Everyone understands the beauty of their dreams and reality during their lifetime. There is the ambition of wanting to succeed and have fun doing what you love to do. With a deeper analysis and understanding, we find that our childhood has a deep connection with our dreams for the future. Our childhood is filled with many memories that we make, people we may become friends with, and our favorite activity or sport that we loved to play with others. Everyone wants to have a chance of wanting to become great, even most notice with our visualization and realization when it happens or has been achieved by someone else. The term weightlessness mentioned in Joshua Bennetts poem is the representation of dreams being thought of as something weightless, …show more content…
The word weight is meant to be heavy or as an object that is meant to make us struggle and give up, but ironically it is the helpful tool used by the Mark in the poem. As that also makes the other part of the word less meaningful in a way, in the poem the meaning is taking the thoughts of worry away from their life and living life as a normal person being able to have fun, but also having to sacrifice in order to have the ambition of being able to become better at their sport or hinted at in the poem basketball. In order for the author to emphasize what he is trying to say, he tends to bring back memories and imagery of moments that would have happened during his childhood. The reader relates and comprehends the importance of how having a dream would give you the weightless reality check of the hardship that comes with it. In the first stanza, “Mark dreamt of weightlessness & little else”(1), the author uses the term weightless as a crutch to describe how Mark wants to be athletic when playing basketball, but he has to work hard for it to be that …show more content…
He uses the concept of another metaphor to compare their school to a jailhouse, but he let us know that the dream of Mark was well known throughout the school. “Mark wears ankle weights everyday because that is what ballers do”(5). He uses this saying because he is trying to connect with other people who also play basketball and understands the feeling and concept of what he is telling them. The author uses the word serious, to let the reader know that basketball players take the importance of becoming better and making themselves better. Moving on to the next three stanzas, seven through nine, Mark is getting his basketball skills described while playing. “The business of giving out buckets as a kind of spiritual practice”(7-8), the sentence is important because it shows how much effort and pride that Mark takes in for his practice. Therefore we know that in order for Mark to achieve this type of dominance within his sport he has to be “serious”(6), and the author shows that within his tone of letting us know that he spiritually and physically put his all into
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,
This is seen when the Victor thinks to himself “I’d only seen Julius play a few times, but he had that gift, that grace, those fingers like a *** medicine man.” This is an example of how Alexie uses basketball as a form of war. Another point in the text that basketball is treated as a way to earn glory is when Victor compares actual heroes that have saved lives to basketball players. He says “and to be honest, I don't remember none of those names (referring to “actual heroes”) either, but a reservation hero (referring to good basketball players) is remembered. A reservation hero is remembered
Wes Moore, the author, had many important role models in his life that would eventually enable him to live up to his full capability. Uncle Howard, Wes’ mother’s brother, filled the hole that was left when Moore’s father died and when“[he] was eleven… and having difficulty in and out of the classroom [he could lean] on Uncle Howard’s shoulder”. Moore’s uncle was the man who convinced Moore that he could achieve more than just basketball at school, that education would allow him to reach his full potential. The persuasion to drop basketball as a career, enabled
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.
Most student-athletes grow up as very innocent lads bedecked with tremendous talents and become very promising in sports. Thus, they become rays of hope for their families, neighborhoods, and schools yet to be determined. Like the lamb in William Blake’s poem The Lamb, they are fed “by the stream & o’er the mead; gave…clothing of delight, softest clothing, wooly, bright…making all the vales rejoice.” (Smith 24) Then they are exposed to the life of hard work in which only the fittest survives. This makes them ready for the different challenges in the sports scene.
First, Malcolm McBride who is a freshman point guard for the Michigan State Spartans and is from Detroit, Michigan and plays street ball for a living. Being at Detroit, Malcolm didn’t really live in a very nice house and so he had to work hard to support his family and he really cares about his sister who passed away, so he always wants the ball all the time (Ball Hog) to make his sister proud. Malcolm symbolises what could happen when tragedy strikes but
With the use of vivid language the author helps the reader get more of an image of the poem. (L.25) “explodes” is utilized to show that the player fired past the defender in extreme speed just like an explosion. The feeling when you blow past a defender and score is an extreme feeling of accomplishment, all the hours of practicing finally pays off. (L.16) “Gliding” is used to show that the player was gliding in the air, almost as if he was floating. The final account of vivid language is, (L.34) “floating perfectly” is used to show the reader that the fast break was executed perfectly and that the ball went in the net just as perfect as the fast break. As a player it is a great feeling to have when the ball goes in. There is no feeling like it.
Although many youngsters fail in the NBA, there are a few high school players who have had, or do have a successful career in the NBA. Some of these are, Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant, Tracey McGrady, and this year’s most valu...
To conclude, the poem “Ex-Basketball play,” is a poem that shows the reality of life. It reflects the nature of life in the real world and it helps people who have a dream and want to pursue their goals to go for it. The poem was formally organized and provides a number of figurative languages that helps to bring out tone of the poem.
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place
This is related to a deferred dream sagging in someone's life because of the lasting negative effects of disappointment. Most importantly, Hansberry conveys that life is full of unexpected experiences and encounters, ultimately leading dreams to come and go through life. Many unfulfilled dreams are what make people lose hope. In addition, Hansberry alludes to the words “heavy load” from the poem Harlem to emphasize the added responsibilities and pressure that come with wanting to achieve
I would be out playing when suddenly my head would feel light, my knees would wobbles, my vision would dim and blur and down I would come like a log” Another feature that Mark vividly describes is his love for tennis. When Mark was a teen, he would practice his skills for hours at a time to eventually become one of the best players in his village. This would eventually become beneficial for Mark as he became friends with white people, to get to use his potential wisely, and he got a chance to get to America through a scholarship with his tennis skills. I felt his passion for the sport of tennis and how that motivation could help me with anything that I put my mind
Sports are often identified to have positive influences on many individuals. The sports industry is growing worldwide, especially the basketball industry, which is regarded in second place behind football. The global prevalence of basketball is unquestionable, especially among the young. Basketball is a dynamic team sport that involves a pattern of alternating, active, and skilled movement activities. There are compound demands that require a mixture of individual skills, team plays, strategies, and motivational aspects.
When you look at a basketball what do you see? Most would see an orange, sphere, shaped rubber ball. There are black lines and real leather. If you look closer, you would even see the size of the ball in which you are playing with. A basketball could be just a toy for many, or even represent a release for others, but for me, it means a lot more. A basketball represents my blood, sweat, tears, passion, sacrifice, and most of all, a sense of belonging, like a family. At this moment in my life, there are only three things I devote my life to- family, friends, and basketball. Basketball has shaped my life probably more than anything else. Basketball has instilled in me a vicious will to achieve and embrace my ambitions instead of fearing them. Basketball gave me an open opportunity to try something new. New opportunities and experiences are not such a big deal anymore. From academics to personal matters, the lessons that I have learned from basketball has impacted my life.
To me, life is a basketball court. The world in my mind is a hoop, a basketball, a court, and rules. That’s why, it’s my passion, and it makes a great comparison to my life. In life, people say you can be successful without any effort from yourself, an average person living peacefully, or a guy that has tried so hard, but made it so late. Just like basketball. You make hoops to be successful; you defend when you meet an opponent. You pass commonly to have someone support you or reach out a helping hand. Those supportive people are most of the time, your family members, but also your friends for life. You dribble to keep up and to make it to success, while you make sure you don’t travel, or double-dribble. These are violations that are like the cheats of your life. You can make it by cheating, but you have just destroyed and lied to yourself. That also tells us there...