Hoop Dreams Ethnography

In the movie Hoop Dreams there are two kids willing to do anything to have their dreams of going to the NBA come true, their names are Arthur and William. Two highly skilled, players work all their life to get out their family and themselves out of their difficult situations.

Environment-They both have similar backgrounds, having both their parents in their lives, living in a clustered neighbor hood living in the suburbs of Chicago. Going into Arthur’s home you would find that it would be considered messy, as to walking into William’s home everything was very clean. Their streets were very clean, full of plush green grass, and very few people going outdoors in the afternoon. At night on the basketball courts, drug dealers come out and begin their nightly routine.

Inference- Times must be hard for both William and Arthur’s families. Coming from the suburbs in Chicago, and not having a lot of money to get nice things made them love basketball even more. Most of their childhood was spent on practicing, making sure they had a spot in the NBA Draft. Arthur’s house was clustered full of pizza boxes and trash. His family’s joy came from the time they spent together so they really did not mind all the mess and no one ever came over.

Language- Their language is not foreign, for they speak with slang. The adults and children of Arthur’s and William’s family both spoke this way. Arthur and William both were basketball players with a dream to go pro, so most of their speaking was through their skills. Their attitude spoke a lot louder to the scouts than there skills. Arthur was known to be a very high tempered person, but his background could be a reason why he had some anger. William on the other hand did not have anything given to him; he worked for what he had. He was known to be coachable mainly because he was quiet and did as the coaches asked. The difference of Arthur and William is that Arthur’s father was a drug dealer and a drug abuser.

Inference- They spoke with a kind and young tone, but as they got older their language began to mature. The way their parents spoke never rubbed off on them mainly because they had to correct themselves when being interviewed by scouts