The Great Debaters James Farmer Jr

The Great Debaters chronicles the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson and his four debaters which end up being three. Professor Tolson is a brilliant but volatile debate team coach. He utilizes the power of words to shape a group of underdog students for a small African American college in Wiley, Texas. In 1935 he led Wiley College debate team to a historically run. James Farmer Jr, the son of James Farmer Sr. I believe James Farmer Jr was looked as the weakest debaters out of the team. However, he was very brilliant and intelligent at researching. In the beginning Jr character shows that he likes Samantha Booke, but is too shy to tell her so he keeps quite. James goes to the debate team tryouts and later finds out that he made the team. James …show more content…
After practicing, James and his teammates go to a school dance where James fantasizes about dancing with Samantha, he finally gets his opportunity when she asks him to dance. However, Henry quickly intervenes and asks Samantha to leave the dance with him. James leaves the dance and heads home after feeling rejected. On his way home, he spots Professor Tolson dressed as a sharecropper and follows him to a secret meeting which is raided by local authorities. Professor Tolson saves him and wishes that he never speak of what went on. As James attempts to sneak inside the house at 1:30am his father confronts him about his whereabouts. James Jr proceeds to tell his father that he cannot tell him. James Farmer Sr yells at James, James questions his father’s cowardice during the pig incident, leading Dr. Farmer to slap him. At a debate team meeting, tensions are high as James Farmer Jr. is jealous of the relationship between Samantha and Henry. He is also angry that he is the only debater that has not debated at this point in the season. During the drive to Howard …show more content…
Henry leaves and gets drunk and is caught kissing another woman by Samantha which ultimately leads her to leaving the team to return to college. At this point James gets his first chance to debate in the season. James didn’t do well in the debate which causes Wiley to lose for the first time this season. The team finds out that they had gotten invited to debate against the National Champions in Harvard University. At the last moment Professor Tolson tells them that he would not be going with them to Cambridge. Forced to write new arguments, the team breaks downs in a sense and Henry leaves and come across a beautiful young lady at a bar. Instead of him talking to her he goes back to the team. Henry informs James that he will debate in his place. James is shocked and does not believe he has what it takes because of his last performance. However, Henry reminds them that they can win by saying, “Who is the judge?” James utters, “The judge is God.” Henry,”Why is he God?” Both Samantha and James say, “Because he decides who wins or loses,