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4.3 Impacts Of Anti-Racism Actions
The Blind Side is a remarkable film that explores not only how the Tuohys helped Michael Oher, but also examines the impact he had on each of their lives. It is
a story that sheds light on the fact that whatever people have to give, no matter how large or small, it can make a difference in someone else’s life. When the Tuohys first
invited Michael into their home, they privately had second though about trusting him. But they always treated Michael with respect and trust. Love is caring deeply
about those you care, Leigh Anne shows that she really cares for Michael’s best interests. By encouraging him to do what he wants, she shows him that she truly
supports him and Leigh Anne gives without being asked and without any expectation of getting something in return. That is generosity. Michael Oher did not ask for it,
but Leigh Anne wants to help him. The impact of actions Leigh Anne is clearly shown when Michael Oher is
received in a white neighborhood and her family. They lived together, support each other and become more harmonious family.
Picture 13 Woman
: I mean, what you’re doing is so great. To open your home to him. You’re changing his
life. Leigh Anne
: No, He’s changing mine.
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From the picture and dialogue above, Leigh Anne has lunch with a group of wealthy white friends, Leigh Anne expresses how much Michael has changed her
life; “He was just this big ol’ kid who could have been mean and scary
and thuggy, but everything about him was soft and gentle and sweet-natured. With him [Leigh Anne] felt completely safe; even if
he wasn’t saying anything, she sensed he was watching out for her
” Lewis, 2007:72.
It shows that not only Michaels life changing, Leigh Anne s is also
changing for the better. If Michael does not come into her lives it would have been extremely different. Before she met Michael Oher, she noticed that everyone is
different. But after she met Michael Oher, Leigh Anne realizes that there is still a lot of people out there who still need help no matter what color he or she had. Leigh
Anne also says: “There are thousands of them out here, you are wasting your time because you cannot possibly save them all, well I saved that one
.”
Picture 14 Picture 15 From the picture above, Leigh Anne asks Michael if his mother ever read
story books to him, and he just silently shakes his head. After that Leigh Anne reads Michael Oher the story before bedtime along with her young son, and from a
distance Collins sits on the floor in the hallway near a door, smiling sadly and secretly listening too. The impact of the anti-racism Leigh Anne is seen in her
family. Her family changed and became very close when Michael Oher came into
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their lives. There is no more fear when living in one house with a black person. Like sitting together during Thanksgiving Day, holding hands and give thanks to the
Lord. From the anti-racism actions which Leigh Anne do to Michael Oher, it is
clearly showed that both Leigh Anne and Michael Oher, love and respect each other. This film displays good relationship between white and black. Through Michael
Oher and Leigh Anne relationship, the issue of racial discrimination seems disapper. They have harmonious relationshop. Leigh Anne and Michael Oher charactres come
from different social background. Michael Oher described as black lower class, and Leigh Anne described as white uppper class.
Leigh Anne and Michael Oher create harmonious relationship. Leigh Anne Touhy treats Michael Oher as her own child, she invites Michael Oher that she finds
him in alongside of road to stay in her house, and she also invites Michael Oher to have Thanksgiving breakfast together with Touhy family. Moreover, Leigh Anne
adopts Michael Oher as her own child until she gives him a good education and facilities. When Leigh Anne family takes picture for christmas card, she invites
Michael Oher to join them for takes the family picture.
Picture 16
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At the first picture only contains Leigh Anne, her husband and her two children. Leigh Anne calls Michael Oher and tells him to join them to takes picture
from Christmas card. From the picture above shows harmonious family relationship, without any physical differences. Tuohy family accept Michael as one of their family
members. They do not care about what people think about black children in their Christmas cards. Their friend say: “Collins looked teeny tiny next to him. Like Jessica
Lange in King Kong, ” and Leigh Anne’s cousin ask about a black child that there in
their Christmas card Listen, I’ve had about five cold ones so I’m just gonna go ahead and ask... who’s the colored boy in you all’s Christmas Card?.
Tuohy family just smiled and did not think about it.
It is clear that Leigh Anne cares about Michael. She has acted with generosity and has helped Michael to be the best. In addition to giving Michael a place to sleep,
he gets new clothes, a bed, and a room to himself which he never had. Michael
: It’s mine ? Leigh Anne : Yeah.
Michael : Never had one before.
Leigh Anne : A room to yourself? Michael
: A bed From the dialogue above, Leigh Anne show Michael’s bedroom. She shows
him the desk, dresser and new bed. He says he is never had one, and she assumes he means he is never had his own room, but Michael softly says, he never had his own
bed. Michael does not have the grades to be able to actually play in a game for his
school.
Even
he has scored low in a career aptitude test, he is in the 98th percentile in protective instincts. Leigh Anne uses this to drastically improve his performance
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on the football field. Leigh Anne hires a private tutor to help Michael in school and
his grades gets enough improvement for him to be eligible to play. “So here’s the plan, E-mail me all assignments and let me know
what Michael has to do to make an “A”. Oke, fine, a B plus. And if anyone know of a good tutor I’d love to hear about ‘em.”
She helped Michael a lot not only his studies but also his psychological symptom. She helped Michael turn to be more confident and more optimistic so that
Michael had more courage to stay along with others and have good relationship . “This team is your family Michael. You have to protect them from
those guys. Tony here, the quarter back, you have to protect his blind side. When you look at him, you think of me and how you had
my back, you have his. And Ompaloompa here, he’s your tail back and when you look at him think of SJ and how you’d never let
anyone hurt him.”
Leigh Anne explains American Football to Michael in a way he can understand. Leigh Anne tells him that he needs to protect his quarterback’s blind side
and view his teammates as his family, protected them when they were being attack. Leigh Anne does not want Michael to be like most young black, involve in
violance, being drug addict and die tragically. I read the other day about a boy from the projects. No daddy, in
and out of foster care. He’s been killed in a gang fight at Hurt Village. In the last paragraph they talked about his superb athletic
skills and how different his life might have been if he hadn’t fallen behind and dropped out of school. He was 21 years old the day he
died. It was his birthday. That could have been anyone. It could have been my son, Michael. But it wasn’t. And I suppose I have
God to thank for that. Anne narration
As a mother Leigh Anne hopes for the best for her son, Michael. She believes that Michael will not end up like other blacks she read on the news, because Michael
is already saved from the environment. Most importantly, is Leigh Anne Tuohy did
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not care about what her friend thought about she adopting a Negroes, she just did what she think that was right. She thought that love is no different to person from
person, she told us a lesson that we should help people who were in need, no matter what color he or she had.
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that film presented a particular image of black who experienced good treatment from white people. Black
people who had a good family that regarded and loved him, and he also gets a square deal from white people.
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
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