Stereotypes: A Changing Society
Public speakers can change societies by changing their way of thinking and/or giving a certain group a voice. Martin Luther King Jr. led the famous "million man march" and was one of the main figures that gave the African-Americans a voice during the Civil Rights movement. The infamous Adolf Hitler made an entire country believe his xenophobic ideology that the Jewish people were the reason were to blame for Germany's impoverished state. Even Socrates changed the way of Greek thinking altogether by introducing a new of way of thinking known as logos. One of the examples of a speech changing society was when Wiley College debated Oklahoma City University. The debate itself was a milestone based on the fact that Wiley College was one of the first
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negro colleges to debate a white college. An important thing to note is that this was during the 1930's. During this time, racism was rampant. Jim crow laws were in full effect. Lynching was a common occurrence. For a white and black college to come together and simply have a debate in this time of deep divide was a feat in and of itself.
The movie, "The Great Debaters" taught me a number of things in terms of persuasive speaking and building strong arguments.
For example, every time that Samantha Booke came up to speak she did not merely read her rebuttal. Instead, she delivered it with an immense amount of passion. This showed me that showing a strong feeling that you care about your topic can sway the audience in your favor. Also, in terms of building effective arguments, this movie showed me that, in order to debate well, an extensive amount of preparation and research has to be done. While getting ready for their final debate the Wiley College team only had forty-eight hours to prepare themselves. However, they used this time wisely. For instance, Mr. Farmer spent a good amount of time going through the materials that were provided to both his team and the Harvard debate team. Finally, quoting historical figures can both strengthen and/or weaken your argument. When Wiley College debated Oklahoma City University the topic of discussion was whether negros should be admitted into state universities or not. The Oklahoma City debate team cited Dr. W.E.B. Dubois statement that, "It's a silly waste of money, time, and temper to try and compel a powerful majority to do what they are determined not to do". Dr. Dubois was a very prominent African-American scholar. This would have worked in their favor had Mr. Lowe not successfully rebutted that claim by stating that W.E.B. Dubois was, "the first negro to receive a Ph. D from a white college called
Harvard".
negro colleges to debate a white college. An important thing to note is that this was during the 1930's. During this time, racism was rampant. Jim crow laws were in full effect. Lynching was a common occurrence. For a white and black college to come together and simply have a debate in this time of deep divide was a feat in and of itself.
The movie, "The Great Debaters" taught me a number of things in terms of persuasive speaking and building strong arguments.
For example, every time that Samantha Booke came up to speak she did not merely read her rebuttal. Instead, she delivered it with an immense amount of passion. This showed me that showing a strong feeling that you care about your topic can sway the audience in your favor. Also, in terms of building effective arguments, this movie showed me that, in order to debate well, an extensive amount of preparation and research has to be done. While getting ready for their final debate the Wiley College team only had forty-eight hours to prepare themselves. However, they used this time wisely. For instance, Mr. Farmer spent a good amount of time going through the materials that were provided to both his team and the Harvard debate team. Finally, quoting historical figures can both strengthen and/or weaken your argument. When Wiley College debated Oklahoma City University the topic of discussion was whether negros should be admitted into state universities or not. The Oklahoma City debate team cited Dr. W.E.B. Dubois statement that, "It's a silly waste of money, time, and temper to try and compel a powerful majority to do what they are determined not to do". Dr. Dubois was a very prominent African-American scholar. This would have worked in their favor had Mr. Lowe not successfully rebutted that claim by stating that W.E.B. Dubois was, "the first negro to receive a Ph. D from a white college called
Harvard".