Guilford County Schools / Homepage



“The Great Debaters” PART 1Listen to and discuss the opening prayer and speech by Dr. Farmer. Explain the significance of the powerful words which are spoken in the background as the viewer watches several different scenes:Samantha Booke takes the bus to school and is watching her impoverished community in the window as she passes.Melvin Tolson dressed as farmer walking into the night.Henry Lowe in bar about to get in a fight.“When I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child but when I became a man, I put away all childish things. Freshman class…I believe we are the most privileged people in America, because we have the most important job in America, the education of our young people…We must impress upon our young people that there will be difficulties that they will face, they must defeat them, they must do what they have to do in order to do what they want to do. Education is the only way out, the way out of ignorance, the way out of darkness, into the glorious light.” – Dr. James FarmerAnswer the following:What does Dr. Farmer mean when he said “when I was as child I spake as a child…but when I became a man I put away all childish things”?Is it the school’s role to help youth to develop into adults? Why or why not?Where do most of our young people learn the lessons they need to become adults today?According to the speaker (Dr. James Farmer Sr.) what is “the only way out of darkness?”What do you think Samantha Booke is thinking as she looks out the window at her impoverished community?What does Dr. Farmer mean when he says “they must do what they have to do in order to do what they want to do”? How can you apply this to your own life?What would have happened if Henry Lowe had actually stabbed the women’s husband in the fight in the bar?Is education still the “ways out of darkness and into the glorious light” for the African American community? If so, how?What does Mr. Tolson do to capture the attention of his students as he enters the classroom?How does this differ from what we see in most classrooms today?According to the student, Henry Lowe, what is the only place other than school where one can read all day?What does Tolson mean when he says “To be born without record”?According to the Professor, what type of sport is debate? What are your weapons? What does he mean by this?What does the term “the hot spot” mean?Explaining debate: Explain the concepts of starting a debate with a proposition and demonstrate how debaters argue According to what Professor Tolson was teaching at the first meeting, does it seem debate has changed much since 1935?Why does Samantha Booke want to join the debate team? How do you think she felt?How does Samantha’s source, “the look in a mother’s eye when she can’t feed her kids” represent an insight that a male student may not have?Who is the judge? Why?Choose ONE of the following questions and write a good paragraph . Use the entire box. After Dr. Farmer hits and kills the hog with his car, he offers his entire monthly salary to the man who owned the hog. This is far more than the hog is worth and yet the Dr. does not argue or complain, he simply signs over the check. He also does not say a word as the men humiliate him by dropping the check and then tell him to help load up the dead hog. Why do you think the Dr. Farmer acts in this way? Why is it the “smart” thing to do?When Henry challenges Professor Tolson to tell the debaters about himself, the Professor tells the shocking story of Willie Lynch. He explains that slave owners wanted to keep the bodies of slaves strong, but their minds weak. The Professor calls this “diabolical.” Why do you think he says this? Why do you think such methods worked? *if more space is needed, use separate sheet.PART 2 What does James daydream about at the dance?What is Mr. Tolson doing in the barn with all the sharecroppers?What fears did the farmers have?Why does Mr. Tolson say he was dressed the way he was?Why won’t James tell his father where he was?Discuss the reason that Farmer Sr. slaps his son after he brings up the incident when his father apologized to the pig farmer?Whose argument does Henry use to win the first debate competition? How did Sheriff Dozier find out who the “ring leader” was (the one trying to organize a union for sharecroppers and laborers)?Why does Hamilton quit the debate team?What is the topic of the debate between Wiley College and Oklahoma City College?Why does Tolson correct Farmer Sr. when he uses the term “Anglo Saxons” as opposed to “white”?Why did the debaters have to debate at an off campus site?Why were Tolson’s politics threatening to the debater who quit the team?How do you think Samantha Booke felt as a Black female on the debate team?Discuss the various arguments on the question of whether “Negroes should be admitted into State Universities”.Discuss segregated education and the notion of “Separate and unequal”. Does this phenomenon still exist in our schools today?“The time for justice, the time for freedom, the time for equality is always right now.” What does this mean? Is this statement still relevant today as we think about issues of inequality?Choose ONE of the following questions and write a good paragraph. Do you think a teacher’s political beliefs should matter to parents or students? How much about a teacher’s beliefs or actions outside of the classroom do you think parents and students have a right to know, if any? Should the Wiley College debate team have agreed to debate Oklahoma City College at a location off campus? Why or why not?PART 3When Samantha says “I didn’t need a gun, I didn’t need a knife” what is she speaking about?What is Dr. Farmer concerned about when he talks to Mr. Tolson at the party?“A hungry negro steals a chicken and goes to jail, a rich business man steals bonds and goes to congress.” What point is Tolson trying to make?What do we learn about Henry Lowe’s father?What “side” of Henry does Samantha see when they are out on the lake?Why do you think that reading makes Henry Lowe want to travel and see the world?Why does James tell Samantha, “Maybe it hurts me to be your friend?”How does Dr. Farmer redeem himself in the eyes of his son?Discuss the quote “an unjust law is no law at all”.Why is the sheriff forced to let Tolson go?Write a good paragraph on the following question. Tolson said Jesus was a “radical”. What did he mean? Do you agree? Did Jesus defy the established order of his times? How?*if more space is needed, use separate sheet.PART 4Why did many of the schools cancel debates with Wiley College?What does Tolson mean by “blacklisted”?What does Mr. Tolson tell his debaters just makes him stronger? Why does Henry Lowe pull out his knife?What would have happened had the mob caught Tolson and the debaters?How does Henry Lowe cope with his pain and anger after witnessing the lynching?Why is Lowe so hurt when Farmer says “this is all useless”?Why did Samantha Booke not join the team for the debate against Howard College?Discuss the debater’s argument that “Prison is a dark gift”.Why do you think debating Harvard is so important to Tolson? To the team?Why is Tolson unable to go to Harvard with the debaters?Write a good paragraph. Discuss a lynch mob and how it operates? Why do you think Tolson explained to his students the historical source of the word lynch? What did that have to say about the power of words and their connection to real life?*if more space is needed, use separate sheetPART 5Why was the debate topic changed? How long do they have to prepare?Discuss Civil Disobedience as a moral weapon to fight for justice?Who does Samantha say that they cannot win without? Why is this significant?Why did the debaters disagree on using Gandhi? How does James Farmer Jr.’s argument surrounding the lynching of negro’s in Texas leave very little room for debate?Why does Mr. Tolson leave without the debaters knowing?Write a good paragraph. What is the theme of the film The Great Debaters? Be sure to use specific examples to support your plete the following on Thoreau: Constructed Response – Answer the following question within the box below. Remember to follow the format below:Answer the ENTIRE questionSupport Details for the answer TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (this is where you need to find AT LEAST one quote from the text OR you can use what you wrote down on the paraphrasing activity in the packet)Explanation of evidence Which of Thoreau’s arguments did you find convincing, and which did you disagree with? What would be the effect on civil order if each person always followed his or her own conscience? Explain. 171450310515171450276225171450217170171450182880171450161925171450127635171450106680171450100965Martin Luther King Jr.—“Letters from Birmingham City Jail” Which of the following best describes an unjust law?A man-made code that squares with the law of God A code that one deems to be effective and useful to societyA code that is out of harmony with the moral law Who did not inspire King in his pursuit of civil disobedience? Saint Augustine GandhiThoreau What major movement was occurring during King’s lifetime?Civil Rights Movement Revolutionary Movement Colonial Movement How does King say one should approach “breaking the law”?“…as the rabid segregationist would”“openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty”“…hatefully as the white mothers did in New Orleans”What does the following quote mean:“There are some instances when a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.”A law is applied to government in the exact manner it is described as A law may seem effective, but it is destructive once appliedA law may seem bad when one speaks of it, but it turns out to be a lot better than you think ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download