Jesse owens olympic icons english literature essay

J. C Owens also known as Jesse Owens was born in 1913 on September 12 in Oakville, Alabama. His family was very poor and they had to live in a very small house. He was the youngest of his ten brothers and sisters. As a child, Jesse was always very sick, he had pneumonia nearly every winter. It all changed when Jesse found his passion for running. He was one of the fastest people alive throughout his life. He brought forth a new age for African American and the view society had on them. He claimed four gold medals and was the fastest person alive which brought him respect and admiration. Jesse Owens family was very poor and he couldn’t help out because he was a very ill child. He had pneumonia almost every winter. When he was able to work he started getting many different kinds of jobs. He would run to school with his brothers and sisters and they all realized Jesse was abnormally fast. No one could keep up with Jesse as a kid. His family began noticing Jesse had a passion for running and he was really good at it. At the age of nine Jesse’s family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He enrolled in public school with the name his father gave him J. C Owens. It was later changed to Jesse when his elementary teacher heard him say his name was Jesse Owens. Everyone began calling him Jesse and he was known as Jesse Owens ever since then. During Jesse’s elementary years he had many part time jobs. He loved to run to work and that’s when he realized he had a desire for running. I always loved running – it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.(Owens, 1936)Jesse Owens went to East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. He was being recognized by many people that he was an amazingly fast runner. His coach saw he could run really fast and offered to coach him after school. Jesse couldn’t get coached because he had part time jobs every day after school. His coach couldn’t just leave him alone because he knew he was going to be a champion, so he offered to coach him every morning. Jesse accepted to get coached only because he adored running. Jesse began running track during high school and he was the fastest person on the team. In high school everyone knew Jesse as the track star. Everyone at his school liked and respected him. He would run track and did long yard jumps. Whenever people found out Jesse was going to race people would always come out to see him. ” People come out to see you perform and you’ve got to give them the best you have within you”. (Owens, 1936) He started setting world records in high school. He was the best of all time. He tied world record in the 100 yard dash in only 9. 4 seconds. Later that year, Jesse tied it again. That is when he became voted for president of the track team and also the captain of the track team. Aside from running, Jesse also had a very important woman in his life, which he loved more than running. Jesse met her during his high school years. Jesse marries Minnie Ruth Solomon his high school sweetheart. Jesse and Ruth Owen was a very happy couple. Jesse loved his wife and a little while after they have their first baby. Jesse lost two races when his baby daughter was born. He realized he needed to focus more on running because his entire life depended on it. He was also the team captain and his team needed him to stay focused. Everyone looked up to Jesse for their team to win. Jesse didn’t let anyone down he came back and won a lot of races. He was known as the fastest person ever to enter East Technical High School. After Jesse finishes high school, lots of colleges wanted to recruit him. He chose to stay in Ohio because he wanted to stay close to his family. Jesse was still being discriminated like all the other African Americans and he did not get any scholarships. He stayed in black-only hotels. Jesse’s high school coach helped him and his family out. He found a permanent job for his father. He also arranged jobs for Jesse to pay for his board. He started attending Ohio State University when everything worked out for his family.‘’I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn’t in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I’d learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself.’’(Owens, 1936)Jesse finishes his last quarter before the Olympics. The Olympics was taking place in Berlin, Germany, in 1936. The first American to ever win four gold medals in the Olympics was Jesse Owens. Hitler got up and cheered for Jesse. Hitler was very discriminant against Africans but even though he joined the parade they had for Jesse and the rest of the German athletes. After the Olympics people began to bet with Owens. Someone bet that Jesse couldn’t beat a horse in a race and Jesse won two thousand dollars for beating the horse and winning the bet. After the Olympics, everyone especially African Americans looked up to Jesse and wanted to be like him. People respected and admired him. Jesse said after his victories, When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn’t ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn’t live where I wanted. I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either. (Owens, 1936)The Olympic icon Jesse Owens and his wife went back home after the Olympics. He won four gold medals. Jesse even shook Hitler’s hand during the Olympics. He had changed what society thought of African Americans by winning four gold medals. Jesse worked with lots of kids and gave very inspiring speeches. He had three wonderful daughters and was married to his wife for forty five years. Jesse smoked throughout his life and died at the age of sixty six with lung cancer. Meanwhile after his death they began making places for people to visit him. They made The Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza outside of the Ohio Stadium. They also made a story about his life on television. Jesse Owens memorial park is in Oakville, Alabama. People still respect and admire Jesse Owens today because of what he achieved during his life.