The narrator of "Ex-Basketball Player" leaves out plenty of information. That is not surprising considering it is a poem, and it is a short poem at that. The poem focuses on Flick Webb, and the narrator tells readers how great of a basketball player that Flick once was. Then the poem tells readers that Flick now has a job working in a garage and has done nothing great since basketball.
I do have questions about Flick though. What kind of teammate was he? He might have been a good player, but was he a team player? Or was he a cocky ball hog, and that's why he scored so many points?
Why did Flick never learn a trade? Was it because he never studied? Was it because he wasn't smart enough to learn a trade? Did he not learn a trade because he initially was able to leave the town to play basketball and then that fell through?
One other question that I have is about the timing of the narration. How long ago was 1946? That was Flick's amazing year, but was it a decade ago? Or more? Lastly, the narrator never reveals who he/she is. The narrator could be a former friend, teammate, teacher, coach, etc. None of those questions are answered in the poem.
Comments
Post a Comment