The filmmakers of the movie ‘McFarland, USA’ were trying to impart several lessons by filming the story of Jim White and his team, which competed for cross-country championships in the United States.
One of the significant lessons from the movie is never to give up on what you want and put a lot of hard work into what you do. Jim White and his team underwent many challenges throughout their lives, with regard to competing in the cross-country races and the teams’ personal experiences. For example, Jim White was fired from his job, but this did not stop his passion for being a teacher and a coach. He is determined and resilient in creating a cross-country team of boys dominantly from improvised families. The majority of the schoolboys who were members of his team came from the minority Latino community. The team employs hard work and determination in training for the championship. The coach motivates and takes the team through months of training with many hurdles and disappointments. The coach is fired and loses his role as a football coach. The obstacle still does not stop him, but he instead sees an opportunity to sign up some of the fast students who played football to the newly formed cross-country team. The team members face problems, including Thomas Vallez and the Diaz brothers, whose father pulls them out of the team to go and work. Jim White also faces issues with his family, especially with decisions to settle in McFarland and occasional unintended neglect like when he forgot to pick his daughter’s birthday cake. Additionally, it took some attempts for the team to win its first race. White went the extra mile in convincing the Diaz family to let the brothers remain in the cross-country team. Eventually, their hard work and determination pay off as they get to win a streak of cross-country championships for fourteen years.
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The filmmakers also wanted to put across the lesson that family is important and comes first. There are several instances in the movie where the characters sacrificed their time and energy for their family. To begin with, some members of Jim’s team used to wake very early in the morning to pick produce from the fields. They made sure they did this before the boys could head for school and also after they had completed school activities. The team members went through all this trouble to provide some revenue for their families, meaning that the filmmakers intended to illustrate that the institution of the family is fundamental.
The third lesson that can be learned from the movie is that teamwork and strong leadership is fundamental to the success of any team and group. Jim shows robust leadership skills by being there for his team, encouraging and coaching them every step of the way. The team members also have extraordinary teamwork that propels them to success in the cross-country championship. The connection between this movie and EDUC 2301 is that they both refer back to cultural and racial acceptance. It teaches us about how society should work together to accept and understand people who have different backgrounds.
What I liked best about the movie ‘McFarland, USA’ is the fact that the film was full of life lessons. This is because many movies do not have any thematic life messages that they put across. The movie has motivated me to put hard work into whatever I am doing and never give up, even if I face challenges.
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‘McFarland, USA’ and the Lessons It Teaches: Informative Essay.
(2023, October 11). Edubirdie. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/mcfarland-usa-and-the-lessons-it-teaches-informative-essay/
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2023 Oct 11 [cited 2024 May 9].
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