Jackie Robinson In Snow In August

Role models are people who make you remember to never give up or to always be kind to others. Everyone looks up to at least one person and tries to be just like them. For some people it's someone close to them like their parents or grandparents, and for other people it's a celebrity or athlete. In Snow In August by Pete Hamill, Michael has infact three very special people in his life that he looks up to. These are his role models. His role models are Rabbi Hirsch, his mom Kate, and Jackie Robinson. "Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”(Napoleon Hill). Napoleon Hill was a famous author in the mid 1900’s and he was one of the earliest producers …show more content…
He also was probably the biggest influence in Michael's life because of all his astonishing characteristics. One characteristic that Jackie Robinson was best known for was his perseverance. Since Robinson was the first African-American baseball player to play in the major league, he got a ton of hate from baseball fans all around the world. Sometimes, people would come to Brooklyn just to shout and throw stuff at Robinson. People called him terrible names, harassed him verbally, and even threatened him and his family. After all that, he still never gave up on his dream of being in the big leagues and he persevered through all the hate and was a big inspiration for other African-American ballplayers to play in the majors also. Robinson's story really helped Michael never to give up and never to surrender to the people who came after him, which in Michael's case was Frankie and the Falcons. Michael once said, “Besides, skin color was skin color, right? It was just the color of your goddamned skin. There was nothing anybody could do about that. You were born with it. Like some people were born with big feet or blue eyes. You didn't make the choice. Your parents did. Or God did.” (Hamil 216) This was a satisfying quote because it showed how Michael thought the same way Robinson did. Another way Jackie Robinson was a big role model to Michael was that he showed Michael the true side of America and the horrible people who live here. At first Michael never really noticed or did he care about what was happening around the world because he wasn't at an age yet where you really listen to what's going on around the country and around the world. As soon as Rabbi Hirsch told Michael about Robinson, he was immediately amazed by him and it was good to have a little jolt into reality. Jackie Robinson once said, “The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.”