Fallen Giant

Name
Institution
Course
Date
Fallen Giant
Y. A. Tittle, a football player, was faced with the choice between courage and cowardice. After being a favorite quarterback for so long, and rising amidst injuries, he was a star. However, one injury swept him off balance. Despite being too weak to maintain his own standards as a quarterback, Tittle kept going strong.
Atticus Finch’s definition of courage focusses on how one behaves when challenges present. Atticus says: “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” CITATION Lee60 p 149 l 1033 (Lee 149). Tittle met the criteria set forth in this definition.
Tittle had so far risen above all setbacks in his game. He says, “Every injury I ever had in my lifetime, I could tape it…Every injury I ever had, I could Novocain it CITATION Sha07 p n.p. l 1033 (Shapiro n.p.). He kept playing despite injuries.
However, the last injury did him too much harm to salvage his stardom. This injury set him off balance: “Not this time; the pain he felt now was different” CITATION Sha07 p n.p. l 1033 (Shapiro n.p.). Despite this, he returned to play. This time around, ” he was not the same quarterback…the pain [had made him] gun-shy [and he] didn’t want to get hit, because [he] couldn’t get up CITATION Sha07 p n.p. l 1033 (Shapiro n.p.

). He was not done though.
The following season, “he considered a comeback…his injuries had healed—his wife advised him against making a fool of himself. Instead, he went into the insurance business. He entered pro football’s Hall of Fame in 1971” CITATION Sha07 p n.p. l 1033 (Shapiro n.p.). Though he could no longer play football, he still made maximum use of his life.
Courage is an admirable quality. It can be defined by how someone reacts to situations that set them off balance. It is easy to turn back from difficult situations. This is especially so when all odds are against the person. Truly courageous people, however, keep fighting, no matter the odds.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Lee, Harper. “Chapter 11.” Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. ‎J. B. Lippincott & Co, 1960. 281. Web.
Shapiro, Michael. “Fallen Giant: “A whole lifetime was over,” legendary quarterback Y.A. Tittle recalls.” Smithsonian Magazine n.d. February 2007: n.p. Web.