Dear Basketball Symbols & Motifs | SuperSummary (2024)

Basketball as a Godlike Figure

In the poem, basketball symbolizes something all-powerful—it’s as if basketball is a godlike figure. The symbol doesn’t mean that Kobe Bryant doesn’t believe in God proper, or that basketball has pushed God aside. The link to God, or a god, is a way for Bryant to symbolize his deep, extensive relationship with basketball.

Based on history, God seems to call on certain people. The 17th-century English poet John Milton believed God called on him to help explain to the general public why Adam and Eve had to leave paradise (i.e., the Garden of Eden). In his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), Milton declares, “I may assert Eternal Providence, / And justify the ways of God to men” (Milton, John, Paradise Lost. G. Routledge, 1905).

Milton’s epic poem proves that he listened to God’s call, and Bryant’s poem (and his 20-year NBA career) proves that he obeyed basketball’s command. As the speaker says, “YOU called me” (Line 25). It’s as if Bryant had no choice in the matter. Like a god, basketball was too powerful to ignore. Explaining his choice to follow basketball’s orders, Bryant writes, “[T]hat’s what you do / When someone makes you feel as / Alive as you’ve made me feel” (Lines 27-29).

Dear Basketball Symbols & Motifs | SuperSummary (2024)

FAQs

Dear Basketball Symbols & Motifs | SuperSummary? ›

In the poem, basketball symbolizes something all-powerful—it's as if basketball is a godlike figure. The symbol doesn't mean that Kobe Bryant doesn't believe in God proper, or that basketball has pushed God aside.

What does the poem Dear Basketball mean? ›

It was released in 2015 when I was a sophom*ore in high school. He spoke about what the game of basketball meant to him and how much he poured into it. This is the true concept of doing something you love and appreciating everything it gave to you.

What is the central idea of the poem 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.

What literary devices are used in the poem Dear Basketball? ›

Kobe Bryant, shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, broke up with basketball on Nov. 29. Bryant announced his retirement from the team through poetry, using personification, apostrophe (the rhetorical device for talking to someone who isn't there), anthropomorphism, and repetition.

What is the author's purpose of 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.

What is the message behind the poem? ›

Message is the thing that encourages poets to create poetry. The message can be found after knowing the meaning of poetry. Message or advice is captured by readers as the impression after reading the poem. How the reader to conclude message poetry is closely related to the point of view of the reader toward something.

What is the idea 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 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.

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 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 of Dear Basketball? ›

Kobe's tone is intimate and sentimental. He gives the reader an up-close peek into his connection to 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 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 are the three main points for author's purpose? ›

Although there are many reasons to write, to persuade, to inform and to entertain represent the three main forms of author's purpose.

What is the author's message and purpose? ›

When an author's purpose is to entertain, he or she will usually tell a story or use humor to liven up a text. An author's message refers to the main or overall idea that an author is trying to convey to readers. Depending on the purpose of the text, readers may find the message in different places.

What is the author's main purpose in the story? ›

An author's purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition. An author writes with one of four general purposes in mind: 1. To relate a story or to recount events, an author uses narrative writing.

What is the meaning idea of the poem? ›

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.

What is the main idea or theme of the short film Dear Basketball? ›

For Bryant, the film was about “the beauty of finding what it is that you love to do, and then finding the beauty of knowing that, you know, you will not be able to do that forever.” Kobe Bryant with Glen Keane backstage at the Academy Awards in March 2018, after they won the animated short Oscar for “Dear Basketball.”

What is the message of the poem deer hit? ›

Analysis: “Deer Hit”

From its title alone, it is clear that “Deer Hit” uses figurative language and wordplay to convey a rueful, at times darkly comic, narrative illustrating both the consequences of bad decisions and the unavoidable imposition of bad luck.

What is the message of the poem ex basketball player? ›

In the poem Ex-basketball Player, by John Updike, Flick Webb, a man who use to be a star basketball player, lets his talents go to waste as he now leads an unhappy life as a gas station attendant. John Updike uses a critical tone to emphasize that the present excels the importance of the past.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Fredrick Kertzmann

Last Updated:

Views: 5640

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (46 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fredrick Kertzmann

Birthday: 2000-04-29

Address: Apt. 203 613 Huels Gateway, Ralphtown, LA 40204

Phone: +2135150832870

Job: Regional Design Producer

Hobby: Nordic skating, Lacemaking, Mountain biking, Rowing, Gardening, Water sports, role-playing games

Introduction: My name is Fredrick Kertzmann, I am a gleaming, encouraging, inexpensive, thankful, tender, quaint, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.