The Different Aspects of the Life of Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson playing in an all white baseball league was a turning point for our country. Jackie Robinson accepted Branch Rickey’s offer to join the Brooklyn Dodgers, his all white baseball team. The condition, however, was that Robinson would not stand up to defend himself, and instead respond with silence. Robinson opened the door for african americans in every aspect. He made it possible for them to join white leagues, accomplish their dreams, and make history. The movie 42 and the text “Sports Stars: Jackie Robinson” have many similarities and differences because of the author and director’s purpose. 

Both the movie 42 and the text Sports Stars: Jackie Robinson are there to inform the reader about many hardships and rewards. They both explain many hardships in Jackie Robinson’s life. Ben Chapman humiliated and verbally abused him. Despite the anger in him for being assaulted, Jackie Robinson did not fight back, just to keep that door from closing. His family was also threatened. Their lives, home, fortune, and everything they had, was put on the line because of Jackie Robinson pushing the door open. Both pieces of evidence also explain the good in Jackie Robinson’s life, and how he changed the world. Making mixed teams possible was one way he changed the world. If he hadn’t done what he did, who knows what our world would be like today? Another way both pieces of evidence are similar, is that they both show Jackie Robinson as a hero. Jackie Robinson endured physical hardships from many people, and some were on his team. He silently endured the pain. Robinson also endured verbal hardships from many individuals, such as from players on his team, other teams, the crowd and any other people who were angry with Jackie Robinson for joining an all white baseball league. Based on this evidence, I conclude that although Jackie Robinson faced many trials and hardships, there were also many rewards that he earned. 

However, the movie is still different from the article because of the author’s and director’s purpose. The movie is there to entertain us, as well as inform us. The movie shows how Jackie Robinson fit into the team in different ways, such as some scenes that had a bit of humor. The scene where one of his teammates asked Jackie Robinson to shower with him was one example. It informed us about how Robinson respected the wishes of his teammates while they treated him like a piece of garbage. The movie also shows many hardships that Jackie Robinson faced, while the article doesn’t really elaborate on them. One example of this is when Jackie Robinson was hurt really bad in the leg, and needed stitches. Also, the movie only talks about a certain period of time in Robinson’s life, while the article briefly summarizes his whole life. The movie shows how Branch Rickey asked Jackie Robinson to join his team, despite all the other profiles of African-American baseball players. In addition to this, it shows how terribly Robinson was treated in such a short amount of time. He was hit with a bat, tripped, punched, and much, much more, yet he still showed perseverance, patience, and persistence. The movie also shows how Jackie Robinson WAS eventually accepted as one of them amongst his teammates. One legendary action in the movie was when Pee Wee Reese placed his arm on Robinson’s shoulder, and faced the crowd before the start of a game. That simple action has gone down in history as a very important event. Another example is when Ben Chapman cursed at Robinson, and one of his teammates went up to Chapman and told him to put an end to his behavior. Ben Chapman eventually stopped, but not until his anger was out. His teammates played an important role throughout his career as well as his life. Most of them were there for him when he needed them most, although there were some that boiled with rage when they thought of Robinson on their team. This shows that Jackie Robinson wasn’t totally unaccepted in his team.  

The text “Sports Stars: Jackie Robinson” is different from the movie because of the author’s and director’s purpose. The text is there to simply inform us, with no signs of entertainment. It explains how Jackie Robinson opened the door for other African Americans to play on all white teams. It also explains how Robinson was a talented player and a vocal civil rights activist. This shows that Jackie Robinson helped open the door for other African Americans in ways other than playing baseball as well. Another difference is that the text “Sports Stars: Jackie Robinson” retells Robinson’s whole life. It starts by talking about the baseball player’s early life, such as birth date, birth place, family life, education, war, etc. The article continues on to talk about his achievements such as being the first black player on an all white baseball team. Jackie Robinson openly spoke out and changed the world into the place we know of today. He truly proved himself to be one of the most important people in our country’s history.Because of the author and director’s purpose, there are many similarities differences in the movie 42 and the text “Sports Stars: Jackie Robinson.” There is evidence in the movie that shows its differences from the text. On the other hand, there is evidence in the text that shows its differences from the movie. There is also proof that both the movie and the text are similar in many ways. Through adversity and prosperity, hardships and ease, Jackie Robinson remained true to his word to Branch Rickey; he never once did stand up for himself. 

“Image taken from https://www.jackierobinson.com/“