October Sky Essay Example for Free

October Sky Essay October Sky (1999) is one of those classic feel-good movies that leave its viewers feeling as though they are capable of anything with the right amount of effort. What makes this story in particular so compelling is that it is based on a true story. Homer Hickam, the film’s protagonist appeared to be just another kid from Coalwood, West Virginia that was destined to spend his life in the mines. However, he and his friends end up building rockets, studying physics and escaping the bleak future that lay before them. In the end, he and his friends Roy Lee and Quentin are able to leave the old mining town and become successful in their careers as engineers. My three favorite characters were Homer, Roy Lee, and Miss Riley—the teacher that went beyond the call of duty. Homer Hickam is such a likeable character because he is like everyman. He comes from a working class family, and does not seem to be a prodigy of any kind. Instead, he is passionate, ambitious and determined to go his own way in life, staying up late learning complex physics and mathematical problems and rocket design. Although his ambitions for his life differ remarkably from his father’s wishes for him, he demonstrates that it is possible to have total respect for someone anyway. In a conversation with his father he says, â€Å"Dad, I may not be the best, but I come to believe that I got it in me to be somebody in this world. And it’s not because I’m so different from you either, it’s because I’m the same. I mean, I can be just as hardheaded, and just as tough. I only hope I can be as good a man as you. Sure, Werner von Braun is a great scientist, but he isn’t my hero† (Homer Hickam, October Sky). Roy Lee was the second rocket boy that also aspired to leave the town as he did not want to die of black lung disease as his father had. He always had a smart comment for anything, mentioning that if they do not succeed in creating a rocket that worked, that neither he nor his friends would ever become non-virgins. He also had a flair for making fun of Quentin’s ‘hot gases. ’ Though his humor endears him to the viewers, his motives for success are actually more common than Homer’s. While Homer wants to learn about engineering and live a better life, Roy Lee wants to succeed because it will most likely get him laid. His friendship with Homer was solid. Miss Riley is a small, supporting role in this drama, and her story is the most tragic. After teaching for a few years, she passed away from Hodgkin’s disease at the age of thirty-two. She was the main force behind Homer’s success as she encouraged the trio to enter the state science fair and deepen their study of physics and mathematics, often working with them after hours. Now there is an award created in her name because of her uncommon dedication. Although his father appeared to be the main antagonist of the story in terms of actively discouraging Homer from his quest, it becomes quickly apparent that he believes that it would be less painful for his son if he would give up these dreams of space flight and settle down to more â€Å"practical matters. † Still, he comes across as difficult to like, he is authoritarian, aggressive, and completely unsupportive of his son. His wife and Homer both believe that the mine is his entire life and that he loves it more than his family. Unfortunately, the mines are one of the only places in the area where men can provide decently well for their families and it is unlikely that he had trained to do anything else. One of the few true movies around that show that one can succeed with a dream and a team of supportive people behind them, even in the most dire of circumstances. This is especially refreshing because many true stories on the cinematic screen often have such tragic endings.

Stanhope from Journeys End by RC Sheriff Essay -- Journeys End Hero

Stanhope from Journey's End Stanhope provides the most obvious candidate for the accolade of â€Å"hero† in Journey’s End: R.C.Sherriff has included many themes in Journey’s End; a play portraying the reality of trench warfare. Some of these include Comradeship, The horrors of war, Heroism and Relationships. My essay will be focusing mainly on the theme of heroism. The audience relate the word â€Å"hero† with mainly one character in the play. But the word hero has many positive connotations. A hero could be a person who â€Å"saves the day† or is a hero in somebody else’s eyes or maybe even his personality and how he interacts with other characters could also give him the status of being a hero. There are many aspects of Stanhope which rightfully award him the status of being a hero. The audience is first introduced to the possibility of Stanhope being a hero when we first meet Raleigh. A keen and un-experienced officer, Raleigh forces himself into Stanhope’s battalion. Stanhope was Raleigh’s hero ever since high school, and when he joins the company he expects to some e...

Based God Life Essay

Brandon McCartney grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended high school at Albany High in Albany. He adopted the name Lil B, and began rapping at age 16 with San Francisco Bay Area based hip hop group The Pack. After two locally successful mixtapes, at the peak of the Bay Area’s hyphy movement, the group’s song â€Å"Vans† became a surprise hit. The song was ranked as the fifth best of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine.[5] The strength of â€Å"Vans† led the group to release Skateboards 2 Scrapers, featuring a â€Å"Vans† remix with Bay Area rappers Too $hort and Mistah F.A.B.. In 2007, Lil B and The Pack released its first album, Based Boys. Solo success (2010–present) Aside from his involvement with The Pack, Lil B garnered popularity through the use of social media Web sites. He created over 155 MySpace pages in order to upload all of his music. He recorded over 1,500 tracks as of July 2010, including hits â€Å"Like A Martian,† â€Å"Wonton Soup,† â€Å"Pretty Bitch,† and â€Å"I’m God.†,[6] all of which were released for free. Lil B had apparently signed with Amalgam Digital in 2010 for a multiple album deal.[7][8] However, he appears to have only released one record through the label, and his subsequent records were released independently either through mixtape hosting website DatPiff, or iTunes. Slate columnist Jonah Weiner labeled him as one of a â€Å"growing number of weird-o emcees†, calling him a â€Å"brilliantly warped, post-Lil Wayne deconstructionist from the Bay Area†.[9] Lil B released Angels Exodus, on January 18, 2011, through Amalgam Digital, although he had previously released Rain In England on CD and Vinyl through Weird Forest Records in September 2010. On August 11, 2012, Lil B stated through his Facebook that the only official album he has released was the album Choices and Flowers under his alias â€Å"The BasedGod.† He said that all other releases by him are mixtapes and that he is currently working on his first official Lil B studio album.[10] Before the first Lil B album comes out he will release a rock album.[11] He has since stated he is working on a new album as â€Å"The BasedGod† called â€Å"Tears 4 God†, which was released on December 30 2012.[12] Controversy I’m Gay album When Lil B released his fifth album, titled I’m Gay, he received several death threats. Although he is heterosexual, he says the title is a message of support to the LGBT community. Referring to the original definition of gay, he says he is gay because he is happy.[13] Feud with Game In 2011, after hearing a verse from Lil B on the Lil Wayne mixtape Sorry 4 the Wait, Compton rapper Game referred to Lil B as the â€Å"wackest rapper of all time.† Lil B responded by calling Game â€Å"irrelevant,† to which Game then threatened Lil B.[14] Several weeks later, the two settled their differences through Twitter after which Lil B urged fans to purchase Game’s album The R.E.D. Album.[15] Feud with Joey Bada$$ Lil B took offense to rapper, and member of Pro Era, Capital Steez’s lyrics in Joey Bada$$’ song â€Å"Survival Tactics.† In this, he raps â€Å"They say hard work pays off / well tell the BasedGod don’t quit his day job.† Lil B responded with a song titled â€Å"I’m The Bada$$.† Joey Bada$$ then responded with a song titled â€Å"Don’t Quit Your Day Job!†.[16] A Lil B fan-group identifying as â€Å"Task Force† later prompted Joey Bada$$ to remove his twitter[17], which he later reactivated. Style Musical critic Willy Staley described Lil B’s work as â€Å"variegated†, because it ranges from critical parodies of the hip-hop genre to â€Å"half new age, half spoken word†. He further notes that Lil B draws from a large variety of genres, especially those not commonly used by other rappers. In an interview with Staley, Lil B agrees with this analys

Informative Speech Essay - 639 Words

Introduction: I. Sports icons like; Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan, Lolo Jones, Maria Sharapova, Walter Payton, Cristiano Ronaldo and Muhammad Ali all have a common ability that we all possess and that’s the gift of running. [Visual #1/ 30sec.] II. My experience as a marine opened my eyes to how important running is. From running 5miles every morning and in turn accomplishing more than I’ve been set out to do that day. I stand before you as a civilian now and though my surrounding may have changed I still run. [Visual #2/ Pics.] III. My theory is why distance yourself from the athletes and celebrities you watch and applaud on TV, when we all have the same physical capability to run. IV. Running isn’t just a random activity†¦show more content†¦4. Overcoming the obstacles of running equips you with a better focus and determination for your life.[Ref.#2] Conclusion I. Sometimes we have the best intentions for ourselves especially when it comes to our health. II. Yet an estimation of 2,600 daily deaths in the U.S result from an inactive physical lifestyle. [Ref.#3] III. Why live a life leading towards chronic diseases and premature deaths. IV. Many excuses are made for reasons why he or she can’t run, but think about it. Your life may be yours to live but who are you influencing? Who and what are you living for? So why not prolong the gift of life. V. It all starts with you because to better your life, you must better yourself. References 1. Ririan Project . 10 Benefits of Running, and How To Do It . Ririan Project , n.d. Web. 11 Feb 2013. lt;http://ririanproject.com/2007/10/22/10-benefits-of-running-and-how-to-do-it/gt;. 2. Little , Charlene . Yahoo! Sports . Running 2012: Top Ten Health Benefits of Running . Yahoo! Inc , 10 May 2012. Web. 11 Feb 2013. lt;http://sports.yahoo.com/news/running-2012-top-10-health-benefits-running-183200080--spt.htmlgt;. 3. Fares, . Healthy Lifestyle. 2,600 daily deaths due to sedentary lifestyle. You may be next!!. WordPress, 23 January 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2013.Show MoreRelatedInformative Speech Essay855 Words   |  4 Pagestype of speech would the speaker choose. Well chapter 13 contents the creative process for informative speaking. What informative speaking is how to choose a focused informative topic, how to conduct a research and informative outline? The chapter also contains how to organize the body, introduction, and conclusion of the informative speech. Lastly chapter 13 con tents explain how to prepare to present the speech and evaluate and informative speech. In order to make a well informative speech the speakerRead MoreInformative Speech912 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Informative Speech: The Causes of Homelessness Subject and Purpose 1. This informative speech on â€Å"The Cause of Homelessness â€Å"is very Inform able and worth listening to, because in today’s economy it could be you or me. Some seem to think homelessness is choice. 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