Homeless To Harvard Critical Analysis

Those who are fortunate enough to be raised in wealth are able to reach for their success at any time, and of course if they put in the effort, attain it. On the other hand, those who are born into poverty and who may not have been very fortunate may feel like they do not have the same opportunity and that simply because they are less fortunate they can not be successful. However, the film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story suggests that one can work themselves up from any stage in life, wealthy or poverty-stricken, and attain success.

In Homeless to Harvard, an American film written by Ronni Kern and directed by Peter Levin, the main character Liz Murray grows up in poverty. Elizabeth, as a girl, lives with her sister, mother, and

Elizabeth’s mother Jean was schizophrenic, legally blind, an alcoholic, and a drug addict and her father Peter was also a drug addict. Her father, although intelligent, never seemed to be aware of his surroundings and never cared about the interactions between his wife and daughters that would occur around him. In other words, Peter never paid attention to his family and did not take care of his daughters. Since Liz was worried about her familial issues she refused to go to school, and because of her drug-addicted parents, Elizabeth is eventually removed from her home and sent to live in a group home which houses many other girls that come from poverty-stricken homes. Liz is released and goes back to live with her mother, sister, and sexually abusive grandfather who eventually becomes the reason Liz runs away. However, Liz’ mother is dying of AIDS so Elizabeth continues to take care of her mother as much as possible until Jean passes away. This was a reality check, or as Liz puts it, “A slap in the face,” which motivates Elizabeth to start working hard, going to school, and working her way out of the poverty-stricken life