Respond to one of the following items, what is its signficance?
*Examine Chief Gillespie (growth/limitations)
*Examine Virgil Tibbs (growth/limitations)
*Examples of Institutionalized racism
*I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!"
*"You take care now, Virgil,"
Post for full credit by Sunday, March 13th. Any posts after Friday 4pm (3/11) must also respond to previous posts.
70 comments:
I found that Virgil Tibbs grew through out the movie and I wasn't at all expecting it.I knew that the chief was biased by race initiially and then would grow, but it was interesting to see a different twist on events that showed the colored man Virgil to also change. At the beginning of the movie I realized that the chief did not just have limitations about working with a black, but also Virgil didn't want to work with racist white men. I foudn this interesting because in all the books about racism we've read in school and in movies the fact that racism runs both ways wasn't commonly addressed until now. In addition to this limitation i found that Virgil grew and had a moment of realization when he said ,"You're no diferent tha us." This went to show that blacks also racist about whites and that racism runs both ways. This moment of realization was key and it really showed that not only whites had to adjust to the acceptance of blacks, but blacks also had to addjust to the accpetance and being accepted by whites in history.
Hunter French
Class1
Chief Gillespie grew tremendously through the film. At the beginning, he automatically assumed that Virgil was the killer because he was black. He was also extremely upset with the fact that a black man made more money than him. He was embarrassed about arresting another cop as well as having to ensue the help of a black cop. He clearly liked his job and took it seriously enough that he would ask someone with the knowledge and experience for help, even though he was black. At the beginning the chief really didn't care for Virgil, and Virgil didn't care for him. But towards the middle I think both men had a realization that they both wanted the same thing: to send the killer to jail. Once realizing they were in it to win it and they needed each other, they tolerated each other, and eventually liked and respected each other. The chief's limitations were that people seemed to be offended by a black man working with him, so he had to work around it or tell the other people too bad. Also, he couldn't send Virgil away because the wife of the victim wanted him to be on the case, so then his boss did too. The quote: "You take care now, Virgil." shows the chief's change. He has grown to like and respect Virgil, so rather than sending him off without so much as a thank you or acknowledgment, this sentiment showed Virgil that the chief respected him as a man, and didn't look at him by his color anymore. The chief may not have fully gotten rid of his prejudice, but he seemed to get over it with Virgil. This growth may make him more open minded and willing to get to know someone who has a different skin color, rather than just writing them off.
Nicole D
Class 1
Throughout “In the Heat of the Night,” we see how great Chief Gillespie’s growth and limitations are. In the beginning of the movie, Chief is held back from solving the murder by his racist thoughts- first, he grabs Virgil as the wrong suspect because of his color, and then he is reluctant to let Virgil work with him to solve the case because he doubts the work of a colored man and fears what others will think. He is pompous, thinking that he is greater than Virgil, kicking his legs up on his desk in front of Virgil before he even knows who he is (-a police officer who just so happens to be a homicide expert, just the man he needs). As Chief begins to learn more about Virgil and begins to work with him, he comes to the realization that race does not matter. He begins treating Virgil more like a person and not just a “boy,” and the quote, “You take care now, Virgil,” sums up this change in a nutshell. It reflects how far Chief has grown throughout the story, and it shows the real respect he has for not just Virgil, but colored people. At the end, Chief sets himself free of racist thoughts, and he sets Virgil free of disrespect and dishonor. At the end, Chief is able to see Virgil eye-to-eye.
I've decided to analyze the quote "You take care now, Virgil". Though this may seem like a simple gesture of gratitude, deep within, this statement stems from a change in culture. To me, I most commonly see this as a symbolic emblem of acceptance. Throughout the movie, I feel as though no one ever accepted Virgil Tibbs in the South particulary because he was african american and at this certain time period Racism and prejudice was at its strongest. This was an eye-opening experience for everyone especially Chief Gillepsie, and although a murder as tragic as the loss of a husband Mr. Colbert was for his wife, this was a sort of blessing in a way because I think it took the town something as tragic as that to awaken them and take them out of this fantasy land because before Virgil came, they had these racist beliefs, which to me, in general Racism and Prejudice are primitive ideologies.
Mason West
Class 1
"You take care now, Virgil."
This quote was the last thing that Chief Gillespie said to Virgil Tibbs as he was boarding the train to go back home. Overall, Gillespie's goodbye to Virgil encompasses the growth that he made during their time together. When Gillespie first met Virgil, he automatically assumed he was a murderer and gave him no respect simply because of his race. Chief Gillespie would only call Virgil "boy" and, because of the money in his wallet, accused him of the murder of Colbert without any questioning first.
However, once Gillespie was informed of Virgil's occupation, his attitude changed drastically. Since they were both cops, a mutual respect was formed. Additionally, Virgil had knowledge about murder cases that nobody else in the town had.
Essentially, this quote from Gillespie portrays the acceptance and bond he formed with Virgil while working on the case. He uses his name, showing proper respect and an equality between them. He ceased using degrading names to show superiority. Also, he says to "take care" which displays a type of affection for Virgil. He was able to forget the difference in their races and society's pressure to segregate African Americans and, in turn, become friends.
When we first started the movie I expected that Virgil or a colored person would be blamed for the crime just because they were colored. When Virgil was arrested he stayed calm and didn't resist being brought in. I think Virgil knew that he wouldn't be charged because he was a police and he almost had an arrogance about him. He knew that he was a lot smarter and a better of a police man then all the cops in Sparta. When he was asked to help with the investigation I was surprised he was so resistant, not that he had any reason to help the police, but it just surprised me. As the film goes on Virgil begins to get more involved and interested in the case and actually refuses to leave Sparta until the real killer is found. As the film goes on he also gets a little to comfortable for a colored man in the South. By this I mean he slaps Endicott across the face and he refuses to leave town and he goes behind Gillspie's back. In the end Virgil becomes less opposed to working on the case and the police force excepts his help except the rest of the town gives him a hard time and almost kills him twice. This sometimes hindered his ability to work effectively.
Meredith Bridges
Class 6
Chief Gillespie grew immensely less and less ignorant as a character as the movie progressed. Initially, he was the typical white American male living in the south; he believed blacks were inferior under every circumstance and immediately assumed the worst about Virgil just because of his race. He figured that he must be the killer because he is black. He Virgil tells the Chief that he too is a police officer, he is in shock. He is embarrassed by the fact that Virgil makes more money than him and lets out his anger by treating him badly. This was a huge limitation for the Chief. He lost respect from the public for working with a black man. However, The case of the killer really brought the two together. Chief Gillespie realizes that just because Virgil is black doesn't mean he can't do anything to help the cause. He ends up uncovering the truth and he gains a lot of respect from the Chief. The transformation is seen in the quote, "You take care now, Virgil." He ceases to refer to Virgil as just "boy" and it shows that he views him as an equal. Being black doesn't mean he is handicapped and can't perform as well as someone who is white.
Maddie Dorso Class 1
"You take care now, Virgil" in my opinion is the most important quote in this entire movie. This movie displayed a lot of racism; most people were strongly against Virgil Tibbs being anywhere near them or anywhere in their state. Chief Gillespie, the other most important character in this movie besides Virgil, was extremely opposed to him in the beginning as well like Nicole said. Nicole also stated how the Chief accused Virgil of being the killer immediately just because he was black. He also opposed Virgil helping in the case. However, towards the middle of the movie Chief Gillespie started to respect Virgil more and more. He told Virgil that he was "smarter than any white man" and in every obstacle faced, Chief Gillespie would back Virgil up against those who opposed him. To compare Virgil to a white man, and make him the better of the two showed the Chief's changed mindset. The quote "you take care now, Virgil" displays Chief Gillespie's respect and a growing acceptance for Virgil. Chief may not have accepted all blacks because of this experience with Virgil, but he had a new found respect for Virgil and the knowledge and power that this black man had.
Amanda Stanton
Class 6
"You take care Virgil." If anything, this quote signifies the growth of Chief Gillespie throughout the movie. By the time we reach this quote in the movie (near the very end, when Chief Gillespie is saying goodbye to Virgil) this statement seems natural, something common place for someone to say when saying their goodbyes. It would probably go unnoticed, except for the fact that it's the last line in the movie. It's only in comparing this statement to Chief Gillespie's original sentiments towards Virgil, however, that this gains significance. This would have been almost unfathomable for the Chief to say near the beginning of the movie. It would be a statement impossibly to go unnoticed or unrecognized by viewers. When did this change? When did the relationship between Virgil and the Chief reach the point where this became something normal to say? It happened through a process of breaking down racial barriers and limitations, slowly eroding the walls of stereotyping and misunderstanding separating the two individuals. It happened when Virgil refused to be treated as second class, and it happened when the Chief recognized that Virgil was, "just like the rest of us." It happened when both the Chief and Virgil began to understand each other as individuals,and it happened when they began to see what was lying underneath each other's the skin. This is a concept that can be extended beyond just Virgil and the Chief, however, I believe that if we take the time to understand someone as an individual it's impossible to be able to look at that same person again and only see face value. Perhaps this is why segregation proved to be such a limitation to African American rights - the physical separation provided no opportunity for whites and blacks to understand each other as anything more than just whites and blacks. Chief Gillespie's gradual acceptance of Virgil provided a premonition to the upcoming erosion of both physical and cultural racial barriers within America.
Mikaela Kemsley
Class 1
“You take care, now, Virgil”
This quote was said by Chief Gillespie at the end of the movie when Virgil is getting on the train. To me this really shows the growth that happened between the two of them throughout the movie. In the beginning the Chief was repulsed that he had to work with an African American. Virgil was not too excited either. However both of them ended up realizing that they weren’t too different from each other. They both made assumptions about who had killed Mr. Colbert which were based on their racial points of views. This showed that they were just the same, just as judgmental whether they wanted to admit it or not.
A little thing that I noticed while watching was that neither of them smile at one another through the movie. However when Chief Gillespie says the quote he smiles afterwards and Virgil smiles right back. The movie shows how we can’t be single-minded about people because they may turn out to be great people who act just like us and have the same likes and dislikes.
Chief Gillespie experienced much growth and development as a character over the course of the film, In The Heat of the Night. At the beginning of the film, the chief was portrayed as a simpleminded man who believed Virgil to be guilty of a crime. Like Nicole said, Virgil’s experience, education and salary as a policeman compared to Gillespie’s made the latter man very negative about the situation. We see the chief as a very stubborn, lazy man. As Tibbs begins to become further involved in the case, the audience soon sees the small, yet incremental attitude adjustment of Chief Gillespie. For example, Virgil Tibbs demands that the chief give him the respect he deserves by using his expertise as collateral. As much as the chief does not want to work with a colored man, Tibbs does not want to work with a racist white man. So how could these men ever get along? While they have many differences, they share one similarity: a certain degree of passion for their job. The chief wants to find peace in Sparta, yet Tibbs wants to find the true killer. Through their constant arguing and time together, they became to understand each other.
Gillespie learned that Virgil Tibbs was a good man who was passionate in his work. He was blinded by the racism that plagued the south. I believe that if the chief was born elsewhere, he would have seen Virgil as an equal initially. I know this because of Gillespie was able to overcome the values of inequality practiced in the south and give Virgil judgment based on his own individuality. Since he was not born elsewhere, the social pressures of the situation are heavily instilled in his life and serve as a limitation to his ability to grow as a character. Essentially, the chief has grown to a higher degree in his perception of others, yet he is limited by the hostile environment in which he must work.
This film is timeless in the fact that it illustrates a social issue that still affects us, although to a lower extent, today. The strong character transformation of Chief Gillespie gives hope to the cause by embodying the message that one is not limited to the perception of others.
-John Corsi
Class 4
Chief Gillespie changed drastically throughout the movie and was able to express to the watcher that color does not matter. At the begining of this interesting movie, Chief Gillespie was a powerful white man that thought poorly of colored people and thought that is was impossible for them to amount to anything in life. So as soon as Chief Gillespie finds Virgil in town, he automatically assumes that the black man committed the crime without having any proof. But as the story progresses Chief Gillespie changes drastically. The chief is able to do this because he is able to look past the color of Virgil's skin and see him as an intelligent man. I find that the Chief's character grew stronger and wiser as he worked with Virgil. He was able to walk on a path that most people in the south would refuse to walk on, with the colored. This helped the chief grow stronger as a person however like all human beings he has limitation such as not completely being able to rid himself of prejudice.
Lisa Ferrari
Period 1
*"You take care now, Virgil,"
This was a quote from the end of the movie. This was the very last scene and it shows great significance and advancement towards acceptance in this society. For the chief of police to say this, differs greatly from the beginning of the movie. In the beginning he treated Virgil horrible, not even calling him by his name, just by saying "boy." I agree with mason and Jessa when they explained how they saw chief direguard Virgil as insignificant. To him, he was no more than a body, another suspect in whatever case he was related to. He was unfairly judged by his race, as were many other during that time period. This quote relates to Nicole and Marias responses to how the chief grew throughout the movie. He became more and more tolerant for Virgil and began to care what happened to him more than he did in the beginning. This one small statement shows tremendous growth in acceptance and understanding. While the chief may not truly be friends with Virgil these small words show that he cares.
Katie Shirley
Class 4
In the movie, Chief Gillespie goes through a big change as a person. He almost arrests Virgil for no legitimate reason in the beginning and eventually, they become friendly colleagues by the end. If you watch Chief Gillespie's arrogance and haughty attitude at the beginning you wouldn't think he wouldn't change, but Virgil's resistance to being pushed around allows Chief Gillespie to re-think about his attitude towards Virgil. Virgil had been arrested and missed his train and had gone out of his way to help a white police officer solve a crime in the south which is unheard of. After Virgil decides to stay is one big turning point in Gillespie's attitude but I would say the biggest is when Virgil slaps the white plantation owner and the Chief does nothing to stop him. Any other white cop would have killed Virgil right there, but Gillespie knew that without Virgil, he had no clue how to solve the case. After being threatened by some white guys the Chief saves Virgil once again and the two still remain partners to solve the crime. After 2 wrong arrests Virgil has to change the Chief's mind twice before catching the right guy. After all his hard work the Chief tells Virgil to "take care" which was something he never would have said but it shows how much he cared about Virgil helping him out with the case and how much he grew as a person throughout the movie. The two men never acknowledged each others help until that last scene where the Chief says "thank you".
I would agree with Nicole when she said that they both wanted to find the killer and that helped bond a relationship between the two. They both had reputations and since Chief Gillespie was known as the big officer in the town, he couldn't lose this case and show any weakness so Virgil helped him retain that sense of power by finding the murderer and Chief Gillespie showed his appreciation by protecting Virgil from any trouble.
Stefan H
Class: 6
I think that "I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!" is one of the most interesting quotes from the entire movie. It shows something interesting about all of the characters, and how racism "works".
I agree with what Hunter has noticed about the fact that the movie did a good portrayal of how racism can work both ways; although in the case of the quote I've chosen, it was less of racism and more of a bad first impression.
The quote really shows that nobody is immune to jumping to conclusions. Even though Virgil is the victim of racism, he exhibits some qualities that allow racism to exist - such as quick judgment. He manages, however, to "get over it" better than most of the other characters in the film. He recognizes that he's only trying to "take him down" for personal reasons, and then directs his energy back to the case.
"I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!"
Virgil's statement in regards to Mr. Endicott shows that a racial bias on one side can create a bias on the other, as Virgil focuses completely on proving Endicott's guilt over motive (one that may have been shared with other viable suspects) and more importantly, Endicott's insulting treatment of negroes. It is this quote that shows us that it is not justified to only concentrate on treating the prejudiced race as equals in order to remove discrimination, but the equal treatment of the discriminatory race must also be maintained. Virgil realizes this when Gillespie retorts that he's no different from the police who took him into custody based on race. At that point, he focuses on justice rather than payback and seeks out the real killer without bias. Therefore, without a healthy, unwarped sense of balance can racism truly be thing of the past.
“You take care now, Virgil."
This one quote at the end of In the Heat of the Night shows how Chief Gillespie changed throughout the movie. At the beginning when the Chief found out that Virgil Tibbs was actually a Homicide expert, he would never say anything like that if he had decided not to help out with the case. They went through so much together that they started to get along; at first Chief Gillespie didn’t seem too thrilled to work with a colored person who earned more money than he did like Nicole said. My first reaction was that he was racist because he argued with his findings for no real reason. Throughout the movie you see that the town of Sparta is not diverse, but after a few of their arguments the Chief finally comprehends that Virgil is a person too and in that occasion Chief Gillespie needed his help or else he would have sent him out of town. Towards the middle of the movie you see that Chief Gillespie’s feelings toward Virgil changes because he gives him support towards his suspicions. They had the same goal, to find the murder and in order to do so they had to put their differences aside.
In those few days that Virgil helped out with the case, Virgil and Chief Gillespie realized that they weren’t too much different than they thought they were. Like Mikaela said the statement would seem normal but after knowing the background story the quote is very surprising that in that time period a person’s view on colored people can change quickly. By the end of the movie they got along better than before and when it was finally time for Tibbs to go back home Chief Gillespie showed gratitude and acted kind unlike the beginning of the book and it seemed like he meant what he said by take care.
Edith Campos
Period: 4
"You take care now Virgil" shows the growth in the relationship between Tibbs and Chief Gillespie. Like Amanda said, there was a lot of racism against Virgil; with people not wanting him around them or their town. This was also the view Gillespie had when he first met Virgil. He only had the slightest respect for him due to the fact that he's a police officer. However, as Nicole said, towards the middle of the film they began to acknowledge each other more than police officers and as real people who needed and respected each other. This is tremendous growth for Gillespie. And for his last words to Tibbs to be "You take care now Virgil" is a change in Gillespie. Not only did he carry his suitcase for him but he also called him by his first name. Which shows how personal and close they are, and he also wished him good luck. None of these things are typical gestures white's make towards black's. But Gillespie grew out of ignorance and took Virgils presence as something positive, creating a friendship.
Nicole Rotante
Class 6
While watching the movie, "In the Heat of the Night" it was expected that Chief Gillespie would somehow become less racist and realize that colored and white people arn't so different. However like Hunter French said racism goes both ways. Throughout my years of school, any assignment on racism or the South durng the Jim Crow Laws time period all focused on what the colored people had to deal with. Which is all true, but it was never taught to us that the black people, after being forced into slavery for so long and facing such discimination are racist in their own way too. This movie portrayed this to the audience by showing Virgil Tibbs's growth throughout it. In the beginning, Virgil was just a colored man in the South minding his own business and trying to get home to Pennsylvania after visiting his mother. When brought into the police Station and accused of Murder, Virgil remains calm, informs them that he's a police officer and insists that he be taken back to the train station to go back home. This is the first insight that the audience gets that suggests Virgil to be racist. He wants nothing to do with the white police officers and refuses to help them with their investigation. The only thing that causes him to give in is that, him being a homicide detective back home, he was very curious about the murder and couldnt help but doing an autopsy. As the movie progresses one sees Virgil change. He becomes more assertive and sure of himself. He constantly tries to defy the "white man" and he becomes obsessed with proving that Endicott was the one that murdered the victim. It is at the scene at Endicott's plantation that Virgil's true racism is finally layed out on the plate for all to see. This is when the Chief says Virgil is just like them, because all he cares about is proving the white guy guilty. Once Virgil comes to full terms with how he is acting he and the Chief slowly start to grow towards a better more equal man. After working for so long with eachother they begin to realize that their is not much difference between the two besides the color of their skin. Both are police officers, both dont have ladies, both want to solve the murder. When Virgil and the Chief are drinking together, it is the true sign of how much each one has grown. They've finally broken down that barrier that society put up to seperate black and white. They finally realize that they are both equal men. And both come to accept one another for who they are, and they no longer feel this rift of racism between them anymore.
Erin Cunningham
Class 4
While watching the movie, "In the Heat of the Night" it was expected that Chief Gillespie would somehow become less racist and realize that colored and white people arn't so different. However like Hunter French said racism goes both ways. Throughout my years of school, any assignment on racism or the South durng the Jim Crow Laws time period all focused on what the colored people had to deal with. Which is all true, but it was never taught to us that the black people, after being forced into slavery for so long and facing such discimination are racist in their own way too. This movie portrayed this to the audience by showing Virgil Tibbs's growth throughout it. In the beginning, Virgil was just a colored man in the South minding his own business and trying to get home to Pennsylvania after visiting his mother. When brought into the police Station and accused of Murder, Virgil remains calm, informs them that he's a police officer and insists that he be taken back to the train station to go back home. This is the first insight that the audience gets that suggests Virgil to be racist. He wants nothing to do with the white police officers and refuses to help them with their investigation. The only thing that causes him to give in is that, him being a homicide detective back home, he was very curious about the murder and couldnt help but doing an autopsy. As the movie progresses one sees Virgil change. He becomes more assertive and sure of himself. He constantly tries to defy the "white man" and he becomes obsessed with proving that Endicott was the one that murdered the victim. It is at the scene at Endicott's plantation that Virgil's true racism is finally layed out on the plate for all to see. This is when the Chief says Virgil is just like them, because all he cares about is proving the white guy guilty. Once Virgil comes to full terms with how he is acting he and the Chief slowly start to grow towards a better more equal man. After working for so long with eachother they begin to realize that their is not much difference between the two besides the color of their skin. Both are police officers, both dont have ladies, both want to solve the murder. When Virgil and the Chief are drinking together, it is the true sign of how much each one has grown. They've finally broken down that barrier that society put up to seperate black and white. They finally realize that they are both equal men. And both come to accept one another for who they are, and they no longer feel this rift of racism between them anymore.
Erin Cunningham
Class 4
I found that Chief Gillespie grew immensely throughout the movie. When first seeing and hearing Chief Gillespie it is obvious that he emulates the classic white southerner stereotype of the time period. So immersed in his small town, Chief Gillespie felt automatically threatened when meeting Virgil, a colored person of such high economic status in comparison to himself. He was threatened not only because Virgil is more well off than him, but also because he can't just blame the crime on him and move on to his "perfect southern town". It caused him to actually do his job, increasing the amount of tension between them. Once Chief Gillespie was forced into working with Virgil, he realized how smart and respectable he is. I agree with Nicole in that he realized the limitations Virgil faces because it came to limit the efficiency of his case as well due to the toxic racism that encompassed the south during that time period. It can be said that we learn through our experiances. Chief Gillespie learned to be less prejudice and modest by working with someone who seemed to be so opposite to him. This quote from the end of the movie exemplifies the change in Chief Gillespie. He actually called Virgil by his first name and addressed him like he would any other white southern man. It also shows that he has grown to care for Virgil aside from his obligation to the case. Chief Gillespie learned to care for someone beyond himself and to respect people of different races although everyone around him does not agree with his new feelings toward equality. That is growth.
Morgan Kirol
Class 1
Throughout "In the Heat of the Night" Chief Gillespie develops as both a police officer and an individual through his experiences with Virgil Tibbs. Initially, like Nicole and Maddie said, he is blinded by his pride and racist perspective. He is clearly intimidated and embarrassed by the fact the Virgil earns more than him because he is an African American and expresses this through his condescending behavior. For instance, as Maria noted, at first he calls Virgil "boy," intending to use it as a derogatory term. This, in turn initially limits his ability to appreciate Virgil's intelligence because he does not see that in the process of solving the murder mystery, it is not race or skin color that provide the advantage, but rather patience and the ability to remain objective. At first, Chief Gillespie refuses Virgil's assistance at all. He believes himself superior to Virgil, and therefore that he must be able to solve the murder without him. However, gradually he obtains more and more respect for Virgil, and in this way, grows as an individual. The first evidence of growth occurs when he, admittedly discourteously, requests Virgil's help. Another significant example of Chief Gillespie's respect for Virgil occurs when he and Virgil go to Endicott's house to question him. Endicott slaps Virgil, and in return, Virgil slaps Endicott. Ordinarily, the consequences for Virgil's behavior would have been extreme as an African American man assaulting a white man, but Chief Gillespie did nothing. Although it was not explicitly explained, it is clear that this lack of reaction was evidence of his support of Virgil. These small acts of appreciation accumulate until Chief Gillespie and Virgil eventually form a bond that is not limited by racial boundaries.
Hannah Maret
Class 6
In “In The Heat Of The Night” Chief Gillespie grows tremendously as a character. At the Beginning of the movie, he suspects that Virgil is the murderer, making the assumption only because Virgil is African American. Once he finds out that Virgil is in fact a police officer, and that he actually makes more money than he does, he is embarrassed and upset. He realizes he needs Virgil’s help to solve the case, but is reluctant to let him because of his race. He is skeptical of his abilities, and also worries what others will think. At this point in the movie, Chief Gillespie despises Virgil, but towards the middle, as Nicole said, I think both men came to realize that they should set aside their differences and work together to reach their goal and send the killer to jail. The quote, “You take care Virgil”, like Mikaela said, signifies the growth of Chief Gillespie throughout the movie. It shows the respect he has found by the end for Virgil. He is finally able to treat him, and talk to him like he would any other man. He is able to look past Virgil’s skin color, and see him for who he is.
"You take care now, Virgil"
I agree with Amanda in that this is probably the most important line in the entire movie. As simple as it sounds, the meaning behind it is powerful.
At the beginning of the movie, Chief Gillespie accused Virgil of killing Mr. Colbert. He disrespects Virgil, calling him "boy" and talking down to him. He showed him no respect until he finds out Virgil is actually a police officer, which begins a cycle of continuing growth for both characters, charting a path of acceptance.
Racism was as common as breathing in the South during that time. Gillespie's exhibition of disrespect underlines this idea. If the police wouldn't believe you based on your race, who would? However, when both men realize they need to form some kind of tolerance toward each other in order to solve the case, it forces them to actually see beyond the color of each other's skin.
This quote is proof that Gillespie grew as a person and clearly shows acceptance of racial differences, an idea that was virtually unprecedented in that time. This shows the progress men were making toward equality, even though it took a lot of pride swallowing. By telling Virgil to "take care," Gillespie is telling Virgil he genuinely cares about him as a person, a living breathing human being.
Justina Paproski
Class 4
I believe that the line, "you take care now, Virgil" really symbolized the growth between the Chief and Virgil. As Nicole said, it really implied the relationship growth, because earlier in the movie, the chief would have said "take care, boy" instead of "take care, Virgil". I felt as though Mason made a great point in stating that the South was at a point of strong discrimination and prejudice, as well as racism. However, Virgil worked his way up from being worthless in the southerners eyes to being an important member in the police force. It was incredible to watch the emotional journey between Virgil and the Chief, and i believe that it was an extremely memorable experience both of them. Virgil showed the chief that a persons sincerity and goodness has nothing to do with the color of his skin, but what lies within.
Jake T, class 1
*”You take care now, Virgil”*
Throughout the movie, Virgil Tibbs and Chief Gillespie definitely clashed multiple times due to racist beliefs. The first example of this is when Gillespie continually refers to Tibbs as "boy" until he discovers Tibbs' profession as a police officer. However, I found that it was interesting to see how Virgil responds to Gillespie. In the line “They call me Mr. Tibbs,” Virgil shows his discontent with racist views. I thought this was interesting because in all other times that we have learned about racism in school, no one ever told us that, as Hunter so perfectly put it, “racism runs both ways.” After watching “Happy Days” in class when the black couple simply accepted the fact that no one would come to the party because they were there, it reinforced the fact that black people didn’t stand up for themselves in small instances like that, but then, watching the movie and seeing Virgil stand up for himself and his race, it changed my personal perspective.
As for Gillespie, I think that the quote “You take care now, Virgil” truly shows Gillespie’s growth throughout the movie. Although he started off with very racist views towards Virgil, as they worked together and as Gillespie realized that Virgil wouldn’t take any garbage from white people, his views began to change. Being forced to work with Virgil to catch a murderer opened Gillespie’s eyes to the values that colored people have. He was able to see firsthand that black people weren’t anything like he had previously believed to be true. His preconceived notions drastically changed to the point where he even liked Virgil. This quote is significant because it represents the fact that racist views can change and that black people can be accepted, in any time period, not just the 1960’s.
Colleen Cosgrove
Class 4
As the movie progressed, Chief Gillespie's character changed immensely. At first, he accuses Virgil, the first black man he sees, that he is the murderer. Without any evidence, he just assumes that a colored man committed the crime. The Chief is the stereotypical southern man who assumes that all blacks are threatening people who ruin society. Also, just like Hannah said, before the chief learns of Virgil's occupation, he acts like he is much better than Virgil. He has this confident feeling of superiority over Virgil, not because he is a police officer, but because he is white. As the movie progresses, Chief Gillespie gains respect for Virgil when he sees that he is a talented and knowledgeable man. He starts to look past the color of Virgil's skin and focus on the fact that Virgil can help solve the crime. The viewer also notices the growth in the Chief when Virgil goes back to the train station for the first time. The Chief goes after him to beg him to stay and help the police department solve the murder. This demonstrates how the Chief has changed, because he is looking to Virgil for help, and he feels that Virgil is superior because of his skill. The Chief also faces limitaions when working with Virgil. The town, in particular the victim's wife, are confused and uncomfortable that a black man is working on the case. I agree with Lisa that the Chief "was able to walk on a path that most people in the south would refuse to walk on." Although reluctant at first, the Chief worked cooperatively with Virgil, and this also demonstrates his growth. The Chief learned to accept Virgil and ignore the racist comments from the town.
Jess Haitz
class 1
I agree with what both Nicole and maddie said, which was that Chief Gillespie had amazing growth over the course of the movie. The chief started out as a small town cop in the south who did his police work all based by his opinions, and hunches. A white man is murdered and a black man is at the train station...he must have done it. but the chief does change drastically over the course of the story. There is a constant power struggle between the two but as the story goes on the two become what you might say tollerant of each other. there was even a part in the movie in which the chief actually protected Virgil (in the ware house when the four white guy attacked him). but I think we really see the change in the chief at the end of the movie. when he says "you take care now, Virgil" this quote seems to symbolize that the chief doesn't have any more negative feelings twords virgil. the chief change from a somewhat racist police chief to a decent man.
Throughout the movie, I feel that Chief Gillespie had the most growth as a character. In the beginning of the movie, he was very racist, and automatically assumed that Virgil had committed the murder because he was a black sitting alone in the train station at the time the body was found. He soon found that he was very mistaken and that Virgil was actually a very accomplish cop from Philadelphia. Like Nicole said, he was not happy with the fact that this black cop was making more money than he was, and was reluctant to work with his on th murder case. He soon realized though that Virgil had much more experience than he did and practically begged him to stay. After working with Virgil, Chief Gillespie soon began to see that he was very skilled even though he was black. This began to change his opinions on blacks for the better. By the end of the movie, Chief Gillespie had much respect for Virgil and had greatly changed in a way that he wasn't so quick to judge just based on appearance.
Erin T
Chief Gillespie grew from his previous, perceived status of a man discriminatory against African Americans during his time with Virgil Tibbs. At first the chief was very suspicious about a black man catching an early train after a murder, in time he began to accept and respect Virgil as his equal and superior. As Maddie said, "He is embarrassed by the fact that Virgil makes more money than him and lets out his anger by treating him badly. This was a huge limitation for the Chief." The reason for some of the chief's initial racist views was that Virgil made more money than he did which made him feel inferior, an enormous limitation.
Ben Stoller
Period 1
The quote “You take care now, Virgil” is one of great significance to this movie. It is the last line that is spoken, and it really wraps up the story well. This quote, more importantly, pinpoints the essence of this movie; it shows the evolution of Chief Gillespie from a person blinded by racism to a man of understanding and acceptance. At the beginning of the movie, the chief showed no respect towards Virgil solely because society had taught him that blacks like him were lesser, unintelligent, and criminals. He treated Virgil like every other white person in Mississippi would have during that time, so he didn’t realize the error of his ways. But as the plotline progresses, he begins to learn more about Virgil and come to see his unbelievable talent as an officer and his very polite and friendly manner. Like Jessa mentioned, the two develop an alliance during their investigations; the chief protects Virgil from the multitude of racist townspeople the pair encounters, while Virgil does Gillespie the favor of discovering and capturing the murderer. At the end of the movie, the newly formed friends must go their separate ways, which is when Chief Gillespie says this great line. He has become fond of Virgil, despite the color of his skin. This quote truly shows how he overcomes the societal expectations placed upon him by his fellow neighbors and coworkers. He doesn’t care anymore about what other people think of Virgil; he just does what he feels is right.
Erin B.
Class 6
After watching the movie, "In the Heat of the Night", many aspects were brought into my head about the topic of racism. The topic that I decided was the most significant was the change of Virgil Tibbs. Just like Hunter said, everyone and their mothers knew that Chief Gillespie was going to change his views on racism but not many people thought how Virgil changed racially. Throughout schools we have learned that whites hated blacks, but never that blacks hated whites. I'm sure that many blacks hated whites, but they were to afraid to fight back because the odds were against them and many of them would die or go to prison. But, this movie showed how black people thought of whites during that time period. Since Virgil was from the North, he encountered minimal prejudice and obviously thought of the white people around him as the same as him. But, when he was in the South he knew that he was in trouble racially just because of the culture. To get back on topic, when Virgil was taken into custody for being the prime suspect in the murder just because he was black, he automatically thought that the police department was stereotyping him and right he should. But, even after the chief "apologized" he still had racial tension towards the white police officers and he shouldn't of done that because they let him help out and be like one of them. He felt this tension until he realized that whites were no different than he was when he said, "You're no different than us." All in all, this movie showed that not only did whites have to accept blacks, blacks had to accept whites.
Andy Kelley
I agree with Maddie and Lisa. They both said that Chief Gillespie grew tremendously throughout the movie. In the beginning, he was very stubborn and racist. When he saw Vergil, he immediately accused him of murder. He didn't take into consideration Vergil's story, just the color of his skin. Then, when he found out that Vergil was a cop and made more money than him, he was greatly embarrassed, but still persistant in trying to prove himself as superior. Eventually, when Gillepsie realized that he had no way of being able to solve this mirder on his own, he was forced to humble himself, even if it was ever so slightly. This was a step forward for him. Then, as the movie progresses, Gillepsie begins to trust Vergil more. Although they have their disagreements (like when Vergil hits the major plantation owner), he eventually ends up relying on Vergil to solve this case. As Lisa said, by the end of the movie, Gillepsie became stronger, and did things that many southerners would not have done at that time. By the end, he gained a lot of respect for Vergil and treated him as he would any other human being. Gillepsie really grew by the end of the movie and proved himself to be a great man.
Chief Gillespie was by far the most interesting character in the movie. Of the bat, I assumed he would be the stereotypical southern racist and the primary antagonist to Vergil. However, these initial initial perceptions were quickly challenged when he reluctantly asked Vergil to stay and help with the murder case. Throughout the movie, he grew to realize Vergil as his equal and even superior as they worked together. While he rarely showed it publicly, Gillespie became very protective of Vergil, repeatedly urging him to leave town before he was attacked. The chief's transformation is symbolic of the slow change that had begun to change attitudes about race in the south as well as the whole country in this period. It is interesting to see just how much a person can change their outlook when race is no longer a factor in determining what someone is capable of.
-Kevin Moses
Class 6
"You take care now, Virgil"
As Mason West stated, along with several other students, this quote speaks to the change of character and culture that took place inside Chief Gillespie. This simple statement seems irrelevant and unimportant, but it signifies a complete change of demeanor embodied by Chief Gillespie. The fact that the Chief even cares to tell Virgil to take care talks to the fact that he views Virgil as important, as a person, rather than just a "boy" as Jessa said. At the beginning of the movie, Chief Gillespie wouldn't call Virgil by his name, and wouldn't even think to bid him an affectionate farewell such as saying "take care". The turn around that he experienced during the movie is based off of the fact that he gets to know Virgil and realizes his intelligence and worth. Chief Gillespie loses his bias. This shows his growth and expansion. I agree with Amanda, that this is the most important quote in the movie, because it shows the complete 180 that Chief Gillespie made in his attitude as soon as he got to know Virgil. It shows the ignorance of racism and how it changes as people are faced with adversity. This quote is an acceptance of Virgil and an acknowledgment of Virgil being on the same level as Chief Gillespie.
Alex Klein
Class 4
i saw that in the movie vigil grew but also had limitations. The limitations he had was that right away he was acused and almost arrested for a crime of killing a guy because he was black. Since he was down south he had to suffer through rasicim and pretty much everything he did he had to aproach it a certain way. He grew when he slaped the white guy and showed he was the boss, and when he was at good terms with the police cheif.
The chief was a very complex character who was far from being one-dimensional. From the beginning, the chief didn't like Virgil, and as Nicole said, around the middle of the film, his feelings began to change because he realized they had a common goal. The chief tried to be fair in all he did and he was never waving a confederate flag or burning a cross, but he still came across as racist. The chief couldn't stand the fact that Virgil made more money than him and whenever he lost his temper he would refer to him as "boy" and act demeaning towards Virgil. The chief's passion for his work gave him the opportunity to keep Virgil around, which allowed him to further expose himself to being around black people and seeing how similar they are to white people. Yet on the other hand, his pride continuously got in the way of accomplishing his task. The chief would want to learn from Virgil but couldn't stand being taught anything by a black man.
In the end, both of the men learn to respect one another equally.
Just as Nicole D said earlier, I believe that over the course of the 1967 Best Picture Winning film "In The Heat Of The Night", Chief Gillespie grows tremendously as a person and as a police officer. Played by Oscar-Award Winner, Rod Steiger, Gillespie is introduced to the audience as a prejudiced and ill-tempered police officer in Mississippi who has a murder case on his hands, and he has no idea what to do with it or how to solve it. He must turn to someone for help, preferably someone experienced in the area of murder and homicide. Luckily, he comes across Virgil Tibbs, played by Sidney Poitier, a colored homicide specialist who is initially willing to help anyone in need. But Gillespie and his fellow police officers take Virgil in as the suspect of the murder, simply because he was a colored man in a southern town. Their relationship gets off to a hostile start, as Gillespie accuses the innocent Mr. Tibbs and calls him by derogatory names, such as "Boy". These moments in the movie show Gillespie's true attitude towards African-Americans, his pugnacious and belligerent temper towards people of darker skin color. In a way, Gillespie sees Virgil as a type of an animal or a beast, and he feels as though cannot trust him. And Virgil seems to feel as though these bigoted officials are animals as well. But their animosity disappears as they begin to work with each other. It shows when Gillespie starts to rely on Virgil's talent to solve the murder case, and because he considers Virgil to be valuable, he is willing to protect him. Gillespie stops calling him derogatory names and his anger shifts away from Virgil as they must collaborate to catch the criminal. When the mystery thickens, their hatred morphs into friendship at the hands of their duties. Soon, the limits of fear and racism that separate them dissolve as they begin to recognize each other as partners, and more importantly, as people, instead of animals.
By the end of the movie, the hostility in Gillespie's mind is wiped away, and all he has to say as a farewell is "You take care now, Virgil". He now wishes the best for his friend. He sees past the racism that society defines people with. And in this way, Gillespie has grown to be a better, more tolerant person, and a sharper, more intelligent chief officer who is now willing to work with any ally to fulfill his duties. The story of "In The Heat Of The Night" was a brave story to be told during its time period because of how it showed that the dividing wall of prejudice can be easily toppled when an urgent situation calls for collaboration and merging of different minds.
Sage Musk
Class 6
Like Nicole said, I think the chief really grew from getting to know Virgil. At the beginning he was just as racially bias to him as the majority of the people in his town were, but by the end of the movie his views had been altered dramatically. The chief looked embarrassed when he learned that a black officer was making more than he makes and he never wanted to admit he needed his help when he first met Virgil. As he got to know Virgil more and more his respect for him grew more and more. At times when Virgil peeked his nose into a place where it might be dangerous for him to be, the chief would tell him to be careful and even said it would be best if he left town. In my eyes it never seemed negative when he asked him to leave town, it looked to be more of a protective thing. At the end of the movie as Virgil was getting ready to leave on the train the chief says “You take care now, Virgil”. I thought that for a grown man who was obviously not very open to other races just a few days prior, this line held a lot of respect and was probably the most affectionate thing the chief would ever say to another man. I think by the end of the movie the chief didn't look at Virgil as just a black man, but as a friend.
I agree with Nicole, Chief Gillespie I believe changed the most throughout the movie. I missed the beginning, but when I came in was about the time when he found out the Mr. Tibbs made more money then he did. That was a very surprising thing to Chief Gillespie because Mr. Tibbs was black and black people weren't supposed to make more money then white people that just wasn't how things worked. Virgil was black and thus was a lower kind of person to Chief Gillespie. But as the movie went on you could see the Chief grow more and more. I think that a major turning point for the Chief was when Virgil smacked the rich white man after he smacked him. Virgil had seen it as one man smacked another and the man that was smacked returned the favor, but that is not what everyone else saw. The mayor said it the best when he said that "their old chief would have shot him on the spot, claimed it as self defense," and the Chief didn't really have a response to that. I think it was because the Chief knew that without Virgil they would have never gotten the right man. And as Virgil was leaving the Chief said "You take care now, Virgil." He called Virgil by his name rather then calling him "boy" which was a showing of respect that the Chief had for Virgil and that he had seen him as equal. So from going to a racist stereotypical southern white man to someone willing to respect someone because of the work they do and disregarding the color of their skin I believe is a huge amount of growth by Chief Gillespie just like Nicole when she said that "This growth may make him more open minded and willing to get to know someone who has a different skin color, rather than just writing them off."
When examining the growth of Cheif Gillespie, I noticed that while he is racist, the companionship between two fellow police officers overrode the gap between races. Even though Gillespie clearly showed great growth as a person, he still doesn't do anything to the white men who were attacking Virgil at the train station. It is also important to note that Mr. Tibbs isn't too keen on working with white men. This may just be because he knows that they don't want to work with him. I agree with Nicole Davis in that one of the major things that brought Gillespie and Virgil together was a common goal. However, I believe that if it wasn't for the fact that Virgil was an expert on homicide cases, then Gillespie would have been less inclined to join forces with Mr. Tibbs.
Carson
Class 6
I completely agree and support what Parker said earlier. The movie shows th progression of a very racist situation and how it develops into a very successful an united situation. Earl in the movie Chief Gillespie and his department are very racist towards Virgil and black people. Just by seeing that Virgil is black they want to immdiately take him in as the murderer. Finally it comes to the point where Virgil needs to show Gillespie his badge just so he isn't taken in as the murderer for being colored. Throughout the movie then, Virgil progressively tries to prove himself as an equal individual by solving the murder mystery. As the case goes on and Virgil proves to be a very respectable, intellegent, and important man. Gillespie recognizes this and eventually unites himself with Virgil to solve the murder mystery as a unite, despite color.
Kyle Wilcox
Class 6
I agree with Hunter, except I thought that the chief would stay stuck in his own ways and not be one to change his mind easily. Especially since he was Virgil recieved more money and sometimes he felt undermined by a black, which then was very undermining towards the cheif in the south were blacks still weren't that well accepted. However, he wasnt the only one to change about his feelings, for Virgil opened up more in the end, since at first he was a very closed person. His limitaions were though, that he also felt racism on his end, like the time when he asumed and judged endicott which then made him no better than the chief in the begining. Showing that racism does truely happen both sides just altered depending on the person and scene. And later on as Virgil has to leave, the chief says his goodbyes in respect, "You take care now, Virgil" - addressing him politely. And with that Virgil smiled and nodded at him, with a look of thankfulness across his face. I also agree with Nicole on the fact that even though the chief lost his temper a couple times and almost sent Virgil home completely he had the respect and right attitude that he needed help and even though it hurt his pride, and more so from asking help from a black, he did so and achieved finding the proper murderer in the case.
Cassie Fallon
Class 1
At the end of the movie when the chief said "You take care now, Virgil," I think it was definitely a significant line. As Nicole said the chief grew tremendously throughout the movie. This line identifies that. By saying this it shows that the chief has new found respect for Virgil. He realized Virgil wasn’t so different from himself. Its ironic how at the beginning of the movie the chief thought that Virgil was the murderer simply because he was black. He was shocked when he find out he was an officer, not to mention that he made more then him. The chief definitely underestimated Virgil but by the end of the movie and specifically this line it was clear that he had more respect and understanding of Virgil. As Mason said, this quote may seem like a very simple statement, but when you really consider it in the scheme of things, with the rest of the movie and the time period it is obvious that there is a much deeper meaning then just take care.
Katie P
class 1
I think that through the movie, chief Gilepsie grew a lot, which I think was difficult to do especially because everyone around him was prejudice towards African Americans. In the beginning of the movie, he referred to Virgil as "boy" where at the end he says "You take care now Virgil" which I think shows his new found respect for Virgil. Like Nicole, I don't think that the chief has lost all of his prejudice feelings towards African Americans, but has definitely grown to respect Virgil. I dont think that he could ever really fully lose his prejudice feelings because of the type of society he lives in, but he has changed since he encountered Virgil.
When Chief Gillespie says "You take care now, Virgil." I believe that is the final line that shows his transformation from the beginning of the movie to the end. In the start, the Chief was rude, racist, and completely ready to accuse anybody he could find that was vulnerable or had less authority then he did of the murder. But with all of the events that happened, I think that Virgil really proved himself as a person, not just an African American to the Chief. He consistently stood his ground and announced that he was not giving up until he had found the answer. And the chief became more and more aware that Virgil was an astounding police officer and he should respect him despite the color of his skin. The last line in the movie where he says "You take care now, Virgil." is a very key line because it shows the importance of the Chief becoming a more sensitive character in replace of his cold self.
"You take care now, Virgil"
I wanted to write about this quote because I feel it really showed a huge meaning even though it was'nt much said. It showed the change between feelings that were shared by Virgil and Gillespie. There was no respect between the two men at first but as the film went on that changed. Gillespie would only refer to Virgil as "boy" like he was'nt equal to him. Virgil was able to go from "boy" to Virgil which shows how Gillespie learned to respect Tibbs for everything he helped the him do. I like that Gillespie learned to care and have affection for Virgil in the end because he tells him to take care which shows he wanted Virgil to be alright. I liked that the quote was able to show the equal bond showed between the two men. Virgil just smiled back at Gillespie showing that he felt the same way. The two let their differences go away and become friends.
Brendan DeAngelis
Period 6
I feel like Gillespie really gains significant respect for Virgil. When Gillespie says "You take care now, Virgil", it is with complete understanding and truth. He really means it, he has grown to understand that even different people are still human, and the moral is to treat other how you want to be treated. Although throughout the movie Virgil is thrown around my Gillespie, in the end it doesn't even matter, they've become friends, and as mason said it's a 'symbol of acceptance'.
The fact that Gillespie, the chief of a town in Mississippi, was able to open up to a black man, even though it took a long time, he began to like him, because he did his job, and Virgil acted like there were no differences. They obviously is a recognition that they are different, but he puts that aside and does his work diligently. Gillespie realizes that Virgil isn't all that bad, and I think that will have an outlasting effect on him, because there is some hope that they aren't as bad as the society deems them to be. Virgil and Gillespie are equals, is their minds, they don't care who is black or white, just that they are there.
- Rob Uhde
class 4
“I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!" This, I feel, was an extremely significant quote because it introduced an aspect that is much overlooked: reverse racism. While Virgil was the minority in this movie, he also had his predetermined notions about rich white men. He wanted the rich white man to be behind the murder simply because of his race and economical status. This is exactly like all of the people in the town who thought Virgil was the murder simply because of his race. The racism in this movie served as a deterrent factor for finding the real murder. When Virgil was able to put his stereotypes behind him he was able to piece together the clues that eventually lead him to Ralph Henshaw. I feel like this was the most significant message in the movie; that all people and races can have their stereotypes, yet they only serve to hinder. Just as skyler said, “no one is immune to jumping to conclusions”, but once they are able to get past that they can achieve their goals.
-Sean Fahey
"I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!"
This quote is a perfect example of how tense matters like race affects the performance in certain lines of work. In this case, the tense race relationships seem to corrupt the system of justice which is supposed to be a fair one. This sense of corruption was seen in the way that Virgil was immediately judged as guilty of murder when apprehended by the police forces. At first it seems as though only whites were capable of setting just reasoning aside for personal issues, but as Skyler pointed out in an earlier comment, anyone is capable of corruption, including Virgil. While Virgil is, for the most part, a man of principles and claims that the livelihood of the African-Americans in the south are not his responsibility, he still cannot fully contain his resentment for people who have abused people like him. The fact that there is still a white man as successful as Mr. Endicott benefitting off of African-American slave labor exceedingly irks Virgil to the point where he does not care about solving the actual case, but in using the case as an excuse to imprison Mr. Endicott and bring his slave empire crashing down. The fact that Virgil keeps the resentment pent up is one thing. It is when he allows it to affect the truth of the justice system and put his personal desires ahead of him like so many white cops have done in the south to other African-Americans that he loses his professional appeal. As a result, the idea of an unwarped sense of balance that Nicholas described in an earlier comment is distanced even further.
Charlie Pryor
Class-6
I agree with John and Maria that police cheif Gillespie grew a lot as a person through out the movie. However, it was notna steady incline of growth like they both talked about. Gillespie showed signs in the beginning of being good when asking Virgil to help with the case but serval times he felt as if he solved the case and was right until Virgil proved him wrong. I think that Gillespie self consciously felt better then Virgil but he was not nearly as racist in the beginning as some of the other characters in the movie. He was also the nicest from the beggenig out of everyone. Also a few of these post falsely acccuse him of taking in Virgil and blameing him for the murder. That is flase, his deputy brought him in and Gillespie was the one to realize he was also an officer. He was not nearly as racist as everyone else but did feel as if he was better then Virgil.
Rich S
class 6
I agree with most everyone's opinion of Chief Gillespie. In my opinion he grew the most in the movie. He grew up being racist and he had to force himself to go against his first instincts to accept Virgil. All Virgil had to do was accept what they were saying and brush it off. I believe the fact that the chief went from questioning Virgil as the murderer to telling him to take care was a total 180 degree turn. John Corsi puts it in a great way where he says they grew from their(the chief and Virgil) work together. At first they didn't want to be around the other but through the search for the murderer Gillespie gained a respect for Virgil from seeing his intelligence and ability.
I think that Virgil was initially as effected by racism as the chief was it was just in a different way. The chief first went along with the false accusation against Virgil because of his race but throughout the movie he saw beyond the colour of his skin and was making sure he was not to get killed or attacked. Virgil was also racist but in a different way he was doing it subconsciously because he was trying to put the plantation owner behind bars because he was the person in town that was against the factory since it was going to hire half white and half black. Everyone in town was agains Virgil because he was black and it made him make enemies really easy and the town was used to it so they didn't see anything wrong with it.
"You take care now, Virgil,"
I decided to analyze this because it has a great significance despite being a small line said by Gillespie to Tibbs at the end of the film. Throughout the film, Tibbs is criticized and questioned for his methods of solving the crime and no one really seems to accept his ideas. However, after he has proved himself to be very efficient at what he does, it does not matter that he is African-American to them, they pay more attention to his talent at solving the crime. The quote shows Gillespie's growth and eventual acceptance of Tibbs.
At the start of the movie Virgil Tibbs did not at all seem like the racist type of person, even though the white people of the town were not treating him with much respect. Then after he said "I'm close. I can bring that fat cat down! I can bring him right off this hill!" He realized he was no different than the police officers that had right off the bat at the start of the movie had thought that Virgil was the criminal just because of his race. The other interesting thing that I saw with the growth of Virgil throughout the movie was that he was very skeptical about helping the police officers down there at first, but then by the end they could not get him to give up the case and go home.
Peter Kerns
Class 4
When Gillespie says “You take care now, Virgil” it is an immense breaking point of truth and proves insignificance of racial divisions. I feel as though under the heated moment of society Gillespie would have given Virgil a more prominent and meaningful goodbye and token of his appreciation, but I remember the expression on his face. It was not hard to say that at all. This will have an eternal impact on both Gillespie and Virgil’s lives because the iron wall was broken down for once, even if police work was tied into it. Gillespie started off in the beginning of the movie as one who would rather live in their own chosen oblivion than face what they don’t want to see. He was stingy and closed minded. Gillespie proved his willingness to let Virgil take the case into his own hands and see the outstanding results he came up with, and was proud that he was one of the only people in that time period that accepted another skins touch or mannerism. Gillespie irrevocably knew that Virgil was the single candidate to take this case and solve it completely with no loose ends or false accusations, and every time he became skeptical Virgil proved him wrong, yet again with his powerful words and mind. Gillespie realized that Virgil’s insight is significantly more important than what is just on the police badge from New York or beyond the color of his skin, because we are all one people. Through my experience watching this movie, even in a small town in Mississippi there are still racial differences that are hard to grasp fully; but deep within oneself you realize we are all the same.
Julie Ficks
Class 4
When Gillespie says “You take care now, Virgil” it is an immense breaking point of truth and proves insignificance of racial divisions. I feel as though under the heated moment of society Gillespie would have given Virgil a more prominent and meaningful goodbye and token of his appreciation, but I remember the expression on his face. It was not hard to say that at all. This will have an eternal impact on both Gillespie and Virgil’s lives because the iron wall was broken down for once, even if police work was tied into it. Gillespie started off in the beginning of the movie as one who would rather live in their own chosen oblivion than face what they don’t want to see. He was stingy and closed minded. Gillespie proved his willingness to let Virgil take the case into his own hands and see the outstanding results he came up with, and was proud that he was one of the only people in that time period that accepted another skins touch or mannerism. Gillespie irrevocably knew that Virgil was the single candidate to take this case and solve it completely with no loose ends or false accusations, and every time he became skeptical Virgil proved him wrong, yet again with his powerful words and mind. Gillespie realized that Virgil’s insight is significantly more important than what is just on the police badge from New York or beyond the color of his skin, because we are all one people. Through my experience watching this movie, even in a small town in Mississippi there are still racial differences that are hard to grasp fully nowadays but deep within oneself you realize we are all the same.
Julie Ficks
Class 4
When Gillespie says “You take care now, Virgil” it is an immense breaking point of truth and proves insignificance of racial divisions. I feel as though under the heated moment of society Gillespie would have given Virgil a more prominent and meaningful goodbye and token of his appreciation, but I remember the expression on his face. It was not hard to say that at all. This will have an eternal impact on both Gillespie and Virgil’s lives because the iron wall was broken down for once, even if police work was tied into it. Gillespie started off in the beginning of the movie as one who would rather live in their own chosen oblivion than face what they don’t want to see. He was stingy and closed minded. Gillespie proved his willingness to let Virgil take the case into his own hands and see the outstanding results he came up with, and was proud that he was one of the only people in that time period that accepted another skins touch or mannerism. Gillespie irrevocably knew that Virgil was the single candidate to take this case and solve it completely with no loose ends or false accusations, and every time he became skeptical Virgil proved him wrong, yet again with his powerful words and mind. Gillespie realized that Virgil’s insight is significantly more important than what is just on the police badge from New York or beyond the color of his skin, because we are all one people. Through my experience watching this movie, even in a small town in Mississippi there are still racial differences that are hard to grasp fully nowadays but deep within oneself you realize we are all the same.
Julie Ficks
Class 4
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I agree with Maddie about the chief. As time went on he seemed to become more accepting. I do not think that he is a racist person. I think that because of the time he was born in he is supposed to act that way. That behavior is what society expects from him. Chief seems to treat Tibbs like any other man, seeing how well he is at his job; giving him respect. You can tell that he admires Tibb's work and appreciates him.
“You take care now, Virgil,” the closing line of the movie, really compacts all of the core values into one small goodbye. When Chief Gillespie says this, Virgil then responds with a smile of gratitude. This final encounter shows both men’s growth to acceptance and equality. Throughout the movie, Virgil struggles in unimaginable ways all just because he is an African American man. His daily life was turned into a fight for survival. All of the racism, though, actually led Virgil to become bitter. He ended up treating other men unfairly because of his unforgiving emotions. Meanwhile, Chief Gillespie had quite a similar situation. Originally, he was hesitant about Virgil being a police officer, not to mention working with him on a case. Gillespie was definitely unsure about where he stood with Virgil. At times he defended him, and at other times he told him to leave. Therefore, when this final line was spoken, “You take care now, Virgil,” it summed up the both of the men’s final regards towards each other. On one hand, Virgil was finally acknowledged as a man yet was still accepting of his current limitations. On the other hand, Chief Gillespie, after having gone through so much with Virgil, was looking at him as truly an equal man. Like Jessa Mason said, he was portraying the acceptance and bond he made with Virgil while working on the case. By saying “Take care now,” he wanted Virgil to stay strong and true to himself, like he had while he was working with Chief Gillespie. Together, they both grew into better, accepting, and equal men.
Lauren Bauer
Class 4
Chief Gillespie definitely grew a lot throughout the film. At first he didn't respect Virgil, just because he was colored. As Jessa said he wouldn't even use his name but instead he called him "boy." But as the movie progressed he saw that in reality they weren't all that different. They were both cops, who at the time both wanted the same thing. And that was to catch the murderer. In addition his attitude towards Virgil and blacks changed towards the middle when he defended Virgil. He hit a white men for him, and he let Virgil do things that blacks would never even think about. And i don't think that he only did it because Virgil was a cop or just because he really needed him to solve the case. But i think it was because he learned to really respect Virgil, and respect his race too. I also think that Chief Gillespie also grew, in general, as a person. He used to be simpleminded, and it seemed like he wanted to do more for his town and really do his job. But Virgil made him realize that there is a world outside of Sparta, Mississippi and that there is so much more to a person then the color of their skin. Even though this movie wasn't meant to show segregation or change, it did a great job in doing so. And it just goes back to the saying, don't judge a book by its cover. Chief Gillespie did in the beginning and later found out that he was extremely wrong about Virgil.
-Eni
I agree with my classmates that Chief Gillespie's line "You take care now, Virgil" is incredibly important. This line shows the journey that the chief has taken in growing as a more accepting person. He realizes that his African American counterpart, Virgil, deserves the same respect/ more respect than that of what he gives to the white people that surround him. He makes this gesture to finally and fully connect the bridge between him. As Mikaela said, the chief at the beginning of the film would have never been able to disclose this kind sentiment to Virgil, whom he assumed a low class murdered. He referred to him as “boy,” and offended him several times. As Virgil proved himself by just acting the way Virgil acts, the chief learned that the race of the Northern officer did not matter. He was intelligent and thoughtful, and that was what mattered.
Dana
Class 1
Chief Gillespie Changed extreamly through the movie. At first he did not want Virgil to do any work fo him at all and had not respect. He accused him of murdering a man just because he was black and out late at night. The chief would call Virgil by the name,"Boy". Calling him by this is extreamly rude and shows how the chief had no respect for virgil. At the end where Chief Gillespie says to virgil,"You take care now, Virgil" is extreamly important. It shows a new level of respect that Chief Gillespie has gained towards black people.I agree completely with Mason. Virgil was not wanted in that town to start b ut by the end of the movie, he was looked at as if he were not colored.
I believe that Chief Gillespie grew a great deal in character in the movie. Virgil really changed his life and opened him up to blacks. I agree with Nicole and how his mind set completely changed from the beginning. In the beginning he assumed that Virgil was the murdered just because he was black. He had no respect for him and absolutely no tolerance. When he actually talks to him he sees something other than the color of his skin. The police badge may have helped him be more accepting, but the Chief really changed inside. He saw Virgil more as a colleague and friend, in a professional way. He even asks him for help and relies on his skills in that field to solve the case. At first, Virgil was just a "boy", a lesser than a person colored boy. By the end he had gained respect and understanding for Virgil and all of African Americans. It is for men like Virgil in this era that prove the stereotypes wrong, and that helped make this country better. I think that when the Chief said "You take care now, Virgil", it was a big step for him not just to think of him as equal, but to say it and mean it.
Will Fletcher
Class 4
I believe that Chief Gillespie grew a great deal in character in the movie. Virgil really changed his life and opened him up to blacks. I agree with Nicole and how his mind set completely changed from the beginning. In the beginning he assumed that Virgil was the murderred just becasue he was black. He had no respect for him and absolutely no tolerance. When he actually talks to him he sees something other than the color of his skin. The police badge may have helped him be more accepting, but the Chief really changed inside. He saw Virgil more as a colleuge and friend, in a professional way. He even asks him for help and relies on his skills in that field to solve the case. At first, Virgil was just a "boy", a lesser than a person colored boy. By the end he had gained respect adn understanding for Virgil adn all of African Americans. It is for men like Virgil in this era that prove the stereotypes wrong, and that helped make this country better. I tihnk that when the Chief said "You take care now, Virgil", it was a big step for him not just to think of him as equal, but to say it and mean it.
Will Fletcher
Class 4
A little late... but I think that both Virgil and the chief of police grew throughout this movie, as much racism and prejudice Gillespie had towards Virgil, Virgil had towards Gillespie. Virgil was devout that a man was guilty due to the fact that he was a white man who still was in love with slavery, that is no different than Gillespie suspecting Virgil of the murder due to his color. Like Hunter said in his arguement, both sides need to work on being accepted by one another, if no one accepts the other, no one will ever be accepted.
Fratt
Period 4
The "You take care now, Virgil," line is very significant as it fully conveys the relationship of Gillespie and Tibbs. With this simple line, Gillespie shows that he really does respect Tibbs, and no longer feels any ill will against him. I agree with Jessa that the use of Tibbs' name is important. Calling someone by their first name is a sign of friendship, and Gillespie seems to think of Tibbs as a friend by the end of the movie. Tibbs' smile afterwards shows that he too thinks of Gillespie as a friend, despite all of the tension they had between them at the start of the movie.
When I first saw Chief Gillespie, I had immediately pegged him as a typical southern racist. For most of the movie, he does indeed fit that stereotype, arresting Tibbs on the grounds that he is black and only keeping him around because of blackmail from Colbert’s wife. Like Maddie said, Gillespie treats Tibbs badly for most of the movie just because he makes more money than him. As the film goes on though, Gillespie genuinely comes to respect Tibbs as a policeman. He is even concerned for his safety when Endicott tries to send a gang of thugs after Virgil. By the end of the movie, Gillespie is no longer the stereotypical cop he was at the beginning. This capped off by Gillespie saying “Take care now, Virgil,” instead of calling him boy like in the rest of the movie.
In the last line of the movie, "You take care now, Virgil." The chief, even tough he sounded very casual about saying this, actually was very significant. It showed the the Chief cared for Virgil's safety, and now viewed Virgil as a person, and even more, a friend. Virgil was no longer labeled in the Chief's mind as "a colored boy", but he was somebody to the Chief, and he wanted Virgil know that he cared about him. I like how Mason called this an eye opening experience for him. Following Virgil's work showed the Chief that people were more than the color of their skin.
Chief Gillespie started out as the stereotypical South of the Mason Dixon line cop. He was incredibly racist, ready to arrest the first colored suspect brought in. But throughout the movie he changed immensely, he went from "What do they call you up there boy?" to "You take care now Virgil." Showing that he was no longer looking at Virgil Tibbs as a black man, but as a respected police officer that he cared about. I saw that Virgil Tibbs also showed great change throughout the film. He loathed the people that he was with (with good reason) and was defiant of they're racist methods and accustoms and wanted nothing more than to just leave them forever. He eventually changed into the police officer that he really is; one that upholds the law, whether it's up in Philadelphia, or down south. He also showed signs of respect for the Chief and became understanding of his thoughts and methods. He began to see the Chief as a fellow man and a fellow police officer.
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