” Homeless to Harvard ” is a very good movie based on true events.
[Dilemma]
Liz Murray and her sister Lisa Murray’s parents lived in the poorest area of New York, and they were both drug-addicted parents. Liz’s childhood was very different from the life of ordinary children. Her parents spent almost all their money on drugs. The house was messy, dirty and depressing. Liz and her sister sometimes had to eat ice cubes because they were too hungry to find food. The bathtub did not drain properly, and it was always stagnant and no one repaired it. Liz smelled because she didn’t take a bath for several days. She also often skipped classes because her classmates laughed at her odor. She always wore shabby clothes. Her mother quarreled with her sister for money to buy drugs, and her father ignored it and stared at the TV all day. Liz had to work and give her mother money to see a smile on her mother’s face; although this money was crucial for them not to starve.
Liz’s parents were both drug addicts. Her mother suffered from schizophrenia, became blind, and later died of AIDS. Liz’s life was turbulent: she lived in shelters, slept in subway stations, and picked up garbage… She never had a decent home, and spent most of her teenage years in panic wandering. Occasionally, she had to play the role of an adult and go back to take care of her parents and sister. Many times, she sat in front of her mother’s bed in tears. Most of the people around her were unfortunate people. Peer violence, sexual assault and mental illness. Day after day, she lived in a world without hope and dreams. When her mother died, she ran to the roof of the building and sobbed helplessly in the rain. There was no priest or ceremony for her mother’s burial. After a few people left, she lay quietly on her mother’s coffin and whispered about every bit of the past…
Liz’s family and environment were like a bottomless abyss with no hope of escape. Liz grew up in a nightmare environment, her mother was addicted to drugs, suffered from schizophrenia, and was later diagnosed with AIDS. Because of AIDS, her mother left her, and she was taken away by the authorities and placed in a group home.
【Turning Point】
Until one day, Liz’s mother died of leukemia when she was only 15 years old. As she lay on her mother’s coffin before her burial, she suddenly realized that she had to do something to save herself and escape the destructive fate.
After their mother died, their father moved to a homeless shelter and ignored the sisters. Liz refused to live with her grandfather because the old man was having an affair with his daughters and one granddaughter, Liz’s sister.
For a while, she had nowhere to go and had to sleep on the streets, subways, or rooftops of different buildings with her good friend Chris, who was also born in a violent family. Sometimes, she had to beg for change from strangers on the street, and even steal food from grocery stores to avoid starving to death with Chris.
Liz starts school, working towards her life-changing goal of getting a good education and changing her hopeless life.
【growing up】
She studied as hard as she could. She juggled her studies, graduated at the top of her class, and won a scholarship from a New York Times Magazine essay contest to attend Harvard University.
Liz really relied on her own perseverance and persistence to get into Harvard University. In order to pay for Harvard’s expensive tuition, she looked up all the scholarship information. On the day of the interview, she didn’t even have a decent piece of clothing. She wore a tattered dress and a coat borrowed from her sister to barely make up. Sure enough, she got the scholarship and entered Harvard.
When Liz was determined to change her fate, she studied very hard. Although she seldom went to school like other children before, she controlled herself and refused everything, such as invitations from friends, and even the influence of her only good friend Chris, who always dissuaded her. Liz could devote herself to study. She successfully doubled or even tripled her study time by staying late at school and library, reading while washing dishes, or working part-time. She completed four years of high school in two years, and even won the scholarship needed for her Harvard dream.
【Insights】
After watching this movie, I reflected on where I am now. Liz taught me so much, and I realized how many things I did wrong and how many things I should have done. Compared to Liz, I grew up in a warm family. My parents were loving and supportive. I had pocket money every day, I could eat on my own, and I had enough energy to go to school. I had a full tuition waiver and a monthly allowance in college. I had all of this, but I failed to be a good student, a good daughter, and myself.
I was mad at myself for making so many excuses. Excuses that were meaningless, worthless, meaningless, and not even true. I kept letting these weird emotions drag me down even when they weren’t there. I forced myself to believe negative emotions that weren’t true – like I was ugly or I wasn’t good enough. Even if these statements were only made once or twice in my life, or even more than once, I shouldn’t care too much because that’s someone else’s opinion and they have a right to their own opinion and it’s none of my business…
I have the power to not care about things that aren’t true; I have the power to be who I am. I know now that I can’t allow the past to hurt me because I’ve decided to move on. Most importantly, I have the power to choose a better life. I have that power because if Liz can do it, so can I!
In real life, we may complain that our lives are not satisfactory or that we have experienced difficulties, but compared with Liz, these difficulties are nothing. Liz’s strong and unyielding spirit is shocking. She used her efforts and perseverance to overcome the injustice of fate. Each of us should learn from her, not be swayed by the environment, and not give up our dreams easily.
I learned a lot from Liz. Even if there are many disappointments in life, we should face them bravely and embrace the future with firm faith. Just as the theme of the movie conveys: no matter how dark the past is, as long as we are willing to work hard, we will surely usher in light.
Liz’s story is not only about poverty, drugs, violence and despair, but also about hope, courage and change. She tells us through her own experience that our destiny is in our own hands, and even in the most desperate situation, we can still find a bright path of our own.
【End】
This movie made me realize that some people grew up in such a desperate environment, but they were still able to survive and achieve great success. This spirit is worth learning and admiring for each of us. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the storm. Liz Murray is such a person who dances in the storm, and her life story will always inspire me to move forward.
