In the movie "Stand and Deliver", double entendre ran rampant. During an Algebra lesson one day at the beginning of the school year, Mr. Escalante told Angel, a gang member, to 'fill the hole'. Not only was he referring to the hole as an illustration, but also to the hole in the students lives as a result of lack of education, the gangs, and in many cases, a poor upbringing.
Mr. Escalante must have seen some potential in Angel and was trying desperately to fill the hole caused by a lack of education in his life. However, Angel, tied very deeply to his gang 'family', would have none of it. Jaime wants Angel to pull a complete attitude reversal by learning and self improvement, but Angel, stubborn to the core, was not going down without a fight. Through seemingly endless struggles, Mr. Escalante endures hardships and insults to try and save the students and the school.
Students of Nan Hua High School gathering in the S...
English: Cropped picture of Jaime Escalante
English: A picture of the front page of an AP Calc...Finally, he finds a handhold and clings to it as if his life depended upon it. In the end, Angel, as well as the other students, makes a huge stride by studying and passing the AP Calculus exam.
In yet another interpretation of this seemingly meaningless statement, Mr. Escalante could be referring to the hole caused by discrimination. Jaime knows that because of their ethnic origin, they will have a constant struggle to overcome the hurdles life has already set for them. ETS questioning of the results of the first AP exam is just one of the many obstacles his students will encounter in their strive for success. Mr. Escalante is doing his best to fill the discriminatory holes for his students, even as life undermines his efforts.
Analyzing the statement once again, it could be said that he is...