Sports Literature Fall 2018

The Sun Also Rises displays the complications of relationships between any person. The dynamic of the group as the book progresses does not change in terms of narrative structure. The events that transpire throughout the book reveal different characteristics that each character displays. The relationship each character has with Brett influences the way they treat each other -- which is mostly negative. This book taught me about me relationship dynamics and the subtleties of them.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was an interesting read. There were many moving parts in a story that at first glance seems pretty simple. The notion that "worth" is a relative term is called into question in this book. Gawain believes that he is worthless in the eyes of King Arthur and his court. That is why he volunteers to challenge the Green Knight. His lack of self-worth in this case actually makes Sir Gawain worthy. A worthy volunteer who has value in the eyes of the rest of the court. Gawain's humility has an important place in the Court and although King Arthur is seen as having more value in terms of status due to his wealth and heroics in a more traditional and masculine sense, Sir Gawain is celebrated as a hero in his own right. His self-worth makes it difficult for him to see himself that way. Gawain is ultimately judged as worthy by his peers when he stands up to the Green Knight (the ultimate symbol of strength and confidence) as his true bravery.

Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley is arguably my favorite reading that we have done thus far in FWS. What struck me the most was how relatable Foster Wallace's story is. I could not tell you how many times people have asked me, "Are tennis and squash essentially the same thing?". They are two very different sports, but the experience of playing an individual sport at a high level from a young age is relatable. Like Foster Wallace, I experienced many set backs, mentally and physically on the court. I had many hopes and dreams that have adapted over the years. I have faced criticism and crippling disappointment as Wallace did. Reading this piece was a comforting experience. Learning about another person who went through similar experiences as I did was reassuring to say the least.

Muhammad Ali is a prime example of an iconic athlete that influenced people all around the world. He was beloved by many, but also faced a lot of criticism. From the Vault: Requiem for the Heavyweights analyzes his fame and the baggage that comes with it.  Athletes have always been held to a different standard throughout history. Every move Ali made, like any famous person, was critiqued critically. The influence of being an iconic figure is essential for spreading awareness to a cause. This influence comes at a cost. Any mistake can ruin an athletes career.  Successful athletes who don't mess up are revered as heroes just as they were in ancient history.

I felt like analyzing Midnight in Paris was one of my most enjoyable classes of the year personally. It was good to get away from literature and briefly touch on film for a change, so I enjoyed it. From the article we only really talked about topic, the left to right duality with left being "good" and right being "bad". Just in that one paragraph alone, so many film elements were mentioned and what they mean to the film. There are too many to talk about in just one blog post, but his class must have been intense analyzing all of the aspects he brought up. One of the film perspectives was the idea of dominance when someone is higher on the screen and this was reflected a lot in the movie. Gil's fiancee was often shown towering over Gil because she always got what she wanted in the movie and was a negative influence on him. Something else I found interesting was the color contrast in the movie. When he was in his regular life, everything was light and almost bland...

The scene that I wanted to talk about in the film Midnight in Paris  is around the 45:00 mark when the characters are looking at the huge paintings on the wall. I found this scene very interesting because Gil tried to assert his dominance about his knowledge of the paintings and this did not impress the other characters that he was with. The first part of the scene that we see is when they are in the huge white room with the Monet paintings on the walls. The paintings seemed to stretch across the walls and it was as if they were windows looking into different places of the world. Additionally, it was very zoomed out and the characters were in a particular part of the frame so that the focus was places on the paintings. Moreover, Gil seems to control where the camera moves because as soon as he is done talking, he walks to the left or right and goes out of where the camera is shooting. Additionally, he will also try to push Inez in that direction, showing that the director was cle...