Characters/ Narration
Patricia Summitt is the narrator and telling her own story. Her parents, Hazel and Richard Head had five children, three boys, Pat and her little sister. During her coaching career she married R.B Summitt and they had a son Tyler Summitt.
Pat had a seemingly hard childhood, not in the way that she was poor or abused, but emotionally searching for acceptance. She was always seeking approval from her father that she thought she would never earn. Pat developed a hard work ethic hoping to win her fathers approval, but found that building a shell around her emotions proved easier. Having 3 older brothers and growing up playing a male dominated sport she was always frowned upon for participating in something out of the “social norm”. Pat was far from what society pictured as a girl in the 1960’s. Her height, stature, and athletic ability was not the portrait of a young female in the small town of Henrietta Tennessee. As she grew, she used her God given talent and meticulous work ethic to accomplish the goals she set for her life.
Plot/ Conflict
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Since Pat Summitt had Alzheimer’s and it is a disease where your memory is lost, Sally starts multiple paragraphs with “ I remember” (Page 3). With out even knowing about Pats condition the reader can infer something is wrong with her memories. It also brings the reader into the mind of Summitt; you automatically drawn to the fact that Pat is picturing the past in her mind. Periodically throughout the book there are quotes from past players and friends of Summitt explaining their feelings about her. Daedra Charles says, “That spoke to me. It wasn’t all about “I want to play ball.” It was, “I care about you as a person and an individual and want you to have both, be successful at both” (page 205) She was tough on her girls but they all knew she wanted each of them to
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,
Life has been tough for the teenagers on the street, they all find out about the struggles of living in these cold hard streets. Barbara Haworth-Attard shows us life on the streets of the four main characters in her book theories of relativity. Living on the streets is tough, and these four kids found out the hard way. Most of them will be stuck on the streets forever such as amber, twitch, and Jenna, but Dylan might be able to make it out
Her birth name is Pat Sue Head. She was born in June of 1952 in Clarksville, Tennessee. She was the second to youngest in the family of seven. Pat was 5 foot 9 in the third grade, talk about a giant! Pat was raised in a strict environment. Her father Richard Head expected the best of his kids. He expected them to be hard workers and to do work around the farm. Every morning Pat had to wake up at five in the morning to go work on the farm before school. Her father never told his kids that he loved them; he never hugged them her father believed in tough love. At Pats sixteenth birthday party she had to work on the farm and missed her entire party. Pats father supported her wanting to pursue her dream in playing basketball. Richard Head built a basketball court on top of the hayloft, and strung lights so Pat and her siblings could play at night. When Pat reached high school her father moved the whole family across the county line six miles to Henrietta, so that she could play basketball, because the school she’d been assigned to in Clarksville didn’t have a team for girls. Basketball in Pats day was slowly growing. Pat Summitt took her basketball talents to play college ball at UT Martian.
The book, Heat written by Mike Lupica, is a novel about a young boy named Michael Arroyo who faces many difficulties throughout the book, all for his right to play his beloved game of baseball. Michael lives with his dad, Papi, and his brother, Carlos. They are all Cubans who came to the United States for a better chance to follow their dreams. Papi always encourages Michael to play baseball and he always has high hopes for Michael’s career in baseball. It is right to believe in Michael so much because later he fulfills his father's dream for him. After Papi dies of heart failure, Michael still continues Papi dream for him, to be the Little League Champion. Throughout the book Michael meets two characters who have significant impacts on him,
She would mostly be alone and sit by herself being buried in books or watching cartoons. In high school she attended a program for troubled adolescents and from there she received a wide range of support from helping her get braces to helping her get information to attend community college. (59) Even with this she was already too emotionally unstable due to her family issues and felt like she couldn’t go through with her dreams to travel and even go into the art of culinary. She suffers from psychological problems such as depression and worries constantly about almost every aspect in her life from work to family to her boyfriend and just hopes that her life won’t go downhill. (60) Overall Kayla’s family structure shows how different is it now from it was in the 1950’s as divorce rates have risen and while before Kayla’s type of family structure was rare now it is becoming more common. This story helps illustrate the contributions of stress that children possess growing up in difficult homes in which they can’t put their own futures first they must, in some cases, take care of their guardian’s futures first or others around them. Again, this adds into the inequality that many face when it comes to being able to climb up the ladder and become successful regardless of where one
Basketball is a chart-topping sport that is loved by many fans. It’s been a hit since 1891 when it began, starting in Springfield, Massachusetts. It grew rapidly in popularity and spread around the world. Many people found it comforting to play, such as Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy was an outstanding basketball player, who was committed in going far with his teammates. Although he seemed superb, he had a troubled life growing up at his family home. His parents were abusive and uncaring towards him, therefore he used basketball as an alternative. In My Losing Season, Pat was able to obliterate the thought of his abusive parents. His comfort was playing basketball with a team he will never fail to remember. The outcomes Pat acquired were admirable,
In the realistic fiction novel Ellen Foster, written by Kaye Gibbons, a young girl named Ellen Foster yearns for a loving family and a better life after enduring a tremendous amount of abuse and loss. Throughout the novel, Ellen exemplifies resilience by making the most of difficult circumstances and finding ways to rise above hardships. Of all of the qualities that Ellen demonstrated during the hardships she faced, resilience was the most valuable to her future success, because it enabled her to develop a strong sense of identity and bounce back from adversity.
In the article, “I won, I’m Sorry”, Mariah Burton Nelson uses an anecdote in order to begin her article. Sylvia Plath’s attitude is one that is concentrated on conforming to men in order to make them feel comfortable and as the stronger sex. Burton Nelson then shifts to talk about women in sports and how these female athletes behave in order to fit into the gender roles people have become accustomed to. The anecdote is used in order to describe the way women will underscore themselves in order to fit into society’s definition of how a woman should behave.In order to frame her article, Mariah Burton Nelson uses the anecdote about the poet, Sylvia Plath, in order to demonstrate how women conform as a means to fit into gender expectations. This
There in the Nooksack gym, winter time, there is a girl named Brooke Debeeld; either shooting layins, practicing the triple threat, or playing defense. Or out in the fields during the spring time, she runs around the track, sprinting as if her life depended on it. Her blond hair flying away, as if the wind was made out of gold. Yet at the end of each sport, she drives herself home to her loving family. People would consider Brooke as just an athlete who works hard, but, others who know Brooke well know that there is more to her than just being a 3-sport athlete.
Theresa is a motivated young woman, if nothing else. Basketball seems to be her only shot at a decent life for herself and her family. As of now, her future does not look too bright, given her lack of education or marketable skills. Not to mention the fact that she is the oldest of five and one of eight people overflowing a two bedroom apartment in the projects. She works the nightshift at a convenience store, protected by a two-inch layer of bulletproof glass and watched by security cameras trained on the register. Her boss does not trust her because she is African-American and poor. She spends the days sleeping, watching TV and keeping an eye on her siblings and seventy seven year old grandmother.
My character, Mrs. Henrietta Levitt, is a Liberal because of her views on change, taxes, government intervention, social programs, and importance of military. When it comes to change she wants a moderate amount of change quickly. A conservative wouldn’t want a lot of change or any change so her view on that point is Liberal. Her view on taxes is that she thinks taxes are necessary to fund social programs. A conservative would want less taxes so again she is on the Liberal side of that issue. When it comes to government intervention she wants the government to be involved in people's lives through social programs. That view is Liberal because a Conservative would want the government to stay out of people’s lives but she wants more government
The story of Hilda Polacheck is an inspiring story that motivates us to persevere in any condition. Analyzing Hildas Polacheck’s life will give us insight into what it was like living as an immigrant during the Gilded Age. Hilda’s life was not an easy one, rather it was filled with many obstacles. However, through her dedication and with the help of Jane Adams , she opened many doors of opportunity. Jane Adams worked in the Hull-House and proved to be a key figure in Hilda’s development. When Hilda arrived in America in 1891 from Poland as a Jewish girl, she was overwhelmed by what she had seen in America. When her father died in 1894, she was forced to work in a factory that produced “shirtwaist” dresses to provide money for her family. Even
In sports, there is no shortage of black success stories. Meanwhile, two black men of prominence in Odessa (who are not athletes) fell from grace. Willie Hammond Jr. (the first black city councilor and county commissioner) and Laurence Hurd (a minister and desegregation supporter) were glimmers of hope for the black community that were both snuffed out. Hammond was arrested on charges of arson conspiracy and perjury and Hurd is in prison for burglary and robbery, leaving a hole in the morale of the black community that was not repaired. These losses, combined the with negative news of black people circulated via media, made the possibility of succeeding in a white man’s world inconceivable. Yet, there is no shortage of black success stories in sports, like Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson; in every area that is not a “rich man’s sport”, black athletes dominate. To the poor children on the Southside, there is something very alluring about the “Cinderella stories” of men from poor black neighborhoods rising to prominence through sports. Based on these examples, there seem to only be two paths for a black teen to take: criminal or athlete. Many of these teens aspire to be sports stars and depend on nothing else because there is nothing else. Some may become the superstars they hope to be or they fall into ruin as Boobie Miles, Derric Evans, and Gary Edwards
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
Cal is a character who has to deal with other peoples' problems while having to deal with his own problems. Cal has to deal with his father losing his job and his father doesn't support Cal when it comes to sports. Wanting his dad to go to some of his games, Cal discusses with his mom about his dad coming to the games. "Do you think you and Dad might come?" "No... not tonight, you know your is going through a lot right now." I zipped my gym bag shut. "Yeah, I know, but I wish he'd see me play sometime" (West 16). Helping out Cal, Peggy brings up Cal's last football game at the dinner table, trying to gain her fathers' attention on the subject. "I didn't say anything about the game at dinner that night! like I'd be begging my dad to come, I mean a lot of kids