Essay: Movie “The Great Debaters”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by
the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Discrimination is an issue that has constantly existed, and the best proof can be found in racial class. In
modern times, it is disappearing little by little, but not long ago people were judged by their color and
many nations were divided by this separation. However, this separation vanished through various
competitions and popular revolts or revolutions in the hope of making a change and standing up for
one’s rights. A perfect example that portrays these qualities can be seen in the movie “The Great
Debaters”.

When racial discrimination was normal in the United States, a revolutionary teacher chooses a group of
students from a small school called Wiley College and teaches them to debate. In one of the scenes of
the movie, the teacher Melvin Tolson groups several students to select a group of debaters. Being all
together, the teacher tells his students to debate him on a given topic. By this, the teacher recognizes
which students have the qualities and talent for debating. Finally, he chose, encouraged and prepared a
group of students to form the first debate team of Wiley College in Texas where he worked, in order to
reach to compete with debaters from other more prestigious universities.

The most crucial point in this story that led to a lot of prestige on the ideals of equality between people,
is based on the time when the debaters from Wiley College are invited to compete for the national
championship debates, something very amazing for both students as well as teachers of that time. Such
competition was given with the undefeated champions of Harvard University to debate about civil
disobedience. While the Wiley College team defends the right to execute it, taking the example of
Gandhi, an ideologist of nonviolence, their opponents give a totally different opinion against them. One
of the most important part in the debate was when one of the debaters from Wiley College described
his experience regarding racism against black people in his town in order to win the argument. By using
logical and rational arguments, they were able to defeat the Harvard University debate team. This
represents an excellent example of struggle and perseverance, very worth of being seen and admired.

The debate won by the Wiley College was a fact widely echoed at the time simply because black people
were never considered for these competitions. These victories later serve to give more credibility based
on the arguments of these students to combat racism.

Throughout the film, many characteristics are shown, but the ones that can be found most clearly are
discrimination, exploitation, and oppression which one can observe at any point in the film, along with
pacifism and violence.

Pacifism is the central theme of the movie. This is because the debate is used as a way to claim one’s
rights, fight against injustices of the state such as segregation through previously developed arguments.
They do not use the violence in any case. This was very unusual at the time because no one had the right
to question the authority that the state had imposed against the citizens.

As for violence, it is used in different occasions to punish or mute people who have a different ideology
from the government, as they do not want any opposition to further convince other countries to join
their ideals. Besides this, violence is also used by white people.
The discrimination in the movie also shows us that in those days what was left for the black people was
to accept the reality and hope that someday it would change.

Apart from this, the black people also received much oppression by the white race, which would not
allow them to fully live their rights.

Throughout the film, all of these particular characteristics are communicated. We can clearly see that
people weren’t able to express themselves.

However, what can this instruct us? A lot, I would say. The first and most important learning it covers is
that we have a great power within us: the power of communication. Communication is a tool that each
one of us possess, independently of the race. As the dominant species on the planet, we have used it to
make decisions and act in ways that has allowed the development of infinite moral, labor, economic,
cultural, and environmental issues, for which it has sought different strategies approach. Without any
doubts, one of the best is the debate, whose objectives are none other than those corresponding to
express ideas, opinions, findings, issues, different situations, as well as unify criteria for achieving
common objectives as shown in the film. The film features students who shared this characteristic.

The role of the teacher is much appreciated in the movie because he shows their students the best way
to fight and win in life is through the discussion of ideas; where you can defend and contrast arguments
of a controversial matter. The teacher gives his students to understand that the proper use of our
language can accomplish many things, and that with the power of words, one can open the path to fight
for justice.

Another quality it teaches us is that nonviolence is the best way to win a fight. Throughout history, we
have fought thousands of wars. This has led has nowhere, but only to the destruction of our own kind.

After all, it lets us know that teamwork is a great force. With team work, we can get through every
struggles we confront in our lives. It is truly beneficial and takes us very far.

Lastly, “The Great Debaters” reminds us that colleges and universities, as the country’s representatives
of free expression, imaginative thinking, and social change, must accomplish more to enhance the role
of debate as a fundamental segment of a well-working society we aspire. Even critics will concede that
debate’s insufficiencies are due to the lack institutional duty to a debate education. To be valid to our
central qualities, we need to promote these activities which will eventually create better citizens.
Debate does this. A country where academic debate is be a present will be a better country. Every
institution has many great debaters; but we must establish the foundation for accomplishment. There
will be no better chance to convey this to fulfillment than the particular time that now lies before us.