Remember the Titans Rhetorical Analysis
Multicolored Dream In the movie Remember the Titans Coach Boone gives a speech on the battle ground of Gettysburg. Coach Boone was hired and made head coach over the nominated Hall of Fame Coach Yoast. Racial tensions were building between team members because their school, T.C. Williams became integrated. His team of football players had a problem with open prejudice and hostility between the black and white players. After a day of bad practice, Coach Boone took his team out for a run in the middle of the night through the forest to deal with the issue. When the players were finally given a chance to breathe they realized that they were at the Civil War battle ground of Gettysburg. He utilizes his strong demeanor and gives a speech about the history of the Battle of Gettysburg and how they are repeating history by fighting against their own brothers. He needed to show the football players that they are equal and if they did not realize it they too would end up with hatred in their hearts. Coach Boone was able to use rhetorical appeals such as pathos, ethos, and logos to change the view his players had about their fellow teammates. Pathos was one of the major factors in Coach Boone’s speech. He reached out to his players by talking about the Battle of Gettysburg, a large part of American history. Coach Boone chose Gettysburg because of the history of racism and the Civil War. The atmosphere, full of tension, anxiety, and seriousness made Coach Boone’s speech more of a heart to heart. In the beginning of his speech he talked about the battle and how men died “fighting the same fight we’re still fighting amongst ourselves” (Boone). Coach Boone triggered emotions like remorse, and puts his players in a reflective state. He pointed out that the war may have ended but the hatred is still within their hearts. The players all know about the history of their heritage but after the way Coach Boone talks about it, they realize how terrible their actions of prejudice
Cited: Remember the Titans. Dir. Boaz Yakin. Perf. Denzel Washington. 2000. DVD.