Men of Honor Analysis

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