Plot
In 1935 at Marshall, Texas, there is an ambitious and righteous professor namely Mr. Melvin Tolson who wanted to have elimination for a debating team. As he started the elimination, four students outshined among aspiring students. First is Hamilton Burgess
With the complete set of members of Wiley College Debating team, they started to compete with other schools regardless of the race and showed how cooperative they are with each other and how proud they are being Negroes.
By competing and gradually winning over their opponents coming from different state and universities in their town, the Negroes were being the center of interest of the people especially, their coach, who is one of the members of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and whom want to have equal sharing of lands, harmonious relationship with the White Americans. But Sheriff Dozier, a white American is not agree on the proposal of Tolson for he believes that this is one of the ways of the Negroes to have revenge for they were being discriminated because of their race, abused and made as slaves by the very judgmental White Americans.
With the anger of the sheriff, he had done a raid to the meeting place of the members of the said group when he heard that this group is talking about the equal sharing of the lands. After the raid, the sheriff and policemen along the town were suspecting Mr. Tolson to be one of the leaders who lead the meeting. Hamilton Burgess decided to quit from the debating team for his father did not want to get involved with Mr. Tolson’s problem about being a communist in their town. The debating team had really a difficult time in letting go of one of their brilliant member. Misunderstanding and miscommunication among them made them not to be united with each other especially when Mr. Tolson was being jailed by the sheriff who is accusing their coach and making their team degraded to the schools they have invited to have a debate with. Their coach was not able to be with them in their battle against the defending National Champion, the debaters from Harvard University whom were taking advantage for the competition since they were being told first that the topic that they were going to argue was being changed.
But, despite of the consecutive challenges and shortcomings, Henry Lowe, Samantha Booke and James Farmer Jr. were inspired to win and helped one another to win the debate. Henry Lowe as the leader made a tough decision in letting the 14-year old boy, James Jr. to be one of the speakers. James Farmer Jr. on his speech was very honest and emotional. He shared what they have experienced when they saw the lynchinh who killed an innocent Negro and relate this to the nonviolent civil disobedience against the rule of law, emphasizing that the Negroes are also creations created by God and has the right to resists from maltreatments, humiliation, discrimination and persecution for he quoted a line of St. Augustine that " An unjust law is a no law at all". With this honest experience, the message captured the hear of everyone who are inside the hall and the judges decide whom ids deserving to win. The Wiley College won against the White Americans and hailed as the new National Champion for debate.
Conflict
The conflict in the movie is when Mr. Tolson was driving home from a debate with his students, witnessed a lynching. The burned body of a Negro was on the spotlight while the mob who are White Americans were amazingly looking at it. Mostly anger and mixed emotions were felt by Tolson and the debaters. And to their surprise, the mob still got angry on them, chasing the car of the Negroes whom were very fortunate to escape from the crowd. Because of this happening, the debaters were very determined to have revenge against the White Americans by proving to them that Negroes are also important in America. Their fighting spirit were being triggered and through the debate against the debaters of Harvard University, the debaters of Wiley College are inspired to win for their beloved Negroes
Characters
These are the characters in the movie and they were classified on what kind of character they belong. The protagonist in the story is generally, the Negroes, mainly represented by Mr. Tolson and the great debaters who showed how perseverance, unity and teamwork eradicated discrimination against them.
The antagonist is generally, the White Americans whom in what they aredoing and on how they treat the Negroes made them known as the main enemy of the Negroes while Mr. Melvin Tolson, the coach of the debating team is a round or dynamic character for sometimes he shows to be a strict and rude mentor, challenging his debaters on what they can do but in the latter part of the movie, he tend to be a concern and supportive coach to his debaters.
Sheriff Dozier, a White American and one of the antagonist in the story is a flat or static character for from the beginning of the movie until the end, he is a cruel White American who is not equal with the rights of the Negroes and abused the Negroes by punishing them even though they do not have wrong doings against the White Americans. While James Farmer Jr., Melvin Tolson, Samantha Booke, Henry Lowe, Hamilton Burgess and James Farmer Sr. are the main chracters in the movie. Lastly, the minor characters are Helen Farmer, the Negro students, the White Americans and the Negroes.
Theme
The central idea of the movie is focusing on the racial discrimination and inequality between the White Americans and the Negroes in all aspects of the life of being a Black American.
Racial Discrimination was rampant in the nineteenth century and on the Black races and Negroes. Based on the movie, racial discrimination was being emphasized on the humiliation of James Farmer Sr. in the hands of the White Americans when he accidentally ran off a pig and he paid it.
Second, was when the debaters were being competed over the Oklahoma State University White American students. The audience especially the Whites was being dismayed and disgusted on the topic they were going to argue, it is about the Negroes to enter on the State Colleges and Universities as the same as the Whites.
Lastly, was when Mr. Tolson and his debaters were going home. They saw a mob of White Americans who burned an innocent Negro who does not harm them after all. But, the Whites are not yet satisfied, that with the surprise of Tloson and the debaters, they were chased angrily by this mob. Fortunately, they had escaped.
Setting
In the movie, the main characters were being endowed of the fear and unfair judgment brought by the white Americans in the society. The Negroes lived without freedom and on the shadows of the white races. Based on the movie, Negroes lived in humiliation, threats and persecution. A concrete situation of humiliation in the movie was when James Farmer Sr., accompanied by his family, accidentally runs over a pig, he was humiliated by the owners who are White Americans and made James Sr. to pay for the dead pig with not suited price.
Persecution was being highlighted. It was when Mr. Tolson was driving home from a debate with his students, witnessed a lynching. The burned body of a Negro was on the spotlight while the mob was amazingly looking at it, flashes of anger and mixed emotions were felt by Tolson and the debaters. And to their surprise, the mob still got angry on them, chasing the car of the Negroes whom were very fortunate to escape from the crowd.
Point of View
The movie was being narrated by a first person because it’s a true story about a debating team in Wiley College, a small all-black institution. Since it is a true to life story, it was based on the lives of the main characters in the movie.
In 1935 at Marshall, Texas, there is an ambitious and righteous professor namely Mr. Melvin Tolson who wanted to have elimination for a debating team. As he started the elimination, four students outshined among aspiring students. First is Hamilton Burgess
With the complete set of members of Wiley College Debating team, they started to compete with other schools regardless of the race and showed how cooperative they are with each other and how proud they are being Negroes.
By competing and gradually winning over their opponents coming from different state and universities in their town, the Negroes were being the center of interest of the people especially, their coach, who is one of the members of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and whom want to have equal sharing of lands, harmonious relationship with the White Americans. But Sheriff Dozier, a white American is not agree on the proposal of Tolson for he believes that this is one of the ways of the Negroes to have revenge for they were being discriminated because of their race, abused and made as slaves by the very judgmental White Americans.
With the anger of the sheriff, he had done a raid to the meeting place of the members of the said group when he heard that this group is talking about the equal sharing of the lands. After the raid, the sheriff and policemen along the town were suspecting Mr. Tolson to be one of the leaders who lead the meeting. Hamilton Burgess decided to quit from the debating team for his father did not want to get involved with Mr. Tolson’s problem about being a communist in their town. The debating team had really a difficult time in letting go of one of their brilliant member. Misunderstanding and miscommunication among them made them not to be united with each other especially when Mr. Tolson was being jailed by the sheriff who is accusing their coach and making their team degraded to the schools they have invited to have a debate with. Their coach was not able to be with them in their battle against the defending National Champion, the debaters from Harvard University whom were taking advantage for the competition since they were being told first that the topic that they were going to argue was being changed.
But, despite of the consecutive challenges and shortcomings, Henry Lowe, Samantha Booke and James Farmer Jr. were inspired to win and helped one another to win the debate. Henry Lowe as the leader made a tough decision in letting the 14-year old boy, James Jr. to be one of the speakers. James Farmer Jr. on his speech was very honest and emotional. He shared what they have experienced when they saw the lynchinh who killed an innocent Negro and relate this to the nonviolent civil disobedience against the rule of law, emphasizing that the Negroes are also creations created by God and has the right to resists from maltreatments, humiliation, discrimination and persecution for he quoted a line of St. Augustine that " An unjust law is a no law at all". With this honest experience, the message captured the hear of everyone who are inside the hall and the judges decide whom ids deserving to win. The Wiley College won against the White Americans and hailed as the new National Champion for debate.
Conflict
The conflict in the movie is when Mr. Tolson was driving home from a debate with his students, witnessed a lynching. The burned body of a Negro was on the spotlight while the mob who are White Americans were amazingly looking at it. Mostly anger and mixed emotions were felt by Tolson and the debaters. And to their surprise, the mob still got angry on them, chasing the car of the Negroes whom were very fortunate to escape from the crowd. Because of this happening, the debaters were very determined to have revenge against the White Americans by proving to them that Negroes are also important in America. Their fighting spirit were being triggered and through the debate against the debaters of Harvard University, the debaters of Wiley College are inspired to win for their beloved Negroes
Characters
These are the characters in the movie and they were classified on what kind of character they belong. The protagonist in the story is generally, the Negroes, mainly represented by Mr. Tolson and the great debaters who showed how perseverance, unity and teamwork eradicated discrimination against them.
The antagonist is generally, the White Americans whom in what they aredoing and on how they treat the Negroes made them known as the main enemy of the Negroes while Mr. Melvin Tolson, the coach of the debating team is a round or dynamic character for sometimes he shows to be a strict and rude mentor, challenging his debaters on what they can do but in the latter part of the movie, he tend to be a concern and supportive coach to his debaters.
Sheriff Dozier, a White American and one of the antagonist in the story is a flat or static character for from the beginning of the movie until the end, he is a cruel White American who is not equal with the rights of the Negroes and abused the Negroes by punishing them even though they do not have wrong doings against the White Americans. While James Farmer Jr., Melvin Tolson, Samantha Booke, Henry Lowe, Hamilton Burgess and James Farmer Sr. are the main chracters in the movie. Lastly, the minor characters are Helen Farmer, the Negro students, the White Americans and the Negroes.
Theme
The central idea of the movie is focusing on the racial discrimination and inequality between the White Americans and the Negroes in all aspects of the life of being a Black American.
Racial Discrimination was rampant in the nineteenth century and on the Black races and Negroes. Based on the movie, racial discrimination was being emphasized on the humiliation of James Farmer Sr. in the hands of the White Americans when he accidentally ran off a pig and he paid it.
Second, was when the debaters were being competed over the Oklahoma State University White American students. The audience especially the Whites was being dismayed and disgusted on the topic they were going to argue, it is about the Negroes to enter on the State Colleges and Universities as the same as the Whites.
Lastly, was when Mr. Tolson and his debaters were going home. They saw a mob of White Americans who burned an innocent Negro who does not harm them after all. But, the Whites are not yet satisfied, that with the surprise of Tloson and the debaters, they were chased angrily by this mob. Fortunately, they had escaped.
Setting
In the movie, the main characters were being endowed of the fear and unfair judgment brought by the white Americans in the society. The Negroes lived without freedom and on the shadows of the white races. Based on the movie, Negroes lived in humiliation, threats and persecution. A concrete situation of humiliation in the movie was when James Farmer Sr., accompanied by his family, accidentally runs over a pig, he was humiliated by the owners who are White Americans and made James Sr. to pay for the dead pig with not suited price.
Persecution was being highlighted. It was when Mr. Tolson was driving home from a debate with his students, witnessed a lynching. The burned body of a Negro was on the spotlight while the mob was amazingly looking at it, flashes of anger and mixed emotions were felt by Tolson and the debaters. And to their surprise, the mob still got angry on them, chasing the car of the Negroes whom were very fortunate to escape from the crowd.
Point of View
The movie was being narrated by a first person because it’s a true story about a debating team in Wiley College, a small all-black institution. Since it is a true to life story, it was based on the lives of the main characters in the movie.
