These Chapters that we read were mostly about Gale Sayers childhood. He talked mostly about how when they lived in the "Ghetto." They lacked heat in the middle of winter, food when they were growing and using more and more energy, and attention from their parents. Gale felt that he was "negletted" the most out of all his brothers. He was the middle child, who was hard-headed and he never wanted to show emotion. His parents gambled with food money and they wasted much of their pay check on whiskey. The kids often caught animals like blackbirds and fried them up for a meal between them. When they moved to Omaha, his parents' drinking problem got much worse. His mom left many times, for a couple weeks, and then came back. He also talked about his competitiveness in sports with his brother. Gale never wanted the glory of winning, he just wanted to know he beat everyone else and that he could do it. Break was almost like a brother to Gale, he went with him to college visits and they just seemed to understand each other. In chapter 10 Gale and Linda reminisce about when they told their parents they wanted to get married. Gale's parents didn't really care but, Linda's parents shunned her. They disowned her for over a year. Gale talked about college visits. He wanted to see which one wanted him more. Which college wanted thee GALE SAYERS at their college? Picking the college that would get him into the NFL is what Gale wanted. In these chapters we learn why Gale is who he is. The way he acts, the way he thinks, and the way he views things is all affected by how he was brought up and taught.
Group Disscussion Summary:
In our 3rd lit group we talked about some of these topics......
- Gale's childhood affecting him now
- being competitive- Good and bads of this
- Feeling negletted and why Gale felt like this
- How Gale doesn't really react when he breaks records
- In the game, Gale always visualized 2 or 3 steps ahead.... did he do that in life?
- They didn't notice they lived in the "Ghetto" until they moved out.
- Gale doesn't talk much to Linda
- Early Marriage
- Trophy Wifes and marriage sybolism
- Racism and reverse Racism
..........Thinking Question.........
In the book, Gale talks about his childhood for a couple chapters. He is a very shy, yet prideful and he also doesn't like to show outward emotion. We believe he is like this from the way he was raised when he was younger, like being ignored from his parents, being competitive with his brothers, and living in a crappy apartment. Do you think how you live, how others treat you, and how you feel now effect what you will be like when you are an adult?
