A hero’s journey is an important aspect of any movie. Sports films give a good indication of how the hero’s journey is trying to be portrayed. In the movie “The Rookie” is a 2002 film starring Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris who is a small town teacher finds himself playing baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays farm system after an open tryout. Directors go through the journey closely isolate each particular aspect giving clear indication from one transition to the next. The beginning of the film gives clear showing of the ordinary life. The film starts off with Jimmy playing catch in his front yard picturing himself pitching a no hitter in his first game in the big leagues. With his father in the Navy his family moves to Virginia, Florida, and eventually west Texas chasing still chasing his dreams of the major leagues. Jimmy Morris has a normal life and family with his wife and three children. He is a high school chemistry teacher in Texas who coaches their high school baseball team, the Big Lake Owls. The Owls are not a very successful team that isn’t getting many wins. The film opens well showing implications of Morris setting down after his once shot playing major league baseball. While in batting the team discovers that Morris still has the fastball at the age of 35 with better velocity now than when he was in his twenties. Once the team is shown how hard Morris is throwing, they urge him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tryout. Morris resisting to the call of adventure announces if the team can win districts he will go to the tryout. The team miraculously wins their district championship so against Morris’s will him and his kids make the trip. Another reason in Morris resistance in belief in him own abilities. While... ... middle of paper ... ...he entire time from being a part of the high school team, to standing in the rain when Morris got his second tryout for the Devil Rays. Another aspect of the hero’s journey that wasn’t really changed during the final scenes was the resurrection. A resurrection is when the person is changed from the person who started out. Jim Morris never really went through a series where he changed throughout the course of his journey. The person that was changed most by Jim’s journey was his father. After Jim’s first appearance in the majors where he struck out his only batter on three straight fastballs, after the game he ended his interview midsentence to walk over and give his father that ball. Jim Sr. who was a skeptic through the entire film harping how Jim should be doing what he was meant to do in life, his life changed seeing his son knowing he finally made it.
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.
Remember that boy in high school that was the star of the basketball team? He still holds most of the records for the team. He scored more points than anyone else in the school’s history. He never studied much because he was an athlete. His basketball skills were going to take him places. But high school ended and there are no more games to be played. Where is that former all-star now? In his poem “Ex-Basketball Player,” John Updike examines the life of a former high school basketball star. Flick Webb was a local hero, and he loved basketball. He never studied much in school or learned a trade because he was a talented athlete. Now years later, the only job Flick can find is working at the local gas station. He used to be a star, but now he just “sells gas, checks oil, and changes flats” (19-20). The purpose of Updike’s poem is to convince the reader that athletes should also focus on getting a good education.
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...
first person about his struggles in the beginning of his baseball career, and how he miraculously turns his
2. The novel, The Brothers K, enables the reader to understand a child’s idolization of a given sport, in this case, baseball.
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.
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
“Did you see the 15 year old who hit the game winner for American Heritage last night? He’s not even a freshman and he’s already playing with the big boys.” The name of this baseball prodigy is David Villar. Villar was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but is of Cuban descent which can be easily noted from hearing his heavy accent. Villar moved to Pembroke Pines when he was just a couple months old and lived there until recently when he moved to Tampa to take on the next journey in his athletic life. When asked when he started to play the sport he responded, “I was 2 ½ years old when I started to play, I don’t even remember any point of my life without baseball.” In the 16 years since first picking up the bat he’s won multiple accomplishments such
What I liked was all of the in depth thoughts from real life situations of a Major League Baseball player, that was easily my favorite part of reading this book. I liked that because it kept me interested, just because of how much I liked Mo and the Yankees. "But the more I practice with the Gulf Coast Yankees, the more I know I can compete with them. When we run and field, I am right there with everybody. And when I am on the mound I discover that, as skinny as I am, and as underwhelming as my 86- or 87-mile-per-hour fastball is, I can do one thing better than just about anybody else: Put the ball exactly where I want." (Pg 62) What I didn't like was reading about the injuries of Mo. I didn't like that because I hate that such a great player's historic career was not as historic as it could've been. "I let the words sink in for a moment: Torn ACL. Torn MCL. Surgery. Out for the year. They are hard to take in. Three hours earlier, I am romping around the outfield, doing what I love most, maybe in the last season I'll ever play, savoring every moment. Now I am looking at major reconstructive knee
The batter pivots and swings hitting the ball high over the heads of the fielders, and the crowd goes wild. Playing sports has entertained and united people across the world. Even authors recognize the importance of sports in today’s society and incorporate them into their books to draw people quickly into the story. Chaim Potok uses baseball in his book The Chosen to bring together two teens Reuven Malter, a polite young Orthodox Jew, and Danny Saunders, a Hasidic Jew with a mind like a supercomputer, who would otherwise never have become friends due to their religious differences. During his friendship with Danny, Reuven learns about Jewish history and about being a true friend. Also, Reuven tries to help out people and less fortunate creatures. In fact, Reuven portrays kindness, reflects upon life, and respects others as he matures into a young rabbi.
It isn’t until the end that Burns begins to present us with the early characters that most baseball fans have come to know of: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Branch Rickey among them. Still, First Inning manages to be very interesting despite the fact that the narrative is loose and the fact that Burns lacks many of the tools a modern film storyteller would need to effectively enhance the story so that it comes across well on
In this movie the protagonist is the whole 2004 De La Salle football team. Some people thought this football team could’ve kept winning forever. This team is the protagonist because you most identify the whole team instead of just one character. One could feel both fear and pity for this football team. One could feel pity because they lost their winning streak on their season opener to Bellevue High School. I felt
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
There are many stories that follow Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, and tells the tale of a Heroic character. These fables introduces us to heroes that begin their journey in an ordinary place, then receive a call to enter an unknown world full of bizarre powers and peculiar events. These heroes often display great traits, such as bravery or intelligence, that defines their character. One of these heroic's tales is Haroun and the Sea of Stories, telling the adventures of a young man named Haroun. This essay will prove that Haroun from Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie is a hero, because he possess heroic qualities. Haroun shows his heroic qualities by overcoming obstacles, helping his friends, and having good intentions.