All For Daddy
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. admired his father as a young boy, however he wished he could spend more time with him. "Daddy worked all the time, every day but Sunday" (78). This was similar to my father's working habits. He would work all day from early in the morning until late at night. When he came home, he would put on the TV, eat dinner, watch the Laker game, and go to bed. So, during the week the only time I had with him was while he was watching his Laker game. In Gates' home it was the same way, "Evenings, we watched television together, all of us, after I'd done my homework..."(78). My time with my dad and the Laker game meant more to him than I realized at the time. However, I was "Daddy's little girl," and I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could, even if it didn't mean anything to him. I also cherished the time I spent with him on Sunday mornings. He would sit on the couch and read the newspaper, and even though I couldn't read the paper well, I remember sitting there next to him mimicking his every move. He would sit with his right ankle resting on his left knee, and I did the same. He held the paper fully open with both hands, and I did the same. (Although, it was awkward
Gates and I shared something else: the lack of athletic ability. Although I wasn't overweight or flat-footed like Gates, I had no real talent when it came to sports. I couldn't make a basket, I couldn't run fast, and I couldn't block shots. Of course (like Gates), much of the reason could be due to the fact that my eyes were always closed. because the paper was just about as big as me). I remember him smiling down at me as I sat next to him, and asking me about the articles I was pretending to read. I would always say, "Daddy, hold on I'm not done reading it yet." He would smile, and pick up where he left off in his article. I brought up this idea to my dad, and he was thrilled. So, we went down to our local youth center to sign up. In fact, my dad was so excited that he signed up to be my coach. Unfortunately for me, I was the only girl in the league. I was scared and intimidated by the boys, but I had to do it because I didn't want to let my dad down. So, I would stand under the basket with my arms up and my eyes closed every time a boy came running at me with basketball in-hand trying to make a shot. I could only hope that I would block it, so my dad could be proud. My father shared that same sports fanaticism with Gates' father. However, my father's sports realm revolved around basketball - particularly the Los Angeles Lakers. To me, my dad was like a basketball scholar. Gates had similar motives for joining the baseball team. "I despised sports...yet I felt I had no choice but to try out for the Little League" (81). He only wanted to please his father, and improve the relationship they had together. Similarly to me, Gates was also scared: I wanted to impress my dad just as much as Gates wanted to impress his. So, I would sit in front of the TV trying to absorb e
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1221
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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