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Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Amistad "Lesson" Unpacked
“Now, what you don’t know and, as far as I can tell, haven’t bothered in the least to discover is WHO they are,” said President Adams.
( . . . Continued from previous posts )
Amistad, a 1997 Steven Spielberg production, is one of my favorites. In this scene with John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), Adams gives Joadson an important “lesson” which contained a kernel of legal advice yet was mostly a wise commentary on the nature of human character. It is a lesson worth studying.
Sage advice often brings a reverent response and Joadson hangs on every word the brilliant Adams gives him. Known as “Old Man Eloquent” by his colleagues in the House of Representatives, Adams skillfully presents what years of courtroom experience and international diplomacy had taught him.
What exactly is the point of his lesson to Joadson? What is his advice? Truly, the lesson is profound and speaks truthfully of life inside and outside the courtroom.
Adams tells us: Like nothing else, an individual’s story powerfully describes his or her personal worth and significance. When a story is given a personal face, it becomes powerful.
Note how Adams helps Joadson discover this truth in the movie: Joadson himself had a story – an amazing story of escape, survival and beyond. Yet, in the course of being wrapped up in his profession, he often forgot his own personal story for the larger scope of abolishing slavery. Understanding his own story was so applicable to helping the courts understand the plight of the Africans, yet this point eluded him. Adams helped him see that his story was incredibly much more than the summation of his credentials.
Adams asked Joadson if he would dare to sum up his life as simply “a Georgian?” He pushed Joadson to consider how he would describe his life. To communicate the significance of his life, would he simply list his credentials – perhaps his family genealogy, his academic achievements or maybe his job title or job description? “NO! What is your STORY?” Adams asked.
( . . . Continued from previous posts )
Amistad, a 1997 Steven Spielberg production, is one of my favorites. In this scene with John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) and Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), Adams gives Joadson an important “lesson” which contained a kernel of legal advice yet was mostly a wise commentary on the nature of human character. It is a lesson worth studying.
Sage advice often brings a reverent response and Joadson hangs on every word the brilliant Adams gives him. Known as “Old Man Eloquent” by his colleagues in the House of Representatives, Adams skillfully presents what years of courtroom experience and international diplomacy had taught him.
What exactly is the point of his lesson to Joadson? What is his advice? Truly, the lesson is profound and speaks truthfully of life inside and outside the courtroom.
Adams tells us: Like nothing else, an individual’s story powerfully describes his or her personal worth and significance. When a story is given a personal face, it becomes powerful.
Note how Adams helps Joadson discover this truth in the movie: Joadson himself had a story – an amazing story of escape, survival and beyond. Yet, in the course of being wrapped up in his profession, he often forgot his own personal story for the larger scope of abolishing slavery. Understanding his own story was so applicable to helping the courts understand the plight of the Africans, yet this point eluded him. Adams helped him see that his story was incredibly much more than the summation of his credentials.
Adams asked Joadson if he would dare to sum up his life as simply “a Georgian?” He pushed Joadson to consider how he would describe his life. To communicate the significance of his life, would he simply list his credentials – perhaps his family genealogy, his academic achievements or maybe his job title or job description? “NO! What is your STORY?” Adams asked.
