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I Beat The Odds Comparison

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There is nothing more inspiring and heart-warming than a story of an individual who has achieved his/her dreams amidst unfathomable challenges, personal disabilities, lack, and turmoil. This is exactly what the story of Michael Oher is about. I Beat the Odds is a truly moving and beautiful book that centres on the life of NFL athlete and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher. The autobiography was soon turned into a film entitled, The Blind Side. The two materials however present a number of differences including details about the life of Oher as well as his education. While both materials have their unique differences, the life story of Oher offers both the readers and the viewers with his grit and genuineness. More than these, both …show more content…

In the prologue of his book, Oher explains this best when he writes, “Obviously, the movie-makers have to make artistic choices to tell the story in the best way, but some details, just aren’t true” (Oher 6). Nonetheless, both materials remain inspiring and moving. This is because in both materials, Oher became a symbol of poverty and race. More than this, his character stands as a critique to the country’s education system and how it class and race prevents one to truly excel not only in school but in life as well. In the first chapter of the book for example, Oher gave his readers a glimpse of his life in poverty while growing up. In fact, he opens this chapter by noting that the very first lesson he learned is this, “You’re not poor if you know where your next meal is coming from” (Oher 10). He continues by stating that there are two types of people – the ones who had food and those “who had to scrounge.” Oher was in the second group. In this chapter, the author alternately shares that as child, his life was far from normal. He came from Hurt Village, a housing project that he described as a place with busted screens and broken windows and air that smelled “greasy and dirty.” I was, according to Oher, “the kind of place that depressed you instantly” (Oher

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