Preview

The Movie 'The Great Debaters'

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
215 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Movie 'The Great Debaters'
“You have the power to change someone’s life simply by the words you speak”. People have the power to change society based on the words they say. Many people nowadays throw racial slurs around without even thinking twice. People don’t know how it can affect someone's life and harsh they can be. The movie “The Great Debaters” demonstrates this quote because Henry Lowe,Samantha Brooke,and James Farmer prove to society that society decides that colored people are not good enough and aren't equal to them. My opinion is that the movie “The Great Debaters” is a very powerful movie.This is because this group of teenagers proved that words can have a huge impact on someone's life. These kids seen a lynching happening and the worst thing is that

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong Only racists make them”. The great debaters movies and the Mississippi trial have their difference and also similarities about racism.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Green created an empowering tone whilst presenting his speech. He used certain words to capture the attention of the audience. For example, Green repeats “It is true” in the beginning of the second and third paragraph. He followed that line with many harsh facts of the injustice, and imprisonment the African Americans had to go through. Green used this to almost degrade them and feel unworthy. Green is bringing them down with his words to make them face what is really happening in this “auspicious moment.” Green brings African Americans down but in the third paragraph he shifts saying words like “brethren” and “our duty” to enlighten their spirits and show them that this is possible to overcome. Green also includes quotes in the first and last paragraphs to affect African Americans egos. Green contradicts himself with the quote in the first paragraph because he makes the African Americans seem positive, while in the quote in the third paragraph he describes the hardship battles African Americans went through daily; by saying “tried men’s souls.” Green used this to murder the egos of the audience, but it was all a plan because he would raise their attitudes to gain praise.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?" Martin Luther King Jr.'s son asked his father this because as a young boy he realized that people were treated differently. Using his son as an example for his speech to people will really get the public's' hearts to break and feel horrible for what this young boy realized at the age of five. “The answer lies…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout history, we see our leaders discuss issues with us through speeches. It ranges from a presidential speech to a community leader’s speech. The writings of the speech can be reflecting, reporting, explaining, or arguing. The primary goal is usually persuasion. In “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. and “A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama, both authors acknowledge that the African American community has suffered even with the abolish of slavery.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, Martin Luther king Jr.’s persuasive speech has changed the world for the better. We now live in a world where everyone is treated equally and no longer separated due to race. We can get a job no matter what their skin color is or go to school with any…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Justice

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There are countless times in our current events that racism shows through, but people are not successful in stopping it. When a black student was killed by a white cop within the last few years, other black students created a campaign called “Hands up don’t shoot”. Though their intentions were good, like Atticus the students were unable to drastically change anything. Justice can be defended in many ways, but transforming any society’s view is extremely…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In the eyes of white Americans, being black encapsulates your identity.” In reading and researching the African American cultural group, this quote seemed to identify exactly the way the race continues to still be treated today after many injustices in the past. It is astonishing to me that African Americans can still stand to be treated differently in today’s society.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1895 there was discrimination everywhere. In America people of African descent had a miserable existence. Less than 40 years earlier, they were either “owned” property, known as slaves, or lived a very humble, poverty stricken life. Booker T. Washington was among a number of very few blacks that were articulate, well educated, and well informed. He was aware that his life stood as an example to both blacks and whites that his race was capable of much more. His purpose was to bring the United States together and show how everyone could benefit. In this speech, Booker T. Washington uses many rhetorical devices to promote changes in the combined community of the nation. In his opening statements he was clear that the audience as a participating element in society should recognize the “American Negro”.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Great Debaters

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Great Debaters offers a fictionalized and limited account of the exploits of the award-winning Wiley College debate team headed by Melvin B. Tolson, an African-American English professor, during the Depression years. Beyond his academic duties, Tolson was an accomplished poet, journalist and social activist.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Movie 13th Essay

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I had intended on going to the vigil Wednesday night (2/8) but much to my dismay, there was no vigil (or I missed it). So instead of attending a diversity event for this paper, I watched a documentary on Netflix called 13th. This film discusses the issue of racism in the United States criminal justice system; specifically relating to how the 13th amendment transformed the view of African Americans from slaves to criminals.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The African-American Race

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages

    But even in today’s society African-Americans are at times dealing with racism, even though many are well educated men and women who hold upstanding jobs. In some people’s eyes the education, religion, or the rights of freedom do not mean much if you are referring to people of other races. Once a race has been stereotyped by some, others seem to not be able to let go of that image.…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1895, Booker T. Washington delivered his “Atlanta Compromise” address. Washington’s speech was very influential and was almost not allowed to be spoken in front of a mainly White audience. However, it was decided that having a Black speaker would impress the Northerners and prove the South’s racial progress. Washington’s compromise provided the theory of “cast their buckets where they are” for the Blacks. Throughout Washington’s entire address, the use of multiple literary strategies highly influenced the Blacks to stand up for themselves while still remaining inferior to the Whites.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Segregation DBQ

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages

    For example, Rosa Parks, as an African American woman, was fined and arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat for a Caucasian male passenger. She believed public transportation seating should be ‘first-come first-serve’, and expressed a distaste for the way this practice was handled according to source A. Her arrest eventually sparked a movement that changed the United States. This movement was supported by a wide variety of people, and much to the transportation company’s demise, they saw a severe drop in profit. This shows that people, regardless or background of heritage, can make a change if they stand up for what they believe is right. This also shows that most southern state’s arguments against segregation were unpleasant as many people of color were severely discriminated against in a multitude of scenarios. In addition, several decades prior another issue regarding public transportation had a drastic impact on U.S history. A man by the name of Homer Plessy had purchased a first class train ticket. This train cart, however, was reserved for ‘whites-only’. Plessy was ⅛ black by heritage and he was put on trial for violating segregation laws. The state of Louisiana won the trial as they continuously debated the defendant’s lawyers statements regarding unequal treatment. This shows that the court, and judges, did not want to hear Plessy’s side of the story due to his…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Example Of Racism Essay

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In 1942, a man named Adolf Hitler carried out what is known today as one of the world’s most violent racism acts (“Intro to Holocaust”). He blamed the Jewish people for the German economic crisis (“Intro to Holocaust”). Hitler devoted his power as chancellor of Germany to lead a racist movement in order to hunt down, capture, and take the lives of over six million people of the Jewish race (“Intro to Holocaust”). Furthermore, during the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. played a vital role in clearly defining a vision for the future regardless of an individuals’ race. In his most famous speech, "I Have A Dream” MLK fought for the rights of African Americans in order to gain equality and respect (King, Jr.). Although it has been over half a century since these motivational words were spoken, our country still faces a similar issue today. The "Black Lives Matter" movement is currently fighting against police brutality amongst a minority group that has been fighting discrimination for years. (Petersen-Smith) Even though many actions have been made to diminish racism, there is still a long road…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Debaters is an intriguing film set in the 1930s about a professor that goes by the name of Melvin Tolson who teaches students from Wiley College, in Texas, the fundamentals of debating. During this day in age, if an African American didn’t “stay in their place” they would be ridiculed for such insane behavior. One can only imagine how difficult it must have been for them to get through a debate without caring if they had crossed the line on a touchy subject. But through it all this debate team became one of the most successful teams in America. They were undefeated after they won national championships over Harvard University.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays