Jackie Robinson's Poem Testing New Waters

The poem “Testing New Waters” relates to Jackie Robinson’s experiences during his life. The poem portrays what it is like for a person to embrace taking risks. Through Jackie Robinson’s professional and successful career he emulates Holbrook’s message. As does the founding of the Negro League. The journey which they embarked upon towards equality changed baseball for everyone forever. They show that skin color isn’t what is important and that they should be recognized for what they do instead of how they look. This road to their achievement might not have been smooth, but all that matters is that they succeeded in the end.

Through imagery, the author of the poem, Sara Holbrook, portrays a deep meaning about how an individual can cope with tribulations. She writes about new opportunities and the risks that come with taking them. It starts off by saying, “Safely standing on the bank of what-I-know, Unfamiliar water passing in a rush.” This means that you are at a safe spot and thinking about the risk and new opportunities. It goes on to say how you might not always succeed in what you try, but you would never know until you try it. The poem then talks about fears of what might happen,

It relates to Jackie Robinson because he agreed to be on an all- white league, while knowing the consequences. Jackie Robinson not only changed his course in life, but also changed the course of major league baseball forever as white leagues began to accept black players on their teams. The poem also relates to the Negro League as a whole because they faced many challenges as a black league, but were able to succeed for many other reasons. This is what Sara Holbrook is talking about. Her poem is about trying new things and succeeding or failing. Both Jackie Robinson and the people in the Negro League took risks and they got their rewards in the end even if they did face