at home. She supported Precious by offering group therapy sessions to help her overcome the traumatic experiences and develop a support system.
However, Mrs. Weiss lacked cultural competence in delivering her services. She could regularly address Precious and her mother in a condescending and judgmental tone because they were African Americans. A case in point is when the social worker states rightly that Precious’ father died of AIDS and begins to lecture her on the risks of engaging in unprotected sex (Rashid, 2020). This signified her lack of understanding and respect for the cultural experiences of the people she served.
Support Systems
The analysis of the film reveals that several systems should have been in place to support Precious and her family. Most importantly, there should have been child protection services that would have shielded Precious from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse committed by her parents. The system would have taken custody of Precious and provided a safe and stable environment for her growth and development. Healthcare systems were also needed to help Precious deal with her pregnancy and provide mental health services (Deniz & Sevinc, 2022).
Precious needed prenatal care throughout her pregnancy, which she did not receive. She needed support to confound her emotional and psychological distress as a child. This would have helped her family cope with the aftereffects and provided therapy to deal with damaging past experiences. Precious also needed a good education to build her literacy skills and learn how to read and write. Education could have empowered her to gain essential knowledge and skills to support her in breaking the cycle of poverty and abuse.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the movie “Precious” describes the sad state of the life of a young African American girl. She was born to uncaring parents, leading to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, lack of education, poverty, and discrimination. However, she got an opportunity to join a school at an advanced age and was supported by Ms. Rain and Mrs. Weiss to reestablish her life. The two individuals were critical in providing her with education and social work services. The late arrival of help showed a lack of support systems that should have been provided through child protection, proper healthcare, and education.
References
Deniz, S.S. & Sevinc, P.S. (2022). Disadvantaged groups: A social policy perspective. Egitim Yayınevi.
Rashid, A. (2020). Precious Full English Movie 2009. YouTube.