Reflection 9: Great Moments

Top 3 Moments: The Blind Side

            -Lawrence Taylor is described as the perfect example of a defensive end, literally making quarterbacks afraid to play against him for fear of getting sacked. At the time, the giants coach explains that he’s seen quarterback forget the snap count and call time-outs when they thought they saw Taylor but he was really on the sidelines. Taylor knew every quarterback looked for him before every play, and would even call out where he was to let the rest of the team know. One player in particular experienced his fury first hand, and that was Joe Theismann. The powerful moment is when Lewis describes Taylor’s hit on Theismann as “sounding like a gunshot” when Theismann’s entire leg snapped in the tackle. This is powerful because it was important in history, but it also sets up the importance of Michael Oher’s position. Oher, an offensive lineman, is responsible for protecting the quarterback. It was the mistake of someone in his same position that ended a great quarterback’s career too early.

            -Another great moment is when a high school coach, Hugh Freeze, sees Big Mike for the very first time because of the amazing language. Lewis describes Mike so that readers can visualize him completely. Some of the phrases he uses are “Good God! He’s a monster!”, “The kid’s shoulders and ass were as wide as his doorway”, “Whatever the dimensions, they couldn’t do justice to the effect they created”, and ”When football coaches describe  their bigger players, they can sound like ranchers discussing a steer… [using] words like girth, mass, and trunk size”. The descriptive language is so powerful because it’s the reader’s first impression on Michael and its definitely a lasting one.

            -The third great moment comes when Michael is shopping with Leigh Anne. It’s powerful first because of the language. “She was five one, 115 pounds of blonde hair, straight white teeth, and the most perfect pink dress. He was black, poor, and three times her size.” This creates such a great picture because at that time, that was just something you didn’t see. The comparison is so powerful because it shows the true and pure character of Leigh Anne. In the same shopping scene, Michael takes Leigh Anne to “ghetto” part of town where there a shops with clothes his size. When she expresses fear of being there, Michael says to her, “Don’t worry. I got your back.” This is an amazing moment because she’s supposed to be looking after him, but he feels a strong need to protect her. This moment explains their relationship and why it works. They depend on each other in different ways and both have had a great impact on the other’s life.