Artifact Essay

 In my opinion, it’s hard to think about American culture without thinking about the game of baseball.  As a child growing up, I was surrounded by it. When I wasn’t in school, I would get together with the neighborhood kids and play ball. I remember going to watch the pro games with my family eating hot dogs and drinking cokes, singing “take me out to the ball game” and since then, the tradition is still intact. Baseball is not only a part of my way of life, but it is for many American’s in the United States and has been for many years. 

According to R.P.I., the tradition of baseball dates back as early as 1845 and because of its quick growing popularity, the first professional team was born, the Cincinnati Reds. And since then, many pro baseball teams have been established in cities across the U.S, each team acquiring many new loyal fans who love to watch them play every year.

 This is how baseball grew to become an all-American tradition and everything that has to do with it is often passed down from generation to generation. My grandfather taught my dad how to play baseball and took him to ball games, my father did the same with me, and I intend to carry the tradition with my own children simply because it has been good for our family.

Some of my fondest memories are tied in with baseball. I can remember going with my dad to get my first ball glove, playing catch with him in our yard, and of course he watched all my ball games. He taught me about the etiquettes of baseball; how to be a good sport, play hard, and be a team-player. The game has also had a way of creating bonds and comradery, I’ve made many friends in my days of playing ball in school.

As you can see, it’s hard to think about American culture without thinking about the game of baseball. From going to games with family and teaching your kids how to play for the first time. It has an influence on “what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce”; the three components that involve culture according to John H. Bodley. It’s a part of American history.   

Reflection

So far, I have learned that I have, up until now, over-simplified the definition of culture. There many aspects of culture such as high culture, folk culture, pop culture, mass culture, subculture, and counter culture.  Moreover, I have learned how environments have an influence on how we think, what we do, and that we have to be aware of things like “mental pollution” so we can better assess it.

As for the first in-class essay, I have learned that when it comes to writing under pressure. It is very difficult to quickly think of an idea with a point, then think of ideas for supporting paragraphs, etc. However, for my first in-class essay, I don’t think I did that bad. Next time, I think I’ll be more prepared because I’ll have a better idea on how to guess the question and hopefully, I will have most of the brainstorming done before class.