She tries to take her pupils on a 'journey' through school and life. She does this using The Odyssey as a set text, which leads to discussions in her classroom about overcoming adversity, etc. to 'get home'. It is interesting to try and locate elements of the text in the film. Who is Odysseus for example? Are the children on this 'difficult journey' or is it the teacher, the education system or perhaps, American society? Who is the Cyclops? Is it the children with their limited experiences of the world and narrow vision of what it has to offer them? Is it the teachers who dismiss the 'bad' pupils? The idea of the Sirens can be seen in the draw/allure/pressure of the gang culture. The children who succeed in this movie tie themselves to the mast of Swank's classroom and stick hip-hop beeswax in their ears to avoid the Sirens' songs that tell them to 'jump in' and join the gangs.