remember the titans synopsis essay

Remember The Titans Essays

The movie “Remember The Titans” is a film about racial tensions in America during the early 1970s. The story follows a high school football team in Virginia as they navigate the challenges of desegregation. The film stars Denzel Washington and is based on a true story.

“Remember The Titans” is an important film because it highlights the importance of coming together despite differences. The film shows how race can be a dividing factor, but also how teamwork and friendship can overcome any obstacle. This is a powerful message that is still relevant today.

Boaz Yakin’s The Remember the Titans is a American sports film based on a true story of Afro-American coach Herman Boone, who made an effort against racism in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. The movie was analyzed within the context of Organizational Behaviour ideas at the beginning of this study. White and black players on both sides displayed their cultural and personality diversities clearly at the start of the film.

While this is a football movie, there are also important messages about teamwork, leadership, and respect. Remember the Titans is an excellent movie to watch with friends or family. It is appropriate for all ages due to its lack of offensive language and scenes. The film Remember the Titans was released in the year 2000 and was met with critical acclaim.

The movie starred Denzel Washington as head coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as his assistant coach Bill Yoast, and Wood Harris as Julius Campbell. Remember the Titans was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $100 million at the worldwide box office. Remember the Titans is considered one of the best sports movies ever made.

Coach Boone’s strategy has allowed the Titan Team to become more diverse, which creates new problems. The players must collaborate and operate as a team despite their various backgrounds. In contrast with black athletes, white players are high in power distance. White people feel that there is a racial hierarchy between whites and blacks.

On the other hand, black players think that they are not given a chance to be on an equal level with whites. This creates conflict and tension because the players cannot come to an agreement about their differences. Remember The Titans is a great film that explores the challenges of diversity and how a team can come together to overcome them.

In football, players of both black and white seek to demonstrate their masculinity through collectivist means, as opposed to individualism. White players tend to value individualism more than black players, who prioritize the team’s success over their own. This is best illustrated throughout the film by its masculine atmosphere.

Remember The Titans is a film that Remember The Titans directed by Boaz Yakin and released in the year 2000. It is based on a true story of the 1971 T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia, which was racially divided but came together to have an undefeated season.

The movie stars Denzel Washington as head coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as assistant coach Bill Yoast, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier, and Hayden Panettiere as Sheryl Yoast. Remember The Titans tackles the issue of racism head-on by depicting the prejudice and hatred that existed between the black and white students at T.C. Williams High School in 1971. At first, the black and white students are segregated and there is little interaction between them.

However, as the film progresses, we see the students begin to understand and respect each other, eventually becoming friends and teammates. The film ends with a stirring victory by the Titans over their rival team, which is all the more significant because it is a victory for unity and understanding. Remember The Titans is an inspiring film that demonstrates the power of teamwork and cooperation in overcoming adversity. It is also a reminder of the progress that has been made in race relations since 1971.

White people are long-term focused, whereas black individuals are short-term oriented. White gamers, on the other hand, are more concerned with preserving their position. These distinctions have led to a unique culture for Titan Team, which began at the start of camp.

Remember The Titans is a movie about football, race relations, and social change in the early 1970s. The film follows the story of head coach Herman Boone, who is played by Denzel Washington, as he leads a newly integrated high school football team to success. Remember The Titans explores issues of race, identity, and community in a way that is both thought-provoking and inspiring. This film is a great example of how sport can be used as a tool for social change.

There are no questions that Remember the Titans is rife with triumph and despair. Coach Boone is always a source of leadership for his players, as well as the entire community. Power may be used both on and off the field at times.

Remember the Titans is a film that does an excellent job of highlighting what it means to be a leader in the face of adversity. The characters must grapple with difficult challenges and ultimately come out stronger for it. This film is a great example of how leadership can be utilized in order to achieve success. Remember the Titans is a movie that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Various leadership concepts are illustrated throughout the film, such as referent power, coercive power, need for power (both personalized and socialized), legitimate power and reward power. Of these, referrantpower is central to Coach Boone’s ability to lead his team towards victory.

The film highlights the racial tensions at the time, as the school district had just been integrated. Denzel Washington stars as head coach Herman Boone, who is tasked with leading the newly-integrated team. Remember the Titans is a great example of leadership in action, and there are several scenes that demonstrate different types of power.

One scene that demonstrates referent power occurs early on in the movie, when Coach Boone is teaching his team how to run a play correctly. He shows them how to do it himself first, and then has them repeat it back to him. Because he is respected by his players, they are willing to listen to him and follow his lead.

Another scene that demonstrates referent power is when Coach Boone gives a speech to his team before their first game. He tells them that they are not just playing for themselves, but for the whole community. He asks them to think about all the people who have supported them and helped them get to where they are. His words inspire the team to come together and play as one unit.

Coercive power is also on display in Remember the Titans. This type of power is often used in order to get people to do what you want, even if they don’t want to do it. One scene that demonstrates coercive power is when Coach Boone makes his players run extra laps after practice. They are tired and don’t want to do it, but he forces them to. Another scene that demonstrates coercive power is when Coach Boone makes his players stand in a circle and yelled at them. This was done in order to get them to bond with each other and form a stronger team.

The need for power is also present in Remember the Titans. This is a movie about football, so of course there are going to be examples of people needing power in order to win. One scene that demonstrates the need for power is when Coach Boone is talking to his offensive coordinator about what plays they should run. He wants to make sure that they are running the right plays in order to win the game.

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Remember the Titans’ by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis Essay

Introduction, five-stage model.

Remember the Titans denotes a United States games movie created by Jerry Bruckheimer and its director Boaz Yakin at the close of the twentieth century. The design of the movie was obtained from a screenplay by Gregory Howard, and the movie is anchored in a true account of a black coach, Herman Boone, represented by Denzel Washington, who attempts to initiate ethnically divided players at a secondary school in Washington, D.C. in 1971. Thespian Will Patton represents Bill Yoast, who was an adjunct trainer that created a passage to aid Herman.

The actual account depiction of team members Julius Campbell (acted by Harris Wood), in addition to Gerry Bertier (acted by Ryan Hurst), emerge in the matched plot. Moreover, Kate Bosworth and Kip Pardue materialize as major characters.

A shared attempt to consign to the creation of the movie was generated by the Walt Disney Pictures’ and Run It Up Productions Company to mention a few movie studios. The movie was commercially distributed by Buena Vista Pictures and explores civil subjects like favoritism, athletics, and racialism. In late 2000, the soundtrack of the movie was created by Walt Disney Records and portrays songs written by a number of recording musicians.

In 1971, at Williams High School, a desegregated secondary school, African American coach, Herman, is adopted to train the football players in the school. Herman acts as the successor of the present coach Yoast, proposed for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, and revering Bill Yoast, Herman took up the position as his assistant coordinator in the coaching rank.

Bill initially rejects Herman’s proposal, but rethinks following the white players assurance to stay away from the team if he fails to participate. Shocked by the prospect of the learners losing their opportunities at scholarships, Bill changes his decision and engages in the role of defensive director. African American and white football members of the team regularly disagree in ethnically motivated disputes at the football camp, encompassing several involving Campbell and Gerry.

Following forceful persuasion and thorough athletic preparation by Herman, the team realizes racial accord and triumph. After going back from the football camp, Herman is informed by an affiliate of the school board that it has been planned that if he fails to win all the games, he will be laid off. Consequently, the Titans get through the entire season unbeatable while struggling with racial discrimination, prior to gradually winning the backing from the community.

Shortly prior to state semi-finals, Bill is informed by another affiliate of the school board that he would be initiated into the Hall of Fame should the titans fail to win even a single game, to insinuate that they want Herman to be laid off because of his ethnic background. In the course of the game, it turns out evident that the referees are prejudiced against the Titans. Bill cautions the head officer that he would go to the press and reveal their heinous act if the game were not to be refereed evenhandedly. Eventually, the Titans emerge the victors, but Bill is informed that his attempts have led into his failure of candidature for induction.

In the course of the victory celebrations, Gerry is involved in an accident, caused by his driving through crossroads. Even though Gerry could not represent the team due to paralysis at the lower part of his body, the Titans carries on the triumph to the finals. A decade afterward, Gerry passes away in a further car accident following being knocked by a drunk driver at the time that his team had just won an award in the Paralympics.

All the team members, the athletes, and the coaches come together to attend Gerry’s memorial service. In the epilog, the viewers learn the occurrences of the coaches and the team members following the episodes. For instance, Herman proceeded to coach the Titans football team for another 5 years before his retirement while Bill assisted Herman for another 4 years before his retirement. Herman and Bill are still the greatest of buddies and maintain their affiliation.

In the “forming” stage, the team members come together for the first time to meet Coach Herman and the stage ends when the team is seen participating in a camp in Gettysburg College. In the “storming” stage, there are numerous examples of members of the team trying to overcome one another. Bill and Herman also get to know the evil plans of the school board. The phase ends when Campbell and Bertier assess each others feat in the team, and this makes them vividly identify their roles.

In the “norming” stage, Gerry requests Coach Herman to remove his friend from the team for nonperformance; Gerry is ready to allow his amity suffer for the excellence of the team. In the “performing” stage, the scenes demonstrate that they are beginning to perform and operate as a team, marking a defining moment in their victory. The team goes through to the championship unbeatable. In the “adjourning” stage, the team performs excellently even with the misfortune and demise of Gerry. In addition, the epilog shows that the coaches retired and the players progressed to other activities and later life professions.

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IvyPanda. (2024, January 4). Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/remember-the-titans-by-jerry-bruckheimer-film-analysis/

"Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis." IvyPanda , 4 Jan. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/remember-the-titans-by-jerry-bruckheimer-film-analysis/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis'. 4 January.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis." January 4, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/remember-the-titans-by-jerry-bruckheimer-film-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . "Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis." January 4, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/remember-the-titans-by-jerry-bruckheimer-film-analysis/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Remember the Titans' by Jerry Bruckheimer Film Analysis." January 4, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/remember-the-titans-by-jerry-bruckheimer-film-analysis/.

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Remember the Titans

• In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
• A high school football team is forced to integrate, bringing together players from different racial backgrounds. Coach Boone, played by Denzel Washington, takes charge and helps the team overcome their differences and work together. Amidst challenges and resistance, the players learn to respect and support each other. Through hard work and determination, they become a united team, overcoming prejudice and achieving success on the field. The movie shows how sports can bring people together and promote understanding, even in the face of adversity. — Evan Almindo
• Suburban Virginia schools have been segregated for generations. One Black and one White high school are closed and the students sent to T.C. Williams High School under federal mandate to integrate. The year is seen through the eyes of the football team where the man hired to coach the Black school is made head coach over the highly successful white coach. Based on the actual events of 1971, the team becomes the unifying symbol for the community as the boys and the adults learn to depend on and trust each other. — LMN13
• In the early 1970s, two schools in Alexandria, Virginia integrate forming T.C. Williams High School. The European American head coach of the Titans is replaced by an African American coach from North Carolina. Tensions arise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. Many of these tensions are eased during the two-week training camp in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When players returned to Alexandria the players found the city in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school. As the season progresses the team's success caused the community to accept the changes. After the Titans' perfect season, the team and the city were closer than ever. — WSU Honors ENG 102-13
• Denzel Washington plays Herman Boone , who is hired as the T.C. Williams High football coach over a white coach in Alexandria, Virginia in the early 1970's during a time when the school has just been integrated to allow blacks into the school. — Anonymous
• In 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, at the desegregated T. C. Williams High School, African American head coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is hired to lead the school's football team. The schools for the whites and the African Americans have been recently brought together under a single roof. The city was the verge of exploding when an African American teenager was killed by a white store owner. Coach Boone takes the coaching position from current head coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), who has been nominated for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame (with 15 winning seasons under his belt), and who also later decides to move on to other coaching opportunities. Sheryl is Yoast's daughter and is very passionate about the game. She stays with Yoast at every training session and every game. Sheryl is dismayed at Boone being appointed head coach over Yoast. The board explains to Yoast that every other coach in the high school system in the state is white. So, they had to give something to the African Americans. Boone's family includes his wife Carol (Nicole Ari Parker), and 2 daughters Nicky and Karen. In a show of respect and in an attempt to ease racial tension, Boone offers an assistant coaching position to Yoast. Yoast at first refuses Boone's offer but is then tempted to join after the white players pledge to boycott the team if he doesn't participate. The white team was already worried that many of their mates would lose their starting positions under the new coach. Dismayed at the prospect of the students losing their chances at scholarships, Yoast changes his mind and takes up the position of defensive coordinator. Boone holds his first team meeting with mostly African American students in the school gymnasium but is interrupted by the arrival of Yoast and several white students. Yoast accepts Boone's offer to work under him, but Boone warns Yoast that it is his team, and he will not tolerate Yoast undermining him. Camp is in Gettysburg college and the bus leaves on Aug 15th 7:29 AM. The African American and white athletes of the football team frequently clash in racially motivated conflicts at their football camp, including those between captain Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (Wood Harris). Other players include Alan Bosley (Ryan Gosling), Ray Budds (Burgess Jenkins), Petey Jones (Donald Faison), Jerry Harris (Craig Kirkwood), Louie Lastik (Ethan Suplee), Darryl "Blue" Stanton (Earl C. Poitier), Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass (Kip Pardue) and so on. However, after forceful coaxing and rigorous athletic training by Boone, the team achieves both racial harmony and triumph. He makes the team to work together ignoring their racial identity. He makes them learn everything about all the players not from their own race, by spending time with them. In one scene, Coach Boone wakes the team up around 3:00 AM and takes them to a cemetery where Battle of Gettysburg was fought and delivers a speech about hatred. Ray is a blocker who decides not to block properly to make the quarterback Petey look bad. Gerry tells Julius that he has a lot of talent, but he is not playing for the team. Julius hits back pointing out that Ray is not blocking to protect Petey and yet Gerry has done nothing about it. Gerry confronts Ray on the field for not doing his job, and the team starts to come together. Ronnie and Petey team together to make a great quarterback and catcher pair. After returning from football camp, Boone is told by a member of the school board that if he loses even a single game, he will be fired. Gerry introduces Julius to his girlfriend Emma (Kate Bosworth). Emma is not willing to mingle with the African Americans. Subsequently, the Titans go through the season undefeated while battling racial prejudice, before slowly gaining support from the community. Petey is not working out on the offense and Boone benches him. But Yoast takes Petey on the defense as he is fast and works as a blocker for the runners on the other team. Boone and Yoast start trusting each other to the extent that Sheryl starts spending time with Nicky at her place. Gerry and Julius team up to control their respective crowds at school to prevent any racial flareups. When Jerry breaks his wrist in a game, Boone puts Ronnie in as the Quarterback. The move works perfectly. Gerry asks Boone to get Ray off the team. Gerry says Ray missed the block on purpose, which led to Jerry's injury. Just before the state semi-finals, Yoast is told by a member of the school board that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame after the Titans lose their game, implying that the game has been fixed to ensure Boone gets fired over his race. During the game, when it becomes apparent that the referees are engaging in biased officiating against the Titans, Yoast warns the head official that he will go to the press and expose the scandal unless the game is called fairly. The referees yield and the Titans ultimately win the game, but Yoast is told afterward that his actions have resulted in his loss of candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Later, while celebrating after the victorious game, Bertier is paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, when he is hit by a truck while accelerating into an intersection. Despite the fact that Bertier is no longer able to play, the team goes on to win the championship. Ten years later, the coaches and athletes from the team reunite to attend Bertier's funeral, as Sheryl (Hayden Panettiere) reiterates the message of racial equality taught by the Titans. In the epilogue, it reveals what many of the Titans are doing, ranging from getting married to going to college.

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Remember The Titans Essay

“You don’t have to like each other, but you will respect each other. ” – Coach Boone. Remember the Titans is directed by Boaz Yakin, and stars Denzel Washington as Coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as Coach Bill Yoast, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, and Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier. The movie is set in 1971, Alexandria, Virginia right in the middle of Brown vs. the board of education, When two schools integrate to form T. C. Williams in Alexandria, Virginia. T. C Williams high school was one of the newly integrated schools in the south, meaning both African Americans and whites went to the same school.

Racism is the main social issue that T. C. Williams high school faces, and everyone else in the community. The movie conveys a lesson that teaches us to overlook our differences and to work together. In the 1970s, two schools integrate in Alexandria, Virginia to form T. C. Williams high school. The head coach of the Titans, Coach Yoast who is white is replaced by Coach Herman Boone who is African American from North Carolina. Coach boone sending the boys of both races to a football camp for two-weeks in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, When tensions arise between the boys.

When the boys returned to Alexandria the whites were rioting outside of the school because of it desegregating, and hey didn’t like it. As the season went on, the boys showed the community that African Americans and whites can be friends, and work together, which forced the community to change with them. Some of the white players accepted African Americans playing on the team, and were friends with them, others not so much, Like when Ray let the defensive tackle right by him so he could tackle their own quarterback, But Gerry the team’s quarterback, became good friends with Julius campbell, and other African Americans on the team.

Ray did things like this to his African American teammates throughout the movie to show e was against the segregation of the schools. Gerry, didn’t like his African American teammates at first, but as he got to know them he accepted the integration, and became friends with his African American teammates. Julius, opened Gerry’s eyes to what Ray was doing, so being co-captain Gerry told him to knock it off, and do his job, Ray kept doing it so Gerry kicked Ray off the team. The main characters in the movie are Ryan Hurst as Gerry Bertier, Wood Harris as Julius Campbell, Denzel Washington as Coach Boone, and Will Patton as Coach Yoast.

Throughout the movie Gerry Bertier did the best job of conveying the lesson of the movie. When the whole team was practicing, and they couldn’t get it right because Ray kept letting the defensive get by him so he could tackle their quarterback, Gary gave Julius a compliment and a handshake, and yelled at Ray for not blocking for Rev. Which lead some of the team to get along with one another. Gerry was important to the movie because he got almost everyone to overlook their differences, and working together as a team.

Gerry also did what was right by calling out his Ray even if it meant losing one of his friends, also Gerry created friendships on the team when he got almost everyone working together as a team. Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell had the greatest impact on portraying the complexities of the social issue. “All right man, listen. Im Gerry, you’re Julius lets get some particulars, and just get this over with already. ” said Gerry “Particulars. ” asked Julius “Yeah. ” “No matter what I tell you, you ain’t never gonna know nothing about me. ” “Listen I ain’t running anymore of these four- a day practices.

“What i got to say you don’t really want to hear, cause honestly ain’t too high on your people’s priority list. ” ” Honesty? You want honest? All right, Honestly, I think you’re nothing. Nothing but a pure waste of God-given talent. You don’t listen to nobody, man. Not even Doc or Boone, Shiver push on the line every time, man. You blow right past ’em, push’em, pull ’em, do something. You can’t run over everybody in this league, and every time you do, you leave one of your teammates hanging out to dry–me in particular. ” “Why should I give a hoot about you, huh? Or anybody else out there?

You want to talk about a waste, you the captain? ” “Right. ” “Captain’s supposed to be the leader, right? ” “Right. ” “You got a job? You been doing your job? ” “I’ve been doing my job. ” “Then why don’t you tell your white buddies to block for Rev better? Cause they have not blocked for him worth a plugged nickel, and you know it, nobody plays, yourself included, i’m suppose to wear myself out for the team? What team? No. No, what i’m gonna look out for myself, and i’m gonna get mine. ” “See, man? That’s the worst attitude I ever heard. ” “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.

This is significant because Julius opened Gerry’s eyes to what was really going on, and he took what Julius told him, and did something about it later, he told his whites teammates to do their job and stop letting them get by to get to Rev, and Ray continued to do it throughout the movie, and eventually Gerry ot sick of him doing this to their teammates, so he cut him from the team later in the movie. Which shows Gerry and Julius showed the complexities of what was really going on, But later on almost everyone overlooked their differences and became friends.

Some viewers might say the lesson learned from Remember the Titans is overcoming adversity. In the beginning of the movie coach Yoast, who is white was replaced with coach Boone, who is African American in Virginia, which was mostly populated by whites. Whites throw bricks through coach Boone’s window, and whites rioted outside T. C Williams high school. Also in the beginning of the movie the white players refused to play football with the African American players. When Julius and Gerry hated each other, also when Gerry’s girlfriend wouldn’t shake Julius’s hand.

But as Time went on coach Boone and coach Yoast became good friends, Whites came outside of their houses and applauded coach Boone. The player went to camp and had their differences but eventually became friends after hearing each other out. Julius and Gerry became best friends, and when Gerry had his accident he only wanted to see Julius, also the whole team was there for Gerry when he had his ccident, and later on in the movie Gerry’s ex-girlfriend went out of her way to shake Julius hand before the team’s last game.

Also coming together to win the championship game when the odds were stacked against them. Finally, when the white cop stopped and compliment Julius about how good of a football player he is. All in all Remember the Titans is a great example of overcoming adversity, not only the team but also the community made some really big strides, and came a long way from where they started. Proving that race is just a color, and nothing more. In conclusion, Remember the Titans teaches us to verlook our differences and work together.

The social issue is important to the movie because how racism was in the 1970’s and how no one got along, and a football team showing everyone that you can be friends with different races, race is just a color it doesn’t define who you are as a person, and coming together to work as a team. Some of the key lessons to be taken away from the movie are racism, friendship,teamwork, discrimination, adversity, prejudice, and family isn’t always blood. If someone you know or team is experiencing racism, get them to spend time together, and hear each other, who knows they might even become best friends.

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Remember the Titans

Where to watch.

Watch Remember the Titans with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

An inspirational crowd-pleaser with a healthy dose of social commentary, Remember the Titans may be predictable, but it's also well-crafted and features terrific performances.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Denzel Washington

Coach Boone

Will Patton

Coach Yoast

Donald Faison

Petey Jones

Wood Harris

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REMEMBER THE TITANS

SUBJECTS — U.S./1945 – 1991, Diversity/African-American, & Virginia; Sports/Football;

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING — Breaking Out; Friendship; Teamwork; Leadership; Male Role Model;

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS — Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Citizenship.

AGE ; 11+; MPAA Rating — PG for thematic elements and some language;

Drama; 2000; 113 minutes; Color.

Give your students new perspectives on race relations, on the history of the American Revolution, and on the contribution of the Founding Fathers to the cause of representative democracy. Check out TWM’s Guide:

THE BEST OF TWM

One of the Best! This movie is on TWM’s short list of the best movies to supplement classes in United States History, High School Level.

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast Helpful Background

Using the Movie in the Classroom Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis

Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS & STUDENT HANDOUTS

TWM offers the following movie worksheets to keep students’ minds on the film and to focus their attention on the lessons to be learned from the movie.

Film Study Worksheet for a Work of Historical Fiction ;

Film Study Worksheet for ELA Classes ; and

Worksheet for Cinematic and Theatrical Elements and Their Effects .

Teachers can modify the movie worksheets to fit the needs of each class. See also TWM’s Historical Fiction in Film Cross-Curricular Homework Project and Movies as Literature Homework Project .

DESCRIPTION

This film chronicles true events that occurred during1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, when the school board came under court order to integrate both faculty and students in the public schools. At the time, high school football was the city’s most popular sport. The Titans become a model of integration for a city in troubled times.

The film combines four stories: (1) the time-tested formula of the triumph of an underdog sports team; (2) the friendship between the two coaches, the black head coach and his white assistant, despite the fact that many thought that the white coach’s experience and years of service meant that he should be the head coach; (3) the friendship of two players, Gerry Bertier, the white team captain, and Julius Campbell, a talented black player; and (4) the story of a racially divided team coming together and playing as a unit despite the racial hatred roiling the community around it. The story of the underdog sports team is an invention of the filmmakers. Once the team coalesced at training camp, they were favored and had only one close game in their regular season. The important stories, those of the two coaches and the two players are true although many specific facts may have been supplied by the script writer. The two coaches were lifelong friends, as were the two players. The team pulled together despite the racial tensions.

SELECTED AWARDS & CAST

Selected Awards:

Featured Actors:

Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Adeosun Faison, Craig Kirkwood.

Boaz Yakin.

BENEFITS OF THE MOVIE

Remember the Titans is useful in clarifying the shifts in attitudes and the various personal decisions that were an important part of the progress in the early days of the process of integrating public schools in the South. Students will see how the combination of self-sacrifice and self-interest motivated many of the people who struggled through these troubled times.

Students can exercise writing and research skills through assignments at the film’s end which include the role played by both high school and professional sports in the Civil Rights Movement.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS

Minor racial violence is shown. There is a quick non-consensual male-to-male kiss, not properly introduced or followed up, that may leave the audience confused. A major character is critically injured in a car accident.

PARENTING POINTS

Tell your child that the story is accurately portrayed as to the personal relationships between the coaches and the players. Point out how the courage of both adults and young people shown in the film was a major factor in the long and on-going story of racial integration in this country.

HELPFUL BACKGROUND

Other specifics about Bertier and Campbell:

• Bertier was even more fierce, strong-willed, and aggressive than is shown in the film. He was 6’2″, weighed 220 pounds, and was extremely fast. At first he tried to intimidate Coach Boone and demanded that a certain number of positions on the team be set aside for Hammond players (read that white players from affluent families). Coach Boone refused.
• Bertier was not injured before the last game of the season. The accident occurred after the last game while he was driving home from the awards presentation. He lost control of his car on a snowy road. In the hospital, Bertier asked to see Campbell before he asked for his family. As shown in the film, Bertier’s mother told Campbell before he went into the hospital room, “Tears won’t make my baby walk.” The hospital scene shown in the film is accurate. Campbell and Bertier’s mother remained friends after Bertier died.
• Bertier is reported to have been upbeat after he was paralyzed and tried to cheer everyone up. The only person to whom he expressed sadness, to our knowledge, was Coach Yoast, who told Bertier about the wheelchair Olympics. Bertier had excelled in the shot put while in high school. Coached by Yoast, he went on to become a prominent wheelchair athlete, winning two gold medals in the wheelchair Olympics. Bertier was killed by a drunk driver in a second car accident in 1980.
• The character of Bertier’s white segregationist friend who intentionally allowed Rev, the black quarterback, to be tackled is fictional. This character in the film, as well as the character of Bertier’s girlfriend, are meant to represent whites with racial prejudice with whom Bertier parted company as his relationship with the black members of the team grew. (As to kicking the white segregationist player who purposefully missed the block off the team, Coach Boone would listen to his team captains on personnel matters. But in reality, there were several captains and Bertier, as captain of the defense, would not have authority over a member of the offense.)

The Racial Integration Story -- The Team

The movie ignores the two other major divisive factors facing the team: that students from rival schools now played on the same team and that many former starters or players who had expected to be starters would not be starters for the Titans. However, from everything that we have read or heard, none of these divisive factors were as serious as race. Certainly, no divisive factor other than race could find any support in the general community.

In addition to Bertier and Campbell, the team was blessed with other players who helped bridge the racial divide. The film focuses on Louie Lastik and Ronnie Bass, but there were probably others. Lastik had lived in an integrated section of the city and got on well with black kids. Ronnie Bass, nicknamed “Sunshine” by his teammates, had come from California. He, too, had no trouble relating to black students. In his free time Bass was often at the Berg (then a black area of town) playing basketball. Sunshine won the starting quarterback position from Jerry “Rev” Harris by impressing Coach Boone, not because Harris got injured. Coach Boone applied his racially neutral attitude across the board and if a white boy was a better player than a black student, he got the position. (Coach Boone’s “veer” offense was basically a running attack. It was Bass’ passing ability that made that offense especially effective because it drew defenders off the running game.)

What is discussed, but not shown, is how much the team and its winning season meant to the city of Alexandria in a racially tense year. In 1971 there were race riots in several U.S. cities. A shooting had raised tensions to the boiling point in Alexandria. However, racial hatred is difficult in a town busy celebrating the winning ways of its integrated football team with its integrated coaching staff. People in Alexandria gave a large measure of credit for the town’s progress in race relations to the Titans.

Other specific incidents involving the team are:

• In 1971, Alexandria was not wracked by protests over integration. The scenes of the demonstrations are fictional, the filmmakers’ way of showing racial tension. Alexandria is adjacent to Washington, D.C. and, in 1971, it had many urban characteristics. Still, it was primarily Southern and high school football was the dominant sport.
• The 1971, Titans sang more than most teams, and many of the songs they sang had been popularized by The Temptations. They also sang and chanted as part of their pregame warm up although they didn’t do a choreographed dance as shown in the film.
• The fights at the beginning of camp are underplayed in the movie. They were not only racial, but between students of the same race who were from different schools. When the team came back from camp, there was an obvious difference in their racial attitudes. As shown in the film, some of the parents thought their kids had been brainwashed. In fact, their children had grown and matured in a short time under the tutelage of a master teacher, Coach Boone.
• Team members backed each other up. Shortly after training camp Bertier was jumped by a group of black students in the school parking lot. Campbell saw the fight and came to Bertier’s rescue. It was at this point that Julius made the comment, “Well, Bertier, I don’t guess you’re Superman after all.” During tense racial times at the school, team members would patrol the halls wearing their team jerseys.
• The “Yo Mama” scene, at least according to one member of a racially-united Titans team in the 1980s, was exactly his experience.
• Some of the 1971 Titans players have commented that race was not uppermost in their minds, but that they were concentrated on football. That’s just the way the boys should have felt, but given the racial tension in the town, it was due to the hard work of the coaches that race was made irrelevant.

The Titans 20 to 30 Years Later

This film was released in 2000. The irony is that the T.C. Williams Titans of the 1990s were much different from the Titans of 1971. T.C. Williams’ record for the 1990 – 2000 period was 30 wins, 70 losses. The last winning season was 1995 and the last trip to the state playoffs was in 1990. While the 1971 Titans had 38 white players and 31 blacks, the 2001 Titans had 36 black players and only 6 white. (Alexandria’s population in 2001 was 60% white.) At that time, if white families in Alexandria could afford it, they usually sent their kids to private schools. In 2000 the football team was starved for resources while the T.C. Williams crew team, which is predominantly white, had lavish facilities funded by private contributions. The story of what happened to the Titans in the 1990s shows that if a community doesn’t have a plan in place and isn’t willing to work hard to keep integration functioning, the community will become resegregated.

How did this happen? The racial composition of the city changed as middle class white families left and community support for football declined. In 1971, T.C. Williams was 77% white. In 1991, it was the only public high school in the city and only 27% of the students were white. In addition, in the mid-1980s, long after Coach Boone had retired, drug use was rampant on the team. (One player claims that seven members of the 1984 team were dealing drugs.) Another potential cause is a rule implemented in Alexandria requiring that students in the sports program keep a minimum C average. (Under Virginia High School League rules, athletes can play with a D average.) In addition, the facilities had deteriorated due to lack of funding.

While racially-united teams persisted at T.C. Williams into the mid-1980s, by the late 1980s, white players reported that the team “belonged” to the black players. White kids at T.C. Williams report that the school is internally split, and the races don’t mix socially or academically despite the fact that they go to the same school. This section drawn from “Does Anyone Remember the Titans?”, Sports Illustrated, October 15, 2001, pp. 72 et seq.

USING THE MOVIE IN THE CLASSROOM

Before showing the movie, consider telling students the following: The stories of the coaches and the two players are reasonably accurate portrayals showing how these individuals rose to the occasion and became friends. The story of the successful integration of the team as a whole has been simplified and enhanced by the filmmakers, but it still captures the spirit of the team and of its time.

For a detailed description of what is accurate and what was changed in the adaptation of this story to the screen, see the Helpful Background section above.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

After the film has been watched, engage the class in a discussion about the movie.

1. How did the individuals portrayed in this film make racial integration work?

Suggested Response:

Answers will vary. A good discussion will include the following concepts: It took respect for others, the ability to communicate, the moral courage to change when necessary, and a commitment by the coaches not just to win football games but also to help the players mature. These coaches understood that their primary responsibility was to help prepare their players for life as adults.

2. What is the significance of this exchange between the Bertier character and the character of his mother. Bertier: “Mom, just get to know him.” Mother: “I don’t want to know him.” We do not know if this exchange really occurred, but it exemplifies one of the themes of the movie. What is it?

Hatred and prejudice are born of ignorance. If you get to know someone, hatred and prejudice are harder to maintain.

3. What was most difficult for the players to accept in the changes the team had to face?

Answers will vary. Adjusting to a new coaching style, accepting lesser roles on the team, having to work closely with team members very different from themselves and fear of failure may all have worked against a quick adjustment.

4. What factors were helpful in terms of players and coaches adjusting to the changes?

Answers will vary. Earned respect, the necessity of working together in order to win, and the power of individual personalities all served to help both players and teammates to cooperate.

Additional Discussion Questions.

1. What events in the film show that “sometimes life is just hard for no reason”?

The two automobile accidents that Bertier was involved in. The first accident paralyzed him and the second killed him. These are real events.

2. Is the story of the Titans unusual for what occurred in the South during the time of the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 on?

Yes and no. Yes, in that it was so dramatic. Yes, because in a crucial year, this football team was led by two phenomenal coaches and two amazing players. Yes, in that during a year marked by racial violence throughout the nation, an entire town took its cue from the football team and remained calm. It’s not unusual in the sense that during this period many courageous black men and women, like Coach Boone, took risks to change society. Black young people, like Campbell, let go of their rage and forgave. Courageous white people, like Bertier and Coach Yoast, realized what was really important to them (in this case the team) and took principled but unpopular stands. This happened all over the South, perhaps haltingly at times, with backsliding often, but ultimately the actions of people like Boone, Yoast, Bertier and Campbell improved the lives of many people in that region.

The four questions which follow relate to rites of passage.

3. Define the term “rite of passage.” Tell us in your answer the difference between a “passage” and a “rite of passage.”

A rite of passage is a ritual or ceremony which marks the transition from one stage of life to another. The most common rites of passage related to birth, attainment of adulthood, initiation, marriage, and death. The difference between a “passage” and a “right of passage” is that people all have transitions in their lives. Rights of passage celebrate, formalize and regulate those transitions.

4. Give some examples of rites of passage that are used in our society, and describe their benefits.

These include birth (and its associated rites such as a christening or bris), becoming an adult (a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah, Quinceanera), marriage (a wedding), death (a funeral or memorial service). These help people to celebrate and adjust to the rights and duties of their new situation in life.

5. Does our society provide a rite of passage to mark the transition from adolescence to maturity? If so, what is it?

There is no one agreed upon right of passage to adulthood in modern Western Society. There are some near misses. Graduation from high school or from college can serve this purpose in some families. But there is no agreed-upon ritual or occasion for a rite of passage from adolescence to maturity.

6. Some people believe that sports provide young men in our society with some of the advantages of a rite of passage which are not otherwise available. Do you agree or disagree?

It can. But again, there is no society-wide agreement that this is a rite of passage. Some of the concepts to be discussed in a good discussion of this question are that the rite of passage is not universally recognized and only affects those involved in sports. There is no one ritual and its value can depend upon whether the team wins or loses, whether the team is well managed or not, whether there is cheating or steroid use, etc.

7. List, in chronological order, if you can, the key incidents in this film that show racial barriers being broken down.

There is no one right answer. The purpose of this question is to lead students to think about the plot of the film as it relates to the theme of racial integration. A good discussion would include some of the following incidents: Lastik’s actions in the cafeteria at the training camp; the argument between Bertier and Campbell when they trade accusations about Campbell not trying and Bertier being a bad leader (this established communication); the episode at practice when Bertier and Campbell hit each other on the “right side” etc.; the scene in the locker room in which the team sings together and tells “Yo Mama” jokes; the comments at the first day of school, the scene when the players break up a racially motivated fight at the school, etc.

8. What is the proper role of the desire to win in high school and college sports?

The desire to win sets a context in which the true beneficial lessons of sports can be taught. Those lessons include: the ethical precepts contained in the ethical principles of Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship; helping the students mature; allowing young men a field of endeavor in which they can achieve something; providing rites of passage from adolescence to maturity for some adolescents.

For more questions, see TWM’s Standard Questions Suitable for Any Film That is a Work of Fiction .

BREAKING OUT & FRIENDSHIP

1. How did playing football help the students overcome their racial prejudice? What other activities can help people overcome their differences and begin working together?

There is no correct answer to this question. The purpose of the question is for students to realize that one of the primary ways that racial prejudice is overcome is for people to have a goal that is more important than their prejudice. In this case, the goal was having a winning team (for the players) and educating the students (for the coaches). As shown in this film, once people start working together for a common goal, they realize that they have much in common and some become friends. In the situation of the Titans, not only was the goal of winning a uniting factor, but Coach Boone designed the training camp so that it was extremely rigorous and that all the players would have to work together in order to avoid very unpleasant consequences such as three times a day practices. For a story in which a woman consciously rids herself of racial prejudice in order to keep the affection of a man she loves, see Learning Guide to “ Gentleman’s Agreement “.

2. Which of the characters in this film forged new ground in their relationships with others?

All of them (including the black players) except perhaps Sunshine and Lastik who from the beginning were able to accept people without regard to their race.

3. Why did Coach Yoast stay on as an assistant to Coach Boone?

According to the film, he wanted to make sure that the white students that he had coached, in some cases since junior high school, were treated fairly. One of the things that impressed Yoast about Coach Boone was that he was fair, dishing out the same harsh treatment to the black players as well as white players.

4. If you had been Coach Yoast would you have given up your chance to be in the hall of fame in order to help Coach Boone and the team?

The answer should be yes. It was the honorable and ethical thing to do. If Coach Yoast could not have given his full allegiance to the team or fulfilled his responsibilities to the players, he should not have taken the job as the assistant coach under Coach Boone. Once Coach Yoast joined the team he had the same obligation as the players: to do his best and be completely loyal. Actually, he had more of a responsibility since he was an adult and employed to teach the students. Coach Yoast more than complied with these obligations.

TEAMWORK & LEADERSHIP

5. Would the team have bonded had it not won?

According to Coach Boone, winning was very important to the bonding experience, along with communication, and getting to know the other team members.

6. What do you think would have happened if the team had bonded, had lost a game in the middle of the season, and the school board had tried to replace Boone as head coach?

The right thing would have been for the players to have gone on strike in support of Coach Boone and for Coach Yoast to have declined promotion to the position. That’s asking a lot of people, but having come to know these individuals through the research for this Learning Guide, the authors believe that this probably would have happened.

7. Coaches Boone and Yoast agree that a coach is first and foremost a teacher. How does a coach teach?

Coaches teach by example, by expecting excellence, and by setting standards.

8. If coaches are first and foremost teachers, list what they should teach their students in order of importance.

(only the first item is a right answer; the others can vary): (1) sportsmanship (the ethical principles of Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect and Fairness); (2) commitment to the team; (3) commitment to win; (4) hard work and perseverance; (5) striving to win while accepting loss. We are sure there are more.

9. Do you agree that Coach Yoast was too soft on the black players?

There is no right answer. Everyone has their own approach. The issue is whether this was an unintended and subtle racist attitude because it was applied to blacks more than it was to whites. Prejudice is a pernicious and subtle foe that everyone, even those who do not consider themselves to be racist, must fight. See Learning Guide to “ Gentleman’s Agreement “.

10. Have you had a teacher, or a coach who inspired you to do your best? How did they do it?

The purpose of this question is to get students to think objectively about people who have made a difference in their lives.

11. Describe the different methods of motivating the team favored by Coach Boone and Coach Yoast. Remember Yoast’s statement to Boone: “There’s a fine line between tough and crazy and you’re flirting with it.” Why did Coach Boone push the boys so hard?

Boone’s coaching style was very harsh. Yoast sought to be more obviously nurturing. Boone felt that the boys would come against a difficult world and needed to learn about that world on the team. Coach Boone pushed the players so hard because he wanted to give the boys, white and black, a very tough experience that they would have to go through together. This was part of his effort to unite them. It wasn’t that he wanted the players to hate him, but that he saw the need for them to go through a common searing experience.

12. What were the similarities in the coaching styles of Boone and Yoast and were those similarities more or less important than the differences?

While there was at least one important difference between the coaching styles of Boone and Yoast, the similarities of their approaches to coaching were predominant and were a major factor in permitting them to work well together. Both men saw coaching as a teaching enterprise, they dealt honorably with other people, and they had a strong desire to win.

MALE ROLE MODEL

13. This story has several male role models. Look at the coaches and the players Bertier and Campbell. What characteristics of each do think is their best trait as a male role model?

There is no one correct response. The effort should be to get students to discuss what makes a male role model and what they respect most about the actions taken by the characters in the film.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS (CHARACTER COUNTS)

Discussion Questions Relating to Ethical Issues will facilitate the use of this film to teach ethical principles and critical viewing. Additional questions are set out below.

TRUSTWORTHINESS

(Be honest; Don’t deceive, cheat or steal; Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do; Have the courage to do the right thing; Build a good reputation; Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country)

1. What was wrong with the actions of Bertier’s friend, the white boy that Bertier eventually cut from the team?

Disloyalty to the team and dishonesty to his teammates. By being on the team he was promising that he would work hard for the benefit of the team, which included the black players for whom he was supposed to block. By deciding not to do that in a key play, he was being dishonest. This is the essence if disloyalty.

2. When Coach Yoast’s friends wanted to make the Titan’s lose and tried to enlist Coach Yoast in that effort, what Pillar of Character did they ask him to dishonor?

There are several Pillars that they asked him to violate, but primarily, it was the Pillar of Trustworthiness. (Other Pillars involved are: Respect (for Coach Boone, the game, the players etc. which would have been violated had Coach Yoast cooperated in the conspiracy; Citizenship because it would have been bad for the City to raise racially divisive issues; Caring because he cared for the players and they for him.)

(Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule; Be tolerant of differences; Use good manners, not bad language; Be considerate of the feelings of others; Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone; Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements)

3. Is there prejudice other than racial prejudice shown in the film?

Boone’s patronizing attitude toward Yoast’s daughter is an example of male chauvinism, and the initial prejudice against Sunshine is an example of prejudice against persons with a different lifestyle.

4. What is the Pillar of Character that is dishonored by racial prejudice?

Primarily the Pillar of Respect, but also the Pillars of Citizenship and Caring. In addition, racial prejudice leads one to other wrongful actions, as it did Bertier’s former friend.

See Teamwork-Friendship section above.

RESPONSIBILITY

(Do what you are supposed to do; Persevere: keep on trying!; Always do your best; Use self-control; Be self-disciplined; Think before you act — consider the consequences; Be accountable for your choices)

5. Could the team have succeeded if the players had not followed the Responsibility Pillar of Character?

No. In a competitive football league (high school, college, or professional), each player must do his or her best for three reasons. First for self-respect, second out of caring and respect for teammates, and third, to win.

(Play by the rules; Take turns and share; Be open-minded; listen to others; Don’t take advantage of others; Don’t blame others carelessly)

6. In real life, Ronnie Bass got the quarterback position because he beat out “Rev” Harris. Coach Boone was in direct charge of the offense and made that decision. If Coach Boone had favored the black players, would the Titan’s have been a success? Why not?

They would not have been a success because the cancer of racial preference, this time in favor of blacks, would have wrecked the efforts to build the team.

CITIZENSHIP

(Do your share to make your school and community better; Cooperate; Stay informed; vote; Be a good neighbor; Obey laws and rules; Respect authority; Protect the environment)

7. Should Coach Boone have taken the job in the first place or should he have insisted that Yoast get the job?

There is no right answer. The issue is pretty well described in the film. Certainly, normally, Yoast had the right to the job and Boone should have turned it down. However, there were some intervening factors that added unusual values and unexpected stakeholders into the decision. The black community in Alexandria needed a black man to take a prominent position, as did the struggle for integration as a whole. Despite his initial reluctance, these considerations convinced Coach Boone to take the position. There is no dispute that Coach Yoast deserved the position by custom and seniority and by a wide margin at that. As it turned out, Coach Boone was able to unite the team and guide it to victory. He made all the key decisions correctly, such as changing the seating on the bus, making black and white players room together, making the boys learn about each other, and bringing Yoast onto the team and trusting him. As Yoast recognized by the end of the season, Boone was the right man for the job. But then again, none of them knew this when Boone took the job.

8. Who honored the Citizenship Pillar of Character in this film and how did they do it?

Many people, including the coaches and the players on the team.

ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES

LEARNING GUIDE MENU:

Benefits of the Movie Possible Problems Parenting Points Selected Awards & Cast Helpful Background Using the Movie in the Classroom Discussion Questions Social-Emotional Learning Moral-Ethical Emphasis Assignments and Projects Bridges to Reading Links to the Internet Bibliography

MOVIE WORKSHEETS:

RANDALL KENNEDY, Professor, Harvard Law School on the two alternative traditions relating to racism in America:

“I say that the best way to address this issue is to address it forthrightly, and straightforwardly, and embrace the complicated history and the complicated presence of America. On the one hand, that’s right, slavery, and segregation, and racism, and white supremacy is deeply entrenched in America. At the same time, there has been a tremendous alternative tradition, a tradition against slavery, a tradition against segregation, a tradition against racism.

I mean, after all in the past 25 years, the United States of America has seen an African-American presence. As we speak, there is an African-American vice president. As we speak, there’s an African- American who is in charge of the Department of Defense. So we have a complicated situation. And I think the best way of addressing our race question is to just be straightforward, and be clear, and embrace the tensions, the contradictions, the complexities of race in American life. I think we need actually a new vocabulary.

So many of the terms we use, we use these terms over and over, starting with racism, structural racism, critical race theory. These words actually have been weaponized. They are vehicles for propaganda. I think we would be better off if we were more concrete, we talked about real problems, and we actually used a language that got us away from these overused terms that actually don’t mean that much.   From Fahreed Zakaria, Global Public Square, CNN, December 26, 2021

Give your students new perspectives on race relations, on the history of the American Revolution, and on the contribution of the Founding Fathers to the cause of representative democracy. Check out TWM’s Guide: TWO CONTRASTING TRADITIONS RELATING TO RACISM IN AMERICA and a Tragic Irony of the American Revolution: the Sacrifice of Freedom for the African-American Slaves on the Altar of Representative Democracy.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Remember The Titans — Exploring The Main Message In The Film Remember The Titans

Exploring The Main Message in The Film Remember The Titans

• Categories: Remember The Titans

About this sample

Words: 1291 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 1291 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Works Cited

• “Leadership: Yoast and Boone.” Home, rememberthetitansthetruestory.weebly.com/leadershipyoast-and-boone.html.
• Yakin, Boaz, director. Remember the Titans. Walt Disney Pictures, 2000.

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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