Fast Break Poem Analysis

Swish

Basketball is a very high paced, intense sport as the most exciting moment of the game is the fast breaks that result in a lay-up or dunk. A fast break needs everyone on the team to work together to flash past the defense and gain an advantage. Fast breaks are almost always the highlights of the game that you see on TV over and over again on Sportscenter. Outside of sports, the fast break is like completing a test in school and knowing you did well on it, after studying and learning the material for countless Hours In “Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch, he uses an immense amount of imagery to capture this perfect moment coming all together through teamwork, appearance and struggle. For a Fast Break to happen some things need to go wrong for the defense along with perfect execution from the offense. Hirsch uses imagery about the intelligent defenders to capture the moment. “A hook shot kisses the rim and / hangs there, helplessly, but doesn’t drop”(1-2). This couplet provides the image of the ball being shot and bounces off the rim to show that, that was a shift in momentum and the

Without this imagery this poem would be hard to follow from someone not familiar with basketball. With this imagery people can relate this moment to those like studying for an important test, performing with a band or anything that requires people to work together. For example a fast break can relate to a group project. The teacher assigns the project like the coach designs the play and the students create the project while some things go wrong, but the final product was completed through teamwork and you receive the grade you deserved. When you think of the steps of the fast break aren't they pretty similar to those of the group project without that basketball