The language features help communicate the poem’s message. The poet uses several literary devices to create an emotional response in the reader. Bryant published Dear Basketball in the Player’s Tribute (Kobe, 2015). The letter in the form of a poem is separated into stanzas. It takes the reader through Bryant’s emotional connection to basketball. He explains his childhood experience and his hard work to do the sport justice. In the end, the poem announces Kobe’s retirement. The nine-stanza poem is separated into an uneven set of lines. The range is from one to seven: no rhyme or metrical pattern. The poem is a free stance that all explains Kobe’s love for basketball (Baldwin, 2017). Literary devices are used to show emotions in poems. These include not limited to personification, alliteration, enjambment, sibilance, etc. Personification is one of the language features used in this one. It occurs when the poet gives non-human object human characteristics (Baldwin, 2017). Basketball is personified. Basketball seems to ask Kobe to work hard and give it his hustle. It is deep for someone to ask you to give him or her your hustle. Alliteration is when the word appears close together and has the same sound (Baldwin, 2017). For example, in the first stanza, “Game-winning” and “Great” (Kobe, 2015). Enjambment is evident, which forces the reader to move to the next line when the point is naturally cut off.
Stanza’s analysis explains how each line creates emotion in the reader. The introduction shows the burgeoning love for the sport. The imagery shows how determined he was to win. “Dad’s tube socks” and “shooting imaginary winning shots,” tell it all (Baldwin, 2017). The second stanza presents the use of an apostrophe. The intended listener (basketball) is spoken to as if they can hear and understand. “I fell in love with you” (Kobe, 2015) - Basketball—stanza three emphasizes the love for the game and how he dedicated spirit and soul. In stanza four, the reader is presented with a metaphor. He never saw the “end of the tunnel” (Kobe, 2015). Here the reader feels the attachment. For Kobe, it was a lifetime; nothing could break the bond. It felt like running out of the tunnel to the light.
In stanza five and six, Kobe informs the reader how he worked for his dream. He uses repetition to emphasize. He “ran.” The word is used to inform the reader how hard he worked to achieve his goals (Baldwin, 2017). The rhetorical question “what do you do to someone who makes feel alive” is emotional (Kobe, 2015). He says he played through the sweat and hurt, informing the reader of challenging moments in his career. Stanza seven and eight hammers the conclusion, he bid goodbye, although it is hard for him. In the end, he flashbacks the kid who used to roll up socks (Baldwin, 2017). It means that he hearts those moments so dear to him.
We can apply this poem to our lives in so many ways. It is an inspirational story told in the poem. The dream which we have are valid. We can use the zeal, passion, and purpose to achieve our goals in life. In our lives, we need to note some dreams need to be natured at an early age. Like Kobe did at age six, we need to focus on our dream early. Kobe reminds us that in our lives, we must work for what we want to achieve. Success is not given to us; we must be willing to work for it to make it. It is sometimes challenging, but we must persevere. Kobe tells how he worked through sweet and hurt. We can take inspiration from the poem to help us deal with challenging times in our careers. It is important to thank those who helped you get to the top. It is a virtual we need to apply in our lives. Kobe thanked basketball, “I will forever love basketball” (Kobe, 2015).
References
Baldwin, E. (2017). Analysis of Dear Basketball by Kobe Bryant | A Love Poem to Basketball. Poem Analysis. Retrieved 6 September 2020, from https://poemanalysis.com/kobe-bryant/dear-basketball/.
Kobe, B. (2015). Dear Basketball | By Kobe Bryant. The Players’ Tribune. Retrieved 6 September 2020, from https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/dear-basketball.
Cite this page
Kobe Bryant's Dear Basketball: An Emotional Farewell - Essay Sample. (2023, Nov 30). Retrieved from https://speedypaper.com/essays/kobe-bryants-dear-basketball-an-emotional-farewell
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.
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.
In 'Dear Basketball,' Bryant expresses a deep emotional connection and a reflective sadness about leaving the sport he dearly loves, indicative of a melancholic tone.
This is my favorite poem because this is how Kobe Bryant announced his retirement. 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.
The Mamba Mentality - Eye-opening Life Lessons From Legend Kobe Bryant Kobe was famous for his relentless work ethic and his intolerance of those who did not share it. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses. As hard as you think you can work, you can work harder than that.
“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.
Kobe Bryant Quotes. Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise. The mindset isn't about seeking a result—it's more about the process of getting to that result. It's about the journey and the approach.
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.
As Bryant himself explained: “Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most,” he said. “It's the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit.
A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.
The poem is in free verse. As the name indicates, Kobe Bryant is free to give his poem the form he wants. The lines don't have to contain a set amount of beats (pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables), and the lines don't have to rhyme.
The letter, "Dear Basketball," is written to the game of basketball, telling the game that he will soon be walking away. Although his heart still wanted the next victory as passionately as ever before, the miles and miles had added up. Kobe knew that no athlete plays forever.
The poem was an ode to the sport of basketball, to the game that afforded him so many invaluable opportunities both on and off the court; to the game that he loved. It was also an admission that after 20 years he was finally ready to let go of his first true passion.
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 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.
I could say that the theme of “Ex-basketball” focuses on the fact that if one does not work hard on achieving their goals, they will not succeed in reaching their dream. In fact, the outcome of not reaching your goals can lead to frustration and disappointment in life.
These lines suggest that the game of basketball isn't just about sport for the characters; it's intertwined with their lives, their growth, and their experiences of love and maturity. It shows how their engagement with the game is influenced by and reflects their journeys.
Summary: With basketball as its backdrop, this love story succeeds in developing two characters who are caught in the web of life trying to figure out how to achieve their goals without forfeiting family and friends. Love and Basketball has great messages that many families might have benefited from.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
