Analysis Of John Updike's Ex-Basketball Player

Figurative language is often used in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” because it shows Granny’s hallucinations. The flowery language that often personifies inanimate objects illustrates the intensity and detail of Granny’s hallucinations. For example, “Hapsy melted from within and turned flimsy as gray gauze and the baby was a gauzy shadow…” (398). Using the words “melted” and “gauzy shadow” give the reader a comprehensive picture of what Granny saw. Also, the figurative language used outside of Granny’s hallucinations help the reader understand how events occur in the story. Similes and metaphors allow the reader to know exactly how Granny experienced the story. For instance, “Cornelia's voice staggered and numbed like a cart in a bad road”

Murray’s response to societal expectations shows his self-determination as he challenged fully living up to what he was forecasted to do as an athlete. He argues,

Football, like many sports, can be very unpredictable. You may think your receiver is wide open, but once you throw the ball they could be covered by an opponent and the ball could get intercepted. Just like many encounters you have in life, Sports can show themes of struggle and conflict. You many think some options or answers will work, but in the end, they may not. The poem "In the Pocket" by James Dickey, talks about a quarterback in the middle of a football game trying to find players to pass to. In the end all of his options were unavailable and he got sacked. This poem shows an emphasis on not only football but also friendship, war and, depression.

The Boys of Dunbar written by Alejandro Danois is a compelling narrative about an inner-city Baltimore high school basketball team who became a national powerhouse from 1981-1983. This is “A story of love, hope, and basketball”. Throughout this essay, The Boys of Dunbar will be explained, reviewed and critiqued.

“A&P” by John Updike is a short story expressing the issues of female objectification and degradation in society by following a young A&P employee’s views (Sammy) as they change through experiences second hand. Sammy goes from stereotyping objectifier to a form of a public defender, standing up for girls who can’t really do so for themselves.

In this poem “The Ex Basketball Player” by John Updike, the use of metaphors, similes, diction, and clear tone all contribute to the theme of one must move on not trying to relive the glory days. Facts about the poem are a- Where he came from, b- His days as a high school player, and c- his days now and what he does. Growing up in Pennsylvania, his early inspiration to be a writer came from watching his mother, an aspiring writer, submit her work to magazines. In an interview Updike stated, “I began as a writer of light verse, and have tried to carry over into my serious or lyric verse something of the strictness and liveliness of the lesser form.” His poetry, starting as light verse, encompasses a variety of forms and topics. He has been praised for his wit and precision, and for his ability to focus on common subjects and on places near and distant—from Shillington, Pennsylvania.

In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” Sammy is the narrator and cashier at the grocery story A&P. The author uses dynamic characters with immensely different personalities to portray conformity and rebellion in our society. Through out the story Sammy challenges conformity and social norms at his work place for personal reasons. Sammy is very bitter character and taken as a realist which fuels the story. Queenie, a rebel against conformity, sparks Sammy’s emotions after the way she is treated by his boss Langel when she walks into the grocery store with nothing but a bikini covering her skin. The setting of the “A&P” takes place in the 1960s when women in America were deeply frowned upon for too much skin showing while dressed in their attire. The author used the grocery store A&P as his setting because almost all stores have a

In the story, “on Birds, Bird Watching and Jazz” by Ellison, the interesting theory as to how Charles Porter Jr. got his nickname as “Bird “ is told using humor in his stories along with a careful choice of syntax and his diction.

The short story “A&P” by John Updike introduces us to a young teenager named Sammy who worked at the A&P grocery store looking to find his freedom. Throughout reading A&P, I 've noticed the main character Sammy had a very keen eye that spotted every minor detail. When Sammy saw the three teenage girls only wearing bathing suits enter the grocery store, he perceived the girls dressed as if they were going to the beach. Sammy explained to us in detail the different bathing suits that the girls were wearing and their physical appearances. The primary symbol represented in this story is the bathing suits worn by the three teenage girls. John Updike uses the bathing suits to represent the girls being judged based on their attire and disregarding

Edward Hirsch’s poem “Fast Break” has a lot of good use of sensory details, figurative language, and sound devices. This poem is about the fast break in basketball when players quickly bring the ball the other way at an unprepared defense. The subject of basketball is untraditional. “Fast Break” is the best poem ever.

In Charlotte Tennessee, November 24, 1938, Bailey (father) and Mazell (mother) Robertson were about to become new parents, to a boy, named Oscar. For “The Big O”, all he knew when it came to basketball is utter domination. He had started playing when he was six, dominated then, played in middle school, dominated then. Then everything changed when he got to high school and moved. Oscar had moved to Indianapolis his freshman year of high school. Crispus Attucks High School (the only all-black high school in indianapolis) is where he learned, and dominated the game of basketball. In 1955 and 1956, Oscar led his teammates to state championships, but even then it wasn't the same. Due to the fact an all-black school won state they had to celebrate differently than a white school would have. This horrendous event changed Oscar, it motivated him to make the next level of play. The University of Cincinnati is the school Oscar decided to attend, of course with the influence of his younger brothers Henry, and Bailey Jr. Even there he dominated, he was named an all american three of his four years at the University. All of these wonderful things had already happened to Oscar and he was on his way to professional basketball, but it wasn't until 1960 until he found love. He married Yvonne Crittenden the same year they met, and even went on to have two daughters (Shana and Tia). His success away from the NBA and his ability to be a, student, athlete, and husband at the same time is a mammoth reason why he is such a great person, athlete, and

Whether a love poem, or a death poem, poetry is always composed with a specific task in mind the author is attempting to accomplish. The task may range from admiring someone or something, or even commenting upon the ills of society, but nevertheless, poetry is always written with the intent of delivering a powerful and meaningful message. Such is the case with the two poems, “Homage to My Hips” and “To an Athlete Dying Young.” Each poem utilizes certain elements differently such as symbolism, the topics of love and death, and emotional connection to bring the reader’s attention to significant societal issues, and illustrate the affect those issues have upon those in society. These poems are similar in that they both celebrate some aspect of

Even time, one of the most seemingly constant things in life is relative. Within this relative space is queer time. The queer movement has had its own timeline and relationship with time both within and outside of the dominant timeline. Unlike in the dominant culture in which one’s past remains in the past and the future is always progress, queer time constantly looks simultaneously forward and backward, appreciating the importance of the past for the creation of the future. This more fluid definition of time is demonstrated through editing and framing in “Hollywood Je T’aime” and the historical basis of “A Slacker and Delinquent in Basketball Shoes” as is the idea that people are not forgotten, simply because they are in the past.

When people write they can intentionally or unintentionally use rhetorical modes to communicate their message. Two such essayists who make use of rhetorical modes include Frederick Douglass in his essay “Learning to Read and Write” and E.B. White in his essay “Once More to the Lake”. Douglass describes his struggle as a child slave and how literacy helped him and hurt him on his path to freedom. White reminisces about the past and his trips to the lake while on a trip with his son. While he looks fondly on memories of the past the looming presence of the present and future are very prominent throughout his essay. Their expert use of narration assists the telling of their stories and how they view their past experiences.

Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. The poems, “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay will be analyzed based on their similarities and differences to name a few. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Comparisons between the poems may easier to analyze and identify compared to the contrasts based on the reader’s perception. Overall, the concept and much more will reveal how the poems are connected and special in their own way.