Dear Basketball Poem Analysis | SuperSummary (2024)

Analysis: "Dear Basketball"

Kobe Bryant is the speaker of the poem. Kobe is the “I,” and he signs his letter, “Love you always, Kobe” (Lines 51-52), so it is clear that the speaker is Kobe, the man, instead of the formal name Bryant used for the author.

The reason Kobe writes his letter to basketball is to announce his retirement. When Kobe composed his poem, he was playing his 20th season in the NBA, and he lets basketball know that he won’t hang around for a 21st season. Since Kobe frames his poem as a letter, the poem is a part of the epistolary genre—a literary work in the form of a letter or letters. Due to Kobe’s deep love for basketball, the poem is also a love poem. Kobe treats basketball like a person and gives it a personal pronoun—a “you.” When a poet gives human characteristics to something nonhuman, they’re using a literary device known as personification. Here, personification allows Kobe to address basketball as if it’s a person who can hear and reciprocate his words and feelings.

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Kobe’s tone is intimate and sentimental. He gives the reader an up-close peek into his connection to basketball.

Dear Basketball Poem Analysis | SuperSummary (2024)

FAQs

Dear Basketball Poem Analysis | SuperSummary? ›

The poem's themes include Love and Obsession, Fate and Destiny, and When to Let Go. The poem sends the message that a person can let go of something even if they love it deeply. Aside from the poem, Bryant published a book, The Mamba Mentality (2018), to illuminate his dedication to basketball.

What is the main idea of the poem Dear Basketball? ›

“Dear Basketball” illustrated the poem Bryant wrote in 2015 as a farewell to the sport he loved; it served as his announcement that the 2015-16 season would be his last. In the poem, recognizing that his body can no longer bear the game's demands, he accepts the inevitably of retirement.

What is the message in Dear Basketball? ›

Dear Basketball vividly tells the story of life's endless possibilities when one dedicates their entire being to a purpose, whatever that may be. So today, be sure to laugh, love – and most of all – live.

What is a metaphor in Dear Basketball? ›

Bryant doesn't clearly spell out his obsession though, he builds to it by using classic metaphors like [his dad's] "tube socks," "the tunnel," and "sweat and hurt." Through use of these devices Kobe builds up the great love affair of his life and allows us, the reader, to experience this highs and lows of said romance.

What is the mood of the poem "Dear Basketball"? ›

It is not merely a love letter to the sport that had given him so much, but a deeply sad farewell to it: almost an expression of grief, or therapy for grief.

What is the main message of the poem? ›

The theme of a poem is the message an author wants to communicate through the piece. The theme differs from the main idea because the main idea describes what the text is mostly about. Supporting details in a text can help lead a reader to the main idea.

What is the central main idea in a poem? ›

Answer: The central idea of a poem is the poem's theme or 'what it's about' if you like. Although many shy away from poems being 'about' something, at the end of the day, the poet had something in mind when it was written, and that something is the central idea, whatever it is or might have been.

Who was Dear Basketball written for? ›

Dear Basketball is a 2017 American animated film written and narrated by Kobe Bryant and directed and animated by Glen Keane, with music by John Williams. It is based on a letter Bryant wrote for The Players' Tribune on November 29, 2015, announcing his retirement from basketball.

What is the allusion in Dear Basketball? ›

Allusion- In Dear Basketball Kobe alludes to the Great Western Forum which was the arena Kobe first played in, in his rookie season as a Laker. He then states this only year in the Forum made him realize he was in love with basketball. Personification- Dear Basketball personifies the game of basketball.

What did Kobe see himself running out of? ›

8- What did Kobe see himself running out of? ​A tunnel 9- Where did Kobe run? ​He ran up and down every court. 10- What did the ball 'ask' Kobe for?

What is the tone in a poem? ›

Tone is a literary device that conveys the author's attitude toward the subject, speaker, or audience of a poem. Tone is sometimes referred to as the “mood” of the poem, and can be established through figurative language and imagery.

What is the metaphor of the poem? ›

Metaphor is a common poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object. A beautiful example can be seen in the first stanza of The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, in the line: The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas…

What is the literal and metaphorical meaning of the ball poem? ›

The Ball is used as an imagery of the boy's childhood. So, the Poem literally portrays how a little boy is learning to cope up with his loss upon suddenly losing his favourite thing. And, metaphorically, it is the story of every human being who has to learn to deal with all the loss that he loves the most.

What is the message of Dear Basketball? ›

'Dear Basketball' by Kobe Bryant depicts the poet's love for the sport. He expresses his appreciation for basketball and how it made him into the person he became. Kobe Bryant was an American basketball player who spent his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

What is the central idea of the poem Dear Basketball? ›

Love and Obsession

While Kobe Bryant's retirement from basketball prompts the poem, the theme of love propels it. What pushes Bryant to play in the NBA for 20 years is his lifelong love for basketball, and love isn't a moderate feeling: It's an obsession.

What is the personification in the poem "Dear Basketball"? ›

Due to Kobe's deep love for basketball, the poem is also a love poem. Kobe treats basketball like a person and gives it a personal pronoun—a “you.” When a poet gives human characteristics to something nonhuman, they're using a literary device known as personification.

What is the main idea behind the poem? ›

Definition of Main Idea

It is the central message of a work of literature that the reader receives by the time they reach the end of the story, poem, book, etc. It is not the same as a theme, which can sometimes be summed up with one or a few words.

What is the main purpose poem? ›

It can also allow writers to express their emotions and allow readers to connect to those emotions. Poetry is also connected to aesthetics, or the exploration of what is beautiful in the world. The poetry of a particular culture is important when it comes to understanding that culture's history and values.

What is the main idea of the poem famous? ›

At its most basic level, the poem is about fame. But Nye treats fame as a construct of perspective: the result of imbalances of power, fear, unrequited love, and tragedy. The fame of an object to the subject may not exist in reverse, and the notoriety of both may not exist at all outside of their isolated relationship.

What is the central idea of the poem the school? ›

The major topic of the poem is the boy's dissatisfaction with having to go to school when he wants to enjoy the summer. It is our responsibility to give our children a healthy, happy, and free environment.

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