The Ex Basketball Player By John Updike Analysis
“The Ex Basketball Player”
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.
…show more content…
The ball is not able to feel, but Updike uses personification to relay to the reader the connection that Flick seemed to have with basketball. Updike also personifies the Necco wafers, Nibs, and Juju beads, explaining that these candies are the "bright applauding tiers" that Flick now imagines are his fans. Updike uses a single simile in the poem. When the narrator states "His hands were like wild birds", he is comparing the speed, the agility and the freeness of Flicks hands while playing basketball to the freeness of wild birds. The style that Updike chooses for his poem is free verse. This style is a rational choice because it correlates with the modern theme and narrative tone
Narrative Essay About Basketball
1952 Words | 8 Pages“Why can’t we get into our freaking offense!?” This is all I really remember from Coach McKendrick at halftime last year against Niles North in what was a tough night for our basketball team. Prior to this, we beat New Trier at home and then went on the road and beat the pre-season unanimous vote to win conference, Highland Park, in our first conference game. Before the New Trier game, our game plan was simple: we were smaller, but faster, so we were going to run the court and make this is a fast pace game. We executed our gameplan, and we won.
Analysis Of American Hero By Essex Hemphill
223 Words | 1 PagesThe poem “American Hero” by Essex Hemphill, is about a competitive match of basketball, however, towards the end the author describes a social denial from other neighborhoods that despise his team. To convey his feelings, the author’s tone in the beginning of the poem is thrilling as it stimulates the feeling of playing competitively in a game of basketball when reading until the game is over when the tone gets wretched as the thought of being denied by the opposing team’s school sinks in to the author’s mind. Furthermore, the tone and the use imagery are used to convey the sense of being in the game and knowing the environment in this tense basketball game. An example of this is on lines 5-9, it states “It’s a shimmering club light and I’m
Mark Salzman's True Notebooks
139 Words | 1 PagesThe author has a unique way of placing the reader at the scene with his unique description of the setting around him. He also has a special way of describing the characters
Ex Basketball Player Essay
493 Words | 2 PagesThe Subject of the poem Ex-Basketball player is a guy named flick who was a really good athlete in high school. This athlete's name is Flick Webb and he grew up without learning a trade so he works as a mechanic. The narrator used to watch Flick play in high school. This poem describes how Flick used to be a really good athlete. It also goes over his current life and how his work life is.
Hit The Ball By John Updike Analysis
818 Words | 4 PagesThey say hitting a baseball is one of the hardest and most calculated things to do in any sport, yet pros can get into a rhythm and hit the ball most of the time. According to the author John Updike reminisces about a time when he was in an audited slump. In addition, a slump in baseball conveys a drought, almost as if you are unable to hit the ball. Subsequently, the author proclaims that the coaches had blamed it on his reluctant reflexes, or that the papers say he isn't hungry anymore. But he knows this isn't the case, as he has proved these two possibilities wrong.
Jude Watson Loot Rhetorical Analysis
1235 Words | 5 PagesAdditionally, the author's use of imagery is prevalent
John Updike's The Ex-Basketball Player
578 Words | 3 PagesJohn Updike poem “The Ex-Basketball player” is a form free verse poem written in third person narrator about a young man, Flick Webb who still lives in his past rather than moving forward in his life. Flick Webb who was once a great basketball player during his high school years but now he just “sells gas, checks oil, and changes flats.” Flick is an indeed example towards high school students of what not to be. A person should not cling to one important memory in one’s life but should move further and be capable of doing something beyond.
Home Court Figurative Language
281 Words | 2 Pages“Home Court,” by Jose Olivarez, is a poem that emphasizes the pain and suffering that all the kids had, after the loss of Cesar and Oscar’s dad. They play basketball to get out their anger and heal their suffering. The poem uses different forms of figurative language. One form of figurative language is a simile, it is used to express the grief of the children. One example is “we held the ball like rosary beads and prayed with our hands.”
The Alligators By John Updike Analysis
564 Words | 3 PagesThe Alligators is a short story written by John Updike that explores the world of Charlie, a fifth grade student from Maryland. Charlie imagines a world different from the one he’s living in because of love. The Alligators teaches us that love can be blissful but also painful through Charlie realizing his love for Joan so he treats her better but as a result, it was only a fraction from his imagination. A counterclaim that is brought up is popular people strive for power.
Edward Hirsch's Execution Poem Analysis
566 Words | 3 Pages“Execution” by Edward Hirsch is about an adult recollecting his thoughts about his high school football career and especially how his coach inspired him because his authoritative role model was battling cancer. The speaker talks about the coach’s goal for “perfect execution” and the infinite strategies the coach would draw up in order to reach his goal. The speaker concludes with their team’s loss against “the downstate team” and how they were ironically defeated by “perfect execution.” A superficial reader might assume that the poem was about the disappointing results that came from his team working hard to reach a goal, but the author’s use of impersonal tone and irony in the fact that their team’s loss is caused by “perfect execution” shows how a strong force can be conquered even when putting your best foot forward when accepting a challenge. Have you ever been a part of a team that seemed invincible and you lost?
Analysis Of John Updike's Ex-Basketball Player
934 Words | 4 PagesIn John Updike’s poem “Ex-Basketball Player” the poet uses literary devices to depict the existing way of life of a once-famous sportsperson. Flick Webb was in before times a gifted athlete on his high school basketball team, and he was commendable of much awe. However, Flick never acquired any other skills to prepare him for a future. Accordingly, he now is locked into an unskilled job and his former glories have pale to all but Flick himself. Updike has created a character that is at this point in time going nowhere and spends most of his time thinking about his former days of glory.
Analyzing Drew Lawson's Knowledge Of Sports
157 Words | 1 PagesDrew Lawson is a basketball player in Harlem with big-money dreams. He's not about gangs or running the streets. Just ball, and he hopes he has more to him than those lost to the streets, enough to carry him to a Division I university and on to the NBA. He just has to live up to his ability. But always, just below the surface, is Drew's awareness of the stoops and street corners where people fall behind on their games an lose interest in the score.
Hoop Dreams And The Other Wes Moore Analysis
533 Words | 3 PagesIn this essay I will be talking about how educated Wes Moore and Arthur Agee have in common with their families. In Hoop Dreams and The Other Wes Moore these two kids went thru a lot in life that brought them down but there was always something that kept them going to accomplishing their dreams. Arthur Agee grew up poor and was tough for him and his family. Beginning of his life he grew up watching his dad beat his mom and taking drugs, one of the toughest thing for a child to witness at a young age.
An Analysis Of Edward Hirsch's Poem Fast Break
559 Words | 3 PagesEdward 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. Hirsch utilizes good sensory details in “Fast Break”.
Narrative Essay About Basketball
1224 Words | 5 PagesAir ball— again. My form was lost, coordination gone, and so was my patience. I’ve stopped playing basketball for 3 months mainly because of school work and things going on in my life. I was determined to get my skills back no matter how long it’ll take. I started a game of basketball with other people inside the gyms court.
More about The Ex Basketball Player By John Updike Analysis
Narrative Essay About Basketball
1952 Words | 8 PagesAnalysis Of American Hero By Essex Hemphill
223 Words | 1 PagesMark Salzman's True Notebooks
139 Words | 1 PagesEx Basketball Player Essay
493 Words | 2 PagesHit The Ball By John Updike Analysis
818 Words | 4 PagesJude Watson Loot Rhetorical Analysis
1235 Words | 5 PagesJohn Updike's The Ex-Basketball Player
578 Words | 3 PagesHome Court Figurative Language
281 Words | 2 PagesThe Alligators By John Updike Analysis
564 Words | 3 PagesEdward Hirsch's Execution Poem Analysis
566 Words | 3 PagesAnalysis Of John Updike's Ex-Basketball Player
934 Words | 4 PagesAnalyzing Drew Lawson's Knowledge Of Sports
157 Words | 1 PagesHoop Dreams And The Other Wes Moore Analysis
533 Words | 3 PagesAn Analysis Of Edward Hirsch's Poem Fast Break
559 Words | 3 PagesNarrative Essay About Basketball
1224 Words | 5 Pages