essay theme precious

Precious (2009): Patient Assessment and Treatment Essay (Movie Review)

Introduction, conducting the assessment of the patient, the development of the treatment plan.

It could be stated with certainty that the 2009 Lee Daniel’s movie Precious , which is based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, is the work of art that elicits numerous problems that are highly relevant for the contemporary society. In particular, the movie depicts the life of the African American urban community, focusing on various health-related and social issue, such as single-parent households, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and interaction with society (Sweeney, 2010).

The majority of the mentioned topics has a direct relation to the question of care and self-care, making the movie a substantial source of information for healthcare professionals. Therefore, it is decided to conduct an assessment of the movie’s central character, Precious, in order to overview various factors influencing her health so that a comprehensive treatment plan could be successfully developed. The paper is supported by the vast academic literature research in spheres related to issues depicted in the movie.

Description of the Patient

First of all, it is essential to provide an overall description of the patient. Also, to put further reasoning in the proper context, it is critical to notice that the whole assessment and discussion of the treatment plan are based entirely on what is presented in the movie, and thus they might lack some features of a formal assessment. As it is presented in the movie, Precious Jones is a 16-year old African American female, who lives in a sing-parent household with her mother, Mary (Watkins-Hayes, Patterson, & Armour, 2011). The movie is set in Harlem, 1987; and the characters live in a tiny, dirty apartment in Section 8 project housing.

Precious is the subject to constant physical, emotional, and verbal abuse from her mother, also she was sexually abused by her father at the time when he was with the family (Watkins-Hayes et al., 2011). Also, she became HIV-positive because her father had AIDS (Watkins-Hayes et al., 2011). As the result, Precious is pregnant for the second time, and the principal of her school expels her, suggesting to enroll to an alternative education program (Watkins-Hayes et al., 2011).

It is evident that the situation depicted in the movie represents a situation which is to be thoroughly investigated from the perspective of a healthcare professional (Jarman, 2012). The overall thesis is that abuse in its various forms resulted in unwanted pregnancy, low literacy, and HIV-positive diagnosis, contribute to the adverse mental and physical condition of Precious (Jarman, 2012).

Case Formulation

On the basis of the overall information, it is possible to formulate the case. Generally, the problem is that Precious is put in the unfavorable situation in which she as an adolescent does not have enough power to confront the pressure from her familial members and the large-scale social conditions of her life. Thus, there are three evident issues that should be addressed.

Firstly, the various kinds of abuse that are experienced by Precious are caused by her family. Secondly, she is HIV-positive, which is a highly difficult disease to handle, both physically and emotionally, at her age. Thirdly, she is pregnant, and adolescent pregnancies are usually a very difficult case, both for mother and child. Accordingly, these three primary problems serve as the foundation for the development of change effort’s goals. These goals could be synthesized into one concise statement: it is essential to provide Precious with sufficient instruments for her to handle her unfavorable social conditions and support her struggle with AIDS and pregnancy. This statement will later serve as the basis for the development of the treatment plan.

Referral and Background Information

As the assessment is based on the movie, it is hardly possible to provide referral and background information in a complete and formal manner due to the lack of precise information. Precious Jones is 16-year old, and she lives with her mother Mary, as her father Carl left the family. Precious has a daughter, who was conceived in a sexual intercourse between Precious and Carl. The family lives in Harlem, in a small apartment from the project housing. In general, it is the maximum amount of referral and background information that could be retrieved from the film.

Individual and Family History

For the aspect of individual and family history, the problem is relatively the same as it is in the previous subsection. The movie does not provide concise information about the Precious’ individual and family health history. The most evident fact, which is revealed toward the end of the film, is that Carl is HIV-positive, and thus Precious also has AIDS. Further, it is apparent that Precious suffers from obesity, which might have been caused by the genetic legacy of her mother. Also, Precious’ daughter has Down syndrome, which is most likely caused by the fact that she was conceived be blood relatives as Carl sexually abused Precious, his daughter. Also, it is mentioned in the movie that when Precious went in labor, giving birth to her second child, it was the first time when she had been to the hospital.

Discussion of Data Collection Sources of Information for Analyses

Once again, the discussion of data collection sources of information for analyses is the subject to the same problem as it is in the previous two subsections. Due to the fact that the available information is limited to what is presented in the movie, the author has to rely solely on this information. Since the authors of the film were not concerned with creating a full set all data that is formally needed for thorough clinical assessment, it is apparent that the process of data collection is significantly restricted to what is shown in the movie.

Discussion of Cultural and Societal Factors

It is possible to state with certainty that cultural and societal factors play an immensely important role in the case of Precious Jones. The problems that she experiences are largely determined by her cultural and social background (Sutton, Lasswell, Lanier, & Miller, 2014). First of all, she comes from a low-income family that lives on the edge of poverty, and it is largely recognized that exposure to such social circumstances raises the probability of different kinds of abuse, low literacy, insufficient access to medical treatment and care, unwanted adolescent pregnancies, and increased HIV risk (Assini-Meytin & Green, 2015; Kinser & Masho, 2015).

For example, it is apparent that Precious can hardly escape the abuse within the family as she lives with her mother and could not provide for herself due to her age and lack of education (Watkins-Hayes et al., 2011). Moreover, Precious’ low literacy in the questions of sex and pregnancy, as well as the inability to escape the abuse from her father, contribute to her poor understanding of the effects of adolescent pregnancy (Coyle et al., 2016). Therefore, it could be observed that social and cultural factors have an immense impact on the development of negative effects on Precious’ health.

Discussion of Multidimensional Assessment

Regarding the discussion of the multidimensional assessment, it is worth mentioning that it is difficult to perform it due to the lack of information provided in the movie. As it was already mentioned, the authors of the film did not intend to develop a comprehensive and full set of medical information that is usually obtained from family and individual health records and personal interviews. Thus, based on the information that could be retrieved from the film, one can observe that the primary influencing factors within the multidimensional framework are social and cultural factors, as it was exemplified in the previous subsection. Other factors that should be mention are Precious’ obesity and HIV-positive status.

These factors contribute to the overall adverse physical and mental state of the young African American. For example, Chaney (2018) expresses the following point of view in her article. The author states that the negative stereotypes about young African American mothers largely drives people from outside the African American community to disregard these females’ intention and actual ability to successfully participate in the contemporary society (Chaney, 2018). From this perspective, it is evident that young African American mothers should be assessed with the understanding of numerous specific dimensions of their health, but without prejudice.

Discussion of Intervention Strategy and Treatment Goals

In general, the treatment goals for Precious were shortly formulated in the previous section. These goals could be states as follows: (1) to provide Precious with sufficient instruments for reducing the negative effects of physical and mental abuse on her health, (2) to ensure that both the mother and her children are provided with care and access to proper treatment, and (3) to ensure that Precious is treated efficiently from AIDS.

These goals cover a considerably large area of concern that covers several dimensions of life. However, as the instrument of reducing stress among African American adolescent mothers, Kinser and Masho (2015) propose yoga sessions. Additionally, Coyle et al. (2016) propose the promotion of Safer Choices intervention, which is intended to increase the awareness about sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents. Also, the antiretroviral therapy is recommended for Precious.

Discussion of the Application of a Theory and its Rationale

Based on the conducted assessment as well as on the development of the treatment plan, the most suitable nursing theory would be Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. The theory is based on the following assumption: it is a “theory created for a practical science such as nursing encompasses not only the What and Why, but also the Who and How” (Hartweg, 2015, p. 107). Viewed in the holistic context, nurses and patients should have active, dynamic, and meaningful relationships, in which the needs and the overall importance of the patient is the highest priority (Morton & Fontaine, 2017).

The historical context, within which the theory was created, is important for the understanding of the theory. Primarily, in the process of her practice in the Indiana State Board of Health between 1949 and 1957, Orem noticed that nurses are able to “do nursing,” but they cannot “describe nursing” (Hartweg, 2015). Thus, it was her initial motivation to combine a solid theoretical approach with her practical experience. Orem’s personal values, her formal education as well as familiarity with works of such philosophers as Aristotle, Aquinas, Harre, and many others, contributed significantly to the development of her theory (Hartweg, 2015).

The main concepts of the theory include six elements. Four of them are related to patients (self-care/dependent care, self-care agency/dependent-care agency, therapeutic self-care demand/dependent-care demand, and self-care deficit/dependent-care deficit), and other two are related to nursing professionals (nursing agency and nursing system) (Hartweg, 2015). In general, the connections between the theory’s concepts are presented by the interaction between “the self-care agent (person receiving care)/dependent-care agent (family member/friend providing care)” and “the nurse (nurse agent)” (Hartweg, 2015, p. 109).

Therefore, one can state with certainty that the theory under consideration is highly applicable to the case of Precious. The fact that the girl, as of the end of the movie, is left to care for herself and her children almost on her own, it is essential that she has self-care skills and competencies developed.

In conclusion, one should state with certainty that the Precious movie is an example of a work of art that raises highly important social and health-related problem in the context of the African American community. Despite the fact that it is not possible to retrieve information about the patient’s health and various multidimensional factors, it is still appropriate to use the character of Precious for the investigation of such problems as physical and emotional abuse, the effects of the single-parent household, low literacy, and adolescent pregnancies. In general, this paper represents a successful attempt at conducting the assessment of the patient and developing a treatment plan for her.

Assini-Meytin, L. C., & Green, K. M. (2015). Long-term consequences of adolescent parenthood among African-American urban youth: A propensity score matching approach. Journal of Adolescent Health , 56 (5), 529-535. Web.

Chaney, C. (2018). The movie “Precious”: A misrepresentation of most young Black urban mothers. Journal of Pan African Studies , 11 (6), 142-168.

Coyle, K., Basen-Engquist, K., Kirby, D., Parcel, G., Banspach, S., Collins, J.,… Harrist, R. (2016). Safer choices: Reducing teen pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. Public Health Reports, 116 , 82-93. Web.

Jarman, M. (2012). Cultural consumption and rejection of Precious Jones: Pushing disability into the discussion of Sapphire’s Push and Lee Daniels’ Precious . Feminist Formations , 24 (2) 163-185.

Hartweg, D. L. (2015). Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. In M. C. Smith & M. E. Parker (Eds.), Nursing theories and nursing practice (4th ed.) (pp. 76-81). F. A. Davis Company.

Kinser, P., & Masho, S. (2015). “I just start crying for no reason”: The experience of stress and depression in pregnant, urban, African-American adolescents and their perception of yoga as a management strategy. Women’s Health Issues , 25 (2), 142-148. Web.

Morton, P. G., & Fontaine, D. K. (2017). Critical care nursing: A holistic approach . New York, NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Sutton, M. Y., Lasswell, S. M., Lanier, Y., & Miller, K. S. (2014). Impact of parent-child communication interventions on sex behaviors and cognitive outcomes for black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino youth: A systematic review, 1988–2012. Journal of Adolescent Health , 54 (4), 369-384. Web.

Sweeney, M. (2010). A precious and painful life. The Lancet , 375 (9710), 189-190. Web.

Watkins-Hayes, C., Patterson, C. J., & Armour, A. R. (2011). Precious: Black women, neighborhood HIV/AIDS risk, and institutional buffers. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , 8 (1), 229-240. Web.

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In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.
In 1987 Harlem, 16-year-old Claireece Jones, who goes by her middle name, Precious, is illiterate, overweight, and pregnant--for the second time, by the same man: her biological father, who has molested and raped her since she was a child, but whom she doesn't see otherwise. Her infant daughter, nicknamed Mongo because she has Down Syndrome, lives with Precious' grandmother; Precious herself lives with her mother Mary, who abuses her physically and emotionally. Mary does nothing but smoke, watch TV, and collect welfare through fraud (she doesn't even look for jobs) and believes that education does nothing for Precious; she would rather have Precious also collect welfare, if only to bring money into the household. To escape her life, Precious daydreams of herself in glamorous situations. Because of her current pregnancy, Precious' principal transfers her into an alternative school, where sympathetic teacher Miss Blu Rain tries to convince her that she can have a future if she learns how to read and write, and Precious starts to believe her. Despite devastating news from her mother following her baby's birth, Precious also starts to believe that she can escape the grip of her abusive mother--who, up to this point, was Precious' only real support. — Huggo
Harlem, 1987. Although nobody believes it, people call her "Precious". But on the city's mean streets, Claireece Jones is bullied, called names, and pushed about; at home, things are even worse. To survive the daily abuse, Precious has secretly created a safe fantasy world; in this protective realm of delusion, everything is bright, everyone is kind, and she is the leading lady. After all, being pregnant with a second child at sixteen is tough. Who knows, maybe love and compassion are hidden somewhere in this world. — Nick Riganas
Set in Harlem in 1987. Precious (Sidibe, in an Oscar-nominated lead performance) endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. She's pregnant for the second time to her abusive father; at home she must wait hand and foot on a poisonously angry mother (Mo'Nique, winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). In these conditions she grows up unloved and generally unnoticed. But underneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her.
In 1987, Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved, and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect? — anonymous
The movies starts off with a picture of an orange scarf hanging off a street lamp and then flying through the air. Harlem, 1987. Clarice Precious Jones (Gabourey Sildibe) is in a math class, daydreaming. She is wearing an orange scarf. Much of the film is in first-person narration. She narrates, My name is Clarice Precious Jones. I want to be on the cover of a magazine. I wish I had a light-skinned boyfriend with good hair. But first I want to be in one of those BET videos, and we see a fantasy sequence of her dressed in a photo-shoot, accompanied with a light-skinned boyfriend (who will be in all her future movie sequences.) She also says I 'm gonna break through, someone is going to break through to me, ima be normal and sit in the front of the class. She has a crush on the math teacher Mr. Wicher (Bill Sage). She narrates that she likes math. The class is rowdy and when a student responds to Mr. Wicher with cuss word, Precious slaps that student and says to Mr. Wicher, I got your back. She narrates that she and Mr. Wicher will move away and live together in Westchester. A student comes in with a note saying that the principal wants to see Precious. In the principals office, the principal, Mrs. Lichtenstein asks if Precious is pregnant again and how could this happen. The principal lays out the facts for Precious: shes 16, pregnant again, and attends junior high. The principal wants to move Precious to an alternative school. The principal asks the mom to come to a meeting but when Precious protests, Mrs. Lichtenstein says that she can visit her mom. Precious is at home washing dishes when her mom, Mary, (MoNique) who is unemployed and watches $10,000 Pyramid all day, asks Precious if she is going to start cooking. Mary then throws a heavy pan at Precious after learning Precious couldn't get her cigarettes, and knocks her out. Cut to a flashback of Precious's father raping her. Then we enter Precious's fantasy world where she goes to feel safe when she is overwhelmed by the horror around her. In this fantasy sequence she is attending a movie premiere, dressed in red, when it starts to rain. The rain is actually her mother, Mary (MoNique), throwing water on Precious's face to rouse Precious from the floor. Precious is cooking dinner when the doorbell buzzes (they live in a typical run-down New York tenement building- although it is not typical for apartments to have two floors). It is Mrs. Lichtenstein, who wants to talk to mom. Precious tells her off, but Mrs. Lichtenstein stays on the intercom to tell Precious about the alternative school, Each One, Teach One. After the principal leaves, Mary becomes extremely upset and verbally abuses Precious, blaming her for bringing the white b*tch to her house, in that having any visitors snooping around might jeopardize the welfare check payment. (Mary is scamming the system). Mary continues: she blames Precious for stealing her man, saying that school is of no use for Precious, that Precious is fat and undesirable, and that she should have aborted her. She throws a pan at Precious, and when Precious kicks it back down, Mary runs after her. At night Precious looks at a photo album to console herself. The photos talk to her (more fantasy). In the morning, before Precious leaves the house, she adjusts herself in the mirror but sees herself in the reflection as a white blond girl. (For you psychology buffs out there- it seems that Precious may suffer from a dissociative disorder- which would not be surprising given the level of abuse she has endured). Precious goes to Each One, Teach One, where the receptionist, who Precious refers to as Cornrows (Sherri Shepard), gives her a placement test. It is clear that Precious is illiterate by the way she takes the test and narrates that tests paint pictures of me with no brain. On her way back, a group of thugs sexually harass her and then one pushes her down when she doesn't respond. Cut to a fantasy sequence of her dancing in an Apollo-like stage and her boyfriend kissing her ear, but it is really a dog licking her ear while she is down on the ground. She returns to her building and runs into a little girl, Ruby, who pesters her. It is another day and Precious needs money for food before leaving house. But mom is too busy in bed, asks Precious to come up and take care of her. She says, I wish she would stop that shit - meaning the abuse. Afterward Precious goes to a fried-chicken shop and orders a bucket of chicken, but runs off with it without paying. She eats the whole bucket on the way to school and then throws up (perhaps showing a habit of binge-eating or maybe it is because she is pregnant). At the alternative school, the teacher, Ms. Blue Rain (Paula Patton), calls Precious to class and tells the class the purpose of the school is to prepare them for the GED. We are introduced to five other students. She asks each student to write and say their name, favorite color, talent, and why they are in the alternative class. The students say their items, but when its Precious's turn she asks to be skipped. Ms. Rains goes on teaching but Precious speaks up. Precious is scared, says that she is not good at anything, to which Mrs. Rain replies that everyone is good at something. Precious says that her favorite color is yellow and that she can cook and that she has never really talked in class before. Ms. Rain asks her how that makes her feel, and she replies it makes me feel here (no need for fantasy/dissociation) Ms. Rain gives the class a journal and tells them to write anything they are feeling. Precious narrates that she has gotten As in English without having to do anything. It is another day in the alternative classroom and Ms. Rain calls some students up to write the alphabets. Precious volunteers to write the letter f but after that a student says, F for fat, (Precious is around 300 pounds), which results in a fight. Precious stays after class because of the fight, and Ms. Rain asks Precious to read a page of children's book. Precious struggles to put together the word day, cut to flashback of Mary calling Precious a dumb b*itch. Precious returns home to find her mom pissed off because Precious went to the alternative school, and missed the regular school, which would cut into the welfare checks. Mary berates Precious, saying that She can'tlearn sh*t, that Precious should better get her ass to welfare. Mary demands that Precious cook for her. Precious cooks a seemingly good meal of pigs feet and accompaniments but Mary is displeased when she doesn't see collard greens as a dish, saying who can eat pigs feet without collard greens. Mary forces Precious to eat the meal, explaining that since Precious f*cked up the meal, she has to eat it, even though Precious isn't hungry. Precious eats the food in front of mom and breaks into a fantasy of being in an old Italian movie with Sophia Loren in it (since that is what Mary was watching at the time). Precious is at the welfare office (a regular check-in is required) talking to a social worker Mrs. Weiss (an almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey without makeup). Mrs. Weiss asks Precious about her home life, and about the firstborn, who Precious named Mongo (short for Mongoloid, because the baby has Down syndrome). Flashback to grandma handing the baby to Mary (grandma has been taking care of the baby), Mary putting on a wig to soften her appearance and changing to a soft tone, and conning the social worker who came to check up on them. (Mary claims that she loves and takes care of her grandchild, and is also diligently looking for a job. After the social worker left, Mary yells at Precious and fusses at the baby. Cut back to Precious talking to Ms. Weiss. Precious slips that her gave her this baby and the one before. Mrs. Weiss presses Precious, who at first tries to spin it away, but then relents to tell the truth: that she delivered the first baby on the kitchen floor while her mother was kicking her in the head. Precious is relieved that she doesn't have to lie anymore, but knows that her mother is going to be furious- because her telling the truth is going to stop the checks from coming. The alternative school is having a good effect on Precious. On a class trip to the museum, Precious realizes that she wants to teach her babies, and that she will keep the undelivered baby. In class, the students are reading their journal entries about fairy-tales. Precious goes to the front of class to read, but she goes into labor. She is rushed to the hospital. After delivering the newborn (named Abdul Jamal Jones), the students visit Precious. The students kid with Precious's male nurse, John McFadden (Lenny Kravitz), making fun that he is a male nurse. John tells the students how McDonald's is bad and fattening while eating his fruit cups. He leaves with a kiss to Precious's forehead. Precious corresponds with Ms. Rain using the journal which a student ferries back and forth. Ms. Rain asks Precious if she plans to keep the baby. Precious writes yes, and Ms. Rains tells Precious that her responsibility is to take care of herself, and that her learning to read and write is everything. It is around Christmas, and John gives Precious a card with a twenty-dollar bill in it when Precious is discharged. She brings Abdul home and runs into the little girl (Ruby) who pesters her. Mary is not happy she asks where Precious has been but also asks to hold the baby. Cooing at first, she abruptly gets up and drops baby on the couch and throws a glass at Precious. Precious has ruined her life, she claims, when Precious revealed the truth and welfare cut off the checks. She also asks Precious, does she think she is better because the father gave her instead of Mary another baby. Precious grabs the baby and runs out of the apartment, falling down the flight of stairs and avoiding a TV dropped down by Mary, but protecting the baby. Precious is upset and as she leaves she runs into Ruby, the little girl who continues to pester. She responds by slamming her into a wall as she tries to get by her and leave. Precious walks out in the streets, where it is snowing. She sees a church and looks into the window and sees a church choir practicing, which leads to a fantasy sequence of her in a gospel choir. The next day, Ms. Rain and Cornrows arrived at the school building but sees that it has been broken into. Ms. Rains finds the baby Abdul with Precious, who feels sorry that Ms. Rain is now pressed into the role of a social worker. While Ms. Rains is working the phones to find a place for Precious to stay, one of the students is teaching the class (funny scene). She finally finds a halfway house for Precious and Abdul, but Precious first spends overnight with Ms. Rain. Precious meets Ms. Rains live-in female partner. (Precious: Oh my God, shes a straight-up lesbian!) They are both warm toward Precious, even giving her a Christmas present. This scene is significant because its the first time she's treated like an adult, and engaging in an "adult conversation" with Ms. Rain and her partner. Even though the two of them are more intellectual and use big words and analogies in their conversation, they kindly respond when Precious brings up McDonalds or Oprah. Ms. Rain's partner is trying to write a book. Ms. Rain mentions that Precious writes everyday, and Precious says she writes about her life and Abdul. At the halfway house, Precious grows. She says that its a halfway house because it is halfway between the old and new life. There, she gets stipends and received an award for literacy (maybe most improved?). There is a party for her where John is invited. John finds Ms. Rains attractive but Precious takes John to introduce her to Cornrow. Cornrow is on the phone arguing with her boyfriend but hangs up when she sees John. (A lot of scenes earlier show Cornrow arguing on phone with her boyfriend). One day Precious gets an unexpected visitor. Its Mary, bearing news that Precious's father has died of AIDS. Precious asks if Mary is HIV positive but Mary says no since they never had anal sex. Precious urges Mary to get tested, then leaves the building. In class, everyone is writing in the journals except for Precious. Ms. Rains presses Precious who tearfully reveals that shes HIV positive (but not Abdul -- an earlier scene shows her going to a clinic) from her father raping her. Ms. Rain, in tears, urges Precious to write for all those who love her. Precious declares that nobody loves her. Ms. Rains says, but people do love you. Precious responds, "don't lie to me, love aint ever done anything for me, it beats me down." But Ms. Rains responds, "The babies love you, I love you." Cut to welfare office, where Precious is kidding with Mrs. Weiss, at one point asking her what race she is (inside joke for Mariah Carey?). In this scene Precious reports that she see's vampires in her room at night who leave through the floor to go to the people down stairs. (not sure if she is actually hallucinating- or just pulling Ms. Weiss's leg) Mrs. Weiss reveals that Mary wants to be reunited with Precious. Cut to the class where Ms. Rains asks what each students dreams are. Precious says that she wants to work and take care of the babies, and reveals that she knows that the welfare center will set up work for her. (She had swiped her file from the welfare center in the earlier scene.) At the welfare center, Precious is sitting and waiting next to the little girl who had pestered Precious and is now sporting a black eye (she obviously is abused at home too). Precious takes out her orange scarf from her purse and wraps it around Ruby, making her smile. Precious meets Mary and Mrs. Weiss in a cubicle. Mrs. Weiss wants to know about the abuses. At first Mary says that Precious knows better than to have drugs in the house, but Mrs. Weiss says, not that kind of abuse, the physical and sexual abuse. Tearfully Mary lets out that when she was making love with her boyfriend Carl (Preciouss father), Precious (aged 3) was asleep next to them, and the boyfriend raped Precious. Mrs. Weiss asks, how she can let the boyfriend continue to abuse the three-year-old. Mary says that Carl told her to shut up when she questioned him and that she shut up, and as Precious got older Mary seemed to believe she wanted the abusive attention. Mary's crying that she feels alone and that Precious stole the Carl's interest and that's why she is hateful toward Precious. She stops crying briefly, while Ms. Weiss sits there looking horrified and Precious sits calmly, her face unreadable. Mary says she was told Precious was writing poems, doing well, then brings in Mongo and says she wants them to be a family. But Precious says no. She explains that on a recent test, she has progressed from a reading score of 2.8 to 7.8, meaning she is reading at near eighth-grade level, that she'll go on to high school and then college. Precious takes baby Mongo and leaves, saying that Ms. Weiss cant "handle me, and you can't handle this". She says that Mary "cant have my baby", and is "not gonna see me no more". Mary pleads with Ms. Weiss to get Precious to come back to her. If there was any doubt before, this scene really shows how mentally ill Mary is. Ms. Weiss responds with understandable horror. The last scene is of Precious walking down the street, carrying Abdul and holding Mongo's hands, showing strength and a possible good beginning for her own little family inspite of her struggles.