Rhetorical Criticism by Savannah Dyer

In Kobe Bryant’s Oscar Winning Short Film, Dear Basketball, the GOAT writes a goodbye letter to basketball.

The rhetor, Kobe Bryant, is an American former professional basketball player who played his 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the letter, Kobe writes a personal, moving, goodbye letter to the game that meant to much to him.

The metaphor used here is that basketball is Kobe’s passion, that he fell in love with it, and even though he is retiring, nothing will change the love he has for the game. He uses lines like “You asked for my hustle; I gave you my heart” and “I did everything for you” to demonstrate the lengths he has went to for basketball: “Not because challenge called me, but because you called me.”

He continues with saying that while his heart and mind are still passionate, it’s time for him to let go. “I’ll always be that kid with the rolled up socks, garbage can in the corner,” Kobe writes. He means that no matter how many awards he wins, no matter how many wins he has, his passion for the game is unchanging. He still has the same love for the game he has had since he was six years old when the Lakers were just a dream to a kid who just loved basketball.

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Kill Your Darlings: I chose this scene from Kill Your Darlings, starring Daniel Radcliffe, as my artifact. The movie is based on the early life of Beat writer, Allen Ginsberg, and his involvement with Lucien Carr. Radcliffe portrays Ginsberg as a shy, but adventurous young man who hopes to do something extraordinary with his life. Lucien Carr, a troubled classmate, takes Ginsberg under his wing. The movie also tackles Ginsberg’s sexuality and the trial of Lucien Carr.

Presented Elements: In this scene, one of Ginsberg’s professors is stressing the importance of throwing away any conceived idea of writing, and to stick to what had already been established. Ginsberg challenges him, and is refuted. We see Carr also in the classroom, looking bored, but taking interest in Ginsberg’s question. The professor is not open to hearing Ginsberg, and continues to push his curriculum of only using rhyme and meter.

Suggested Elements: One suggested element is that Ginsberg is beginning to pave his own way. He has started to doubt that the old ways are absolute, which will lead him to writing his New Vision manifesto. Another is that old equals outdated and that it is time for a change. There is another suggested element that Carr implies when taking interest in Ginsberg’s comments. We can see from his interest that while the old ways are boring to him, challenging those old ideas and creating a ‘new vision’ is appealing.

Ideologies: This scene represents two ideologies: absolutism, which is preached by the professor, and liberalism, which Ginsberg argues for. Absolutism stresses the importance of tradition and order, while Liberalism argues for freedom, individualism, and progress.

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