Characters In Going Fishing, By Norma Fox Mazer

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it,” Michael Jordan said when asked about his greatness. This six-time NBA champion is one of the most accomplished men in the history of sports and the world as a whole; despite, as a high school athlete, he was looked at as being to small to compete at the next level. Thereafter, Jordan is known to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. He is a man truly formed from hard-work and perseverance. Many think the life you were born into determines your identity, but identity is truly found from what is done to overcome life and one’s situation. In this quote, Jordan mentions all the different
In negative ways sometimes just as much as positive. In the short story, Going Fishing, by Norma Fox Mazer, Grace is scared by the image forced on her by her schoolmates. Grace is described as having a “massive body” (Fox Mazer, 57). Destroyed by society, Grace views herself as nowhere near lady-like. Grace remembers, “that day in the cafeteria hearing someone call her a buffalo.” This detrimental harassment of Grace puts her in a hole all by herself. Singling her out and putting her in this situation causes Grace to think very poorly of herself and have terrible thoughts that no one should be forced to deal with. It’s this treatment that gives Grace her silent, scared identity of
Coach Carter, as clearly stated by the title of the film, is an extremely impactful character. Carter comes into a high school basketball program which is struggling to keep it’s players in the gym, and not on the streets. The Richmond High School team learned many valuable lessons from Carter. Through blood, sweat, and tears, Coach Carter instilled a new mindset into his players. Towards the end of the film, when the boys are showing their new true colors of great men, Carter remarks, “I came here to coach basketball players, and you became students. I came to teach boys, and you became men.” This is an example of one-- how sports impact young players, and two-- how a coach, teacher, or parent can have a positive influence on the youth. Not only does Coach Carter teach his players about life and how to be successful, but his players teach him about standing up for what you believe in, and supporting your friends and family. Jason Lyle, a leader on Richmond, says to Carter about allowing Cruz, another player, to rejoin the team, “You said we’re a team. One person struggles, we all struggle. One person triumphs, we all triumph.” This was in my mind, the turning point in the movie. The players finally began to understand the bigger picture about life, and this quote assures that Coach Carter has made a great impact on their