Hoop Dreams

Hoop Dreams Essay
Pursuing a dream, the central idea in Steve James’s film Hoop Dreams, is a story of hope. Hope for success. Hope for fame. Hope to one day to make it in professional basketball.   Hoop Dreams depicts two young men, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who reside in the Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago. Each has been given the opportunity to attend a private school because of their phenomenal basketball skills. Both young men begin with the same goal in mind, to play professional basketball. William and Arthur experience American life and the strength of the American which are described through negative and positive examples throughout the film.
American life is full of hope and challenge.   William and Arthur’s dream of playing professional basketball represents both aspects.   They need basketball to achieve their dream of becoming rich and famous. Through basketball, they are both given a chance to attend St. Joseph, a private school in the suburbs. They do not fit in with the typical students at the school, but they realize their families depend on their success in order to have a better life. There is tremendous pressure to succeed in not only sports, but academics as well. Both characters believe that they can play professional basketball. They see this as their way out of poverty and the projects. For William and Arthur’s families, American life is in the projects. They believe that achieving a successful basketball career is the way out.   William endures much physical pain and difficulty due to an injured knee.   Arthur is not only extremely poor, but goes home to a crack addicted father and a mother without a job. Pursuing the dream of joining professional basketball becomes even more difficult when he can no longer afford tuition at St. Joseph’s and returns to public school. These young men endure many obstacles to achieving their goal of playing professional basketball but they believe in themselves and their abilities to achieve the...