Character Analysis: The Eighty-Dollar Champion

The Eighty- Dollar Champion “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” were the first words spoken off the moon, a feat many had doubts that would ever occur. Yet, Neil Armstrong still overcame the negativity to prove others wrong and become the first man to walk on the moon. Nine publishers read and declined the manuscript of one of the most well known book series of this generation. Yet, Harry Potter became an international seller, being translated into 68 different languages, and resulting J.K. Rowling’s net worth go from nothing to over one billion dollars. After being cut from the Green Bay Packers as a fourth-string quarterback, Kurt Warner found a job stocking shelves at a small town grocery store in Iowa. Yet, with unwavering

In Game 1 in the 1988 World Series, one man stood between the winning runs and a devastating loss for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet, with injuries to both legs, Kirk Gibson hit a two run walk off home run, igniting the Dodgers to win the game, and then the series 4 to 1 against the Oakland Athletics. In the 1950’s, Harry De Leyer and his new bride Joan De Leyer immigrated to the United States after the Nazis left his small town in the Netherlands in economic despair. All he was armed with was a gift and love for horses. Yet, after buying a neglected mutt of a horse in desperate need of some tender loving care, Harry De Leyer jumps over the competition and rises to the top of the show jumping world. In The Eighty-Dollar Champion, Elizabeth Letts uses pathos, ethos, and logos to tell the tale of an underdog that

“I interviewed [Harry De Leyer] for many hours… some of those interviews were conducted over the phone, and some were conducted in person at his farm in Virginia” (Letts 283). Letts clearly states that because she wants to show the reader she is a credible source for this story. “Getting to know [Harry and Joan De Leyer] was the greatest gift I can imagine” (Letts 281). She repeats herself again to establish herself. Had she not conducted interviews with Harry and Joan, the story would have been shared in a much different light. “Harry’s daughter Harriet De Leyer-Strumpf was also generous in sharing her personal recollections of what it was like growing up in the De Leyer family and riding Snowman” (Letts 283). The personal touch of the interviews changes the story. It makes the reader truly understand the impact Snowman had on the family and on everyone he met. The ethos in the book distinguishes Letts’ credibility to prove to the audience that Harry and Snowman’s journey is one they could have