“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. Ray Kinsella is a hopeless dreamer and when he hears the voice of an announcer he goes to make a baseball field in his yard.... ... middle of paper ... ... Series and banned from baseball forever. Rays father felt his son had the potential to also be in the major leagues, but it was too late as he passed away before he could even play a game of catch with his son. Ray is confused and lost internally because of the loss of his father on such bad terms; this becomes a bigger tragedy than he ever thought. It may have even been a tragedy as big as the death of Joe Jackson who died guilty of throwing the World Series. He was never eased of his pain until after his death which was too late. Tragedies are not uncommon phenomena in life, Ray Kinsella and Shoeless Joe Jackson have the misfortune of living a struggle fulfilled life that only consists of tragic events around every corner of their lives. Works Cited "Shoeless Joe Jackson." - Wikiquote. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
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.
Baseball is Michael’s only way to a better future. Michael, the main character in the book “Heat” by Mike Lupica, is a 12 year old boy who moved to New York from Cuba. Michael is gifted. He has an arm that throws baseballs super fast. But with his dad gone Michael can’t prove his age to the baseball team and the team needs his pitching skills. In the book Heat the symbol is Yankee Stadium. This symbol represents the main characters future. But the theme of the book is “family can come from the most unexpected places.”
It’s going, going, gone. It’s a homerun! Strike one, strike two, strike three he’s out! These are the main things that go on in the incredible novel, The Natural. We start off with hearing about a nineteen year old, Roy Hobbs, baseball superstar getting shot in a shooting accident which damaged his career. Then we skip to the failing New York Knights who just moved up a thirty- four year old ballplayer, Roy Hobbs, signed for only $3,000, Roy eventually becomes a mega superstar after the death of the old team superstar, Bump Bailey. Roy ends up falling in love with Bump’s old girlfriend, Memo Paris. Roy goes through a slump and one game a girl stand up for him in the stands when no one else would. Roy hit a homerun to end his dry spell. He likes this girl, Iris Lemon, but not more than Memo. Roy pleads with the owner of the team, the Judge, for more money. The Judge says no, but tells Roy if he throws away the game to win the pennant he will give him $35,000. Roy agrees, but in the end tries to win the game back failing miserably. He strikes out after breaking the only bat he was good with, Wonderboy. After the game he meets the Judge, and throws the money in his face. They fight, and eventually Roy is seen as a loser for throwing the game. In the novel, The Natural, by Bernard Malamud the author conveys that decisions made through selfishness and without consent of a moral code lead to major consequences in one’s life.
suddenly appeared in the field to talk with Ray and to play baseball. As the
The warm summer evening. The butterflies in the stomach. The determination and desire to win. This is a moment that many young men experience - Little League Baseball. But, unfortunately, schools lacking funding are looking to cut costs by getting rid of youth sports. That is when Dick’s Sporting Goods, a company with resources to bring attention to this problem, steps up to bat. Their message is effective through the emotional and ethical tie it creates in the audience through the story of a young man who overcomes tragedy through succeeding on the baseball diamond. Relying heavily on pathos and ethos, this message touches the hearts of the audience, calling them to step up as well.
Murderer, liar, manipulator; these are only a few words that describe the enigmatic Sergeant John Wilson. In the historical book, The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson: A True Story of Love & Murder, written by Lois Simmie, we get acquainted with the complex balancing act of a life John Wilson lived. We find out about his two-faced love life, the bloody solution, and the elaborate cover up. In Simmie’s thought-provoking book, John Wilson abandons his family in Scotland, for a better life in Canada on the force. John battles debilitating sickness along with the decision to double-cross his wife. His young love interest Jessie cares for him as he battles tuberculosis. While, “many young women Jessie’s age would have had second thoughts about commitment
Aldous Huxley’s, “Brave New World,” explores the roles of people in society, morals concerning sexual activity, and other controversies in our reality. One of the principal characters in the novel is ‘John the Savage.’ John is a unique character in the story because unlike the other characters in the book, his emotions and morals were similar to those of the majority of our society. He felt emotions in a way others did not, and his morals can be regarded as ethically right (for example, he did not consider sex to be meaningless; in fact, he considered it an intimate act. Unfortunately, by the end of the story, John develops into a corrupt and barbaric man- the novel even finishes with the image of John whipping both himself and others, eliminating our prior perception of John’s character. This paper will analyse the themes and importance of the final moments of “Brave New World,” and explore how a person’s sexual experience is heavily experienced by their environment.
“One good play,” said the Phillies manager. For the first time all game Jackie Robinson entered the on deck circle. Fans from across the stadium booed very loudly. Although there were many familiar faces in the crowd that were cheering and routing for him. After Jackie Robinson’s teammate hit into a double play Jackie came up to the plate with two outs and no runners on base. As soon as Robinson approached the plate he was thrown off by the look and posture the manager gave him. The Phillies manager came out of the dugout and just looked at him. After one huge swing Jackie turned to see the wide smirk on the Phillies manager’s face.
Since Nate Brodie receives the opportunity to win a million dollars in Mike Lupica’s Million-Dollar Throw, his life has been unpredictable and at an all time low. Not only has his otherwise consistent throwing arm been failing him recently, but Nate is starting to feel the pressure that his father does by working two jobs. With news reporters and his entire town watching him and his every mistake, Nate begins to feel pressure on the football field for the first time. Through the actions and dialogue of the characters, Mike Lupica shows that the main points of the story are that everyone has off days and that sometimes one must make sacrifices for the ones they love.
Yet, the memorable 1960 World Series, with its abundance of bizarre circumstances and unflattering miscues, combined with an assortment of inexplicable managerial decisions, is a story I would never intentionally alter. And because I was able to watch all except two-thirds of an inning from the Yankee bullpen and witness the unfolding of this crazy, but incredible nine-day drama, I hoped to share some of my own insight and personal thoughts about this disappointing period in my life, before any more time slips
W.P. Kinsella’s 1982 novel Shoeless Joe follows the story of an idealist who aspires to build a sizable baseball field on account of mystical voice. Nevertheless, Kinsella doesn’t only write about the obstacle behind the laborious journey but also compacts the story with the element of redemption, love and one’s personal goals and life dreams. It is about the ability to realize the most esoteric dreams. It is about one’s need for closure to allow them to conclude an unresolved issue that had previously been clouded in ambiguity and uncertainty. It is about gaining real happiness and the hard work to attain it. As expected, the limitless fantasy pieces of the novel perform in a pleasuring manner with the magnificent visualization of the film adaptation from Phil Alden Robinson’s 1989 film Field of Dreams and render a magical fantasy that enhances the audience’s euphoria. While the novel is definitely an American classic work, the film version more effectively illustrates the magic of Ray’s journey. Accordingly, the two perspective audiences can harmonically agree and share the equivalent intense moment over the journey of the main characters. On account of Kinsella’s wondrous literary technique to use first person point-of-view and Robinson’s ingenious techniques on special effects, the audience is able to grasp the strength of the scene depicting the physical and emotional transformation of Archie Graham very profoundly.
As the novel opens, we are greeted by Ron Williamson who is a character from the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, which is one of those types of places no one even knew, existed. Williamson is very much thought of like the star quarterback on the college football team. He was “Mr. Popularity” throughout high school; always being the one to round up the gang for a party every weekend. He was a very talented athlete and never passed up a ball game. Williamson was on the honor roll throughout high school, a straight A-grade student, and was recognized many times for his performance as a student at school and his performance as an athlete on the field. His success did not end after high school, but rather he went on to play for the major league in baseball and was recognized for his performance over and over again leading the draft picks many seasons. Ron had dreamed of being a ‘big-star’ and a ‘hit’ in the major leagues just as he was on his hometown team, but unfortunately for him he never did reach such heights.
Jackson and I used to ride the same bus, every morning, to get to school. Our bus stop is at Davenport, where my mom works. We were very well behaved (as you might have guessed). One day, we were throwing small, hard, red, painful berries at each other, and waiting for the bus.. Jackson points to the road and says, “Hey Noah, look at that car, the guy in it has been staring at us this whole time.” So I look over there, and, to my surprise, see a middle aged man sitting in a car on the other side of the street, staring at us in a, I-am-going-to-catch-and-eat-you, kind of way (Hyphenated modifier). “Well, that's a little creepy,” I respond. The man’s cold, dead eyes lock onto us (personification), as though we would never escape, lost to the world, though, that may have just been from a lack of sleep on
Wilson welcomes the crowd to impart their experience to his characters by expounding on the neighborhood, the regular lives of individuals simply like themselves. His characters confront the mistake and difficulties that his gathering of people additionally knows. By demonstrating the warrior soul improvement through personality with a society, he presents to his characters, and in like manner to his group of onlookers, a sort of respectability. He uncovers through his written work the magnificence and honorability in the battle to survive. Thusly, Wilson changes show from an exhibition saw to a custom, a custom that asserts a typical vision, consequently hoisting the narrative of nearby history to the legendary.
Benny’s full name was Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, and like Benjamin Franklin Benny wanted to be a legend and never be forgotten. He wanted the glory and recognition that all famous legend receive and for kids like him to look up to him forever. Benny’s ultimate dream was to play professional baseball. He lived and breathed baseball everyday that he could. He invited his friends to go out to the sandlot everyday in the summer not only to get better but to have a good time. The only thing that stood in Benny’s way of his dream was the beast. The beast was known to be a vicious evil monster that lived on the other side of the fenced sandlot. If anyone hit the baseball onto the other side of the fence it was as good as gone. If you even dared to go retrieve a ball you know there was a high chance you would not make it back. The beast and his hundreds of stolen balls made it hard for Benny to keep playing the sport that he deeply loved. Benny had always dreamed of becoming a legend like his idol Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time. Benny wanted to be a legend but he was not sure what he had to do to become a legend. Until one day, the hardest, most dangerous task that he would ever be faced with was dropped right in front of him. Smalls, Benny’ neighborhood friend hit his first home run over the fence with his stepdad’s precious baseball that had been signed by Babe Ruth himself. Benny saw the despair in Smalls eyes and Benny knew that he had to help. Later that night Benny had a dream, and in that dream Babe Ruth came to him and told him that this was his moment. He needed to step up to the plate and be the one to defeat the beast. Ruth says to Benny “Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die; follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong.” and in that moment Benny knew what he had to do.