Hoop Dreams

       In the film "Hoop Dreams", you are following Arthur Agee and William Gates in their six most important and difficult years of their lives. They both were offered scholarships to St. Joseph's High School after they were spotted playing basketball on a playground. Both of their families were tight on money, so they wouldn't have been able to go to a private school without those scholarships. Although, once they started attending the school, they both encountered some obstacles. William made the varsity team while Arthur made the freshman team. William had trouble with keeping his grades up because during past years, he did not receive that great of education. He was very far behind the other students. Also, Arthur was not as important to St. Joseph as William was so he did not get a full scholarship but he got a partial scholarship. His mom could not manage to pay the amount to keep Arthur in school, so he was kicked out and attended a nearby public school called Marshall. On top of that issue, Arthur's dad became a drug addict so he was no longer a part of Arthur's life. It is a sad thing to see drugs take over someone you love's life. William encountered yet another issue during high school. He experienced a knee injury which he did not give enough time to heal. He continuously injured himself by playing before he was fully healed. After the season, William continued to struggle terribly with his grades. He also had a son that he now was responsible for. It was hard for him to balance all of his priorities therefore, his grades dropped. Even though they both faced many difficult times, they both ended up graduating high school and receiving college scholarships.
       Throughout the film "Hoop Dreams", the theme is that no matter what gets in your way or how difficult something is, there's always a way to achieve your goal if you work hard enough. Arthur and William both face difficult times in their lives, but they both overcome them even though it seemed impossible. Arthur started out only playing on the freshman team, had financial issues, and his dad was a drug addict who was put into jail. He continued to put all of his effort into basketball even though his confidence decreased a little because of the team he was placed on. He also worked hard enough to receive a scholarship even without a lot of money. Additionally, William faced many struggles too including school issues, fathering a child, and a knee injury. With school, basketball, and a child all part of William's schedule, it was difficult for him to stay on top of everything. Although, he did find a way to accomplish each of his priorities because of his hard work. Also, William suffered from a knee injury, but once he rested for the time he had too and worked hard enough to get back in shape, he was able to go back to his basketball career. Anything is possible with hard work. Even if there are obstacles and it seems impossible, with a lot of determination, anything can be done.