Analysis Lee Bares Hour 1 Racism has been a part of our history ever since we have become an independent country. In the movie “The Great Debaters,” it portrays the difficulties of racism in the eyes of a black debating team. It shows all the troubles they go through on a day to day basis that the white people have never experienced. They are faced with the challenge of seeing horrific murders, dealing with false accusations, and most importantly discouragement from succeeding. James L. Farmer Jr. was a 14 year old black student on Wiley College’s debate team.
He was given a reality check to racism in the most gruesome way possible. He and his team were driving one night when they came across of white farmers lynching an innocent black man on their farm. The men saw that the car was filled with black men and one black female, so they chased the car down in desperation to catch them. But luckily, the debate team scurried away untouched. This event would change anyone’s life, and it is a shame that a 14 year old boy had to see such a horrific crime. At a time in the movie, Melvin B. Tolson, was attending this meeting in a barn held by black and white people.
The Essay on Huckleberry Finn- Racism Debate
Huckleberry Finn - Racism Debate There is a current debate that the description of Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn" is racist leading to some schools banning it from their libraries. Jim’s character is described as an uneducated and simple sounding; illiterate slave and some people have looked upon this characterization as racist. Jim is depicted as a slave in the south during a period when ...
The people were trying to form a union because they wanted a say in what happens around the city. But the police showed up and busted the joint and tried to get all of the black people in trouble for having this underground meeting. The worst part was the police arrested Melvin for being a part of this, not let him go coach his team at the Harvard debate. Lastly, the debate team had to deal with doubts from others that they couldn’t succeed. They sent out all of these letters to different colleges that were denied because they were a black college.
And when their offers were accepted, the white people that showed up to the debate gave them zero respect. They wouldn’t listen to the black debaters until they used their words to prove themselves that they had a valid point. Melvin would have the team recite a little prayer of encouragement to show the team that if they look past the negative comments, god will push through and give them exactly what they deserve. When the debate team got to Harvard, they were excited to finally have a challenge and prove they are the best. But the Harvard debaters had that look on them like they were better.
They had that snobby, rich, white-boy look that really showed how ignorant the white people were at the time. In conclusion, Wiley College was faced with the hardest challenges and they overcame them all, and were the best debate team of the time. They used the stories they had from their experiences to win the biggest debate of their lives. The white people tried to make things as challenging as they could for them, but they pushed through the pain like champions. As Melvin Tolson would say, “The judge is god. Because, he decides who wins or loses, not my opponent. ”
