English Composition 1301 26 May 2012 Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech Analysis Imagine a young boy and his father going to the New York Yankees ballpark on a warm sunny day. The date is July 4, 1939 and it is Lou Gehrig appreciation day at the ballpark. Lou Gehrig had been playing major league baseball for seventeen years and is one of the most well thought of players in the game. When the boy and his father arrive at the ballpark, Lou walks to a podium and begins to talk. Without any prior warning, this icon begins to talk about a deadly disease that he has been contracted with and that he must immediately retire from the game of baseball forever. The stadium sits silently and Lou continues to describe how he considers himself the luckiest …show more content…
One would expect that a man with such a limited time left on this earth would be somber and sad. Lou, however spends the entire speech articulating the blessings that he has had throughout his life. In the second paragraph, Gehrig uses repetition and the phrase “sure, I’m lucky” to express how blessed he feels that he has had the opportunity to associate himself with certain men throughout his career. Lou mentions several baseball icons such as Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, and Joe McCarthy. He explains that it would be the highlight of any career just to spend a day with these men, yet he has been lucky enough to play with them throughout his career. In the third paragraph, Gehrig goes on to use repetition again to show how blessed he believes that his life is. He uses the phrase “that’s something” to show that he considers himself lucky that he has a caring, loving family, that even rival teams respect him enough to send him a gift, and that he has been given the talent to win trophies and earn respect. He then ends the paragraph and the repetition by stating that having a wife that loves and supports her husband is “the finest I know”. The conclusion to this astonishing speech is only one sentence. In one of the greatest sentences in sports history, Lou remarks, "So I close in saying that I may have had a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for." (Gehrig) This statement wiped
I, Babe Ruth, had a major contribution to society, mainly the game of baseball. As I was becoming more recognized as more of a hitter than a pitcher while the “dead-ball era” was happening. I hit many home runs and broke records. My fans loved it; they paid attention to my full-swing hitting. With the style of hitting I had, it contributed to the revolution of baseball and now the “live-ball era.”
Lou Gehrig gave this speech as part of his retirement. He did not intend of making a speech at the time and he gave a very good speech. He presented himself as a relaxed, grateful, and a very humble human being. In this speech he is showing a side of him that is very optimistic. He shared certain details about his life, the good parts. He shared his gratitude toward his parents, his wife, and mother-in-law. He shared his humble background and praised the people he worked with. He chooses to dwell on the good parts of his life, not his hardships. Gehrig wanted people to know that he has had a good life and they should not feel sorry for him. He does not feel sorry for himself. He said,
Gehrig appeals to ethos in his farewell speech by explaining to his audience how lucky he feels about who he was able to play
In the speech, Equal Rights for Women by Shirley Chisholm, main rhetor in the speech. She is the first African American woman to be elected to Congress. She is part of the House Representative in Washington D.C, from May 21, 1969, to 1983. She entered the primaries for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1972. Chisholm purpose is to fight for equal rights for all citizens, most specifically women. She wants to help as an advocate by providing more opportunities for women and encouraging women to do different men work field, other than just working as a secretary, teacher, librarian, or to just be a household woman. She wants to eliminate discrimination; prejudiced on the political view of
No matter what a person’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is, everyone should enjoy equality. In the speech Speech Upon the Removal of Confederate Monuments by Mitch Landrieu, the Mayor of New Orleans, the removal of the Confederate monuments in New Orleans is discussed. The speech emphasises the fact that the Confederacy was wrong pertaining to their treatment of African Americans, and instead of teaching history, the Confederate monuments convey an image of inequality and violence. Mitch Landrieu argues for the deconstruction of historic Confederate monuments through his allusions to past historic events to contrast the modern shift of equality, so he can call the people to action to deconstruct the monuments. Through the
He explains that the world isn't perfect and that is true because there are people that want to see you do nothing but fail. Failing is hard and painful, but trying over and over, and eventually succeeding, feels even better. At the beginning of his speech he seems a little harsh because he wants to get his point across, but at the end of his speech he lightens up. He does this because he doesn’t want his son to think he is being hard on him, he just wants his son to know he understands what he is going through.
Alexander H. Stephens was born February 11, 1812 and passed March 4, 1883. Stephens was an American politician during the United States Civil War. He was the Vice President for the Confederate States. He well known for his speech, the Corner Stone Speech also known as the Cornerstone Address. He delivered this speech March 21, 1861. Stephens reasoning behind this speech was to declare the continuation of slavery.
(swing bat) Well, there's my 60 th home run. I am babe Ruth, if you didn't already know. And I want to talk about my life. I was born February 6, 1895 and I was one of 8 children in my family. With my parents working long hours I was a troublemaker, since there no one was to watch me. At age 7 my parents sent me to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. I skipped school a lot and caused a lot of fights around my neighborhood. That's when my parents realized I needed a more strict environment. At school I started to fall in love with baseball. At age 19, my mentor Brother Matthias invited Jack Dunn, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, to watch me play baseball. Jack Dunn was so impressed that
The game of baseball evolved immensely during the 1900’s. There were new rules and rule changes, new teams in new states, and then there was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was a true legend from the day he was born in 1919. Baseball had it all in the first half of the 1900’s, fans filled the stadiums day after day, even during the war times. There was a big-name player on almost every team, children and adults admired these professional baseball players. The only thing professional baseball didn’t have during these times were African American players. Learning about the hardships that he had to overcome as a young boy, and the accomplishments he made from his college days at UCLA, to becoming the first African American professional baseball player, Jackie made it known that he was an American hero.
After a long silence Ken Griffey grinned and said, “However I will tell you this. If a few years go by and you decide that nothing else can take the place of baseball in your life-- well, then, sir I’m afraid that you will have no other choice, but to return to the sport you once loved… and
Civil rights was an important American issue through the late 40s through the 60s. During this time period Baseball was “America’s Pastime, “and a major social get together for white Americans. However in 1947 both of these event were combined when the Brooklyn Dodgers gave Jackie Robinson a chance to play professional baseball. Jackie Robinson is the target of my biography. Robinson not only was the first African American baseball player, but he also had a hall of fame career, and eventually had his number retired by all of Major League Baseball. It is important to know about him because he helped accelerate the civil rights movement in America. Although his entrance was brutal with the abuse he received and the obscenities that were yelled at him. He helped the transition to not only make African Americans accepted in professional sports, but also to help the acceptance of African Americans in the civil rights movement.
Jackie Robinson’s life changed when he became the first black man to play in the World Series and Major League Baseball during a time of segregation in America. These life-changing events challenged him because he had to face racially tense crowds and endured threats from teammates, opponents, and bigoted fans. In paragraph three, Robinson states, “There were threats against me and my family and even out-and-out attempts at physical harm to me. This quote explains that Jackie Robinson was facing racist people who were threatening him. Despite the racism he faced, Robinson learned to have pride in his accomplishments and appreciate the support courage, and love shown by his supporters. In paragraph eleven, Robinson states,”I don’t think i’ll ever forget the small, shrill voice of a tiny white kid who, in the midst of a racially tense atmosphere during an early game in a Dixie town, cried out “Attaboy Jackie”.” This quote explains how Robinson had pride in himself after a tiny white kid motivated him by encouraging him that he was a really good baseball player. Robinson responded to the life-changing events by not giving up when he was getting hate and racism. In paragraph three, it states, “Within the club, Mr. Rickey had put down rebellion that by letting my teammates know that anyone who didn’t want to be
Jackie Robinson once said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. True heroes, living among ordinary people, have paved the roads of today's world. One person who has exactly done this and not received nearly enough credit is Jackie Robinson. When people think of Jackie Robinson they think of the man who stole second base continuously, when in reality he did more, Jackie Robinson opened the gate for African American’s to play major league baseball. Born in 1919 Jackie was brought up in a society that was characterized by racial segregation and inequality, He fought through the era and made himself known all around the world for being the first African American to play major league baseball. Jackie
Jackie Robinson did not let the hardships of isolation and oppression break him, he held strong and put his ambition to the test. “Robinson allowed that hatred strike him as it would a lightning rod, channeling it down into the rugged earth of himself. All that America saw was that iron as upright as a steeple, never bending. But inside, the strain slowed his body, whitened his hair, thickened his circulation, aggravated his diabetes, and rendered him slow and blind. He was dead by the age of fifty three---a martyr” (Simon 3) The constant threats and wear on robinson led him to a fairly early retirement from baseball, after ten years he had retired. “The first baseball player to break the color barrier in 60 years, he paved the way for many future african American and minority athletes.” (Mc. Birney 10) The restraint and silent activism had also made a statement for the activists yet to come. Jackie Robinson had set the bar high for his colleagues on and off the
Lou Gehrig’s purpose for giving his speech was to remind his fans there is a bright side even when given a “bad break.” When Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), not only were he and his loved ones devastated, but so were his innumerable supporters. This insidious disease had begun to steal Gehrig’s once intimidating power, and he and those close to him started to notice. Rumors abounded; Gehrig wanted to assure his fans he still considered himself blessed and lucky. Throughout his farewell address to baseball, Gehrig heavily exercises the use of ethos and pathos to convey his message. These two rhetorical devices grant Lou the ability to show himself as a modest and grateful person to his audience. He views himself