Today's episode had one of those great, possibly improbable, moments in the series when Coach Taylor gets the entire team out on some lonely country road and has them do wind sprints (hence the episode's title) in the driving rain. Or not. Is it any more improbable than the stories we get in the book of players who "leaned the much-admired lesson of no pain, no gain" (44) like the player whose testicle "swelled up to the size of a grapefruit and by the time the doctor saw him, it was too late; it had to be removed" (44)? We also see, as Sam predicted, Lyla and Riggins get together; dramatic but, again, possibly improbable. But again, there is Don Billingsley's mother, who lets her son live with her train wreck of an ex, "but since she herself had been a Permian Pepette during Charlie's senior year, she understood" (82). People do funny, improbable things, do they not?
So as you think back on the episode which we left as Jason is being moved to a special care facility and Lyla has just given him a kiss, and as you think back on the last couple chapters of the book, but in particular for today, Chapter 4 (Chapter 5's examination of racism in Odessa we will address soon enough), answer the following questions in the following order: the first four of you who blog, answer number 1 ; the second 4, number 2; nine through twelve number 3; and the final four number 4.
1. Why did Eric drag his team out in the middle of the night for wind sprints? Did he have a specific purpose? Or was it simply anger? And if he did have a purpose, did he achieve it—and how do we know he achieved it?
2. Tyra is one attractive young woman—not surprisingly she is with Tim Riggins, over whom every female he runs into swoons. Yet Tim unceremoniously dumps her. Why?
3. It's a powerful moment when Lyla finds Riggins walking back from the wind sprints. She slaps him, tells him—not incorrectly—that he's being selfish for not visiting his best friend in the hospital; she also reveals her own growing self-awareness about her own self-involvement and naivety, maybe even arrogance. What do we see her realize about herself her—and how did she get to this realization?
4. This scene ends with, as Sam predicted, Lyla making out with her boyfriend's best friend. Whoa! What's up with this? Explain this.
Now all of you answer the following:
5. We determined pretty quickly that Peter Berg based Matt Saracen on Mike Winchell and Tim Riggins on Don Billingsley. Pick either Saracen-Winchell or Riggins-Billingsley and draw the connection between the fictional character and his real counterpart. Quote a couple times from the book in your answer. Please, in doing this, don't simply repeat what others before you have said. Pick a different quote than others have, if you can; try to make another original point, ok?
6. Finally: what is your reaction to Don Billingsley's comment at the end of Chapter 4?
That's it. Everyone has three questions to answer. See you tomorrow, where we'll finish the episode and try to get two more in before the end of class.
When Smash started talking in a "me-first" action on TV, Coach Taylor decides to take action and drag the whole team to a lonely road to do wind sprints in the pouring rain. But it wasn't just because of Smash, and it wasn't Smash's fault. Following their first loss post-Street, the whole team was in a me-first mood, and Coach Taylor knew he had to change that. One of the biggest sports statements of all time is: "There is no I in team," After a while, you might get tired of hearing that, but it is unbelievably true, especially with a football team. There are many players and positions on a football team which all need to work together, one player can't do all the work and win a game. So knowing that they wouldn't win another game with that kind of attitude, Coach Taylor knew he had to switch it around to a team effort. I believe that bringing the whole team together for a hard task like wind sprints in the rain and force the group to work together. We notice that at the end of their sprints, the team comes together to recite the uplifting chant: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!"
ReplyDeleteThe best connection between a real-life character and its TV counterpart is between Saracen and Winchell. With the other characters, you can relate various different characters to one person, but I can't seem to relate any other character to Winchell than Saracen. Both players are nervous quarterbacks. They are both shy, a little awkward, and a bit of social misfit in both of them. Both also seem a bit vulnerable and a little naive.
Finally, I believe that Billingsley comment was completely out of line, but also maybe out of context. In my opinion, I think Billingsley's comment was in the moment, because he was angry about losing his position. I don't think he is racist or hates blacks, he was just disappointed in himself that he wasn't playing well and he was losing his spot.
Eric drags the whole team out in the middle of the night for wind sprints out of anger and with a purpose all at the same time. Obviously, he takes his team out for sprints because he is furious that Smash talked about him negatively to the press, as shown on television all over Dillon. The fact that a coach is humiliated by his own player is enough to drive any coach up the wall, but the fact that it is shown throughout the whole town where football is everything makes it much worse. It shows everyone as Eric as a coach who has no control over his players, and they show him no respect. This is not, and should no be tolerated by coach Taylor, and he acts out in his anger and makes the whole team run like hell. But besides his anger, coach Taylor also takes his team out to run sprints with a purpose. Besides Smash talking out against Eric and not giving his all every second, there is Riggins. Tim does whatever he wants and shows absolutely no motivation and heart. There is one practice where he just simply looks at coach Taylor and leaves his practice. The whole team sees themselves as these celebrities who can do whatever they want, because that's how they are treated. So, coach Taylor takes them out to do sprints very late at night in order to remind them that they are still football players. To remind them that they are still part of a team. To remind them that the goal is to win a state championship, not act like champions before they've reached that. Coach Taylor reminds them that he is still the coach and that they have a job to do. I feel like in making the whole team run, coach Taylor succeeds in reminding them of these things. Smash shows his heart in running, and Tim breaks down and cries, repeating "yes sir" to everything that coach Taylore says after they are finished.
ReplyDeleteA main connection between Saracen and Winchell is the fact that they are both very poor and taking care of their families. They are both somewhat ashamed of their poverty. "He awoke early that day, in the darkness of the shabby house on Texas Avenue that shamed him so much he wouldn't even let his girlfriend enter it" (p. 8). "'He never wants me to come in,' said his girlfriend, DeAnn," (p. 76). And then, on top of the poverty, they are taking care of their families by themselves. Saracen's father is in Iraq, and he is given the job of taking care of his grandmother who is mentally not completely okay. In the book, Winchell's dad dies when Mike is thirteen, and he is left to take care of his mother who is also ill. The hardships that these two have to endure in taking care of their families, on top of the pressure of being quarterbacks with so much on the line, makes them so similar. They both have the challenge of being the absolute best in football and making sure everything is right at home, being the man in the house.
To me, the comment that Don makes seems totally out of line and just inappropriate. That word is not acceptable to use, and Don knows that. But also, I think it's important to take the environment Don's in into thought. In Odessa, racism seems a little more acceptable, or at least more common and open. This may just be normal talk to Don, as awful as that is.
I think Eric dragged his team out in the middle of the night to do wind sprints in order to teach them a lesson about discipline and acting like a team. I think Eric is also angry after watching one of his starting players talk about him needing to win during a television interview. This moment is what sends him over the edge and fuels him to demand in the middle of the night to hold a tough practice. He wants to teach his players a lesson about the strength and perseverance they need to have as a team in order to become better during their season. Also, doing gruesome wind sprints in the middle of the night must help bond the team and make them believe in themselves and each other. They helped each other push through the workout and in the end succeeded in finishing it. It showed them in inner strength they have and built up their endurance, which will help them in their season. Eric definitely achieves his goal of bringing his team together because Smash starts chanting to rally his teammates and they all join in and they end up running more. It showed them how much they can endure as a team and the strength they have when they work together.
ReplyDeleteTim Riggins’ character is similar to Don Billingsley in the way that he acts. Tim is drunk most of the time and shows up to practice half drunk. During an interview during the first practice, the reporter even asks Tim if he’s drank anything and that he smells alcohol coming from Tim. Don “had taken his first drink in fifth grade and by the time he was a senior had built up quite a reputation fro drinking.” When he moved to Permian, Don “raided the liquor cabinet” a lot. So both Riggins and Billingsley drink a lot. Not only that, they both have a brooding attitude. Tim Riggins always has his hair in his face and looks angry. Don struggles in dealing with his father and doesn’t seem like a happy kid. Also both have a tense relationship with Smash/Boobie. In the television series Tim almost fights with Smash at a diner and throws a bottle through the window next to Smash. Don feels hatred towards Boobie because Don is racist and openly believes that he came to Permian just “to have a black kid come in and steal away his chance at glory” and that “the injury to Boobie hadn’t made a damn bit of difference.”
Obviously I think Don’s comment was extremely hateful and racist and wrong. Yet, can we really blame Don for using that word based on the way he’s been raised and the community and time period he lived in? I know this is no excuse for the inappropriate thing he said but I think he doesn’t know much better because of the racist society he’s been raised in. He’s just a product of Odessa, Texas.
I think Eric Taylor taking his team out to do wind sprints in the rain shows how good of a coach he truly is. I agree with Sam that he is definitely motivated by anger to take his boys out late in the night, but I do not think he does this to spite them. I think Smash’s comment on tv was just the breaking point that made Eric realize what he needed to do. Eric realizes that the Dillon Panthers are no longer one team but a group of individuals each trying to upstage the other. He knows he needs a find a way to take them off the pedestals the town of Dillon places them on. They all think of themselves as gods and do not need the whole team to thrive. He needs a way to remove them from their god status, and that is exactly what he does. Making the team run wind sprints in the pouring rain turns these boys from the gods they think they are into real boys who’s are under the power of one coach. These boys may be considered gods in the eyes of the citizens of Dillon, but in reality, they are boys. I believe Taylor is trying to show them this. Taylor knows they will not respond to yelling or criticism. The only way to reduce their status in their own eyes is put them in a position where they feel powerless, and the only way for them to feel power is to be untied. Taylor succeeds and this is shown by all the boys yelling their chant “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” together.
ReplyDeleteWinchell and Saracen are similar in their family status. Matt’s grandmother is sick and Mike’s mother is not quite right. Each one of them has to be the head of the family and run the house. Besides similarities in their home life, they are also very similar in the way they conduct themselves on the field. Winchell says “it was hard not to feel overwhelmed” (8) going into football games, and the series makes it clear Saracen is incredibly overwhelmed by playing football for the Dillon Panthers. Saracen also appears to work very hard. He wants to be QB one for the Panthers even though he is scared out of his mind. This is similar to Winchell who “persevered, a coach’s dream who worked hard and became a gifted student of the game of football” (76). Like Matt, Mike lacked confidence and “caused some of his teammates to lose faith in him” (76). It is clear from the first few episodes that Mike is going to make a good quarterback, but his teammates don’t believe in him as much as they believed in Street. Winchell also has to fight for this trust from his teammates. Both Winchell and Saracen are great players, but I don’t think they have gotten the credit they deserve.
I think Don’s comment was absolutely wrong. His comment is coming from the deep-rooted racism of the South. I think Don’s reaction shows another side to the already terribly depressing Odessa. Don just happened to be the character shown to us who made the comment, but I do not doubt that many others in Odessa think this way. It is a product of the society they live in. I also think Don’s comment came out of anger. Don thought this could be his season to dominate, and he doesn’t prove that he can hold that responsibility. Instead of understanding this, he takes out his anger the only place he can find, racism.
1. Coach Taylor dragged the team out to run in the rain, because when Smash was talking to the press, he said some bad things about how the team was being coached. Eric was pissed off because of this, but there was more to it then just anger. He wanted to make the team realize that they needed to become a team. After Jason got injured the team kind of fell apart. Everyone was yelling at Saracen and doing their own thing. Riggins, who is obviously isn’t dealing with Jason’s injury well, blames himself and can’t seem to focus on football. He just doesn’t seem to care about it. As a coach Eric needed to show the team who’s in charge and demand their respect. He was also trying to get the team to pick themselves back up and they did. Their transformation into a team from a group of individuals takes place when Smash starts the chant and gets the team pumped up. He motivates them to keep working hard even though they are all exhausted. That type of thing is exactly what the team needs.
ReplyDelete5. There are lots similarities between Tim Riggins and Don Billingsley. They both drink, have a parent or older sibling pushing them to do better in football and they both are tough. Tim lives with his older brother who won state back in high school and Don’s father was also a football legend in Odessa. Both of these characters are disappointed with Riggins/Billingsley’s repeated fumbles. In the book Charlie says, “I got him to live through, and that’s something pretty special.” (84) This goes along with the disappointment in Don’s play, because since Charlie is living vicariously through Don that means that he cares more about the outcome and family name then Don. He isn’t supportive of Don; he relies on him which puts pressure on Don to do better. Both Billingsley and Riggins are in tough situations.
6. I think that Don’s comment was unacceptable. Even though it is understandable that he is upset about losing his position that still isn’t something he should have said. In chapter 5 Bissinger talks more about the racism in Odessa. Form this it is obvious that things like this get said all the time in Odessa and it is part of the social norm there, but that still doesn’t justify it.
2. Tyra is attractive and dangerous. She has a large personality and is fully comfortable with her sexuality and knows how to “play the game” per say. As Tim struggles with coping with Jason’s accident and blaming himself, he is doing some serious self-examination to figure out everything in his own life. He is torn with the fact that his best friend is lying in a hospital bed and will never be the same again, and here he was on the field able to prevent it (so he thinks). Here he is, able to run and play football and do everything that Jason cannot, but yet he does not feel the passion or intensity or even the care enough to be there and giving football his all. I think with Jason’s accident, it gave Riggins almost a reality check that he is, in fact, mortal and this accident may as well have been him. With all of the personal turmoil going on in his life, I think Riggins realizes that he wants space from Tyra and everyone to figure himself out. He’s scared, he’s just a kid. Riggins dumps Tyra because of his personal life also and because he has tried to harden himself so much from vulnerability that he has almost forgotten how to care about what is important to him.
ReplyDelete5. I think the most prominent connection between Winchell and Saracen is the connection to family, but most of all the feeling of responsibility to take care of everyone. In the beginning when Winchell’s brother tells him, “You were the most special thing in his [Dad’s] life” (74), it immediately establishes Winchell’s role as the steady one in the family, the one who keeps everything together even when it seems like everything is falling apart. Another telling quote is, “The one ceaseless complaint is that he [Winchell] thought too much, and he knew that was true…” (76). Winchell has always been a thinker because of the supportive role he has had to play in his family, and it ends up showing through all aspects of his life, especially football. Saracen is very similar, caring for his grandmother, cooking for her and making sure that she takes her medications, on top of figuring out how to be a kid. To me, the biggest connection between Saracen and Winchell is how to balance being a kid with playing such an adult role in the family.
6. I think Billingsley’s final comment is very telling about his upbringing and his cruel way of playing the game, both of life and football. In his small Southern town, of course there is racism planted in society, but the way he openly says this is appalling. It goes to show that in this town if you cannot make it to the top yourself or if you fail at something, and then blame someone else who is succeeding more than you. That is what Billingsley does here. He blames a black person for taking his spot because he is jealous, most mostly because he can.
It isn’t 100% clear why Tim dumps Tyra, but it could be because he still hasn’t gotten over Jason’s injury and has been preoccupied. He has been thinking about it a lot, as it shows him sitting in the film room rewinding the play where Jason gets injured and watching it over and over again. He knows about Tyra and Smash, so she isn’t taking the relationship seriously and isn’t loyal to him. He also isn’t loyal, as it showed him kissing the pepette. He is more worried about football and his drinking than to make time for Tyra. He feels guilty for Jason’s injury, and can’t get his mind off of Jason. And there is a small chance he was thinking about Lyla and was interested in her.
ReplyDeleteTim and Don are very similar characters in the book and the movie. They both have drinking problems, and they both live with an older family member. Tim lives with his brother, and Don lives with his dad Charlie, but “Living with Charlie was sometimes more like living with an older brother or a roommate than with a father.” (82) Both Characters have to grow up on their own. Don and Tim are also seen as really tough. Coach Taylor tells Tim he was supposed to be one of the toughest players in the disrict, and Don is described as “a fighter”. In the show, Tim gets in a fight with Smash, and in the book, Don gets in a fight with Boobie. “Although he gave up about five inches and forty pounds to Boobie, he took him down easily” (83). Don and Tim are two of the most closely related characters in the book and show.
Don’s comment would be viewed as hateful and inappropriate today in Atlanta, but in 1988 in West Texas it was probably very ordinary. It shows how the people in Odessa aren’t very cultured and aren’t very informed. I think that that type of comment would be far less likely to be heard nowadays in Odessa. This also shows that Don’s hatred of Boobie could also include a racial side to it, or Don’s hatred of Boobie has made him more racist.
I think that Tim dumps his attractive girlfriend, Tyra, for two reasons. The first is that he feels he doesn't deserve her. In today's episode, we learned that Riggins blames himself for Jason Street's injury. We caught an earlier glimpse of this guilt when he sits and replays the tape of the tackle over and over again. Because Tim thinks that he is responsible for essentially ruining his best friends life, he gets angry with himself. In this frustration, he ignores his girlfriend, Tyra, thinking that he is a life-ruining person, which ultimately leads to their breakup. The second reason he dumps her is that he is jealous. He asks her something along the lines of "how was it with Smash" because he assumes they had sex, even though they didn't. He especially doesn't like the idea of them together because Smash is his nemesis. These two reasons cause Tim Riggens to dump Tyra.
ReplyDeleteThere are many characteristics shared between Billingsly and RIggins. They play the same position of tailback, although they struggle to hold onto the ball. They are notorious drinkers. Billingsly was caught drunk at school, and Riggins gets his pepette to give him alcohol on game day.They both have a guardian who pushes them to play football. And, they both dislike Boobie/Smash. Tim Riggins and Smash get into arguments often on the show. Tim says to the interviewer that he does not like him. In the book, Don Billingsly "knew [black players] had talent. It was just the way some of them swaggered around that bothered him" (88). He is clearly talking about Boobie in this Quote, along with other black players. Tim and Don don't like Smash and Boobie because of their confidence.
I think what Don said at the end of chapter four was not intended to be racist, even though it was. The first line in chapter five says the n word "poured out in Odessa as easily as the torrents of rain that ran down the streets after an occasional storm" (89). Clearly the Odessa culture is racist. Tim said what any upset white person at that time would say. He's no more racist than the rest of them. So he alone cannot be blamed for being racist.
The predominant contributing factor to Tim’s nonchalant breakup with Tyra was, in my opinion, the rift that created a divide between Tim and the football culture of Dillon following the announcement confirming that Jason suffered a debilitating injury during the team’s opening game. Placing the brunt of the blame upon himself, even though he was over thirty yards away, rendering any potential attempt to prevent Jason from suffering an unforeseeable injury completely infeasible, Tim begins to question the morals and values of the Dillon football culture. Seemingly in denial over his friends career ending injury, in addition to the manner in which Tim perceives the team abandons Jason and readily moves forward insidiously irks him in the days culminating to his eventual early departure from practice in a fit of infuriating frustration, Tim begins to question whether football is truly all that is relevant within Dillon, and especially within the world outside of a town shrouded by seclusion such as Dillon. Therefore, prior to Coach Eric’s conversation with Tim in which Tim was forcibly alleviated of the blame he placed upon himself following Jason’s injury, Tim sought to disassociate himself from what he perceived as the malevolent football culture of Dillon, and Tyra, and numerous individuals akin to her, being an integral part of that culture was readily forsaken and abandoned by Riggins.
ReplyDeleteThe main factor drawing Winchell and Saracen together is their premature elevation to the status of man of the house, both for different reasons yet with the same effect. “After Billy died, Mike’s life didn’t get any easier. […] At home he lived with his mother, who worked at a service station convenience store as a clerk. They didn’t have much money” (75-76). Saracen’s father is in the military, presumably due to the lack of available employment within Odessa in addition to the family’s seemingly impoverished household, thus requiring him to seek work abroad to provide for his family. Both boys’s newly assumed roles as men of the house add an entirely newfound complication to their already arduous lives. With the immense pressure only strengthened by this newfound role, both Saracen and Winchell find it difficult to perform well under stressful conditions due to the staggering number of worries plaguing their minds. “He started at quarterback his junior year at Permian, but his own obvious lack of confidence caused some of his teammates to lose faith in him in a tight game” (76), Bissinger states, exemplifying the difficulty faced by Winchell with having to carry the wearisome burden of being the arguably most important starter on the Permian football team. Both Winchell and Saracen display the unbearable amount of pressure placed upon the players by both Dillon and Permian, and with so many other pressing matters occupying their mind’s, it exemplifies their mental stability and durability that they both haven’t become broken men.
Billingsley serves as the embodiment of sentiment directed against African Americans within Odessa, as well as many whites willingness to utilize race as a means to rationalize and mitigate their failings. Instead of simply stating that many of the African American running backs possessed talent superior to his own, Billingsley states that they are in the position they are in simply due to the fact that they are black. However, Billingsley was correct in stating that following an injury to an African American running back another is seamlessly transferred into his position with little meaningful thought directed towards the injured member of the team, alluding to the dehumanization of many minorities within Odessa. This creates an interesting contrast, as while Billingsley is wholly assimilated within the racially prejudiced culture of Odessa, he is able to view Odessa from a foreign perspective as well.
2. Tim's relationship with Tyra lacked both faithfulness and solidity. Tyra's open flirtation with Smash and Jason in the first episode provided evidence of she and Tim's instability, as well as Tim's kissing "his" rally girl. There are several maybes in answering why they separated. Maybe Tim grew weary of his weakening relationship. Maybe his resentful feelings towards Smash play a factor in his decision to break up with her, seeing as she has expressed attraction to him in the past. Maybe he's so immersed in Jason's accident that having such an insubstantial relationship is something of trivial matter, and he can't be bothered with it anymore.
ReplyDelete5. Saracen and Winchell share certain attributes in that they are both reserved characters, they both feel embarrassment towards their domestic state, and they are both promising quarterbacks. Mike's problem was that "whenever he threw the ball he didn't just wing it, go with his instincts, but sometimes seemed to agonize over it, a checklist racing through is mind even as he backpedaled." (76) Matt's anxiety on the field parallels this. I agree with Rachel: the whole idea of fulfilling people's expectations and ensuring their decision to trust him is nothing but overwhelming. His fumbles and indecisiveness indubitably illustrate this. Mike lives under taxing conditions - his father has died, his relationship with his mother is estranged, and he lives with his grandmother, whose economic state isn't much better than his immediate family's. Matt also lives with his grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, and Matt has to be the caretaker of both his house and his grandmother. In terms of their playing skills, Mike evidently has the talent, which was proven when he was a kid playing in Little League. Matt, I believe, has the talent as well, he is just unsure of how and when to execute it.
6. Don's comment was uncalled for, but expected. If he was a prodigy at his previous school, of course he would be upset about someone else stepping into his limelight, especially if that someone else is part of a race that he tends to not respect or tolerate. I'm not legitimizing what he said, but it's so characteristic of him and the people who live in Odessa to make a statement like that.
3. The moment with Lyla and Tim is very powerful, because of the spectrum of emotions that is portrayed. I honestly think that Lyla has just realized that she is just a helpless puppet of the corrupt society of Odessa, and that it’s too late for her to change that. She has been brought up to believe that football is her ticket to a comfortable life, and that nothing is more important than her social status and maintaining appearances. She is self-righteous in a naïve way that just makes me cringe a little bit. I think that the creators of the series intentionally throw in an excess of her saying something along the lines of, “when you’re back to normal” or “when you get your legs back” to make the point that she doesn't know what it’s like not to get her way. Lyla has never had any aspect of her life stray from the script. As we discussed in class, this is her test.
ReplyDelete5. There is definitely a strong connection between the film/book’s character Don Billingsley and the series’ character Tim Riggins. I think the most superficial aspect of their connection is their attachment to alcohol, although that is not to be ignored, as it signals the deeply rooted problems in the other realms of their lives. A defining aspect of the two characters’ lives is that they live with an older brother figure. For Don, “living with Charlie was sometimes more like living with an older brother or roommate than with a father” (82), whereas for Tim, he literally is living with his older brother, probably by no coincidence. The emotional toll of football and their family lives is a lot for them to handle, and the book mentions that it was “diffucult to watch his dad try and pull himself through, and Don was glad he had football” (83). The buildup of emotion sometimes becomes too much for these characters to handle, and we see is come through as Riggins tears up while watching the footage and as Billingsley just can’t handle the pressure of a legendary father who has been derailed.
6. Don’s comment, while it seems out of line to me, in the context of football life in Odessa, it is not only common, but also expected. I think that he could have found something offensive to say about anyone who came in and snatched his starting position, and I think the comment stems more from Billingsley’s own anger and resentment of his own problems than anything else. He just has this weird sense of entitlement, which is essentially ill found. In what world does a perpetually drunken athlete deserve a starting spot more than one who is more talented and less of a pain in the butt?
3. I think that Lyla finally realizes that everything that her family said was true. She had “put all her eggs in one basket” and planned her entire future around Street’s career. Her entire life was based upon her boyfriend who she believed to be invincible. Like everyone else in the town she could not see that he was simply human, she thought of him as QB1: the star of the team. She finally gets to this realization after numerous attacks by her closest loved ones: Riggins, Street, and even her own parents tell her that she needs to accept that Street will never walk again and that she is being naive in believing anything better. She is wound up so tight and is confronted so many times that when she gets to Riggins she breaks down. After her kind act of offering Riggins a ride to save his from walking in the rain is denied, she realizes that being perfect was all in vain. Lyla could be a “good girl” and still have bad, unfair things happen to her.
ReplyDelete5. Riggins and Billingsley seem similar on the surface but have slight differences that lead to dramatic changes in their character as a whole and their future plot lines. Both characters are alcoholic bad boys who party everyday and are swooned on by the ladies. However, Riggins has no father-figure in his life while Billingsley’s life is revolved around his father-figure. Riggins, frankly, doesn’t give a damn what others think. It seems like football isn’t as important to him as it is to the other players. Billingsley, on the other hand, was brought up to believe that football was the most important thing in the world and is always trying to please his father. Don’s father tried to live vicariously through him, insisting that the best time of Don’s life was when he was playing football. It was true for Charlie too, it was clear that he could never get over the fact that he was no longer a football star: “And no one wanted it more, no one felt it more, than Charlie Billingsley...He still had powerful memories of those days,...it seemed impossible not to look down on the field and see his own reflection.” (79). Riggins has nobody to whip him into shape, to provide the needed pressure in order to excel. Riggins seems to almost resemble Charlie more than he does Don. He is always drunk, unreliable, and aggravating to others around him. Don at least carries the responsibility of caring for and dealing with his father while Tim does not have that problem. Tim is a typical 17/18 year old boy while Don is forced to be mature beyond his years.
6. I was shocked by Don Billingsley’s comment. Although Chapter 5 clearly illustrates that severely racist terms are thrown around like they are nothing, I still didn’t believe that their was racism on the field. I thought that at least between players there would be a certain camaraderie and acceptance but the ignorance still exists. While I guess it is not that surprising, the kind Billingsley in the movie set me up to believe that Don was not the kind of person who would say such things.
I think that Lyla finally understands what her parents where telling her and what Jason had told her that night. When she talks with Riggans, who tells her the same thing, she just has an emotional let down because of her dream of being married to Jason, who was supposed to play football in college and in the pros, would never come true. This is such a huge life changer for her that when she finally accepts that Jason wont walk, she just breaks down.
ReplyDeleteTim Riggins character is similar Don Billingsley in the way he acts and treats other people. They both get into fights, "Don was a fighter who didn't think there was anything irrational about mixing it up with kids who where a whole lot bigger than him." (83) They also both drink, heavily. Don had his "first drink in filth grade." (83)In the show Tim is also a heavy drinker who seems to be drunk in every non football related scene and even in a couple football scenes.
I think that Dons comment at the end of chapter for was not intended to be racist, but it was still completly out of line. It also shows how most of the Odessa community thinks of blacks and in the community, a lot of derogatory remarks are thrown around freely.
I think there are a lot of factors that played into the kiss. One of which is the fact that they are both attractive high school students who, as Sam pointed out, display some sexual tension every time they talk. Secondly, both Lyla and Tim are extremely stressed out. Lyla, who was already having trouble dealing with Jason's accident realistically, had just left the hospital after Jason kicked her out. Tim is also having a difficult time dealing with Jason's injury, and he'd just been told to walk home alone after a 2 a.m. "practice." And at the risk of being crude, putting two attractive and stressed-out young people together in the rain will most likely end up with some kisses being exchanged. Tim and Lyla had both, in a sense, lost someone very important to them. By losing Street they lost a strong emotional connection, one they were trying to make up for when they kissed.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol plays a large role in the lives of Tim and Don. For Don, it controls his father. The audience sees Charlie drinking endlessly in the movie, and then taking out all of his frustrations on Don. For Tim, alcohol provides a sort of escape. I imagine the reason Tim drinks is for the same reason that Charlie drinks; neither of them want to, or really know how to, deal with their emotions. Bissinger describes Don's parent's divorce and how it effected Charlie, "He would go on Binges, tree- or four-day hauls that were tough for everybody to handle" (82). Charlie then passed on this unfortunate addiction to Don. The movie doesn't show it too much, but Don was also struggling with alcoholism. Similarly, Tim's older brother, Billy, is often drunk. Tim's parents aren't around, so it's no surprise that he drinks too, subconsciously or consciously wanting to be more like his big brother.
Don's comment is just another example of the extreme racism that is present in Odessa. It's how he was raised; Odessa is the home of a society in which racism is not necessarily encouraged but widely accepted. I agree with Rachel in the sense that while this statement may be horrible and appalling to us, he's most certainly not the only one saying things like this. I think this comment is also born out of Don's anger for having his spot "taken" from him.