The Henry Wiggen Novels of Mark Harris There can be no question that sport and athletes seem to be considered less than worthy subjects for writers of serious fiction, an odd fact considering how deeply ingrained in North American culture sport is, and how obviously and passionately North Americans care about it as participants and spectators. In this society of diverse peoples of greatly varying interests, tastes, and beliefs, no experience is as universal as playing or watching sports, and so it is simply perplexing how little adult fiction is written on the subject, not to mention how lightly regarded that little which is written seems to be. It should all be quite to the contrary; that our fascination and familiarity with sport makes it a most advantageous subject for the skilled writer of fiction is amply demonstrated by Mark Harris. In his novels The Southpaw (1953), Bang The Drum Slowly (1956), A Ticket For A Seamstitch (1957), and It Looked Like For Ever (1979), Harris chronicles the life of Henry "Author" Wiggen, a great major-league baseball star. Featuring memorable characters and deft storytelling, these books explore the experience of aging, learning, and living in time, with baseball as their backdrop. Henry's first-person narrative is the most important element of these stories. Through it he recounts the events of his life, his experiences with others, his accomplishments and troubles. The great achievement of this narrative voice is how effortlessly it reveals Henry's limited education while simultaneously demonstrating his quick intelligence, all in an entertaining and convincing fashion. Henry introduces himself by introducing his home-town of Perkinsville, New York, whereupon his woeful g... ... middle of paper ... ...ause they are so well written. The expertly devised narrative voice, easy humour, compelling characterization, and thoughtful, even philosophical storytelling combine to create a series of books which compare favourably to many included on the Modern Library's recent list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century, which seems not to contain a single novel set in the world of sport. It is a curious prejudice, this apparent lack of respect for literature concerned with sport, to which these novels represent a pointed and hearty rebuke. Works Cited Harris, Mark. A Ticket For A Seamstitch. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984. ---. Bang The Drum Slowly. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984. ---. It Looked Like Forever. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1989. ---. The Southpaw. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984.
2. The novel, The Brothers K, enables the reader to understand a child’s idolization of a given sport, in this case, baseball.
Bernard Malamud emerged as a crucial and contemporary innovator of sports literature. Sports literature as defined by Kevin Baker’s introduction, are stories “drawing upon the natural drama of any sporting contest, and imparting life lessons freely along the way” (viii). Malamud’s debut novel The Natural, is a grim and “antiheroic tale” of a baseball player Roy Hobbs “whose ambitions and desires are constantly thwarted” (vii). Through his novel The Natural, Malamud emerges as a prestigious figure of sports literature through his combination of mythology and baseball, in order to create memorable works in this literary tradition. Malamud in his novel The Natural “draws heavily upon this genre, then stands it on its head” (viii). Baker draws
During the late 80’s, Phil Alden Robinson developed a sensational story that revolved around a real life account of a sport tragedy. The viewers were immersed in a touching account of how sport, a social interest, can play a powerful role in human bonding; thus becoming a very spiritual component of life. It in itself has a profound effect on the societies’ spiritual experiences; and just like religion can respectfully be considered a form of spirituality for a modern society, as exemplified in Robinson’s movie ‘Field of Dreams’. This story resonates far beyond the power of dreams, its appeal lies in a vision of a perfect sport and the love for which can inadvertently resolve issues no matter how grand. The plot at first presents itself as a complex; or maybe even a strange series of events, but somehow its scenes string themselves into a moral about redemption and deep interpersonal bonds.
In this paradigm, sports become not merely a game, but a symbol of the American Dream ethos. Writing in the introduction of Connie Mack’s autobiography, My 66 Years in the Big Leagues (1950), historian Francis Tevelyan Miller articulates the symbolic significance of baseball, which he believes to be, “democracy in action; in it all men are ‘free and equal,’ regardless of race, nationality, or creed. Every man is given the rightful opportunity to rise to the top on his own merits … It is the fullest expression of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly in our national life.” (qtd. in Orodenker 18) The democracy of sports was unwelcoming to women and people of color, and that is reflected in a sports literature that has been written almost exclusively by white
" Doris R. Corbett WaynePatterson." THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SPORT. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
They can create positive outcomes in regard to the nation’s most pressing healthcare concerns. While CNLs are actively involved in daily operations they do not work directly with patients. Their prevue is often limited to leadership among the nurse pool, with their charge ending where hospital administration begins. The Clinical Nurse Leaders master’s degree knowledge base helps to ensure that they can lead their units. Clinical Nurse Leaders specialize in overseeing patient groups rather than individual patients. It is the CNL’s job to make medical decisions based purely on research and
This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parablethe style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.
Americans have become addicted to gaining quick rewards of satisfaction through sports and action because they want to be entertained thoroughly without needing to ponder any hidden meaning so it doesn’t take away from the pure entertainment of the action. In his time, Bradbury was fearful of the way that the television’s empty shows were in invading every home in America. The culture in the novel demands for “everything (to be boiled) down to the rag, the snap ending” (Bradbury 52), leaving nothing for the viewer to ponder; they would rather enjoy themselves “a solid entertainment” (Bradbury 58). The same is true in today’s movies and shows, in which most must contain many action scenes in order to keep the viewer’s attention, and the meaning and symbols must be clearly spelled out for them. This is also why Bradbury includes sports as being the main focus of schools in his story, since th...
1.2: Explain the process of mapping the customer journey and its importance in delivering effective customer service
Coakley (2009) starts off the chapter by introducing how participation in organized sports came about and how gender roles played a major role early on. He describes how most programs were for young boys with the hope that being involved would groom them to become productive in the economy. Girls were usually disregarded and ended up sitting in the stands watching their sibling’s ga...
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?
Teachers and peers Teachers played a huge role in my development because I started preschool at the age of two, so I spent a lot of time in some sort of classroom setting and interacted with the teachers. When I was younger a lot of times I preferred to be around the teachers, mostly because being an only child at the time, that was all I was used to. There were times when I did interact with my peers. Most of the time I spent was with my cousin because we had the same class. Once I was old enough to start kindergarten I was confident that it was going to be a cake walk. I met a group of friends and was excelling in class. However, my friends and I had a very hard time getting along, so we were later separated. Throughout my childhood I recall bouncing between several different types of friend groups, from the “cool clique”, to the
England has a long and rich history ranging from the Celtics to the Romans and Anglo Saxons, and from there, the feudal system and the beginning of Kings. A course of history spanning over thousands of years, England passing from being the conquered to conquering nearly three quarters of the world’s total population during the Victorian Era. England’s position during the Victorian Era was one of world dominance and power and her path through the era and the years after has shaped the modern British Identity exponentially. The rise of the British Empire was seemingly endless until it’s inevitable peak and speedy downfall leading to one of the world’s largest intercontinental associations, the Commonwealth. The rise and fall of the British Empire
People should also consider doing more activities in order to maintain a healthy status. According to the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture, “physical activity levels have remained low over time”. This research proves that young adults are eating more and exercising less. Maybe changing eating habits and doing more exercise would help them to improve their health.
Williams, Laurence O. An End to Global Warming. Ohio: Pergamno, 2012. Web 13 May 2015