Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is a non fiction book written in the late 1980’s and very early 1990’s. The book was written by H.G. Bissinger. H.G. Bissinger is an American author and is from New York City.
Major Characters:
James “Boobie” Miles: The star fullback of the Permian Panthers, who got injured in a pre-season game before their 1988 season.
Athletic: Boobie was recruited by many colleges to play football because he was very good.
Regretful: Boobie regrets playing in the pre-season game when his knee gets injured, making him mad and then him eventually quitting.
Mike Winchell: The starting quarterback for the Permian Panthers.
Timid: Mike’s lack of confidence causes a bunch of issues with his teammates, especially in close games.
Dreamer: Mike has always dreamed of playing football in college, but he knows that that dream will never happen
Brian Chavez: Brian is the only hispanic player on the football team. He is also a starter as well.
Smart: Brian is the valedictorian at Permian High School
Excited: Brian has alwaysed enjoyed the thrills he gets from playing football.
Don Billingsley: Don is the Halfback at Permian and loves to go partying after every game to drink and hook up with girls.
Good looking: Don is known around school for being one of the best looking boys around school. Girls always describe him as being “fine”.
Socializer: Don is known to go to many parties in high school. He believes that senior year is all about socializing and playing football.
Ivory Christian: Ivory plays middle linebacker at Permian and has mixed feelings towards football.
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...s to describe how some people took offense to the word “nigger”, but no one even cared to consider to stop. This also shows how Odessa is a very racist town, and how it is normal to separate whites and blacks.
If you are unsure on whether you want to pick up this book or not, you can talk with people that have played football in high school and they will tell you that many of the situations in the book are similar to what they experienced in high school. Not interested in football? Thats ok, Friday Night Lights is a book that doesn’t only focus on football, but focuses on the struggle of regular everyday teens. Even the people at ESPN agree that it the “Best sports book of the last 25 years”. This isn't just a sports novel, its a book that tells a story about a town, and its team, and overall, its ultimate destiny, to win the state championship.
This book takes place in and around the Chicago area. Gale and Brian are both trying to get the spot as the Chicago Bears starting halfback. They both are rookies.
Roger played baseball in the American Legion program during the summers, since the North Dakota high schools with the cold weather did not have a program. He led his American Legion team to the state championship. With his excellent speed, Roger was a standout in football as well. In one game against Devil's Lake his senior year, he scored four touchdowns on kickoff returns to set a national high school record.
"Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry." Dallas Cowboys RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2013. .
...orts. He set firsts for some things and re-iterated others. He is still a very large contributing influence in the football world today. He is currently a NFL analyzer. He is very smart and knowledgeable. But he didn't get to where he is now without struggle. Power and fame almost ruined him. Yet he was able to bounce back and use his experience to learn from and shape his future and create a positive outcome. He made it positive not only for himself but for others as well. He set his goals and was determined. One thing
Bissinger tackled the many problems in the town, such as extreme pressure to perform, racism, and the relationship between parent and child. While Bissinger had several preconceived notions, he was ultimately proven wrong and through analysis of themes and incorporation of comparisons in the form of conceits he was able to develop his understanding of the town and accurately depict the events that transpired. When examining Friday Night Lights, the book’s themes are quite clear. Bissinger explores the impact of adults’ living vicariously through their children. He introduces the typical football player’s parents in the form of Dale McDougal, who lives and breathes to see her son, Jerrod, play football.
The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.
From beginning to end the reader is bombarded with all kinds of racism and discrimination described in horrific detail by the author. His move from Virginia to Indiana opened a door to endless threats of violence and ridicule directed towards him because of his racial background. For example, Williams encountered a form of racism known as modern racism as a student at Garfield Elementary School. He was up to win an academic achievement prize, yet had no way of actually winning the award because ?The prize did not go to Negroes. Just like in Louisville, there were things and places for whites only? (Williams, 126). This form of prejudice is known as modern racism because the prejudice surfaces in a subtle, safe and socially acceptable way that is easy to rationalize.
Posnanki, Joe. “To Hall With These Guys?.” Sports Illustrated 115.4 (2011): 14. MAS Ultra – School Edition. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Paul “Bear” Bryant was one of the top coaches of college football, winning more games than any other coach in history. Paul Bryant, an American college football player and coach, was best known for his time as the longtime head coach at the University of Alabama. Before, Alabama, he coached at the University of Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. Bryant took an active interest in the players' lives outside of football, but he also was a strict disciplinarian with his players. The legacy of Paul Bear Bryant can still be seen today throughout college football.
In “Football Dreams” by Jacqueline Woodson, the message that any dream can come true if you put the work in is supported by the structure of the poem. The structural elements that are most impactful are repetition and the title. While she talks about her father’s dreams at the beginning. Later towards the end of the poem, she starts to explain how they came true. “My father dreamed football dreams, and woke up to a scholarship at Ohio State University” (10-12). The repetition is “dreams” and “football” which tells the audience that her father dreamed of playing football and he put in the effort and got a “scholarship at Ohio State University.” The title “Football Dreams” is the repetition
The theme of social conventions is displayed through character development. Despite Don’s many excellent qualities, he struggles with social conventions, and, as a result, has few friends. It is this lack of understanding that leads him to have minimal social activity. This is shown in the beginning and middle of the book through his selection of attire, the inability to decipher subtle social hints, and blunt use of language. For instance, Rosie comments on Don’s choice of clothing as akin to a homeless person’s: “I’m not walking around New York with a bum” (223). Later on the book,...
In high school Freddie was inducted into the Colorado hall of fame which is given to the state's most outstanding high school athlete. “He also received a scholarship for football at the university of texas”. Texas was the only the only College to offer him a scholarship (Branda). Freddie was extremely undersized going into college which left his coaches questioning how good he would be. Despite being undersized freddie started his freshman year at safety on his freshman team. He would start at the same position during his sophomore. He was the leading tackler for his team during this year and he was named the All-Southwest conference Athlete-Scholar (Branda). During his junior year he played in what was called the “game of the century” or the big shootout where number 1 Texas Longhorns vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (Branda). This portion of his life allowed him to leave a lasting effect on young kids around the
I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).
Marlon has peers who have a positive and pro-social influence. Marlon reports he has no negatively influencing peers and identifies himself as a leader. There are indications that Marlon does not admire his delinquent peers. Marlon maintains contact with some peers who are responsible and goal-focused. Marlon reports he has a small number of age appropriate friends. Mrs. Saunders reports Marlon’s friends are 16 and 17 years old. Marlon denies his friends are involved with the court system or are on supervision. Marlon denies being in a gang and denies any gang association.
Reed, Jesse. "New Orleans Saints." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. .