Section B 1. Write a summary of “Sports Leader” in about 150 words.
Sports leader is a short story written by Jane Rogers, (B. 1952).
The story takes place in the north of England at Huddersfield. Here we’re introduced to a few people, amongst these the main character, the boy.
This boy is living with his foster mom Eileen. He still has no finished exams at the age of sixteen, and is always sitting in front of the television. He dreams of training athletes, Olympics. People believe he has his head in the clouds. One day the boy starts working as a window cleaner. Dedicated he shows up every day ready for work. Despite not being too bright, the kid is still trustworthy and is given the “privilege” of collecting money for his boss Phil. One day the boy is robbed, and thus not having a single scratch, the boy is given no benefit of the doubt. Phil tells the boy not to come back again. 2. Characterize the boy who is the main character.
The boy is a sixteen year old teenager. He’s harmless and mostly sits in front of the television. All he ever wanted was to become a Sports Trainer. Despite being bossed around like the big chunk he turned out to become, he once was a fit person, giving his ambitions a slight chance of realism. He’s not too bright either. He doesn’t have an exam and is a bit of a day dreamer. Day dreaming away, the boy gets joy from the little things in life, the things we add no value.
“Page 9, line 47” * “The boy liked collecting. He liked being on his own, without the window cleaner’s chivvying. He liked pressing the bell, or knocking, or flicking the letterbox and waiting with nothing in his head, for the door to open. He liked the interrupted faces people had when they saw him, and the music and chat and smells of food leaking out their houses.”
The boy enjoys the independence; he likes not being escorted around, given some responsibility on his own. And when he is given time on his own, it’s a whole new level of enjoyment and established emotions that comes in play.
One could argue that the boy might be slightly disturbed, over just being slow.
He shows no remorse, no regret, no sorrow, no anger, and no guilt. And he certainly can’t hold a grudge.
Martin, a boy from school, catches the boy collecting money on his own, and robs him. Martin quickly disappears into the dark.
“Page 11, line 107” * “The boy stood patiently in the rain, like a bullock waiting for what would come next. Rain appeared out of the blackness, streaking past the streetlight like bright glass needles. After a while the boy went home to a quiet house and took off his wet things and went to bed”.

3. Comment on how the other characters in the story view the boy.

Eileen has the better intensions for the boy. Not wanting him parked in front of the television, she’s persuasive, and intriguing enough to get the boy working. One day he’ll be standing on his own feet she reminds him. We don’t know if the boy was placed at the foster mom, or if she by choice, agreed to foster him. Regardless, we hope the best for the boy. * “Page 9, line 37”

* “He’s honest enough, Eileen told Phil.”I’ve drummed that into him. You won’t catch him thieving. He’s not a bad lad.”
Phil, the window cleaner, gives the boy a job. Despite being 5 times as slow as Phil, the boy is still of some value to the window cleaner. He does what Phil does not want to do. Collect on a Thursday night. Phil appreciates the boy’s honesty and has no problem with the boy collecting his payment, until the robbery. After this, Phil’s opinion on the boy is changed, due to Dan’s remarks.

* “Page 12, line 149,154 and 57”

* “Forget him. You’ve no proof. And there’s plenty of folk to say that lad of yours is odd.
“Well you’ve bloody seen him as much as I have. Standing there with his nose pressed ter glass, starin inter people’s houses.”
“I wouldn’t want him being slow near my house. Near my wife and kids.”
At first Phil defend the boy, but at last, he breaks during pressure from Dan, and gives in, turning the other cheek.

4. Write a short essay (150-200) words in which you discuss the importance of personal dreams and ambitions. Relate your essay to the short story.
Dreams and ambitions are important for one to develop into something greater, like a boy without a greater destiny from the society’s point of view. How would this kid ever become something greater without a dream? He wouldn’t, he would be where society placed him. One cannot simply tread beyond the fictive line of what we believe is an average and normal life without having a dream about doing so. For without dreams, human is no different from each other. An ambition is what shapes a person; it decides what he or she becomes. How we choose to interact with these individuals, dreaming away is based on how he or she also interacts with their dreams and the path to it. Grasping the opening and sieging the window of opportunity until the moment arrives where it’s your turn to breathe the success, is what it’s really all about. If you have to work a bad paid job, where people boss you around, or have to be working horrible hours, you bite your teeth and hold it in. Only how great we dare to dream, put limit to these ambitions. Regardless of which barriers we might face in life, and how hard these will knock us down. The pursuit of a dream is still something we’re all capable of, regardless of intelligence.