Timed Write #1 Bend It Like Beckham

Family customs can hold us back from our dreams. In "Bend it Like Beckham", Jess has a dream to play soccer but knows that her family customs won't allow her to pursue that dream. So she takes things into her own hands and realizes that if she doesn't do something her families customs will hold her back from her dreams. Jess' parents were against her playing soccer because she was a girl and in her culture girls don't play sports. This deprived her of her identity therefore, made her feel as an outsider. Being able to choose our path in life can sometimes give us opposition and make us choose between belonging or being separated from others. Being an individual with hopes and dreams that differ from our family customs can make us stronger through fighting for what we want. In the part of the film where Jess was playing with her team during the game a girl from the opposite team purposely tripped and kicked her calling her a Paki. Jess became angry and retaliated by pushing her. Jess was sent off the field. Jess felt like an outsider when she was called a Paki because this attacked her ethnic background. This was an attempt to make her feel isolated therefore play poorly. Isn't this what happens to us when we are weak in how we view ourselves? Jess had to deal with the community acceptance as well. Being from another culture brings on racial differences and discrimination's. Family customs can hold us back from our dreams if we let them. Jewels family customs were gender identity related. Jewels was not acting like a girl, but a boy, according to her mother. Gender identity can make us feel like an outcast when we want to do what our culture calls "boyish activities". Being a girl, we are suppose to wear dresses, fix our hair, wear makeup, have a boyfriend, and be the cheerleader instead of the player for the game. Family customs can hold us back unless we are motivated to keep going toward our dreams even in the face of opposition. We all struggle in one or more of these areas based on the views or customs of our family backgrounds. We will let our family customs, community expectations, and cultural difference effect our path in life if we don't persevere and go forward towards our dreams. Don't let your family customs hold you back from your dreams.