What does Branch Rickey tell his associates is his primary motivation for bringing a black player into the Brooklyn Dodgers organization? Throughout the film it becomes clear that Jackie Robinson means a great deal more to Rickey than he initially suggests- please describe some of the scenes that depict this. At the end of the film, Branch Rickey tells Robinson he’s able to love the game of baseball again- why do you think he says this? Rickey says his main motivation for escorting a black player into the Brooklyn Dodgers organization is that a righteous ball-player will bring them money, because money is not black or white- it is reen.
Branch Rickey tells Robinson he is able to love baseball again because he was able to view the upbringing of a player who did not let any obstacle end him. Rickey shows sympathy and respect toward Robinson by telling Reese the number of death threats he receives a day, and how Robinson does not let the notes fase him. Also, Rickey proves Robinson means an abundance to him by threatening his other players to get along with Jackie or they will suffer one way or another.
In addition, when Robinson walks off the field as he listens to the shoutings of racial slurs, Branch Rickey follows Jackie and motivates him to onvert his animosity into encouragement on the field. Branch Rickey tells Jackie Robinson he’s looking for a player with the courage not to fight back if he is persecuted, insulted, abused, and hated by players, officials, and fans. How can having a “thick skin” can be an advantage in life? How might things have turned out differently if Jackie had given in and lost his temper on the field?
Success often results from adapting to change. How do the various players of the Brooklyn Dodgers and other members of the league adapt differently to the addition of Jackie Robinson to the team? What happens to those who don’t adapt? The several players on the Brooklyn Dodgers adapt to Robinson being on the team by recognizing he is not different because of his skin color. They realize he is there for the same reason as them- to win. The other players who still believe they are superior to Robinson either quit, are fired or are traded.
They say they do not wish to play with someone of darker skin than themselves. 42 is a story of personal courage, of people with the guts to stand up against a situation that is both wrong and accepted by the masses. Do situations like this exist today? Do we all face these situations, even if on a smaller stage, in our own lives? Have you ever experienced one? What did you do? Was there something you’d do differently, if like Branch Rickey, you had the chance to go back and right an old wrong? 42 discusses the cruelty of discrimination and how often people commit the act.
Situations like this do occur today when people fear muslims because the majority of the world claim they are all terrorists. Everyone is viewed by the ethnic group they belong to, whether it be a negative way or positive, so we all face some sort of ituation similar to Robinson’s. I experience situations like his when I go to nearby towns for track meets because people there see us as inferior due to our team being mixed with minorities. I do not do anything about it because l am immune to these encounters. Still, I would not confront those people because I would be allowing the things they say about me to be right.
In addition, I am more than the way people view my ethnicity and race, so I could not care less about how they see me. Jackie Robinson tells Wendell Smith he doesn’t like, “needing anyone”. What does Smith say to Robinson that makes im realize their situations are not all that different and it’s probably ok to “need” the help of his friend? Do you think Jackie would have made it through the season if he hadn’t had the support of Wendell Smith, Branch Rickey, his wife, and eventually teammates like Pee Wee Reese? How can finding the right people support us increase our ability to stand up for what we believe in?
Smith shares with Robinson his struggles as an African American reporter; Smith is not allowed to sit in the press box, so he sits in the bleachers with his typewriter on his knees. This conducts a bond between Robinson and Smith ecause Jackie realizes he can relate to Wendell for he too is trying to achieve his goals in a world of discrimination. Robinson would not have made it through the season without Rickey, Mrs. Robinson, Smith, and Reese. These people kept Robinson motivated and taught him to overcome his obstacles no matter how high they are.
Rickey and Mrs. Robinson did this by showing their faith in Robinson. Smith showed his support by aiding Robinson in his everyday life and encouraging him to allow people’s assistance. Reese did this by fighting for Jackie when he was incapable of doing it for himself. When we have a support team in situations where we fight for our beliefs, it is beneficial being that if we collapse, they will be there to pick us up. For example, when people shouted racial slurs at Robinson, it was his support team that kept him from fighting back because Jackie not fighting back was him fighting for equality.
He proved to the audience that he was not what they snickered of him, he was superior. Are Jackie’s teammates, who at first do nothing when Jackie is ridiculed on the field, as guilty as the people who yell the racial slurs? When we pretend not to see bad behavior or injustice are e, in effect, saying it’s okay? Jackie’s teammates are as guilty as the people shouting racial slurs because- at first- they believe the words of those people. Also, his teammates are liable because they stand around as ignorant people taunt Jackie.
Therefore, when we choose to ignore wrongdoings we are allowing it to happen. For example, if someone witnessed a person getting shot, if they choose to say nothing, they are allowing the criminal to walk away as if they have done nothing wrong. It was obviously hard to watch the scene in which the Phillies manager, Ben Chapman, yells racial slurs at Jackie Robinson on the field. What thoughts did you have during this scene? How did you feel when Jackie’s teammate came out of the dugout to stand up against the Phillies manager’s racism?
How can being “under fire” sometimes propel us to heroism we didn’t know we were capable of? It was horrifying to witness the racial slurs people would yell at Robinson due to the pigment of his skin. It was beautiful to see Robinson’s teammate put aside the way he viewed people from a different ethnic group to rescue someone who was not allowed to defend himself. Sometimes when we witness cruelty we decide it is nacceptable, so we figure we should stick up for the underdog of the scenario.
For evidence, when Pee Wee Reese saw Robinson being attacked by someone else’s words, he perceived the honest wrong those words were doing. This led to his unexpected screams for justice and equality. After showing support for Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese receives a threatening letter, but when he takes the letter to Branch Rickey’s office, he soon learns that Jackie has received hundreds of mail threats. Can we ever really understand what another person may be enduring without walking in their shoes?
How id you feel when Reese stood beside Jackie on the field as a demonstration of support? Why did he choose to do this? It is impossible for us to comprehend the life of a person because we do not live it ourselves. Therefore, we cannot feel, think, or experience things the way another person does because of the different attributes we each contain. When Reese remained on Jackie’s side it was incredible to me. It showed the change Robinson’s placement on the team was making because he was able to change the negative perception a person has for an entire ethnic group.
Pee Wee Reese defended Robinson ecause he finally acknowledged the disgusting treatment the Phillies manager was delivering to Jackie. Why is April 15, 1947 such a significant date? What does Major League Baseball do annually to recognize this historic day? On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson was named the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. To honor Robinson, Major League Baseball retired his number for the entire sport, and named this day “Jackie Robinson Day”. On this day, people wear Robinson’s number to demonstrate the difference he made throughout the Major League’s and the country.
