The Great Debaters Analysis

The Great Debaters Analysis
Amid the 1930's it was a defining moment for African Americans lives since they needed to change their life. In the film The Great Debaters by Denzel
Washington shows the debaters overcame racism in the debating community. The debaters used their experiences as the minority group to create an
emotional attachment with the audience. The team was not a respected team by the white community but rather the team constantly pushed towards to
reach their goals. Regardless of being the minority group, the team uses credibility and emotion to win their debate competitions. One of the first ways
the team demonstrated their ability to uses emotion effectively is when Samantha is selected by Mr. Tolson during the tryouts. For example, Samantha
talks about
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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters This is a piece of history with the Harvard and Wiley college debate from the movie "The Great Debaters" with James Farmer
Jr and Samantha Booke. This document takes place during the time period where discrimination had a huge effect on the lives of blacks. The
purpose of this debate is to convince the audience whether or not civil disobedience is a moral weapon. Ms. Booke and Mr. Farmer believe that
justice isn't divided equally, and that civil disobedience is a moral weapon in the fight of justice. The three modes of persuasion used are ethos,
pathos and logos. After the Harvard dean finished speaking, Wiley college was up next and James Farmer Jr was the first to speak. As a result, Farmer
started his...show more content...
He called it a moral victory." Based on what Farmer conveys this is an example of pathos because it shows how determined they were and how
they still chose domestic violence. Towards the end of Farmer's speech he finishes with another rhetorical question leading into logos, "Dyer's lesson
or Gandhi's victory. You choose." This is an example of logos because Farmer is letting his audience choose whether acting violently and letting
innocent people die, but succeeding or acting with civil disobedience and saving all those lives who succeeding is the moral thing to do. Once the
first Harvard debater concluded his part of the debate Samantha Booke was next to speak. She begins her speech employing ethos, Samantha proclaims
" Gandhi believes one must always act with love and respect for one's opponents –– even if they are harvard debaters." Samantha describes how
important it is to display love and respect even if they are your enemies and explains some things the trusted and famous protester believed in. Booke
also creates an ethical response using repetition when she says "Gandhi also believes that law breakers must accept the legal consequences for their
actions." Leading into this quote Samantha applies a rhetorical question, "Does that sound like anarchy?" Samantha uses this rhetorical question to
make the audience question themselves about their absence of authority. Samantha commences her second part of her speech by stating four powerful
sentences utilizing

The Great Debaters Character Analysis
Author of A Dictionary of the English Language, Dr. Samuel Johnson once said the following, "Don't, Sir, accustom yourself to use big words for
little matters." In a movie about a passionate professor and his debate team, words are not hard to come by. Yet despite the number of speeches that
characters in Denzel Washington'sThe Great Debaters may recite, there are some that are more impactful than others. A beautifully written script
knows when and how to shock an audience, it knows how to develop character using dialogue, and it knows how to do this efficiently. Based on a
true story, The Great Debaters explores race relations in the United States and how men and women of all ages were influenced by the early 1900's
political climate. In difficult times, one's true colors are revealed, and as this film's characters face one of the darkest times of America's history, words
–when used wisely– can demonstrate a strong sense of strength and a strong sense of character. Revolving around Wiley College students, The Great
Debaters plot emphasizes the importance of fighting white ignorance by educating the black youth. Because of the attention given to professor Melvin
B. Tolson's teachings, the character is greatly developed, his speeches exemplifying a vast knowledge of history and literature. A particular example of
Tolson's passion towards teaching comes in the form of rather disturbing dialogue, his rant directed towards Henry Lowe –a smart aleck on the debate
time. For, when asking the four students about themselves, Lowe challenges Tolson's tactics, instead investigating his professor. Yet the avid educator
does not take this lightly, he –in a dramatic fashion– recounting the story of British slave owner Willie Lynch, Tolson describing in great detail the
Englishman's inhumane treatment of his slaves. Once Tolson's students are stunned into silence, he justifies sharing Lynch's story by applying it to the
group's current circumstances, then summarizing the cruel man's philosophy, "Keep the slave physically strong, but psychologically weak and
dependent on the slavemaster." This portion of Tolson's speech exhibits his purpose for teaching, he believing that an educated African
–American is no
match against

The Great Debaters Essay
Casey Green1 09/13/11 SPC 100 Section 14 The Great Debaters This film focuses on being a confident and decisive person in life, through
passionate and informed topics. Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform,
influence, or entertain the listeners.В№ After watching this film it does strike a cord of wanting to be able to reach out to others and share my own
opinions in a strong, confident manner. To inspire others on something I may be passionate about in life, to share a different aspect of life that others
have not lived. I can't say exactly how much this film has impacted my views on public speaking although the film itself...show more content...
I hope to control my anxiety while speaking in front of a group, since there might be a situation in my field that requires me to inform others of
daily logs or protocols. It would be fulfilling to get others passionate about a subject that I favor and means a lot to me, as well as presentations are
an expected process in future classes and need to be mastered. I think most people can identify with this movie, the fear of speaking out to others to
convince them of your point. The fear of trying to prove a point to others that may have more knowledge on the subject or be able to refute it
better. In reference to the movie it was about defending a personal honor, having the right to speak out and be equal with others. Debating requires
excellent mastery of vocabulary, logic, and nerves. In a debate, you need to be poised and confident in order to get your point across effectively. Just
like a regular speech. There are many speeches that have lifted hearts in dark times, gave hope in despair, inspired brave feats, gave courage to the
weary, honored the dead, and changed the course of history. Without inspiring, passionate public speeches many people may not have had the fortitude
to press on. In the eleven–year period between 1957 and 1968, Martin Luther King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty–five hundred
times, appearing wherever there was injustice,

Introduction Conflict is inevitable in any personal relationship or among members of any group. While we encounter many types of conflict in our
lifetime, we often look for ways to avoid conflict. So, why do we run away from dealing with our conflict? It is often because many of us fear the
conflict will escalate into a situation we will not be able to sustain. "As conflicts escalate, they go through certain incremental transformations. Although
these transformations occur separately on each side, they affect the conflict as a whole because they are usually mirrored by the other side. As a result
of these transformations, the conflict is intensified in ways that are sometimes exceedingly difficult to undo" (Pruitt, and Kim 89). We...show more
content...
has not yet learned how to truly harness the power of knowledge through action and assertion. James Jr. has seen the raving effects of racism all
around him, and longs to live in a future where no one must be in fear simply because of the color of their skin. Other talented debaters on Tolson's
team include fiercely independent student Henry Lowe, and Samantha Brooke –– the first ever female ever to join the Wiley College debate team.
While most educators may not have recognized the remarkable potential of assembling such a disparate team, Tolson's unique vision truly set him apart
from the pack as the team begins to experience a series of consecutive victories on their road to challenging Harvard at the National Championships"
(Buchanan).
Event One of the challenges the Wiley College debate team was faced with in the film was during a debate against Oklahoma City University. The
topic selected for argument was whether Negroes should be admitted into the same colleges as Whites. This particular subject is one the students at
Wiley College were all too familiar with. The setting of the debate would begin the escalation of the conflict between the two schools. The intensity of
the conflict began when Oklahoma City University refused to hold the debate on campus and would only accept the challenge to go up against Wiley
College if the competition was held at another location. In a clip provided by YouTube the arguments begin with Samantha

Reoccurring Themes In 'The Great Debaters'
The Great Debaters is an extraordinary and inspiring movie; it incorporated a rich story. The move is based on a true story; the story dates back to the
1930's. It was about four African–American students from Wiley College who are on the school's debate team, throughout the movie we see the
discrimination they faced in the South.вЂЁThere are many reoccurring themes that can be depicted from this movie. This includes "racial
discrimination and love. Racial discrimination can be seen when Mr. James Farmer accidentally ran over a white man's pig, as a result he was
charged a very high amount for the pig. We assume that if it were a white man he wouldn't have been charged nearly as much. However, when the
team challenged and defeated a few white...show more content...
The theme of love is also shown. James Farmer Jr., 14 year old boy, seizes to hide that he like Samantha, aspiring female lawyer, but sadly for Jr.
Samantha likes Henry,the other debater. After constant rejection,including Samantha sleeping with Henry, Jr. gets frustrated and get into an argument
with Samantha following Professor Melvin Tolson's arrest. However, the role shifts, and Jr. becomes angry at Henry because he cheated on her. Thus,
we can see the shift of both the themes racial discrimination and love. вЂЁThe various types of music in the movie The Great Debaters really did
evoke emotions in a way that was effective to the audience. Whether it was a positive or negative vibe. For example, during the party scene the music
was very up beat and uprising. It gave a sense of expression where the people were able to dance freely around people who liked the similar music.
Invoking a sense of unity and happiness. Furthermore, loud suspenseful music, seen in the night meeting scene evoked contrasting emotions to the
audience. James Farmer Jr. secretly went to the meeting, out of curiosity, he was watching the meeting the whole time. During the night meeting we
see Professor Tolson attempting to organize a union of black and white

The Great Debaters
The movie The Great Debaters is about a group of college kids debating other colleges in order to become equal to white americans in the south.
There are 5 main characters in the movie: Melvin Tolson, James Farmer Jr., James Farmer Sr., Henry Lowe, and Samantha Booke. The character I
chose to research is Melvin Tolson who is played by Denzel Washington. Based on all the movies that Denzel has played in, his character always
seems to be hard on the outside and soft on the inside. He believed in "tough love", so I was not very surprised by the way he acted in this movie.
In real life, Tolson was born February 6, 1898 to Reverend Alonzo Tolson and Lera (Hurt) Tolson. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Kansas
City in 1919 and then graduated with honors from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania in 1924. In 1922, he married Ruth Southall and had 4 children:
Melvin B. Tolson Jr., Arthur Lincoln, Wiley Wilson, and Ruth Marie Tolson. He moved to Marshall, Texas with his wife and taught English and
speech at Wiley College, but he also created an award–winning debate team called the Wiley Forensic Society....show more content...
You could tell he was humble because he did not really seem to like to dress up on certain occasions and wore "cotton–picker clothes" as Henry Lowe
described them. He had a wife but did not have any kids that I knew of. He did not play or joke really, but he was not uptight and mean. Tolson was
reserved in an emotional way and did not really show his

The Great Debaters The Great debaters is a 2007 American film based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington). The film is
directed by Denzel Washington and stars Washington, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Kimberly Elise. The film
was produced by Ophra Winfrey and her production company, Harpo production. The script was written by Robert Eisele. Melvin B. Tolson,
professor at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, who encouraged students to form the first debate team in 1935. Melvin B. Tolson coached the first
debate team to a near–undefeated season. The team featured a female student Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), Henry Lowe (Nate Parker),
Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams) and a 14 year old James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker). The plot goes around how Melvin Tolson coaches
and tries to put his team in equal footing as the whites during the 1930s. Melvin Tolson believed in the power of words. He was a brilliant coach
who uses words to shape the group of students. Professor Tolsons teaching methods and his political views were radical, however Wiley College won
their first debate. The winning continued as Wiley College was the first black American college to debate a white college. They went to debate
Oklahoma City University which was a white college and they defeated the white college. In their pursuit for championship Willey college debate team
receives an invitation to debate the Harvard University. (However, the true

The Great Debater's
In the movie The Great debater's, public speaking is honored and cherished. For the debate team at Willey College adversities were great, but each
one of them had a passion to be heard. Public speaking has the power to change, motivate, and inform its audience. These three things can be powerful
enough to change society. For the debate team at Wiley College they had a chance to change society when the debate team was invited to attend a
debate at Harvard University, and go up against one of the most prestigious and racially uniform university's in America. This was a great influence and
change in society at the time. The best part was that Wiley College's debate team won against Harvard University's debate team. This accomplishment
resulted

The Great Debaters is a loosely based on an article published in 1997 in American Legacy magazine about the debate team of Wiley College a small,
religious black college in East Texas, during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Under the guidance of their coach, English professor Melvin B.
Tolson, the debaters victory in contest after contest. And against bigger black schools and triumph over prestigious white schools as well.The Great
Debaters drives home the hardships faced by even relatively elite black students and intellectual the "talented tenth" in the Jim Crow South. Farmer's
father, religion professor James Farmer Sr., the first black person in Texas to earn a PhD, is threatened with death by two impoverished white farmers
while driving

Great Debaters Sparknotes
"The Great Debaters"
The Credits:
This motion film is called "The Great Debaters." The movie which was released in 2007 is based on a true story but does not trumpet that fact in an
opening caption, takes place on the campus of Wiley College during 1935. The movie is Directed by Denzel Washington and Produced by
Todd Black, Kate Forte, Oprah Winfrey and Joe Roth. This film was inspired by the American Legacy article by Tony Scherman. Molly Allen
Co–Produced the movies and the Executive Producers are Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein and David Crockett. Philippe Rousselot, afc/asc is the
Director of Photography and David J. Bomba is the Production Designer. The movie was Edited by Hughes Winborne, a.c.e. The Cast of this film
Denzel...show more content...
Neither of those faults plagues The Great Debaters. By highlighting themes of individual achievement against a daunting backdrop, this film provides
heroes who can be admired irrespective of their race, even though skin color is a huge part of the story. More significantly, it does not shy from
showing the darkest aspects of human nature. A scene in The Great Debaters is designed to shock and horrify, and it succeeds in doing so. But it is in
no way exploitative; it is necessary to the understanding of the characters and their motivations, and to coming to grips with elements of the social
fabric that are too often softened for mass consumption. The film makes it evident that racism can be more ghastly than calling someone degrading
names.Denzel Washington His initial goals are modest: face–off against other black colleges. But when the team goes on an undefeated run that
includes toppling one of the best black debating teams in the country, he sets his sights higher and challenges National Champion Harvard. If Harvard
agrees to the contest, it will be the first time the debating team from a black college will face off against a National Champion. The Great Debaters
does an excellent job forming a bond between the characters and the audience.

The Great Debates
The Great Debaters is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. Written by Robert Eisele, based on a
story by Mr. Eisele and Jeffrey Porro. The story is spin around the efforts of the debate coach Melvin B Tolson at wiley college who coached the
college debate team. The team was including merely of African–American students at a time when racismand Jim Crow laws were still facts of life in
the South. "The Great Debaters" is about a longs hot debate team that wins a national championship. The film is the journey of the coach
MelvinTolson. He is brilliant teacher..He's organizing both poor whites and blacks, whose serfdom is equal. He conducts auditions and selects four
members and he coach them and leads

Great Debaters Discussion Questions
In the film The Great Debaters, the true story of a college debate team in Texas highlights the importance of public speaking. In numerous instances, if
a topic makes a large group uncomfortable this topic goes untouched. However, in this film, the debate team bravely brings on those topics that are
close to their hearts, even though society does not want to talk about these issues. The most prominent example of uneasy topics is when James Farmer
Jr., in the middle of a Harvard debate, with a predominantly white audience, goes to talk about the lynching of people of color. While this was a topic
purposely not brought up due to making people uncomfortable, by Farmer doing this it started the discussion. Obviously, one man saying lynching is
inhumane does not solve the problem. However, one voice can start a discussion. Discussions lead to...show more content...
Public speaking is the spark that leads to the realization of the need for change. When the world becomes so conditioned to not talk about the
uncomfortable issues, it becomes easy to forget how harmful they truly are. However, public speaking is that opportunity to hold up that mirror to
society, and command a change to be made. All of the great social shifts were fueled by the speeches of those who cared. The famous of all being
the famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which still is quoted today. In order for change to take place, an individual must speak up in some sort of public
forum to identify the problem.
As a passionate person, in my own public speaking experiences, it is extremely easy to let my emotions overpower my logic. Whether this be
negative feelings making me too hotheaded to focus, or too passionate and rambling, my own emotions get in my way of public speaking. However, in
this film, the character Samantha Brooke was an excellent way to represent people like me. During her tryout to make the

The Great Debaters: An Alternate Perspective
An Alternate Perspective Rather than focusing on the external factors of an individual, one must learn to view a person's internal perspective as seen
in the film The Great Debaters under the direction of Denzel Washington (2007). Understanding another person's internal perspectives means being
empathetic and aware of their circumstances. By learning to see another person's viewpoint with new eyes, dignity can be afforded to that individual.
Marshall, Texas is home to the historically black, Wiley College, where in 1935, Professor Melvin Tolson's unique vision for a group of students leads
them to experience a series of consecutive victories on their road to challenging Harvard at the National Speech and Debate Championship. The team
includes...show more content...
True empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another in spite of a difference in opinion. Professor Tolsson and Mr. Farmer are
two men high in stature and very educated for black men. Mr. Farmer is an over–achieving, strict, and rigorous scholar who is very protective. On the
other hand, Professor Tolsson is an inspiring, wise, and intellectual man with high expectations. He also is an agitator looking for change. One
night, James Jr. follows Professor Tolsson as he mysteriously makes his make a secret union meeting. As James Jr. watches Professor Tolsson and
the union, an inadvertent encounter results with the sheriff's men. He safely makes it out of the raid with Professor Tolsson. James Jr. promises to
Professor Tolsson that he will not speak of the matter to his father, but when he returns home, James Farmer Sr. demands to know where James Jr.
had gone. An argument uprises between the two and hostile statements are thrown back and forth. Dr. Farmer disagrees and feels unsafe about
Professor Tolsson's ideas. Instead of being hostile and mean to Tolsson, he decides to look upon the situation with grace and view James Farmer Sr.'s
internal perspectives. On the day Professor Tolsson is taken to the county jail, James Farmer Sr. could have ignored his arrest and take enjoyed that
fact that he would not have to worry about the unsafety of his son,

The movie, The Great Debaters, takes place in the 1930s and explores the struggles of three students from Wiley College's debate team. The first
character introduced is the youngest student from the team, 14 year old, James Farmer Jr. He is an ambitious young man who strives to live up to his
father's expectations. James struggles with fear throughout the movie. He is sheltered and does not understand the severity of the racial conflict of the
time. This trait is evident in the film in two key scenes. The first is when his family is out for a drive and his father accidently hits a white man's pig.
James's father is very cautious during this interaction and James witnesses the incident from the car. This interaction has a major impact on James and
gives him a greater understanding of the racial conflict. The second incident occurs when James is unsuccessful in his first debate. When given other
opportunities to debate, he questions himself and fears failure. This fear plays a role in the debate team's future competitions. James's fear can be
linked to Bandura's observational learning theory. He observes how his father cowers down to the white farmers and learns that he too should fear
whites. Bandura's learning theory comes into play because James is learning his behavior through observation. This fear of whites is instilled in him
and is evident through out the movie. The second link that can be made to Bandura is his theory of self–efficacy. James is not given the

The Great Debaters
We watched the movie "The Great Debaters" in class. This movie is about a debating team from Texas. "The last city to surrender after the Civil
War" (The Great Debaters. Nate Parker. 2007. Film.). This is quote is how James Farmer, describes his town. The Debating team is home to Wiley
College. The english teacher, Mr. Tolson, coaches the debate team to an almost undefeated season. They debate against white who dislike the blacks so
this makes it harder on them competing. It then ends with an invite to go to Harvard University's and face their team. The team of four, which includes,
Samantha Brooke, James Farmer, Henry Lowe and Hamilton Burgess faced many challenges such as racism and sexism. They face racism because they
are an African American

The Great Debaters: Movie Analysis
Although throughout history there were many conflicts between different groups of people who have different perspectives, the text, film and my
personal experience show that even today and many years back, that there will always be people who view other people differently. Specifically,
setting influence the characters conflicts and plot. The geographical location could both positively and negatively affect many different themes such as
character development, mood of the character and the overall plot. Changes in the geographical location could affect the feelings of characters, the
way they feel towards other people based on the way they were raised and much more. The Great Debaters was a film that portrayed how some people
(African American)...show more content...
The story was filled with endless counts of lying and trying to accuse others of something that they know isn't true just so you (Abigail) could stay
out of trouble. As the story progresses, Abigail who shows a very big presence in the story, her main objective is to acquit herself from any
accusations thrown at her while trying to accuse others that they are witches. Back then and based on the specific geographical location, if you do
one little thing that looks out of the ordinary, you will be considered a witch and most likely be brought to court to face charges. Since most of the
"witches" lived in the woods, that is symbolic because witchcraft is believed to be done in forests and villages, and in general the area is isolated
so they have to fight and survive. So since you are in an isolated part of the country, not only do you have to fight to survive to have food, water
and shelter, you also have to fight to acquit yourself from any accusations for being a witch. In the novel, Abigail is telling the other girls to keep
their mouths shut because she doesn't want to be hung for her crimes. Unfortunately, this leads to hangings of many other people in the village for
crimes they did not even commit. After this, it turns to a more violent scene. She tells the girls not only to keep their mouths shut, but if they don't
she will kill them. A quote from the novel that supports this is "Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam's dead
sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the
black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you". As you can tell, there is also a sense of violence that is
portrayed that reinforces the fact that you

The Great Debaters Movie Review
In the 2007 classic "The Great Debaters", we are introduced to the historical makings of an all black debating team from Wiley College in Texas.
With in this movie we are introduced to the restless south of the 1930's were Negros, first handedly experienced the realization of racism. The movie
centers on Melvin Tolson, a professor at small Wiley College and his distinguished team of debaters, Samantha Booke, Henry Lowe, and James Farmer
Jr, who despite being in the midst of racial segregation in the South, aim to compete against Harvard University.
With in the World of "The Great Debaters" we are first introduced to college freshman James Farmer Jr., the son of prominent preacher James Farmer
Sr. much like his father James Jr. at the ripe

The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters, released on December 25, 2007, is a Blockbuster film directed by Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey and her
production company, Harpo. The film had a budget of $15 million, and made a total of $30 million. It stars Denzel Washington, who plays Professor
Melvin Tolson; Forest Whitaker, James Farmer Sr.; and Denzel Whitaker, James Farmer Jr. Based on actual events, the plot followsDenzel Washington
's character and his efforts at Wiley College to have his team able to debate with white schools in the South in the 1930s. This time period being
when Jim Crow laws were common and lynch mobs were a very real fear for black people. In the movie, the Wiley team defeats every opponent they
face, and, due to Tolson's...show more content...
For instance, Belle is the only character in the town to wear blue. Almost every other character wore red. This leads the viewer to believe that
Belle is the only good person in a group of mean and often misogynistic people. Another aspect of the film is the use of seasons. The film goes
through Fall, Winter, and ends in Spring. The depicted seasons put the viewer in different moods, and let them know what is going on. For
example, Spring is often associated with rebirth, so it is with Beauty and the Beast. The Beast nearly dies until Belle tells him she loves him, and
he is turned back into a prince as the curse is broken. This scene, paired with the change from Winter to Spring, shows that the Beast is a changed
man, and no longer a "beast." Clothes played another important role in the film, as they showed the general temperament and disposition of a
character. Belle, in the beginning of the film, wore a very plain, blue dress. This showed that she didn't get much enjoyment from having nice things
and was happy enough with just her collection of books. The Beast's clothes showed much more about his character. When he is first shown, the
Beast wears an old pair of frayed pants, and a cloak to keep warm. Later, when he learns to control his temper and act more like a human being, we
see him in a cloak and a white shirt, then a smart jacket and trousers. When he has finally won Belle's love, he has a

The Great Debaters Analysis

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The Great Debaters Analysis