Ex-Basketball Player

by John Updike

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Ex-Basketball Player

John Updike's tone in "Ex-Basketball Player" is nostalgic yet critical, reflecting a sense of lost potential. His attitude is sympathetic towards Flick Webb but also subtly condemning of his...

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Ex-Basketball Player

A literary device is any technique that an author uses to achieve their goals in a particular work, especially in regard to aesthetics. The numerous literary devices in the poem include direct...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The quote "Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps—five on a side, the old bubble head style" describes Flick, a former high-school basketball star, now working at a gas station. The personification...

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Ex-Basketball Player

In "Ex-Basketball Player," "idiot pumps" metaphorically suggests the limited foresight of high school athletes like Flick Webb, who achieve fleeting fame but fail to plan for life beyond sports. The...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The theme of "Ex-Basketball Player" is the importance of moving on from past achievements and preparing for the future. The poem illustrates how the protagonist, once a high school basketball star,...

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Ex-Basketball Player

In “Ex-Basketball Player,” Flick’s hands are fine and nervous on a lug wrench. A lug wrench is a tool frequently used by people who change tires. Flick used to be an extraordinary basketball player....

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Ex-Basketball Player

In "Ex-Basketball Player" by John Updike, three key symbols illustrate Flick Webb's life. "Pearl Avenue" represents Flick's limited progress, as it ends abruptly just like his promising basketball...

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Ex-Basketball Player

In "Ex-Basketball Player," John Updike uses sound effects to enhance the nostalgic and melancholic tone of the poem. These sound effects include the rhythmic bounce of the basketball, the swish of...

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Ex-Basketball Player

Flick is a former high school basketball star whose life has stagnated. Despite his past glory, he now works at a gas station, unable to move beyond his youthful achievements. His life is marked by...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The speaker in "Ex-Basketball Player" is not explicitly identified, but is likely a resident of the town where Flick Webb played high school basketball. The speaker is familiar with local streets,...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The narrator tells us that Flick Webb's hands were like wild birds because his quick hands gave him a huge advantage in playing basketball.

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Ex-Basketball Player

Flick's name in "Ex-Basketball Player" by John Updike is significant because it reflects his past as a basketball player, where quick, deft movements were essential. The onomatopoetic quality of...

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Ex-Basketball Player

Pearl Avenue in "Ex-Basketball Player" symbolizes Flick Webb's unfulfilled potential and brief career. The street, abruptly ending before it reaches its full length, mirrors Flick's short-lived...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The narrator of "Ex-Basketball Player" omits key details about Flick Webb's character and life choices. The poem highlights Flick's past basketball success and current mundane job but doesn't reveal...

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Ex-Basketball Player

Flick perceives his "past" glory as being complete and existing only in the past, while the speaker of "Ex-Basketball Player" admires all that Flick once accomplished and still celebrates him as a...

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Ex-Basketball Player

Objects like gas and oil are not personified in "Ex-Basketball Player."

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Ex-Basketball Player

A summary of the poem "Ex Basketball Player" is that it is a description of a small town, and the life of a high school athlete. His focus was so much on being great at basketball that he lost sight...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The author uses phrases like "idiot pumps," "rubber elbows," and "bucketed" to emphasize the contrast between Flick Webb's past glory as a basketball star and his current mundane existence. The...

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Ex-Basketball Player

The poet chose basketball because John Updike, the author, played basketball and often wrote about it in his works. Basketball allows for close interaction between players and spectators, which...

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