Senior Debating Final explores the role of ‘anger’ in social change

Tonbridge boys explored the role of anger in politics, protests and social change during the Senior House Debating Final.  

The whole-school senior competition culminated in a final between Welldon and Manor, which took place in the EM Forster Theatre on Monday 29 November. The motion was ‘Furious justice? This House is angry.’
 
An impressive match of intellect saw the two sides clashing over the likelihood of anger turning to hate and violence, its role in bringing about important changes in society, and the best ways to bring about a better, more tolerant world. 

Welldon, proposing, was represented by Freddie, Ben and Will. The Manor team, opposing, featured Jonas, James and Sam, with the competition organised by Sarah Pinto del Rio, Deputy Head of English.  

Demonstrating a variety of presentation styles, each team member sought to engage the 140-strong audience. The range of examples they explored, citing figures such as Mandela, Gandhi and Thunberg, captured the cultural significance of the motion and its philosophical meaning. 

The teams agreed on how we all, as human beings, experience anger, but diverged on the effectiveness of extreme emotion to achieve social goals. 

Ultimately, judges crowned Welldon the winners, believing that their evidence and reasoning had been a little more convincing in this final, close-run round. 

In his summary, James Priory, Tonbridge’s Headmaster, praised the students for the quality of their speeches and reflected on the importance of debate in school.

The photos show the final taking place in the EM Forster Theatre.