Bruce Brooks is often revered as one of the elite youth literature authors; Brooks was won the prestigious Newbery Honor from the American Literature Award. In this essay, Arthur Ashe, Brooks writes about the late Ashe, who died a few months before this essay was published, not only to honor him but to provide youth with an athlete who both excels at their sport as well as is intelligent.
Arthur Ashe was published in Boys Will Be which was a series of essays ranging from how to handle bullies to things that mothers will not understand (Curley). It is evident that the audience that Brooks was writing with adolescent boys as the first priority. Brooks’ writing style appeals to adolescent boys because the diction is not advanced, the sentence structure is not ornate, and the tone is direct and colloquial. This writing style is used throughout the essay, for instance Brooks writes, “Ashe leaves us with a good lesson: there is a place in sports for smart people.” The diction is very basic, and the message is as direct as possible; Brooks is pointing out the entire purpose of the essay in one sentence. For the audience there is no deciphering of complicated sentences with the risk of misinterpretation.
Although it is not known if Brooks knew Arthur Ashe personally, Brooks has stated that he enjoys all types of sports and Brooks was a teenager when Arthur Ashe was in his prime, so Ashe may have indirectly affected the author (Brooks, Bruce). Regardless, Brooks wrote about Arthur Ashe for several reasons.
If Brooks wants to inspire adolescent boys it essential for Brooks to select a successful person. No boy is inspired by a second string football player or a tennis player who consistently loses in the semifinals. No boy goes to a b...
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...Brooks’ uses the late Arthur Ashe as an example of an athlete who succeeded at their sport but was also very intellectual; all while honoring Arthur Ashe for his contributions to tennis and society in general.
Works Cited
Brooks, Bruce. “Arthur Ashe.” Nonfiction Readings Across the Curriculum. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. 206-207. Print.
“Brooks, Bruce (1950-)” UXL Junior DISCovering Authors. (2003): n. pag. Student Resource Center – Gold. Thompson Gale. Web. 23 Jan. 2010.
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Curley, Suzanne. “Bullies, Baseball Caps, and Black History.” Latimes.com. 13 Feb. 1994. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
“Life Story of Arthur Ashe.” ArthurAshe.org. Web. 13 Mar. 2010.
Vandergift, Kay E. “Learning about Bruce Brooks.” Young Adult Literature, Rutgers University. 22 Mar. 1996. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Valvano, Jim. “Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award Acceptance Speech.” ESPY Awards. ESPN. New York, March 4, 1993. Speech. Online. http://www.jimmyv.org/about-us/remembering-jim/jimmy-v-espy-awards-speech/
The author of “Sports’ Bully Culture” John Amaechi, throughout his essay focuses on the bully that very few consider, the coach. He presents an example that most, parents in particular, have heard about; Mike Rice, the former coach at Rutgers University’s. Amaechi recognizes that he can agree with the end result but he also recognizes the need for a different approach and continues to share his view. Amaechi then shares his own personal experience with this kind of bully when he was in university. Even though what he says appeals to many, some coaches, disagree with Amaechi view. He continues to show that these coaches are not just a select few, and the result of these coaches is severe. The essays purpose is to change the audience’s perspective
ey say that a book is a man’s best friend. It not only can change your personality but also leaves you with many experiences after each reading. I believe it is like a soul of human’s body without which anyone can exist. In everyday life we sometimes try to imitate our book’s heroes and even act like them in similar situations. Writers which depict daily problems, matters that touch us all and provide suggestions to overcome them will always win people’s spurs. One of such writers is in my opinion William Kennedy. There is something attractive in his books that make readers follow him till the last page. Now we are going to learn his book Billy Phelan’s greatest game and try somehow to analyze it.
Most student-athletes grow up as very innocent lads bedecked with tremendous talents and become very promising in sports. Thus, they become rays of hope for their families, neighborhoods, and schools yet to be determined. Like the lamb in William Blake’s poem The Lamb, they are fed “by the stream & o’er the mead; gave…clothing of delight, softest clothing, wooly, bright…making all the vales rejoice.” (Smith 24) Then they are exposed to the life of hard work in which only the fittest survives. This makes them ready for the different challenges in the sports scene.
Naturally, like many other colored children, Ashe was treated differently, but he was determined not to let this bias restraint his potentials. Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was born in July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia, to Mattie Ashe and Arthur Ashe Sr., his father, who was a public parks supervisor (Johnson 208). Growing up during this time period, Ashe could easily get into trouble even if he wanted it or not. Consequently, he always had to pay extra attention to his actions and behaviors. After Mattie’s death when he was six, his father imposed strict rules on him and his sibling, fearing they would get into troubles (Huso). They were expected to be at home or at the parks, and they were to go home immediately after school (Johnson 208). Arthur Senior even measure the time it took for his sons to walk home, “’1 had exactly 12 minutes to get home from school,’” Ashe recalled (Huso). It is because under his dad’s disciplinary that he was able to confront later hardships in his life, as in the incident during the 1960 Middle Atlantic Junior Championship in Wheeling, West Virginia. Ashe was branded as the culprit of destroying a cabin on the premises by some other white players, a crime he did not conduct, and even worse, the fabricated story was published by local newspapers (Lazo 39-...
In conclusion, I found Pressure Is A Privilege: Lessons I’ve learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes to be informational as well as inspiring. I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to read about Billy Jean King’s endeavors to change the way women are looked at in sports, as well as society. Her actions were truly revolutionary, and she is deserving of all the recognition that comes her way. I also thoroughly enjoyed her life lessons and anecdotes; I look to use some of her tips in my day to day life as a way of accomplishing my goals. Therefore, it was a pleasure to read Billy Jean King’s book, and I recommend it to anybody wanting to learn from a strong leader in American society.
Alexander builds an admirable amount of sources, writes in a way that takes the reader season by season, and uses visual histories to help enhance his writings. The flaws a reader may see in his writing is forgetting to look at the culture that influenced the players and leaving out Negro baseball. Baseball has been a fixture in American culture for many years and as a historian Alexander encompasses baseball during the Depression in a way that makes it come alive for the
Robert E. Morsberger. "James Baldwin." Magill Book Reviews. Salem Press, 1998. eNotes.com. 2006. 4 Dec, 2010
James, Johson Weldon. Comp. Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 832. Print.
Glamour and money are not the only components surrounding sports; many athletes experience what can be considered the dark side of sports. In the article The Meaning of Serena Williams by Claudia Rankine, some not so glamorous aspects of her life are highlighted. One of the most prominent rough parts of her life includes the racism that constantly surrounded her as an athlete. Whether it be the name calling and humiliation, or being paid less compared to a white woman, Serena has endured it all through her career; it is how she handles such cases that promotes her positive character.
Everyone has different opinions, topics, interests, and hobbies. Whether it is interest in sports or interest in clubs, they can find something they want to read. Tim Green's ideas are based on the things he writes about and what his interest are. He writes books about sports and competition which most may not find interesting which he finds as a normal ordeal. Everyone will have their different interest and topics, that is why there is more than one style of books, writing, and topics. Through one of his books “unstoppable” he touches many different styles. He provides interest in readers for sports, and drama. Most of all just the daily life of a teenage boy who overcomes great tragedy and finds a way to not let up and keep pushing for life because he knows something good is going to happen for him. As a child who experienced many wrong doings going foster home to foster home he didn't know where he belonged. Grades slipping consistently, passion for football not being filled, he never felt like he belonged. Until one day he found a family who was loving and caring with good careers. He was curious and wondering if what he was experiencing was really true. He lived with the family for a while, his foster dad being a football coach and teacher along with his foster mother who also pursued a career in teaching. They were both warm and touching guardians giving him a sense of security he never really felt before. He later begin playing football and grades got higher than ever before. He was finally able to achieve and do things he had a lot of love for. However… one day seemed to end it all when he got hurt in football. They had found a tumor on his leg and had to amputate it to stop the spread of the cancer that had begin
Even with knowledge of Mosher’s Ph.D. in Sports Studies, the essay would have been stronger if it included additional credible resources. I agree with Mosher’s unstated evaluative claim that society should not expect someone to possess the characteristics of a hero simply because they are a sports athlete. Yet, Mosher asserts that society unrealistically demands their sports athletes to possess traits of high character. After reading this essay, I still ask; why not?
As Miller and Wilson revealed, athleticism is not always analogous with success. Willy regarded Biff highly because he observed Biff’s presence and athleticism, and he believed these qualities would result in immediate success. Today many parents associate sports with success and therefore pressure their children to excel in sports. In today’s society it is very rare that fears of discrimination would cause children to not pursue a lucrative career in sports. Both Miller and Wilson knew the impact of sports on family dynamics, and how sports have evolved from a leisure time activity to a full-time commitment. Clearly, many of the qualitative aspects of sports--competition, teamwork and physical dexterity can contribute to being a success in almost any career.
and Other Greats : Lessons from the All-star Writer's Workshop. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.
Whitaker, Matthew C.. African American icons of sport: triumph, courage, and excellence. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008.