Bill Meissner is an author who enjoys writing stories about baseball that include nothing about baseball. In his stories there are many hidden messages which the reader tries to decipher and figure out the theme. Meissner uses baseball as his main attraction to catch the reader’s eye. Bill ties the character to baseball so he could demonstrate symbolism, which could help discover the theme of the story. In all his stories he establishes a lesson in which the character will uncover throughout the journey. The character in this story acts as a “weak” (42) human being which triumphs at the end by becoming the total opposite. In the story “Midgets, Jujubes, and Beans”, Bill Meissner expresses the theme of how a person should never lose hope on something they love by using a boy named Martin experiencing various challenges and in the end coming out on top.
Bill Meissner’s theme is to never give up on a dream no matter how big the challenge. Bill uses a boy named Martin who is “weak”, “translucent”, and “who nobody liked” (42) to use as an aspect of how size does not matter to gain an ob...
Hutch, the main character of The Big Field, has played baseball all of his life. He has always played shortstop, the same position that his father dreamed of playing as a professional. “Hutch, had always thought of himself as the captain of any infield he’d ever been a part of” (Lupica 1). Hutch finds himself being demoted to second base because there is another player, Darryl, on his new team that is expected to go pro and also plays shortstop. Hutch struggles because he does not want to play second base and his father does not support him because he does not want baseball to break Hutch’s dreams like it did his own. Hutch is betrayed by his father and Darryl when he finds them practicing together. Hutch has to learn to adjust and eventually becomes friends with Darryl, the up and coming shortstop. He understands that if he wants to win, then he needs to work together with Darryl. His father also comes around and finally gives Hutch his approval. Students should read this book in a high school English classroom because it demonstrates how relationships can be difficult, but teamwork can help to solve many issues.
Major league scouts had come to watch a shortstop whom they had heard was an excellent fielder and consistent batter. They were quickly distracted from this responsibility however by the performance of the man on the pitcher’s mound. Fernando Valenzuela was a pudgy teenage boy who had grown up on the dusty baseball fields of northwestern Mexico. From a young age, he had dreamed of playing professional baseball and he was about to get his chance. Less than two years later, he became the only player to win the Cy Young award as well as the Rookie of the Year award...
“If you build it, he will come” (Kinsella 1). These words of an announcer jump start a struggle for Ray Kinsella to ease the tragic life of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Ray hears a voice of an announcer which leads him to build a baseball field that brings Shoeless Joe Jackson onto the field. However, this field puts his family on the verge of bankruptcy which is just one of the struggles Ray Kinsella is presented in his life. Shoeless Joe Jackson is no stranger to having no money, as he was only making a measly $1.25 as a kid struggling to support his family. He never attended school and was illiterate throughout his entire life. The struggle is completely the same with Ray Kinsella growing up, as he is forced into baseball, which ultimately makes him run away from home. Ray’s hate is Joes love. Joe loves baseball and makes it to the major leagues, but it doesn’t last. Joe’s career is cut short due to the fact he is accused of throwing the World Series, and banned from baseball forever. Rays’s father would have loved it if his son made it to the major leagues because he thought Ray had the potential and talent. However, his only dream was simple, he wanted to play a game of catch with his son, unfortunately, he passed away and he never got to see his son after he ran away. Shoeless Joe Jackson’s death wasn’t any better, as he died guilty of throwing the World Series which was the biggest sports tragedy to date. Tragedies are not uncommon phenomena, Ray Kinsella and Shoeless Joe Jackson have the unfortunate luck to go through a struggle fulfilled and uphill battle in what is suppose to be a wonderful thing, life.
After discovering a God-given talent, a young boy struggles to achieve his only dream; to become the best there ever was. Baseball is all he has ever known, so he prevails through the temptations and situations laid before him by those out to destroy his career. His hopes and dreams outweigh all the temptations along his journey. These hopes, dreams, and temptations are depicted through archetypes in the movie The Natural.
Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez was a young Latino who had a passionate love for baseball. He was like any normal kid in the neighborhood apart from his strikingly athletic good looks, strong natural leadership and obsession with baseball. “Benny”, as his closest friends would call him, was a true hero to his inner circle of teammates. Especially to Scotty Smalls, as it was Benny who saved Scotty from a life sentence by retrieving his step father’s prized Babe Ruth autographed baseball from the jaws of the notorious junkyard “Beast” and making himself a neighborhood legend.
On a scale of one to ten, this book would be an eight since the ending was somewhat slower than the rest of the book. The book is relevant to society today because it explains the difficulties families can face when one member is self absorbed. Warren’s actions caused Paul and many Cubs fans to hate him. Paul could hardly say his name in Calico Rock since he was afraid of what might happen. The book is different from today’s society, however, since baseball records are difficult to break. Many records that stand today are old and new stars to baseball usually do not enter their prime as a rookie. The book can relate well to readers who play sports and understand the game of baseball. Baseball statistics and home runs may bore other people since they have no interest in the subject. All in all, Grisham wrote a great book about baseball and family issues.
Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding focuses on Henry, a small town boy that learns the value of life through the sport of baseball. Henry comes from humble beginnings of small town America, but suffers from a case of perfectionism – he will not stop short of achieving total perfection and this will eventually lead to his demise. He meets Mike Schwartz, a college baseball player that convinces him that college baseball is his future. Henry’s curiosity gets the best of him as he stumbles into the dark, cutthroat, and competitive world of college athletics. Once he steps foot in this world, Henry’s hunger for perfection is amplified. He sees the real world of athletics and
A narcissist is one who believes “he or she is ‘special’ and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special” people. They exploit others for their own advantage, lack empathy, and are “preoccupied with fantasies” or ideals that can be unrealistic. They believe they are the “primary importance in everybody’s life”. (“Narcissistic Personality”) Henry James’ theme in his short story, “The Beast in the Jungle”, is about a man, who is so egotistical and self-absorbed that he misses what life has to offer him, in particular, love, because of the narcissistic behavior he is doomed to live a life of loneliness and misery. John Marcher, the protagonist of “The Beast in the Jungle”, is about a narcissistic upper-class man who believes his life is to be defined by some unforetold event. He focuses only on himself and as a result, he neglects everything and everyone in his life. Marcher meets May Bartram, a woman who knows his secret, and instead of pursuing a romantic relationship with her, or even a genuine friendship, he uses her for his own benefit. Henry James utilizes a variety of literary devices to convey this theme in his story, such as the title, symbolism, dialogue, and the use of a limited third-person narrative. Henry James leaves us our first clue to the theme in the title, “The Beast in the Jungle”. When one thinks of a beast, they typically imagine something big and ferocious; Marcher’s ego was just that.
According to the author, Sunday was a wonderful baseball player. He was known to be the acknowledged champion sprinter in the National League. Sunday’s teammates enjoyed him as well did the fans. Billy was described as a “man’s man”…………………
Towards the end of the film, the boys are trying to get back Small’s stepfather’s baseball, which has been accidentally hit into the monster’s territory. As the other boys are too afraid of getting hurt, Benny decides to do the deed after being encouraged by his idol’s, Babe Ruth’s, spirit. In the end, Benny manages to retrieve the ball and overcome the monster. After everything, they find out that the monster is just a lonely dog named Hercules. Before getting the ball, Benny has doubts about how he can do it, but ultimately decides to do so. This shows that school-age children are willing to take risks and try to overcome challenges. This is important for a child of this age because it builds confidence and character to the child. By trying new things, middle childhood children learn about the world around them and makes them realize what they can and cannot
People look upon strangers and unknown beasts differently as they regard their own townspeople and domestic pets. Foreigners are the centers of attention and suspicion. The Giraffe by Mauro Senesi showcases the perception of a giraffe by people with different ages after its proprietor mysteriously died. In the story, Rolandino, a stubby boy, is willing to take care of the enormous beast because he is also criticized for his shortness and corpulence. The giraffe is unique in the little Italian town. For this reason, lots of people fear it. Nobody knows something about the giraffe which is devoid of its safe keeper. However, over the course of the story, since the gigantic creature involuntarily eats things someone else wants to preserve, the human race becomes intolerant regarding to the mysterious herbivore animal. Mauro Senesi uses The Giraffe to argue against discrimination caused by egocentrism within our society because of anatomical and behavioural divergences, and this is shown through different reactions of secondary characters and the progression of nature within of society.
Bissinger creates empathy in the reader by narrating the lives of once Permian heros. Charlie Billingsley, a Permian football player, “was somewhere at the top” while he was playing. It was hard for the football town of Odessa to forget “how that son of a bitch played the game in the late sixties”(80). While in Odessa, Permian players receive praise unmatched by even professional football. This unmatchable praise becomes something Permian players like Billingsley become accustomed to, and when he “found out that...you were a lot more expendable in college(80). This lack of appreciation that is equivalent to the one that they have received their whole life makes them go from “a hero one day to a broken down nobody the next”(81). With the realization of this reality, Billingsley becomes one of the many to spend life as a wastrel, living in his memory of playing for the Permian Panthers. The reader becomes empathetic towards how the once likely to succeed Billingsley, becomes another Odessan wastrel due to the over emphasis and extreme praise the Odessan football team receives. Bissinger does not stop with a classic riches to rags story to spur the reader’s empathy but talks about the effect the Odessan attitude toward football has on the health of its players. Just like in many parts of the world, in Odessa, sports equates to manliness and manliness equates to not showing signs of pain. Philip, an eighth grade boy aspiring to one day be a Permian Panther is lauded by his stepfather as he “broke his arm during the first demonstrative series of a game ...[but] managed to set it back in” and continued playing for the rest of the game. It is noted that Philip’s arm “swelled considerably, to the point the forearm pads...had to be cut off”(43). By adding details such as these, Bissinger
The Sandlot is a classic sports film that shows how the role of friendship plays in children’s development. The story takes place in a small suburb outside of Los Angeles in the summer of 1962. The main character “Smalls”, just moved to the town with his mom and step dad. He doesn’t really know how to make friends but started watching a group of boys that walked to the ‘sandlot’. Smalls has always stuck to science projects, so baseball is a new subject to him. The step dad has a love of baseball so when Smalls goes into his office he has trophies and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth. Smalls wants to be able to connect with his step dad, so he tries to learn how to play baseball with the guys.
The first person narrative is moving.” I agree with both sources because after reading Baseball Saved Us I was blown away with the writing style and the illustration. It is a heart-felt story and leaves readers touched after the insight of what was a serious historical event. The book drove me to do extra research to get an understanding of what life was possibly like for those
In the story, The Natural, certain characters and events are portrayed in a distinctive way that makes this story unique to other books and shows the typical writing style of the narrator. The author uses a repetitive writing technique that is impossible to overlook. The writer of this book is able to catch the reader’s eye with his concept of the importance of beautiful description. The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, uses great imagery that makes the story appealing.