Main characters in the great debaters

Sociology

Orvil Cuadra

SOC 210

April 20, 2012

The Great Debaters

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Intro:

As a society, people are quick to draw conclusions about certain individuals based on their physical appearance. Many times, it is a misconception of what the individuals being judged are actually like. While searching for a movie that demonstrates individuals’ behavior and their positive or negative interaction within a society, I came across The Great Debaters. The Great Debaters was an inspiring movie that exemplified struggle as well as determination to overcome challenges placed by ignorant and closed minded individuals. It is a motivational movie that proves that anything is possible. What mainly interested me to this movie is the fact that just because one is viewed as less than others, change is always possible through hard work.

Summary:

The Great Debaters is a movie that involves the harsh reality of racism during the 1930’s through 1960’s. Racism has always been an everlasting damaging problem in humanity. It is not only the belief that one racial group is superior over another but also the belief that if an individual possesses certain qualities then that individual is considered worthless therefore they should be subordinates to the other group. During a time of separation within a nation, four individuals demonstrated that importance and strength behind knowledge. In The Great Debaters, three young college individuals were led by a knowledgeable professor in a debate team. Mr. Tolson was a strong willed individual who stood up for what he believed. He taught these acute students how to be proud, confident, and intellectual. They became resourceful and discussed many topics other people were unwilling to talk about. The debaters not only struggled to remain unified they also had to deal with the harsh reality of racism in the South from witnessing unfair treatment of the law to a lynching of an African American. Through his rigorous teaching methods and their determination to be the best, Mr. Tolson led the debaters to become the first all black college to debate a white university and beat the prestigious dominant debate school of Harvard University.

Theory:

Theories are a set of interrelated propositions that attempt to describe or explain a phenomenon. One can apply any of the three theoretical approaches throughout The Great Debaters. To approach this from a structural-functional perspective, or to look at this from the mindset that “society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability” (Macionis 13), one has to view how the society interacts. The Great Debaters took place during a time period where racism was dominant. During this time in the South, there were unwritten rules which many African Americans had to conform to in order to avoid conflict and maintain a balance within society. While driving his family down a dirt road, Dr. James Farmer Sr. accidently hit and killed a farmers pig. The owner of the pig happened to be a white male who immediately ran out his house with a pistol and demanded payment. Seeing that Dr. Farmer was an African American male, the white farmer demanded an unrealistic amount of twenty-five dollars. Fearing for his family’s safety, Dr. Farmer offered to write over his monthly check from Wiley College to the farmer. The farmer not only took the check but also made Dr. Farmer help him load the pig onto his truck. Dr. Farmer knew the pig wasn’t worth that much money but in order to avoid a confrontation that could have possibly placed his family’s life in danger; he opted to give up everything he had. This relates to the structural approach in the fact that each group knew the reality of how society was functioning so they chose to behave in the manner that made society work.

Social-conflict approach or the thought that “society is an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change” (Macionis 15), was presented when the sharecroppers had a peaceful and lawful gathering in attempt to unionize and stand up to the farm bosses for unfair treatment. The sheriff and the farm bosses found out of the meeting and decided to raid the farm house and beat the sharecroppers in attempt to strike fear in them from unionizing. This attempt failed and instead brought the sharecroppers closer together after finding out the sheriff wrongfully imprisoned Mr. Tolson. The sharecroppers knew they were at a disadvantage so by unionizing they could stand up for their rights, challenge the system, and bring change.

Symbolic-interaction approach was also evident in this film. The symbolic-interaction approach states that “society is the product of the everyday interactions with individuals” (Macionis 17). This was shown immensely throughout the film in the character Henry Lowe. Henry Lowe was a young student who had witnessed traumatizing events throughout his life. The other members of the debate team didn’t understand him until they also witnessed a traumatizing event that Mr. Lowe was too familiar with, a lynching. The other members of the debate team were unfamiliar with this part society. They didn’t understand why people would behave in such way. The reality was that these events had shaped Mr. Lowe into who he actually was therefore making him extremely passionate in everything he did especially debating and standing up for what was right.

Literature Review:

The Great Debaters dealt with the struggles of racism and sexual discrimination. During a time where women were viewed less than men, Samantha Booke demonstrated that women also have knowledge and the capabilities to be as intellectual as men. She demonstrated this through her powerful speeches during her debates. Rosemary Brown quoted that “changing society is an ongoing personal and political struggle; it is tough, it is hard and it has no foreseeable ending” (238). Rosemary Brown quoted this in regards to the sexism that is always occurring in today’s society. Even though Samantha Booke was a young lady that wasn’t supposed to achieve such high education, she strived forward with hard work and determination to prove to society that she was more than capable.

Racism dominated every aspect of life. As a result many African Americans were denied liberties. Racial court decisions such as Dred Scott v. Sandford (1856) and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) contributed to this unfair treatment. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1856) stated that African American were not citizens and therefore had no protection under the Bill Of Rights. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established the separate but equal phrase. In The Great Debaters all the students were viewed inferior to the other students of the white universities. It wasn’t until they proved they were just as capable at winning debates, that the white universities accepted their challenge to debate. The stigma attached to African Americans made white universities believe they were not as smart. This continues to occur in today’s society since people believe if you come from a certain place you are at a disadvantage.

Also, the belief that whites were superior created by segregation led to radical racial tension between the groups. Eventually, these tensions resulted in lynching. Any person of color who challenged white superiority risked being hanged or burned alive by hate-filled whites (Macionis 602). In The Great Debaters, the whites feared that African Americans reached a high level of accomplishment. To combat these ideas, the whites used violence to place fear in the African Americans.

Critique:

The Great Debaters was an amazing movie that provided inspirational characters that stood up for what they believed no matter what. During a time of racism, struggle, and sexual discrimination, the debaters proved that anything is possible. The thing that captivated my attention the most about this film is the fact that one cannot let society make who you are. People must be willing to want change. This film benefits anyone looking for a sense of encouragement. It shows that hard work and determination can take you very far in life.

Conclusion:

The Great Debaters gave way to a new generation of hope. Often, many people fail to look at the truth behind society and live their daily lives as if nothing was wrong. At times they conform to what can be morally wrong. This film allows us to see the harsh reality of life and a problem that still exist today. Racism can be a powerful boundary that can be hard to overcome. The Great Debaters proves that hard work and a strong will is the key to success and as long as one is willing to stand up and fight for one’s right then change is always possible.

Works Cited

Brown, Rosemary. Overcoming Racism and Sexism-How? Ottawa, 1990

Dred Scott Decision. Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia. Copyright 2012

www.ushistory.org/us/32a.asp

Macionis, John J. Sociology. Boston: Pearson, 2010. Print.

Plessy v. Ferguson. http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0163_0537_ZS.html