Hoop Dreams Essay
Pursuing a dream, the central idea in Steve James’s film Hoop Dreams, is a story of hope. Hope for success. Hope for fame. Hope to one day to make it in professional basketball. Hoop Dreams depicts two young men, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who reside in the Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago. Each has been given the opportunity to attend a private school because of their phenomenal basketball skills. Both young men begin with the same goal in mind, to play professional basketball. William and Arthur experience American life and the strength of the American which are described through negative and positive examples throughout the film.
American life is full of hope and challenge. William and Arthur’s dream of playing professional basketball represents both aspects. They need basketball to achieve their dream of becoming rich and famous. Through basketball, they are both given a chance to attend St. Joseph, a private school in the suburbs. They do not fit in with the typical students at the school, but they realize their families depend on their success in order to have a better life. There is tremendous pressure to succeed in not only sports, but academics as well. Both characters believe that they can play professional basketball. They see this as their way out of poverty and the projects. For William and Arthur’s families, American life is in the projects. They believe that achieving a successful basketball career is the way out. William endures much physical pain and difficulty due to an injured knee. Arthur is not only extremely poor, but goes home to a crack addicted father and a mother without a job. Pursuing the dream of joining professional basketball becomes even more difficult when he can no longer afford tuition at St. Joseph’s and returns to public school. These young men endure many obstacles to achieving their goal of playing professional basketball but they believe in themselves and their abilities to achieve the American dream. William and Arthurs experiences described in the film represent American life as a whole and the many hardships that have to be overcome to reach success.
The Essay on Hoop Dreams Arthur William School
... to be able to reach the professional level of basketball. Hoop Dreams paints a detailed pictur Hoop Dreams Ben Joravskypages 130 through 240 In ... be able to pay Arthur's tuition if he played basketball for them. Arthur went to St. Joe's and met William Gates. They had become ... of many young men and women as it portrays the American dream. It involves two young men who reside in the housing ...
In Hoop Dreams, the American dream is defined as becoming rich and achieving fame. This can be compared to a traditional definition of being reasonably prosperous and making a difference. The movie represents the American dream by following desires and becoming better through both having immense dedication to a goal and bettering one’s education. Through all of this, both William and Arthur have no doubt if they will go pro. This motivation is the cornerstone of the American dream. Basketball is the only way out of poverty for William and Arthur. No one who makes an appearance in the film suggests any alternative ways out of poverty and hardship. Perhaps this is why such strain and responsibility is placed on those that have the opportunity to make a living out of playing basketball. This dream of wealth and fame leads both boys to put all they have into the sport. This enduring desire represents the power behind the American dream.
Throughout the film there are many positive examples of William and Arthur following their dream. They are motivated not only to play basketball but to receive a better education in pursuit of their hoop dreams. Struggling through many hardships, both boys mange to overcome difficulties because of positive reinforcement they receive and the motivation to provide for themselves and their families. The drive to have a better life that professional basketball can provide is echoed through the strength of the American dream.
The Essay on Hoop Dreams William Arthur Movie
Hoop Dreams: Trying to make dreams come true In the movie Hoop Dreams, we are introduced to two teens that both have dreams of making it to the NBA. The movie stars William Gates and Arthur Agee. Both teens are recruited to play for St. Joseph high school. After their freshman year, the boys are already headed on opposite paths. Arthur did not do as well as William, so he has to leave the school. ...
Hoop Dreams portrays negative viewpoints of following the American Dream. The one chance that William and Arthur have to get out of poverty is through basketball. If either fails, the consequences affect their lives and the lives of their family members. The pressure to succeed in basketball places tremendous stress on both players, but especially on William. His coach puts enormous pressure on him and it is evident that he is affected by the coaches’ intensity. In the film, William states that he wishes he could just play basketball again for the sake of playing basketball without all of the many outside influences and pressures. He sums up the attitude of the coach by saying that people always say to him, “When you get to the NBA, don’t forget about me.” He goes on to state that he should have replied, “If I don’t make it to the NBA, don’t you forget about me.”
William and Arthur have the potential to play professional basketball. It is far from easy to reach that goal. Both boys discover that their dreams of professional glory become obscured amid the intense pressures of academics, economics and athletic competitiveness. The film is about the American dream, success and failure. All of these are found not only on the basketball court but in school, at home and in American society as a whole.
