Failure In John Updike's Ex Basketball Player

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.

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

Athletes go through the good times and the bad times throughout their years. It makes you wonder how some of the athletes we see today are so great at what they can accomplish during a game, event, career, and so on. Are the best of the best athletes that everyone knows about or hears about doing some sort of a pedestal? Are they choosing to take them? Or are they encouraged by the people? William Moller effectively uses the rhetorical appeals of pathos to support his argument that, “We, the public, place the best athletes on pedestals, gods on high.”

John Updike’s Ex Basketball Player highlights Flick having nothing to fall back upon by demonstrating his failures in life. “Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps,” John writes, portraying how Flick never really desired to learn. The quote symbolizes how Flick was the one to stand out among the crowd but never really attempted to make himself better. The fact that Flick was supposed to stand out emphasized how Flick was supposed to “make it in life”. “He never really learned a trade, he just sells gas.” Flick made it out to work at a gas station, but he is not actually living a good life. Working at a gas station is not at the top of the list of future jobs for someone. “Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods.” John wrote this sentence

In contrast to the imagery used by Housman, Updike stresses the athlete’s fading glory as the athlete has lived past his triumphant days. As “To An Athlete Dying Young” begins the poem through the imagery that shows the athlete’s success and his gain of honor, whereas “Ex-Basketball Player” indicates that the athlete’s life is no longer filled with glory. The road leading to the place where he works shares with the readers how meaningless and empty the athlete’s life has become as the road “runs past the high-school lot, bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off” (2). Flick, the subject of the poem, has had his years of glory when he played for his high school since he had the skills and talent to break records. He had extra talent that made him become one with the basketball and handle it like no one else could as “his hands were like wild birds” (18). Although Flick had his glorious years, unlike the athlete in “To An Athlete Dying Young” Flick’s glory does not last because he now “checks oil, and changes flats” (20). “To An Athlete Dying Young” emphasizes that it is better

One day he had forgot Feather and he ran back to her. When he held her the basket ball rolled away and out the door. When going for a walk with his brother Paul they sit down and watch some kids playing basket ball. The ball rolls over to them but Paul tosses the ball back to the kids for Bobby. They were talking about how parenting takes away your childhood so when Paul tossed the ball back it meant, "Yup, childhood's gone." So the basketball means the loss of freedom and gain of coming of age two times. One at the house with Feather and the other at the park with

Continuing life after high school is a daunting transition for many. In a poem called “Ex-Basketball Player,” author John Updike gives an example of what could happen if an individual does not strive for anything more than success in high school. His background gives him a unique perspective because he grew up with a mom that wrote narratives and a father who taught high school math (“John Updike”). Both of these professions are present in their son’s poem which explains from where Updike’s inspiration seemingly came. Updike masterfly crafts a narrative poem with a universally relatable theme through setting parallelism and deliberate word choice.

Success is one of the greatest feelings in life. It is best to enjoy it while you can. “To An Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Housman praises the life of an accomplished runner at his funeral, and “Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch praises the effort of an entire basketball team after executing a perfect play. While both poems praise accomplishments, they also share mistakes as well. Both poems use third-person speakers.

A.E. Housman was a poet born in 1859 who became very successful during his lifetime. “To an Athlete Dying Young” represents the theme of glory is fleeting by illustrating the point that if a successful athlete dies young, they will not have to worry about their glory of victory fading. They can rest in peace knowing they will be remembered at their athletic peak when they were successful and victorious. They will not have to go through the pain of watching their fame disappear or whither out with time. In this poetic masterpiece, Housman pulls together figurative language, sound devices, and structure to illustrate that glory is fleeting through a

In his poem, “The Ex Basketball Player”, John Updike writes about man who he says was once a record setting high school basketball player who, instead of becoming a famous player, ends up working in a local garage. The author says that “Flick”, the poems main character, did not receive a trade while in school and this is why he ended up, working in a car garage. After reading this poem I can relate to the main character’s situation. Growing up all I wanted to do was be a professional singer. While in High School I joined the choir and any and every singing event the school offered.

In the game of basketball there are two items that are required to play, a ball and a hoop. In the poems "Slam, Dunk and Hook" by Yusef Komunyakaa and "Fast Break" by Edward Hirsch, the authors describe the sport of basketball in their own views. Depending on where you are, people view basketball differently. Basketball may be a mans best friend. The court may be a home for some. In these poems, the authors view the game of basketball entirely different. The correspondence amidst a player and the game of basketball is key in these poems, for it may be distinct depending one where you live and how you view the game.

Carroll is perhaps saved, in the end, by another habit: his writing. Even when he is at his lowest, or nearest to death, he finds solace and clarity through journal writing. In these monologues and poems—which ultimately became his Basketball Diaries—he finds a constant that carries him through six months of jail-time and rehabilitation. As an epilogue, his writing eventually places him in front of an audience sharing these same stories.

Carter took the coaching job knowing that it wasn’t completely about basketball, but about giving his players a future. Carter took a group of boys who had no hope of the future and did something about it through basketball. The way Carter achieves this is by instilling values that young men should have like calling them sir, wearing suits, and doing good in school, but at the same time give them statistics of what will happen to them if they don’t do well in their studies like prison or even death. While writing this essay, I noticed similarities between Ken Carter and Howard Schultz. Both of them were put into unfavorable situation and a vision of where they wanted to be. Carter inherited a team of failing students and basketball players, Schultz a declining Starbucks, both of them didn’t let environment get in the way of achieving their goals instead they stuck to their vision and achieved it; Carter’s Basketball Players went to college and Starbucks has become a household

I look into the distance, I see men fighting for freedom, My eyes burn as if I look into the sun, I hear babies cry as men try to defend their kingdom. Tony was once in a race, He wanted to come in first place, But he got a big shock, When he slipped off his block, And fell down flat on his face. Poem Once was a man named Pat Loved his hugely greedy cat It ate its weight in every meal But still it continued to appeal Still he fed it fat bone and meat, Silly Pat could not compete, It ate him out of house and home, And now old Pat is all alone. By Ruatte There once was an oldie named Bob, Who had a tremendously dangerous job, Once he got shot, He lost the plot, And got a psychologist named Rob. Legendary intense Kicking, marking, handballing Players, teams, coaches, fans Dunking, shooting, dribbling Skilful, exciting There was a guy call Dan, Who was a very wise man, He loved to bake, All kinds of cake, And became a wealthy businessman. We stick together forever, Till the very end, Were like a straight line, That will never ever bend, We’ll win many victories, And probably some defeats, But you and I will be the one to

First of all the poet presents a desolate winter scene at the close of the day. People living nearby had retired