When Michael Oher was a child, his life was a mayhem of homelessness and starvation. If you take a glimpse at him now, you never would have suspected that he came from such an unfortunate beginning. However, his book I Beat The Odds reveals certain times in his life where had he not made such phenomenal decisions for his future he might have not succeeded. This story also deciphers the reason he is so spectacular today, because of his past. Flashing back to Michael’s childhood, it is observed that Michael had an abounding amount of siblings in his family. He was one of the younger brothers, yet he felt the responsibility to foster his siblings at a very young age. His family never said “I love you” and they by no means had enough food to go around. His …show more content…
Michael attended the University of Mississippi, where he majored in criminal justices which was something he was genuinely interested in. He was drafted to the Carolina Panthers in 2009 and began his NFL career. As it is clear, Michael Oher had a very tough childhood. It is very impressive for someone like Michael, who came from such a rugged background, to get out and create the life he has today. However, Michael did not get where he is right now without hard work. He was determined and because of his awful past, he succeeded and found the motivation to make something better of his life. He was used to not caring about his grades and just barely passing in his classes. That all changed when playing the game he loved was on the line. He definitely got his act together when football was a threat for him. Michael realized he had to get his life in order to be able to go to college to play the game he loves, and there is no way he would have ever succeeded if it wasn’t for a past with such experiences. Now that he had opportunities and the tools to succeed, Michael was able to do whatever he wanted to and he had the chance to really
The narrator whose name is unknown finds out that his brother Sonny was incarcerated for the use of and dealing heroin, raised in a society where being afraid of fear is constantly affecting both of their life’s in turmoil. “He was frightening me a little” (Baldwin 19). Fear shaped the older brother in becoming an Algebra teacher, endeavoring to save his younger brother from a lifestyle of street habits, influence specifically on drug abuse. According to the narrator, he expects Sonny to follow his footsteps in finishing an education because “If you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t” (Baldwin 20), in addition the narrator describes the life of Sonny “weird and disordered” (Baldwin 21). The narrator uses his fear to form a communication with his brother, however Sonny’s decision of freedom in becoming a professional musician, and escaping misfortunate moments is not in communion. Thus, Sonny feels neglected by his older brother’s expectations and judgments based on his own future. “I think people ...
In the Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria both display straightforward, hardworking, and stubborn character traits. Firstly, Homer and Mother Maria both display a straightforward personality by being brutally honest about their opinions. For example, when Mother Maria asks Homer to build a chapel, Homer speaks his mind by telling her he does not want to build it. Mother Maria shows her straightforward behavior during Homer’s stay at the convent. One morning, when Homer sleeps in late, Mother to becomes extremely upset and is not afraid to show how she feels about him. Secondly, both Homer and Mother Maria display a hardworking spirit. Homer is a hardworking man because after finally agreeing to build the chapel,
In “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” written by Wes Moore the author writes about two boys growing up in Baltimore that share the same name and similar backgrounds but end up taking drastically different paths in life due to many varying factors. The author goes on to earn a college degree, become a Rhodes Scholar, a veteran and more while the “other” Wes cannot avoid the inevitable fate of dealing drugs and ultimately spends his life running from the police and in prison. This reflects how both Wes Moore’s became products of their environment as the way a person is shaped and guided in their developmental years does unquestionably play a large role in the type of person they will become as adults. A lot of elements come into play that help to determine a person’s success or failure, but at the end of the day the most important factors are family, education and opportunities.
People have goals everyday, believe it or not some people think that dreams aren't worth it. I believe that it is worth it to dream because it gives a person a goal, it makes them feel good, and it makes them stronger. I know this from The Pearl, A Cubs video, the Susan Boyle video, and We Beat the streets.
To Michael playing basketball in the NBA “seemed something of a distant dream'; (Halberstam 20), but even after he was cut from the varsity team Michael still practiced every day. Michael’s practice paid off in his junior and senior years when he was the best player on the varsity team. After high school Michael was off to the University of North Carolina where for three years he would have some amazing accomplishments in basketball.
In the biography, The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis, the reader learns about the life of Michael Oher, a seventeen year old homeless boy in Memphis, Tennessee. The story begins with a football play from the early eighties about a quarterback whose football career ended when the left tackle on the team failed to protect his blind side. It then transitions into the life of Michael Oher: living on the street alone. His mother has a crack addiction and his father was not in the picture (and sadly passed away during the middle of the book.) Michael didn’t have any family left in his life. A parent of one of his friends, Big Tony, one day decided to try and get the kids enrolled in Briarcrest Christian Academy, mainly for the amazing sports opportunities that could pop up for, not only his son, but also Michael, who was over six
Michael Oher is a offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers football team. Michael is a role model to me because he had it so hard when he was younger because he had no one supporting him or helping him he lived around bad people, drugs, and lot’s of violence. Michael overcame all the bad obstacles that approached him and kept on working to do well and he started to do well in school also he started playing football and eventually he was an all star football player. Another reason is that he had all these bad things in front of him but he dodged them all and achieved something very big.
real reason he got blind. He knows that seeing the eclipse without protection wasn't the
By then Michael was kicking chairs and almost breaking into tears, he was extremely depressed. This meant he could never play football again, he loved it too much to give it up but he might have to. Michael couldn’t stop thinking about how he couldn’t play football. He just wanted to get back on the field and catch the ball and forget about everything, he wanted to play the game, forget about everything, and stay in that intense moment when the balls hurtling towards you and you could be the one to score for your team. He also thought that they might not be able to pay for the surgery(Concussion Legacy Foundation)
Orenthal James Simpson was born in San Francisco on July 9, 1947. He was raised in a housing project situated in the heart of a shady neighborhood. At the age of two, he developed rickets, a crippling disease due to lack of vitamins in young mammals, and was left pigeon-toed and weak. He had to wear a brace until the age of 5 (biography.com). Growing up, Simpson frequently met trouble. He joined a gang and was briefly incarcerated in a young men’s facility. But there was a ray of light in this troubled young man: His passion and love for football. Simpson played in his high school years. It kept him out of trouble and most importantly off the streets. He was a recognized player due to his ability of playing both offense and defense interchangeably. He was awarded a scholarship USC, whe...
At first some people criticized the family and him for being the opposite race and teachers at the school did not want to accept him because of his low academic background. Everyone soon overcome that, after they all believe it 's the right thing to do to accept him into their school. With the help from his new family, teachers, coaches and tutor Michael gets accepted to play football in multiple colleges, which later gets the opportunity of being drafted into the National Football League; NFL. The Blind Side showed me that you can not judge anyone on appearances or how you think they are without actually getting to know them, because you have no idea about their past and what they have been
Michael Oher is a “lost” teen from Memphis who is extremely soft spoken despite his enormous physical stature. The term “gentle giant” could not be more accurate in his case. Throughout
The film exhibits and analyzes the story of NFL player Michael Oher’s life through high school as he endures various adversities and difficulties in his life. It tells Oher’s story of being the son of a cocaine addictive mother and absentee father, who is homeless due the circumstances of his family. Despite not having either of his parents in his life he did have Big Tony, who was his friend’s dad. Big Tony would allow Michael to sleep on his sofa some days when he did not have anywhere else to live and he also was the main cause to Michael being admitted to the Wingate Academy Christian School. At this school Michael meets S.J., who is the son on the Tuohy’s. S.J. begins a friendship with Michael at a time when no one else would and on a rainy day after S.J.’s thanksgiving play, the Tuohys see Michael walking. They ask him ...
Growing up, I always found sanctuary confiding in my father’s youngest brother, Dean; I had a favorite uncle, as we all seem to have at one point in our lives. Since Uncle Dean was the youngest, I looked at him as the coolest out of the myriad of older relatives. He often bought me ice cream sundaes and showered me with aimless jokes and “piggy-back” rides. Most of the time spent visiting my father on weekends, was actually spent wrestling with Uncle Dean or playing video games until the break of daylight. I looked forward weekends, because that meant “Uncle Dean Time”. I expected to hang out with my Uncle Dean every Friday and Saturday. In fact, I knew for certain he would be waiting at my father’s home with some brand new clothes or any other prize vied for by a 10 year old. Little did I know that over the next coupe of years, I would gain knowledge of one of the most important lessons of life: value those dearest to you, for you never know how long they will be in your company.
The only issue he stumbled upon was the issue concerning his GPA, which had to be at a certain point in order for him to take any football scholarships he had been offered. With brutal perseverance and the inducement football brought, Michael reached his goal GPA and was able to accept a scholarship at the University of Mississippi. None of these opportunities would have been available to him if he hadn’t of put his education first and foremost in his life, which is how it should always be. Athletes are completely capable of undertaking their sports goals after achieving their academic