Bruce Brooks is often revered as one of the elite youth literature authors; Brooks was won the prestigious Newbery Honor from the American Literature Award. In this essay, Arthur Ashe, Brooks writes about the late Ashe, who died a few months before this essay was published, not only to honor him but to provide youth with an athlete who both excels at their sport as well as is intelligent.
Arthur Ashe was published in Boys Will Be which was a series of essays ranging from how to handle bullies to things that mothers will not understand (Curley). It is evident that the audience that Brooks was writing with adolescent boys as the first priority. Brooks’ writing style appeals to adolescent boys because the diction is not advanced, the sentence structure is not ornate, and the tone is direct and colloquial. This writing style is used throughout the essay, for instance Brooks writes, “Ashe leaves us with a good lesson: there is a place in sports for smart people.” The diction is very basic, and the message is as direct as possible; Brooks is pointing out the entire purpose of the essay in one sentence. For the audience there is no deciphering of complicated sentences with the risk of misinterpretation.
Although it is not known if Brooks knew Arthur Ashe personally, Brooks has stated that he enjoys all types of sports and Brooks was a teenager when Arthur Ashe was in his prime, so Ashe may have indirectly affected the author (Brooks, Bruce). Regardless, Brooks wrote about Arthur Ashe for several reasons.
If Brooks wants to inspire adolescent boys it essential for Brooks to select a successful person. No boy is inspired by a second string football player or a tennis player who consistently loses in the semifinals. No boy goes to a b...
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...Brooks’ uses the late Arthur Ashe as an example of an athlete who succeeded at their sport but was also very intellectual; all while honoring Arthur Ashe for his contributions to tennis and society in general.
Works Cited
Brooks, Bruce. “Arthur Ashe.” Nonfiction Readings Across the Curriculum. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. 206-207. Print.
“Brooks, Bruce (1950-)” UXL Junior DISCovering Authors. (2003): n. pag. Student Resource Center – Gold. Thompson Gale. Web. 23 Jan. 2010.
Corben, Billy. “The U.” 30 for 30. ESPN. Bristol, CT. 12 Dec. 2009. Television.
Curley, Suzanne. “Bullies, Baseball Caps, and Black History.” Latimes.com. 13 Feb. 1994. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
“Life Story of Arthur Ashe.” ArthurAshe.org. Web. 13 Mar. 2010.
Vandergift, Kay E. “Learning about Bruce Brooks.” Young Adult Literature, Rutgers University. 22 Mar. 1996. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Valvano, Jim. “Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award Acceptance Speech.” ESPY Awards. ESPN. New York, March 4, 1993. Speech. Online. http://www.jimmyv.org/about-us/remembering-jim/jimmy-v-espy-awards-speech/
Chris McCandless had a reputation for being overly ambitious since grade school. His teachers noticed at young age he was abnormally strong-willed which he coupled with intense idealism and strong physical endurance. In high school, Chris served as the captain of his cross country team asking them to treat each race as a spiritual experience. After graduating high school Chris continued on to college where he would graduate with a bachelor’s degree, doub...
Harmon, William, William Flint Thrall, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
Reuben, Paul P. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. Chapter 10: James Baldwin (1924-1987). 3 November 2011. April 2012 .
Perkins, George B., and Barbara Perkins. "The Beast in the Jungle." The American Tradition in Literature (concise). 12th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009. 1148-1177. Print.
Smith , Earl. Race, Sport and the American Dream. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 2007.
The history of sports goes back since ancient times. It has been a useful way for people to explore nature and their environment. Sports include different activities and games such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. to express their skills and talents. Also, sports are a way to relax and have fun; but are sports all our African Americans rely on? The dream to become future sports stars. The reason why Gates begins his essay with an anecdote is to show and compare how many african-american athletes were at work today and how little the chances of African-Americans becoming athletes are compared to being a lawyer, dentist, or even a doctor. African-Americans assume that they are born athletes and it’s because the school system doesn’t teach them reality and educate them to undertake more realistic goals for careers.
“Lee, Harper 1926-.” Concise Major 21 Century Writers. Ed. Tracey L. Matthews. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 2136-2140. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
...eaven for many blacks as their performances proved they are no different from their white counterparts. Not only did they rally white troops from their athletic performances, they were able to do so from their voices and personal life. They began to voice their displeasure through various media outlets. Their public outcry to end social injustice and race based discrimination came started to become a popular topic of discussion all over the country. They took a stand and were rewarded for their actions as race based discrimination is abolished and blacks have the same status as whites. Black athletes are becoming more and more recognizable all over the world as some become the faces of their sports. Sports came as a form of entertainment for many, but for black athletes it ended up being the most treasured source to reconstructing their race’s lives in America.
Glamour and money are not the only components surrounding sports; many athletes experience what can be considered the dark side of sports. In the article The Meaning of Serena Williams by Claudia Rankine, some not so glamorous aspects of her life are highlighted. One of the most prominent rough parts of her life includes the racism that constantly surrounded her as an athlete. Whether it be the name calling and humiliation, or being paid less compared to a white woman, Serena has endured it all through her career; it is how she handles such cases that promotes her positive character.
Miller, Patrick B. Wiggins, David K. Sport and the color line: Black athletes and Race relations in Twentieth-century America. 2004. The Journal of Southern History 70 (4) (Nov 2004): 990.
Everyone has different opinions, topics, interests, and hobbies. Whether it is interest in sports or interest in clubs, they can find something they want to read. Tim Green's ideas are based on the things he writes about and what his interest are. He writes books about sports and competition which most may not find interesting which he finds as a normal ordeal. Everyone will have their different interest and topics, that is why there is more than one style of books, writing, and topics. Through one of his books “unstoppable” he touches many different styles. He provides interest in readers for sports, and drama. Most of all just the daily life of a teenage boy who overcomes great tragedy and finds a way to not let up and keep pushing for life because he knows something good is going to happen for him. As a child who experienced many wrong doings going foster home to foster home he didn't know where he belonged. Grades slipping consistently, passion for football not being filled, he never felt like he belonged. Until one day he found a family who was loving and caring with good careers. He was curious and wondering if what he was experiencing was really true. He lived with the family for a while, his foster dad being a football coach and teacher along with his foster mother who also pursued a career in teaching. They were both warm and touching guardians giving him a sense of security he never really felt before. He later begin playing football and grades got higher than ever before. He was finally able to achieve and do things he had a lot of love for. However… one day seemed to end it all when he got hurt in football. They had found a tumor on his leg and had to amputate it to stop the spread of the cancer that had begin
The scholars expounds that Black athletes were commodities on the playing field to help win games and bring in revenue to their respected schools. However, the schools were just as eager and willing to leave their Black players behind and dishonoring the player as a part of the team. Therefore, not compromising the team’s winning and bring in profits for the school. Sadly, Black athletes at predominately White institutions (PWIs) who believed that they were bettering the live of themselves and their families members by going to college and playing collegiate sports to increase their post secondary careers. However, these athletes were only “show ponies” for their schools. Unfortunately, Black athletes had allegiance to their school; however, the school turned their backs on the athletes to protect the profit and notoriety of the school and the programs. Money and respect from White fans and spectators were more important to the PWIs than standing up for the respect of their Black players. Racial bigotry in sports was rampant and it was only going to get worse.
Whitaker, Matthew C.. African American icons of sport: triumph, courage, and excellence. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008.
The first African American to play Major League baseball once said, “a life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives”; this was, of course, Jackie Robinson. Similar to Muhammad Ali, he faced problems head on a...