Character: Jackie Mitchekk
Setting/ Time: April 2, 1931
Setting/ Place: In Chattanooga, Tennessee
Plot: Jackie is a girl but people don’t think a girl is good enough to play baseball
Perspective: Third-person viewpoints
Gerne: Historical Fiction
The story, Mighty Jackie: The Strike-out Queen, written by Marissa Moss, talks about a teenage girl Jackie Mitchel playing as a pitcher against the New York Yankies. On April 2, 1931 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, people witnessed a baseball game played by a teenage girl, Jackie Mitchel, because the society back then viewed women excluded from the sport. When Jackie was young, she was determined to play baseball with the help from her dad and Dazzy Vance, the star pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They saw the huge talent in Jackie and encouraged to work hard. Jackie did work and practice hard no matter how many obstacles were ahead. At her first batter, no one believed in Jackie just because she was a girl. Surprisingly Jackie out-striked two of the world’s best baseball batters, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Since then, no one looked down at Jackie. To fully understand this story, let's discuss why Jackie became a successful pitcher, the gender discrimination and the skeptical attitudes toward women, and the social influence and implication of Jackie’s success.
Determination, persistence, and hard work play essential roles in helping Jackie’s success. Practice makes perfect! Only through consistent practice with I-Can-Do-It thoughts could help people well-prepared for future challenges. Jackie did work hard in practicing baseball. Even though practicing might get her body hurt, Jackie never stopped. She was determined to become an excellent pitcher. At age seventeen, she was able to out-strike Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Jackie’s behavior speaks to the audience about the value of hard work, constant practice, and determination in helping people achieve their dreams. Jackie never said NO to practice in pitching when her shoulder ached, her fingers were callused, or her eyes blurred over. Jackie did not let the body hurting stop her dream of excelling in baseball. Instead, Jackie worked hard everyday, making her improve much faster. Even though obstacles are ahead, people should have the I-Can-Do-It determination and don’t give up. At the same time, people should persistently practice what they are doing. Only through practice, people reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses and learn from them to become better. Without questions, one should have the determination and persistence in doing things with numerous practices in order to pursue his dreams.
Jackie’s success clearly explains that women can play sports just like the men, if they are given the opportunity. During the 1930s the society treated women unequally, having skeptical attitudes towards women’s ability in playing all sports. Jackie was a girl playing baseball. But society thought girls were not good enough to play baseball in the Major-League Baseball. Babe Ruth thought women were “too delicate” for baseball, but Jackie proved that women could throw the ball and even better than men. In the past the society had different viewpoints toward men and women, thinking men should go out to work making money, or play sports while women should stay at home doing housework. Undoubtedly, Jackie at her time faced skepticism and prejudice from the public. When Jackie was provided the opportunity to compete with the top players in the baseball game, she used her well-prepared baseball techniques to persuade the public that women actually can do sports just like the men. Jackie’s story is a powerful example showing gender stereotypes do not exist in talent and skills. Jackie definitely is a figure fighting for gender equality in sports. There is no difference between women and men in terms of playing sports. Society should get rid of gender discrimination.
The implication of Jackie’s success has a great social influence indicating that women can perform in any area and women should pursue equal rights in many aspects. In reality, women can do many things that men normally do. Sometimes women’s abilities are superior to men's in many things. Jackie’s experience about how she practiced baseball, how the society looked down on her just because she was a girl, how she faced the doubts and challenges from the public, and at the end how she successfully beat top baseball players leads the readers, especially girls, to see the possibility outside the social expectations. For a long time, society has had gender stereotypes of what men or women should do. People usually think the roles of professional athletics, doctors, scientists, lawyers, or CEOs are played by men only. Jackie’s story is an inspiration for women that women can do whatever they want to do, as long as they have the determination. Women could achieve the same level as men, even beyond the level. Katherine Johnson was a NASA female mathematician who helped calculate the flight path for NASA’s first manned space mission in 1962. Jackie’s story also indicates that women should fight for equal rights in education, employment, vote, or salary. Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls in Pakistan, fights for gender equality in education. Women should stand up and fight for their life, dreams and life. Don’t let the social norms define what women could or couldn’t do.
Mighty Jackie: The Strike-out Queen is an inspiration story for readers. It is more than a story. Through the author’s description, the readers clearly know the value and the importance of hard working, determination, persistence, and practice in achieving one’s goal. In addition, Jackie’s success in playing baseball not only demonstrates women could do sports, even better than men, but also informs women that beyond sports, women could do many things in different fields. Jackie’s success suggests that the need for women to fight for their equality in many aspects, such as education, employment, or voting. That does not mean women are more important than men or women are always superior to men. The author tries to write this story to tell people not to let gender discrimination bias women’s ability and their rights.
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