The Great Debaters Film Analysis

In the 1930’s, there was a highly contagious disease that plagued the South. That disease is known as racism. Even today, in the year 2015, it still infects our nation. Is there a cure for this outbreak? If an African-American is in a disagreement with a Caucasian person, how is it possible to sway that white person’s views or beliefs while this disease is prevalent? Having the chance to change their point of view can be challenging and strenuous. On the contrary, when emotion is used to fuel and enhance an argument, it has the ability to be powerful beyond measure. By applying emotion during an argument, whether one’s own emotion or using someone else’s against them, it has the potential to persuade a dissenting audience. In the film, The Great Debaters, Samantha Booke and James Farmer Jr. proved that utilizing emotion in an argument is effective for African-Americans to persuade a Caucasian audience during the 1930’s. Emotion was the only way for blacks to successfully challenge the beliefs and ideas of white people, because it created an opportunity for the Whites to empathize blacks, highlighting what discrimination really felt like for them in the South.
A scene in The Great Debaters portrayed the use of emotion perfectly …show more content…
News stations and social media constantly portray different issues as a “white versus black” dispute. Thus, it is almost impossible for African-Americans to persuade a dissenting white audience with racism so prevalent. Without the use of doctors or researchers, Samantha Booke and James Farmer Jr. proved that utilizing emotion in different ways during their debates is the best way to effectively treat this disease. They both were able to persuade dissenting white audiences using different strategies of emotion because it enabled them to walk in the shoes of African Americans, and it created empathy towards their