Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse
Michael Brown
Senior Division
Historical Paper
1815 Words
In the economically depressed times of the1930s, it was clear that the people of America were looking for a hero to look towards. With the legend Babe Ruth fading from baseball, it was time for Lou Gehrig to step up to the plate. Now the leader of the New York Yankees, Gehrig broke many records with his bat, and kept his ever-lasting consecutive game streak with his moral fiber. Even when Gehrig was diagnosed with a career ending disease, ALS, his character of strength and determination shined. Lou Gehrig is the most significant and influential baseball player of the twentieth-century because of his impact on ALS, his performance in Major League Baseball, and his strong character.
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In June of 1903, Gehrig was born in New York City. He was the son of two German immigrants (“Lou Gehrig” St. James). Gehrig’s full name, Henry Louis Gehrig, was derived from his original, which was Ludwig Heinrich Gehrig. Gehrig grew up in a life surrounded with poverty, so he felt like it was his obligation to help his parents (“Lou Gehrig” World Biography). In appreciation, Gehrig’s parents returned the favor. Gehrig said, “When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing” (“Gehrig’s Farewell”). Gehrig was a truly remarkable young athlete, as his father took him to gymnasiums to keep him in shape (“Lou Gehrig” World Biography). When Gehrig was only eleven years old, he swam across the Hudson River (“Lou Gehrig” World Biography). Gehrig’s strength was not overshadowed often. A Yankee scout, Paul Krichell, said, “I sat up and took notice. I saw a tremendous youth, with powerful arms and terrific legs” (“Gehrig Quotes”). Gehrig’s early childhood was the beginning of the construction of an indestructible character that baseball has never seen
Instead he told his story about being lucky. Be great fun for knowing so many great people and players. Thankful he got to suit up so many times to play he game of baseball. When reading about Gehrig before reading his speech, I found out that he retired because of a disease that was crippling and is now named after him. That is why in his farewell speech he did not want pity, which in my opinion shows great character.
Lou Gehrig, a professional baseball player who spent his whole career with the New York Yankees from 1923 through 1939, playing 17 seasons. During his career, Gehrig was diagnosed with ALS, a condition that would end his career and cause him to lose control of his muscles. In 1939, Lou Gehrig's gave a speech to his fans regarding his illness and retirement. His speech quickly gained recognition and influenced the famous “Ice Bucket Challenge” that gained popularity all around the world, allowing for over $115 million to be raised for an ALS movement. Gehrig used repetition in his address to emphasize how fortunate he was to spend a happy and fulfilled life despite his conditio For instance, during this speech, Lou Gehrig constantly used rhetorical questions such as "Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert?" and even "To have spent six years with that great little fellow, Miller Huggins?"
Jackie Robinson Jackie robinson was famous for being the first African American to play in the mlb. Jackie once said “I’m not concerned with your liking me or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.’’ When Jackie Robinson first entered the mlb it was in the heat of the civil rights fight against racism. Jackie Robinson is concerned one of the best mlb player ever.
Lou Gehrig was an American baseball player who played for the MLB team the New York Yankees. He was a first baseman and excellent batter who rose from the ranks of poverty to be one of the greatest baseball players ever known. Lou was raised by a family of immigrants and played football and baseball in high school through college, impressing scouts by striking out a total of 17 batters. He set the record for consecutive games played with 2,130 and got the nickname the iron horse for his resilience for his hardworking nature and playing through even the worst of pains. His career finally ended in 1939 when he was diagnosed with ALS (Aldrich).
Listening to the radio, I learned a home run followed the path of memories. I learned that home plate was the heart of the ball field and the farm house was the heart of the farm. I learned if you worked hard enough, nothing was unhittable not even Brown’s curveball. As long as you kept alert like a fox, you could survive the curves that the elements threw. I looked at Dzeidek with admiration because I knew he came to this country and put down roots as gnarled and swollen as his
Jackie Robinson Civil Rights Baseball Star Activist, athlete, and Leader are three words people often think of in connection with Jackie Robinson. Many people know Jackie Robinson as a famous baseball player, but he was so much more. Jackie Robinson changed the world as the first black professional baseball player in times of segregation and racism in the world. He showed that African Americans could do anything just as good as a white person. He left a legacy as the Civil Rights Baseball Star.
Lou Gehrig’s Farewell to Baseball Address Saying goodbye to an athlete you have been watching is always difficult to do. Even though we see our favorite football, baseball, or basketball athletes retire and leave their sport, it isn’t the end of the road for them. However, Lou Gehrig was faced with a deadly disease that would kill him two years later. He still managed to address his fans and is still remembered for not only by excelling on the Baseball Diamond, but by delivering a speech that still touches a lot of people’s hearts to this day.
Seventy-seven years ago, on July 4th, a man whose expertise was on the baseball diamond, more considerably than in speechmaking, distributed one of the most effective, memorable and inspiring speeches of all time. This man’s name was Lou Gehrig, and it took this man relatively two minutes, to where he was able to echo not only his own thoughts of his retirement from baseball and his disease, but also the ideas and perspectives of his fans and the American people during his era. Lou Gehrig’s sendoff presentation, including the famous preceding quote, rendered many rhetorical strategies so that he is able to convey themes and emotions that, especially during the time period circa 1930s, were very important to not only his loyal fans but to all
Lou Gehrig once said, “I love to win; but I love to lose almost as much. I love the thrill of victory, and I also love the challenge of defeat.” Lou gehrig was not a speech giver, he was a top class athlete that was not afraid of defeat. He used defeat to his advantage instead of mourning over it. He was not a speech giver or speech writer but he was almost as good at it as he was good at baseball.
Imagine that one of the greatest baseball players ever had to retire due to a life threatening condition, later to be named after him. That was what happened to the legendary Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig was a renowned baseball player for the New York Yankees in the early 1920’s. The “Iron Horse” as he was known, was forced to retire at a young age due to a life threatening disease called ALS and often known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gehrig was a slugger and was loved by fans for not only for his ability to hit the ball out of the park, but also for his social influence in baseball.
As Jackie Robinson once said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. There is no doubt that Jackie Robinson has been one of most impactful baseball players to ever play the sport. For reasons such as pushing himself to reach his goals, facing many hardships, and being the first African American to play in the MLB, he has shown perseverance and been a role model to everyone. The first reason how Jackie Robinson has impacted society is how he worked hard to reach his goals.
I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.” Moreover, Gehrig did not look to instigate misery out of his audience. Gehrig did not need sensitivity from his circumstance. Truth be told, Lou Gehrig did not specify his illness, particularly and somewhat centered around the positive moments that he had encountered for the duration of his life. He acknowledges what is transpiring.
In this heartfelt speech, Lou Gehrig expresses his gratitude for all of the positive things that have occured in his life, despite his recent diagnosis of ALS, in order to convey that he is still lucky even though he is now unable to play baseball. Of course the speaker of this speech is Lou Gehrig, who begins by addressing his fans because he wants to start by thanking them all for the good they have put into his life. He states his argument right away by saying that he
Lou Gehrig’s speech, Farewell to Baseball Address, delivers an emotional punch to the gut as he explains about how lucky he is to have had a wonderful life with some amazing people. He states “I might have been given a bad break, but I have much to live for,” infers his will to live. Because of his positive standing with his fans and many other baseball players, Gehrig was able to utilize effectively ethos throughout his speech. Ethical proof is dependent upon the rhetor’s reputation among his audience and other people; for Gehrig, his reputation was one of a hard-working and determined man and so his audience already held favor with Gehrig.
In Lou Gehrig's "Farewell to Baseball Address," his main goal is to make the claim that is "the luckiest man on the face of the earth" by using multiple techniques. The fist technique that Lou Gehrig uses is repitition of key phrases. As he is orally speaking to many insprired fans, he repeatedly uses the phrase, "Sure I am lucky. " This phrase shows us how he had many people playing as jey roles in his life to make him feel lucky. One of them are his parents who Lou Gehrig says "When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body -- it’s a blessing.