“Shoeless Joe Jackson comes to Iowa”, written by WP Kinsella, is a great Canadian short story. The unnamed main character and narrator is told by an imaginary voice “If you build it he will come”. It being a baseball field and referring to joe jackson the baseball player. Kinsella successfully shoes how people should work hard to make their dreams come true, even if it means having to overcome great obstacles. The story also shows how people often have unique ideas regarding what would constitute heaven. WP Kinsella successfully illustrates how people should work hard to make their dreams come true, even if it means having to overcome great obstacles. The theme can be supported by plot structure. The plot of the story is the main character building the baseball field, waiting for someone to come. He succeeds in building the field overcoming obstacles along the way such as loss of farmland and fiance issues. Characterization is a good example of how this theme can be represented. The main character seems to be very dedicated to the building of the field and doing what the voice asks of him. There are few things he does that shoes how dedicated to the success of the field he is. “Now i stand ready to cut into the cornfield, to chisel away a piece of our livelihood to use as dream currency” (106) “Consider it done I say hardly thinking of the back breaking labour it entails”(106) He would do anything he can to preserve and care for the field. This story is told from the point of view of the nameless main character. Its written in first person, by which the author gives us a deeper look in to the characters thoughts. This gave us an insight on how he succeeded with his dream to bring back... ... middle of paper ... ... for a clue as to where the ball will be hit. 'I think you're right, Joe' I say, but softly enough not to disturb his concentration.” The theme can be expressed through characterization. The main character believed in pursuing his dreams, and made a baseball field. Because the character is so determined to succeed, he creates his heaven. The idea of people often have unique ideas of what would constitute heaven, Is successfully expressed throughout the story. WP Kinsella expressed his message multiple ways including, plot structure, point of view, symbolism, and more. One of his messages was people should work hard to make their dreams come true, even if it means having to overcome obstacles. Another message was that people often have unique ideas regarding what would constitute heaven. Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa is a great Canadian short story.
“If you build it, he will come” (Kinsella 1). These words of an announcer jump start a struggle for Ray Kinsella to ease the tragic life of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Ray hears a voice of an announcer which leads him to build a baseball field that brings Shoeless Joe Jackson onto the field. However, this field puts his family on the verge of bankruptcy which is just one of the struggles Ray Kinsella is presented in his life. Shoeless Joe Jackson is no stranger to having no money, as he was only making a measly $1.25 as a kid struggling to support his family. He never attended school and was illiterate throughout his entire life. The struggle is completely the same with Ray Kinsella growing up, as he is forced into baseball, which ultimately makes him run away from home. Ray’s hate is Joes love. Joe loves baseball and makes it to the major leagues, but it doesn’t last. Joe’s career is cut short due to the fact he is accused of throwing the World Series, and banned from baseball forever. Rays’s father would have loved it if his son made it to the major leagues because he thought Ray had the potential and talent. However, his only dream was simple, he wanted to play a game of catch with his son, unfortunately, he passed away and he never got to see his son after he ran away. Shoeless Joe Jackson’s death wasn’t any better, as he died guilty of throwing the World Series which was the biggest sports tragedy to date. Tragedies are not uncommon phenomena, Ray Kinsella and Shoeless Joe Jackson have the unfortunate luck to go through a struggle fulfilled and uphill battle in what is suppose to be a wonderful thing, life.
Theme is the moral of the story. There can be 1 for an entire book or many in one book. Bravery helps people stand strong for what is right even when times are tough. is my thematic statement. Our scene is when Bod is on the big rock and the Jacks are telling him why they need to kill him and who they are. Bravery is the theme here because he shows that he will stand up ever when he is afraid. And when he is face to face with the people that want to kill him, he doesn’t run away. One of the Quotes that I believe shows bravery is , “‘you’ve not faded’ said liza ‘anyone could find you.’ ‘Good,’ said Bod. ‘I want them to find me’”. I believe this shows bravery because he is standing up to the jacks even though he might die. Another quote that
...d but he could not achieve his goals. His situation is relatable to the audience even if one is not a baseball player. The book teaches the audience to avoid company and mistakes that can rob them their success. Roy Hobbs misfortunes remind the readers how some obstacles can alter someone’s dreams.
Steinbeck and Hodgins both examine the idea of “promised land” where their characters, Steinbeck’s Joad family and Hodgins’s returned soldiers, hope to find both joy and prosperity. The characters, however, later learn that the idea of the “promised land” is simply just that - an idea - because it does not exist. While the “promised land” is different in both novels, it being a beautiful home and paying jobs in The Grapes of Wrath and actual land for settlement in Broken Ground, it represents the same hope for both novels – the hope of new, positive beginnings. Both Steinbeck and Hodgins lead readers to believe that the relocation of their characters is setting the stage for a turn of events in their lives, a turn for the better. This change, though, ...
The theme in a story is a message or lesson that the author wants the reader to take away when reading the story. These themes can teach the reader lessons, get points across or help them understand the book better. All Quiet On The Western Front displays the themes: the horrors and destruction of war and the effects on soldiers, sacrifice, loss of innocence, and friendship.
The theme in a story is the message or big idea that the author is trying to reveal in his or her narrative. If there was no underlining theme in Sherman Alexie’s short story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” then readers would have no interest in reading the fictional story. Understanding the message that Alexie is trying to display to his readers can vary in many ways and depends on the reader 's understanding of the story. Strong themes that are presented in the fictional tale are man versus self conflict, family, and tribal identity. Victor is a tribal member that has had a rough life and has to deal with his father passing away. Not only does he have to come to terms with his father 's death, but he also has to face his
Born on July 16, 1887 in Pickens County, South Carolina, “Shoeless” Joseph Jefferson Jackson is frequently regarded as one of the best baseball players of all time. Joe's career as a baseball player was punctuated with a (then) all time high batting average of .356 (currently the third highest batting average on record); “Shoeless Joe's” influence was so substantial that baseball legend Babe Ruth “"... copied [“Shoeless” Joe] Jackson's style because [he] thought [“Shoeless” Joe] was the greatest hitter [He] had ever seen...”. Though his name was obscured by the “Black Socks” scandal of 1920, Joe Jackson managed to surmount his inferior circumstances, chief among which were poverty and illiteracy, to be considered a Baseball Legend. Due to his family's poor economic situation, Shoeless Joe Jackson needed to work at a steel mill, marking his first step towards his career as a professional ball-player, an illiterate, Joe Jackson was exploited in the Black Socks scandal, but his passionate attitude propelled him through another twenty years of minor league baseball until after his death in 1951, marked by the commemoration of his legacy with the standard amenities supplied to other deceased baseball greats.
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison displays a few specific themes through the story which are easy to depict. A few themes from this story are, first racism and finding his self identity, then the danger of fighting stereotype with stereotype, and last blindness. These themes play an important role in the story to better help the reader understand it.
People will go to any length to achieve the American Dream, which consists of freedom, equality, happiness, and wealth. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Dorothy, a vulnerable young girl, ends up in Oz, due to a cyclone shaking her out of where she has been and forcing her to find herself in a new place. Dorothy takes the yellow brick road thru Oz, meeting people along the way. Each person she meets shows her that “there is no place like home.” (Twain 11.4) The Scarecrow, without a brain, doesn’t understand why Dorothy wants to go back to a grey place like Kansas when she is in Oz, such a wonderful and happy place. The Tin Woodman, without a heart, helps Dorothy realize home is Kansas because in her ...
Could you imagine being an essential part of the 1919 “Black” Sox scandal during a time of great American baseball and music? He was an inspiration to many. He played a major role in the 1919 World Series and was the best baseball hitter of all time. Certainly Shoeless Joe Jackson knew about the fix of the 1919 World Series but is performance further proves his innocence; therefore, he should be allowed to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Timeless themes of equality, truth and perseverance are presented in this heartwarming tale of one courageous softball player and the wiffle bat that she adored. It all begins one summer day shortly after Tegan's sixth birthday. The scene opens with the young girl enviously watching a group of children play wiffle ball in the park across the street from her grandmother's house. She furtively glances behind her at the kitchen entrance and listens to the sounds of lunch preparations while contemplating the distance to the door. With a determined look in her eye, she takes a shaky deep breath and dashes out to the park to join the game, all the while looking back and wondering what her grandma would say. She approaches the field and stands by the rusty fence behind the plate. One of the older girls – she looks about ten or twelve – spots Tegan and invites her to join in. The kids show her how to swing the bat and the pitcher starts to toss the ball in her direction; they let her keep swinging until she hits one. When she does, the light wiffle ball catches the wind, floats high in the air, swirls around a bit, and lands two inches from Tegan's feet. After staring at the ball in wonder, she looks up and a slow smile spreads across her face. The other kids laugh and Tegan joins in with glee. The boy at first base looks at his watch and yells, "Hey, it's lunch time," causing all the wiffle ball players to scatter and race home in search of food. The girl that invited Tegan to play tells her to come back tomorrow in the morning to play a game with them and Tegan agrees with an enthusiastic nod of the head. She turns to run back for lunch, and sees her grandmother waiting by the fence.
This novel is a great novel to give an example on how reality is to people even the high class. Through the discussion of the passage, poem and scholarly article will show how the path towards the American Dream can turn into a negative or positive outcome in a person’s life.
According to Dictionary.com, theme is defined as a “main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work which may be stated directly or indirectly.” My idea of the meaning behind theme lies closely within this definition. To me, theme is the main memorandum or moral the reader will gained through reading and analyzing a story. The theme usually has a message or lesson behind it to provoke to the reader to question life. The theme could be very obvious or obscure, it just depends on how the author wants to communicate with his audience. After reading several pieces of literature in this class, the theme of “Gender Roles” really stood out to me. I especially found this theme pungent in The Yellow Wallpaper, A Doll’s House, and The Great Gatsby.
In the film, we follow Miguel “Sugar” Santos’ journey from an academy in the Dominican Republic to the United States to play Major League Baseball. Sugar had to overcome multiple obstacles including leaving his home, a language barrier, and also the grueling path of minor league baseball before his dream could become true. These hardships ultimately cut Sugar’s journey short of the final destination, but it was not for nothing. In the end, Sugar found the american dream to still be true in a different scene. While his baseball dream did not come true, he found his niche in carpentry. He personified the american dream by working hard and becoming successful. The perfect narrative did not come true for Sugar, but he still proved the american dream to be
Kass, Amy A., Leon Kass, and Diana Schaub. "To Build a Fire." What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song. Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2011. 67-80. Print.