Jackie Robinson, the first professional black baseball player, wrote an autobiography in 1995 titled I Never Had it Made. Jackie Robinson is, for sure, a sports hero for African Americans all over the United States. Jackie's thought process throughout his book really shows how he felt during situations in his battle to get into a professional league. His voice is clear and concise, and it pretty obviously shows what he was thinking when faced with difficult situations, whether it be about family life or racial discrimination. This leads to the question: besides his success as a baseball player, why is Jackie Robinson so popular among Americans of all races?
1. He stands up for what he believes in. On page 20 it says, "The captain was very annoyed because I wouldn't back down." Jackie obviously does not want to be a bystander, especially not in the situation of racial discrimination or anything like it. This also shows that Jackie feels very strongly about his views and opinions on society and makes them known, which leads me to the next point.
2. Jackie makes his opinions and accomplishments well-known and actively demonstrates his beliefs. For one, Jackie actually attempted to join a professional baseball team and successfully joined the Dodgers. Also, in his book page 57, it is said that, "The sports writers snatched up telephones. The telegraph wires relayed the message to the sports world." His ideas were distributed all over the country and the world after he was first on the news and radio.
3. Jackie Robinson is a genuinely nice person. From what I understand, Jackie doesn't typically say things out of impulse, and he tries to be as nice as he can, even when he's in an argument. I didn't hear him saying anything negative the whole book, even in his stream of conscious, and for a lot of people that is very difficult, so he would definitely be a role model for people like that.
4. He is supportive. In the book I Never Had it Made Jackie supports his fellow teammates and the fans despite all the cruel things both parties do. It was amazing to see how he withstood all the cruel and inhumane behavior he received, and a lot of people support him for that.
5. Jackie accepts reality. Another reason Jackie is so popular is due to his ability to accept things, no matter how hard it may be. He accepted that his career path would never be easy with all the discrimination at the time, and yet he chose to take that path in his life. He also accepted family issues as well and didn't try to ignore the issues, he faced them head on.
These reasons show why Jackie Robinson, the first African American baseball player, is a popular figure in history despite the racial discrimination present.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Blog Post #5: Truth in Memoir
In my mind, for a book to be considered non-fiction, it has to be at least 85% true; 100% being what people expect, but in reality it usually ranges from 85%-90% true. Sure, people are going to stretch the truth to make the story more interesting, they always do, but I don't think an author should completely change the course of the story unless they say it is fiction rather than non fiction. I think that people stretch the truth so they can sound more heroic, accomplished, or even intelligent. Agreeing with Aimee Bender, I think that works don't have to be an exact replica of the event, the truth can be stretched a bit to capture the reader's attention more. I do think that truth is a valuable aspect of a book, but I think that it can be molded and changed to fit the story or the mood of the story more.
I think that, rather than half truths, quarter truths are okay. I think stories need to be at least 3/4 of the way true. This is because I think location, dialogue, characters, and events are the four main parts of truths. You can have different combinations of the four aspects, arranging it any way you'd like, but at least three of those dynamics should be true. You can change the events as long as the same characters, dialogue, and location still exists.
I think that David Shields is partially right. This is because fiction and non fiction are labeled as genres not a specifying category that defines whether or not something is true or not true. After all, what is the definition of fiction and non fiction? Do genres even have real definitions or defining characteristics? I think that fiction and non fiction matter because they describe what the reader is meant to believe. Plus, if you're reading a book marked 'Horror' and then coming to find that it was a true story that makes it even more terrifying. This is what I think about fiction and non fiction and how much truth should be told in non fiction.
I think that, rather than half truths, quarter truths are okay. I think stories need to be at least 3/4 of the way true. This is because I think location, dialogue, characters, and events are the four main parts of truths. You can have different combinations of the four aspects, arranging it any way you'd like, but at least three of those dynamics should be true. You can change the events as long as the same characters, dialogue, and location still exists.
I think that David Shields is partially right. This is because fiction and non fiction are labeled as genres not a specifying category that defines whether or not something is true or not true. After all, what is the definition of fiction and non fiction? Do genres even have real definitions or defining characteristics? I think that fiction and non fiction matter because they describe what the reader is meant to believe. Plus, if you're reading a book marked 'Horror' and then coming to find that it was a true story that makes it even more terrifying. This is what I think about fiction and non fiction and how much truth should be told in non fiction.
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