Book Report : I Wan Na Be Written By Dennis Rodman

John Maloney’s “Good!” A short (14-line) poem incompasses the fast paced events within a Basketball game.It is limited third person from the perspective of a player that gained possession of the ball after a missed basket. The poet focuses the narrative onto the actions after the rebound occurred. The speaker of the poem, a player on the court, is focused on the game and the game alone, determined to keep the ball in his team’s possession and allow his team the chance to make a shot. Which in the end, he ends up taking the shot himself earning his team two points.

Rudy as a young american boy had great dream’s in sports especially in Football. He wanted to be involved in this sport, but everyone around him said that he couldn’t. Now as a young man in college he is out to get everyone who tried to prove him wrong. Now he will prove them wrong now. Why did Rudy make these goals? Who did Rudy ask for help and advies? how did Rudy achieve these goals? What could have Rudy done different? These are the main questions that will be answer as you read. Rudys story is about goal setting and and rebounding from failure.

In the poem, “Ex – Basketball Player” by john Updike, (which is a narrative poem) illustrates the nature of life on how life is potentially is seen has a mirror to other people’s life, especially people who play sports. Life is the physical and mental experience of an individual. An in the poem the main character Flick, supply the poem with a good example of how life is potentially a mirror for other people. This poem is formally organized, even though it locks some qualities, it still haves the qualifications of a good poem. The “Ex Basket Player” is an interested poem because it has a good theme, tone and lots of figurative languages.

In the poem Ex-basketball Player, by John Updike, Flick Webb, a man who use to be a star basketball player, lets his talents go to waste as he now leads an unhappy life as a gas station attendant. John Updike uses a critical tone to emphasize that the present excels the importance of the past.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was born on December 6, 1994 in Sepolia, Athens. His parents came from Nigeria to Greece because they wanted a better life. He has two older brothers, Francis and Thanasis, and two younger brothers, Kostas and Alexis. Giannis originally lived in Athens and later moved to Sepolia, Greece. He was very poor and often worried about being deported back to Nigeria. He didn’t go outside to play because he was scared. In the 60 minutes interview he said, “He was very poor and he helped his family by selling sunglasses and watches for money.” His dad was a football player and his mom was an athlete. Giannis liked playing

In this paper we are looking at the poem “Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike and; looking at these questions relating to the poem does the poem's speaker pity or admire Flick? Are readers meant to pity or admire Flick?

“The battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance” – Shannon L. Alder. The novel, Hoops by Walter Dean Myers, follows the life of Lonnie Jackson, a high school student from Harlem who has an unusually impressive talent for playing basketball. Lonnie’s goal in life is more than just being one of the best players to ever hit the court; for Lonnie wishes to create a new life for himself– one that is free from the struggles of Harlem streets. This goal along with his environment bring constant conflicts in Lonnie’s journey, which gradually develops his character from self-centered to compassionate. Lonnie’s professional relationship with Cal Jones as well as his bond with Paul and Mary-Ann guide him on how to both become a respected player and how to grow up into a noble man.

By contrasting a player’s ardent exuberance for basketball with his xxx disappointment in the poem “American Hero,” Essex Hemphill reveals the athlete’s conflict between his enthusiasm for the game and his resentment toward his superficial fans. For instance, the author emphasizes the player’s fervent frame of mind, “[having] nothing to lose... / I let the tension go. / Shoot for the net. / I slam it through...” (Hemphill 1, 8-9, 11-12). Hemphill illustrates the competitor’s energetic passion for basketball by describing his game-winning skills and slick athleticism. In contrast, the poet depicts the player’s resentfulness toward the cheering mass as he muses “I scored / thirty-two points this game / and they love me for it” (13-15). Despite

According to the NCAA, only about 0.03% of high school basketball players get drafted out by an NBA team. 0.03% is such a little percentage that it is the same chance of someone getting four of a kind in a first round of poker (www.norwichcsd.org/Downloads/ ProSportsOdds.doc). With this striking percentage it is amazing to think so many young players hope to make it to the pros. In the end, regret and defeat are much too common, a theme that John Updike features in his poem, “Ex Basketball Player”. The poem's persona, Flick Webb, was surely not one of those lucky 0.03%. Flick Webb was the star basketball player at his high school. Now older, he works at a gas station, sometimes reliving his old dream by gloomily bouncing a tire by himself.

Remember that boy in high school that was the star of the basketball team? He still holds most of the records for the team. He scored more points than anyone else in the school’s history. He never studied much because he was an athlete. His basketball skills were going to take him places. But high school ended and there are no more games to be played. Where is that former all-star now? In his poem “Ex-Basketball Player,” John Updike examines the life of a former high school basketball star. Flick Webb was a local hero, and he loved basketball. He never studied much in school or learned a trade because he was a talented athlete. Now years later, the only job Flick can find is working at the local gas station. He used to be a star, but now

Name the three cities in Texas that are three of the largest in US? 2

The main antagonist in this novel is Erik Fisher, Paul’s older brother;. He always gets what he wants, whether he deserves it or not. He’s a your basic popular, football star; athletic, self-centered and overly praised. But, Paul is the only one who sees him as he truly is. His parents coaches and peers perceive him as this amazing athlete, but that, by no means, defines his true self.

“To An Athlete Dying Young” and “Ex-Basketball Player” share the lives of two very different athletes. Both experience success in their lives, but one dies with his glory while the other lives past his days of glory and works at a gas pump where he is not recognized. The poems discuss the importance of having glory and keeping that glory as long as possible. Through the poems the readers learn the benefits of dying young as well as the consequences of living after one's glory has faded. Where Houseman glorifies the athlete for his achievements and early death, Updike portrays the disappointment of the athlete living past his days of glory and not reaching high

“Iverson and his two half-sisters lived in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of Hampton, Virginia with their mother”(The Gale Group). Allen Iverson had a rough childhood. His father was in prison and his stepfather was getting involved in illegal drugs. Even though his family was very poor, Allen managed to make it to college and make a career out of basketball(The Gale Group). Allen Iverson had a rough childhood, but is now one of the best basketball players of all time.

Stephen Curry was born into a family consumed with athletics. His father, Dell, was a standout basketball player in college and a professional player in the NBA for sixteen years. Stephen’s mother, Sonya, played division one volleyball at Virginia Tech (Dell played basketball at Virginia Tech as well). Stephen has two siblings: a brother named Seth (also a professional basketball player) and a sister named Sydel (a college volleyball player at Elon University). As a child, Stephen played football, basketball, and baseball. One of his favorite things to do was watch his father play in NBA games (Fleming). Stephen went to high school at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina and played AAU basketball (travel basketball to gain recognition from college coaches) with the Carolina Miners (Chandler). As a high school basketball player, Stephen was overlooked by many college coaches because he was short. Curry dreamed of playing basketball at Virginia Tech, where his father and mother had attended and both played sports