To Good to be True

"Its not easy to be in the spotlight like he was at a young age. Theres a lot of focus. Theres a lot of scrutiny theres a lot of demands... This erases a lot of questions." (pg 255)

Coach Dan Bylsma is referring to Sydney Crosby, being at a young age of 23. He was Number one drafted in 2005 to the Pittsburg Penguins. With the talent that he has, there has to be a lot of pressure and expectancies that people have for him, he is under a lot of pressure and what the coach is explaining is what Sydney does and has to do is keep his head up focus and perform to his best possible.

For My Country

"I wanted to share the Stanley cup with the people of Russia" (pg 41)

At the beginning of the book it talks about the top hall of famers, and on that list is Igor Larionov, he played for the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002. Igor was called the "Wayne Gretzky of Soviet Hockey" (pg 42). What the average person does not seem to know is that Larionov fought the Soviet system on behalf of Russian hockey players to be able to play in the NHL. Claims were that they were being treated more like servants then human beings Igor demanded freedom. He was one of the highlights in Soviet hockey making the breaking point and made it possible for Russians to play in the NHL. He therefore he says this quote because he wants to prove to Fetisov (the Russian Coach who wouldn't let them play in the NHL) what he is all about and also to show that Russia can make an impact on a relatively North American Sport.

Everyone is Important

"When you look at team that win championships, it’s the guys you don't hear much about that make the real difference" (pg 150)

This quote is taking from the book “Then Wayne Said to Mario”, it talks about four of the greatest hockey players of all time and Bobby Orr said this at a Boston Bruins reunion 20 years after he helped win the Stanley cup. When he says this he is saying, that every team has its big shot players that you expect good playing from, but it is the guys on the team that you do not expect much from that make a difference in a game. "That’s why it’s the guys you don't always read about that become the key guys." (pg 150). Continuing to say that to play a good game of hockey, you have to keep a keen eye on everyone, because it is whole teams that win, not just a few players.

Assignment 2

“There is no direct address in literature: it isn’t what you say but how it’s said that’s important there.” pg 24

I find this quote out to be true. Every word means something, but saying it in a different tone could change how it is meant. People use literature as a way to express themselves, when poets write, they use literary devices to create a more imaginative story that you can get lost in, When public speakers present, they change the tone of there voice to change how the words they are saying are presented in a different manner. As you can see words on paper can be taking many different ways but still mean the same thing. This is why I would have to agree with Frye and his point.

Assignment #1

“One person by himself is not a complete human being…” I believe the Frye means that although we are all our own human beings, we wouldn’t be who we are without the people around us, who helped shape us into what we are today. I do agree with Frye on this point. One person all alone is not a complete human being, yes they do breathe and eat like everyone, but they don’t have the same view on life as others, they are missing out. In my case, I would consider myself a complete human being, I do not just think of myself or isolate myself from the world. I like to get involved, help others out and I enjoy being around company. Yes there is a connection to McCullough’s’ speech, in his speech he quotes Thomas Jefferson “I cannot live without books…” You could say that books define people, ask you questions you may not have asked yourself, pushed your knowledge to the limit and perhaps even helped you in some way. Going back to the quote “One person by himself is not a complete human” One could speculate that others people influences define you as a person and push you to your full potential.