Jackie Robinson in 42: Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier
42 — Jackie Robinson and Racial Barriers in Baseball
42 is a movie based on a true story about the first African American player in Major League Baseball. It is directed by Brian Helgeland. Shortly after World War II ended, many baseball stars returned to the league, but the surprising event during this period was that Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers), signed Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in MLB. Even though many white fans and players tried to make him quit and stop playing baseball because they considered it a ‘white people’s sport,’ he received racist chants from coaches and other players. The only person who really believed in him was Rickey, and he did everything in his power so Jackie could play at the highest level.
42 is a movie based on a true story about the first African American player in Major League Baseball. It is directed by Brian Helgeland. Shortly after World War II ended, many baseball stars returned to the league, but the surprising event during this period was that Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers), signed Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in MLB. Even though many white fans and players tried to make him quit and stop playing baseball because they considered it a ‘white people’s sport,’ he received racist chants from coaches and other players. The only person who really believed in him was Rickey, and he did everything in his power so Jackie could play at the highest level.
The best part of the movie is when a coach from another team repeatedly calls him the N-word, which causes him to lose concentration and play poorly. Pee Wee, a white teammate, stands up to the racist coach; they argue and exchange insults. This is the moment when the team begins to accept Jackie for who he is — that he is the same as everyone else. The worst part of the movie is every time they call Jackie ‘Negro’; it is hard to understand how people who fought against fascist Germany could return home and still treat Black people differently.
I learned that if you have goals, do not let anyone stop you from accomplishing them; instead, use their hatred as a source of strength so you can prove wrong all those who never believed in you. The director’s main purpose is to show the path and obstacles that Jackie had to overcome in order to fulfill his goal of playing in MLB.
Jackie is the character who caught my eye from the beginning because I know how it feels to be attacked for who you are, with nothing to do except remain quiet and hope everything changes.
This movie relates to other films set in the 20th century because it was a time when racism prevented millions of people of color from achieving their dreams — a society in which white people were considered socially superior to Black people.
I feel connected to this movie because Jackie had a goal that some people made almost impossible to achieve. In my country, I was part of a majority that felt deeply insulted by the government. We could not protest because the government would kill anyone who stood up for their beliefs. Our goals seemed impossible because a group of people — in my case the government, and in the movie white people — obstructed them. Although Jackie accomplished his goal, I hope that one day we, the Venezuelans, will too.
42 is a movie based on a true story about the first African American player in Major League Baseball. It is directed by Brian Helgeland. Shortly after World War II ended, many baseball stars returned to the league, but the surprising event during this period was that Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers), signed Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in MLB. Even though many white fans and players tried to make him quit and stop playing baseball because they considered it a ‘white people’s sport,’ he received racist chants from coaches and other players. The only person who really believed in him was Rickey, and he did everything in his power so Jackie could play at the highest level.
The best part of the movie is when a coach from another team repeatedly calls him the N-word, which causes him to lose concentration and play poorly. Pee Wee, a white teammate, stands up to the racist coach; they argue and exchange insults. This is the moment when the team begins to accept Jackie for who he is — that he is the same as everyone else. The worst part of the movie is every time they call Jackie ‘Negro’; it is hard to understand how people who fought against fascist Germany could return home and still treat Black people differently.
I learned that if you have goals, do not let anyone stop you from accomplishing them; instead, use their hatred as a source of strength so you can prove wrong all those who never believed in you. The director’s main purpose is to show the path and obstacles that Jackie had to overcome in order to fulfill his goal of playing in MLB.
Jackie is the character who caught my eye from the beginning because I know how it feels to be attacked for who you are, with nothing to do except remain quiet and hope everything changes.
This movie relates to other films set in the 20th century because it was a time when racism prevented millions of people of color from achieving their dreams — a society in which white people were considered socially superior to Black people.
I feel connected to this movie because Jackie had a goal that some people made almost impossible to achieve. In my country, I was part of a majority that felt deeply insulted by the government. We could not protest because the government would kill anyone who stood up for their beliefs. Our goals seemed impossible because a group of people — in my case the government, and in the movie white people — obstructed them. Although Jackie accomplished his goal, I hope that one day we, the Venezuelans, will too.
The best part of the movie is when a coach from another team repeatedly calls him the N-word, which causes him to lose concentration and play poorly. Pee Wee, a white teammate, stands up to the racist coach; they argue and exchange insults. This is the moment when the team begins to accept Jackie for who he is — that he is the same as everyone else. The worst part of the movie is every time they call Jackie ‘Negro’; it is hard to understand how people who fought against fascist Germany could return home and still treat Black people differently.
I learned that if you have goals, do not let anyone stop you from accomplishing them; instead, use their hatred as a source of strength so you can prove wrong all those who never believed in you. The director’s main purpose is to show the path and obstacles that Jackie had to overcome in order to fulfill his goal of playing in MLB.
Jackie is the character who caught my eye from the beginning because I know how it feels to be attacked for who you are, with nothing to do except remain quiet and hope everything changes.
This movie relates to other films set in the 20th century because it was a time when racism prevented millions of people of color from achieving their dreams — a society in which white people were considered socially superior to Black people.
I feel connected to this movie because Jackie had a goal that some people made almost impossible to achieve. In my country, I was part of a majority that felt deeply insulted by the government. We could not protest because the government would kill anyone who stood up for their beliefs. Our goals seemed impossible because a group of people — in my case the government, and in the movie white people — obstructed them. Although Jackie accomplished his goal, I hope that one day we, the Venezuelans, will too.