Essay About Carl Brashear And Dreams Carl Brashear

Men of Honor Analysis
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Men of Honor Analysis
The film “Men of Honor” (Producer George Tillman Jr. , Director Robert Teitel)
contains many examples which exemplify Napoleon Hill’s 17 principles of success. It
was through his philosophy of success that Hill was able to achieve great success at
whatever endeavor he pursued. He formulated this philosophy by interviewing many key
figures of his day including Andrew Carnegie and Franklin Roosevelt. As a result, he
developed an influential book which has inspired people all over the globe to achieve any
goal which their mind can conceive and believe in. The film “Men of Honor” is full of
examples which exemplify Hill’s keys to success and recounts the story of one man’s
quest in order to be all that he could be in his life. Many impossible obstacles were
thrown in Carl Brashear’s path, however through his perseverance and determination he
kept finding ways to overcome these seemingly impossible odds. The purpose of this
paper is to identify key scenes within this movie which illustrate the various keys to
success.
Film Overview
As in most cases, history is made when you break the rules, and this inspirational
story of Carl Brashear is no exception. Ever since a young age Brashear’s father
encouraged him to go the extra mile and be all that you can be in life. In order to achieve
his dreams Carl Brashear joined the U.S. Navy in the hopes to become the first African-
American master diver. However, this is in the era in which racial prejudice is still widely
seen; as a result Brashear is originally assigned to work in the USS Hoist’s galley.
Shortly thereafter, Brashear bears witness to Billy Sunday’s heroic efforts as he tries to
save his fellow men from a helicopter crash. This event further strengthens Brashear’s
resolve to achieve his goal of becoming a master diver. (Wikipedia)
A few years later, Brashear eventually finds himself outside diving school in
Bayonne, New Jersey. The head instructor of the school is none other than Billy Sunday,
who is under close watch from Captain “Pappy” to make sure that no colored divers are
allowed to successfully complete the program. Most of his fellow students are outraged at
the aspect of a colored person trying to become a diver, let alone a master diver.
However, despite much adversity, Brashear manages to do fairly well in school,
especially once he meets his wife Jo at a local library. With Jo’s help Brashear manages
to overcome the limits of his seventh grade education, and successfully complete any task
thrown in his way. (IMDB)
While watching his fellow students during a normal salvage exercise, something
terrible happens. The ship in which they are working on manages to move position
causing one of the diver’s air hose to become snared. The diver’s buddy flees once he
realizes the danger of the situation. However, Brashear being the true diver he is, boldly
brings a line to the new diver therefore saving his life. Unfortunately, do to the
overwhelming racial prejudice of the time, the coward who fled actually receives the
medal for Brashear’s actions. (Wikipedia)
During his stay at the school, Brashear had to endure much hardship and
adversity. This is especially evident while Carl was taking his final exam. The goal of the
exercise was to successfully assemble a pump underwater, while enduring through the
freezing cold temperatures and low visibility. In the hopes that he would fail, Captain
“Pappy” orders Billy Sunday to cut Carl’s tool bag, which scatters all of the equipment
pieces along the river bottom. Through his unwavering determination, Brashear manages
to find every piece of his project, and successfully completes diving school. (Wikipedia)
Years after diving school, Brashear is sent to look for A-bombs lost in the
Atlantic Ocean. As a result of a freak accident, Brashear loses the majority of his left leg
and as a result is taken off active duty. Brashear eventually decides to amputate the rest
of his leg once he finds out that it would be plausible to dive wearing a prosthetic. With
Billy Sunday’s help, Carl fights the navy in order to return to full active duty, in order to
achieve his goal of becoming a master diver. (IMDB)
Napoleon Hill Analysis
Brashear’s