The Great Debaters: Melvin B. Tolson

Less than a hundred years ago, life in America was remarkably unlike life in today’s society. The difference lies not only in the way he people lived or worked, but also in the way they thought. Prejudice ruled over the minds of many, which resulted in the unequal treatment of people based on their race or gender. Set in the American South in the 1930s, the biographical film The Great Debaters follows the debate team of Wiley College, an all black institution, and its coach Melvin B. Tolson in their efforts to prove prejudice wrong by excelling in debate. After many successful competitions, Harvard University invites Wiley College to compete. Despite Harvard’s reputation as one of the best schools in the country, Wiley College won the match. …show more content…
Tolson teaches the debaters the significance of understanding the truth and communicating it to others. The scene where Mr. Tolson drills the debate team excellently illustrates his value of truth and his dedication to instill this value in his students. Through crude repetition, they learn that the adversary does not determine the winner; therefore they should not aim to attack him to prove him wrong but rather to use their knowledge to show their own side correct. Mr. Tolson trains the debaters to exploit the education at their disposal to enlighten the audience, not fight the opposition. The teacher places the truth above the opponent by denying the very existence of an opponent in his drills. He shows his students that a knowledgeable argument will get them further than an uneducated rant ever will. By encouraging the debaters to use their education to express the truth, Mr. Tolson conveys the utter importance of knowledge. In another instance, in an effort to bring the debate team closer together, Mr. Tolson asks them questions about their background. When Mr. Tolson asks Henry Lowe to tell them about his father, Henry fires the question back at the teacher. Instead of answering, Mr. Tolson lectures the students on the origin of lynching in the South. This incident once again demonstrates Mr. Tolson’s belief that knowledge overrules personal matters. He does not believe the students would benefit from hearing about his life; thus, he tells them something he believes useful, both as factual information and as motivation. By responding in this way, he intends to demonstrate the appalling way the society treats African-Americans based on biased opinions and encourage the student to educate themselves in order to be able to stand up for