Annotations for Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

1、Annotations for Seabiscuit by Laura HillenbrandPart 1;Preface; (pg. xvii-xix) Summary-The Preface describes just how famous Seabiscuit was back around 1938. Our generation has grown up in an age where horse races are not famous, but rather football and baseball games, rock stars, and political figur

2、es are. Seabiscuit had trains that were “Seabiscuit Limited” and there was even Seabiscuit revenue that sold like crazy. Seabiscuit, for my generation, could be comparable to the Big Ben of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Red Pollard, Tom Smith, and Charles Howard formed a team that carried Seabiscuit to t

3、he top. Vocabulary-Adulation- verb; To show excessive admiration or devotion to (pg. xvii)Throngs- noun; A large group of people gathered or crowded closely together; a multitude (pg. xviii) Chapter 1; The Day of the Horse is Past;(pg.3-20)Summary-Chapter 1 introduces a main character, Charles Howar

4、d. He moves to San Francisco, California, with barely any money, and starts a bike repair shop. In San Francisco, the “horse-less” carriage arose which many were afraid of. Howard saw opportunity. He created an automobile repair shop. He then traveled to Detroit and met with the Will Durant, chief o

5、f Buick Automobiles, whom then hired Howard. On April 18, 1906, there was an earthquake in San Francisco. The horse carriages could not take the firefighters in the fire to save the injured and homeless people or to get rid of the dead. Howard let them use the three cars he had, which in turn worked

6、 and showed automobiles superiority. He had started a revelation. Howard then started doing daring stunts and races to promote a cars durability. He was all over the press; whether in heroic stories of him winning a race or an ad for Buicks, he had the limelight. In 1926, a rich, successful Howard t

7、ook his wife out to Del Monte, and left their 15-year-old son, Frankie, at home. When they were gone, tragedy struck. Frankie had taken the car out with some friends to go fishing. On their way home, they were driving on a canyon road and saw a large rock, which he swerved to avoid. The car went dow

8、n over the edge. Frankies spine and skull crushed, he was dead. Howard was devastated; he never quite got over it. In the 1920s, if a man wanted to sin, California was not the place to be. So instead they traveled to Tijuana which was a town to go when you wanted to sin. There was alcohol, gambling,

9、 dancing, and cavorting all over the town. There, the Tijuana Racecourse was built; many called it ugly but had the first movable gates and photo finishes. Here Howard would sometimes travel. Charles son was married to Anita, who was pregnant. During her pregnancy, she asked her sister Marcela to co

10、me and stay with them. While she was there, she and Charles fell in love. Only a few more horses clopped down the streets in San Francisco, cars were the main attraction. Charles was rich, but bored, so he moved on to horseracing. Former pro baseball player Charles Strub lost everything in the stock

11、 market, he decided to build a racetrack and bring racing back to California. Only two conditions racing become legal again. One, tracks had to use the pari-mutuel wagering machine instead of the bookmakers. Two, wagering would be heavily taxed. Charles Howard went on the look for the best trainer.

12、Connections-The town of Tijuana reminds me of Las Vegas, which is also known as Sin City. Both towns have many things that are frowned upon and when you go, you come back like it never happened. Vocabulary-Intangible- adjective; Incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch (pg. 3)Unmitigated-

13、adjective; Unqualified or absolute (pg. 4)Derision- noun; Ridicule or mockery (pg. 4)Innocuous- adjective; Harmless (pg. 5)Cacophony- noun; Harsh discordance of sound (pg. 5)Corpulent- adjective; Large or bulky of body (pg. 5)Coiffures- noun; A head covering (pg. 5)Audacious- adjective; Extremely bo

14、ld or daring (pg. 7)Gurneys- noun; A flat, padded table or stretcher with legs and wheels, for transporting patients or bodies (pg. 8)Erstwhile- adjective; Former (pg. 8)Ignominy- noun; Disgrace or dishonor (pg. 9)Beleaguered- verb; To harass (pg. 10)Prostrate- verb; To cast (oneself) face down on t

15、he ground in humility, submission, or adoration (pg. 13)Magnate- noun; A person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise (pg. 13)Anemic- adjective; Lacking power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness (pg. 14)Brothels- noun; A house of prostitution (pg. 15)Attrition- noun; A

16、 reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength (pg. 15)Dilapidated- adjective; Reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect (pg. 16)Swaybacked- adjective; Having the back sagged to an unusual degree (pg. 16)Nondescript- adjective; Of no recognized, definite, o

17、r particular type or kind (pg. 16)Aplomb- noun; Great self-confidence (pg. 17)Emblazoned- verb; To adorn (a surface) richly with prominent marking (pg. 18)Chapter 2; The Lone Plainsman;(pg.23-35)Summary-An old horseman named Tom Smith, 56, was unusually quite and was rumored to have never said 100 w

18、ords. His trademark was his grey felt fedora hat, which he was never without. Back in his younger days, he would spend his time alone with horses. Indians even called him “Lone Plainsman” and white men called him “Silent Tom.” He worked as a foreman on Unaweep Cattle Range for twenty years he could

19、train; treat injuries, grooming, and more. He lived there day and night; he even slept with the horses! Horses became less popular and automobiles were everywhere. Many were moving forward in technology, but Smith stayed in his comfort, horses. “Ten Ton” Irwin weighed 400-540 pounds. Irwin ran a Wil

20、d West show in the summer and a racing stable in the winter. He drove a custom sedan with a wide-load rear hatch to exit and enter through. Irwin was always in the news, he would hunt down robbers, belting out during the hanging of his friend, or saving Colorados Wool Trade. Since Irwin had the mone

21、y and the notability, he offered Smith a job at his ranch, and Smith accepted. Irwins show was a sell-out. He started doing side bets where he would have local horses try to try to beat his horses. Irwin would always leave town without paying his hotel bill. Smith was paid sixty dollars a month and

22、he lived and ate with the horses. Irwin was no easy boss, he dragged his jockey out of the hospital to race and he would pack thirty horses into a small railcar, ship them to a race, yank them off the car, and run them without giving them water or letting them warm up. He ran the horses so much that

23、 after he would sell them; the new owners would have to let them rest for long periods of time before they were healthy enough to race again. Luckily, Smith was there to sooth the animals. He adapted to watching horses run into exhaustion. Smith learned that whichever horse broke from the start the

24、fastest would win. He began thinking up new ways to teach his horses to get them off the line as quickly as possible. Irwin had no trouble buying horses and getting new workers, but when his show waned, he had trouble paying his employees. Smith stayed on the job. One horse caught smiths eye and his

25、 name was Knighthood. Knighthood had quite the history and many had quite the superstition towards him. Smith bought him in a claiming race but during that race, Knighthood was injured. Smith never gave up on that horse. Knighthood made an amazing comeback. Tom Smith had almost had a mystical commun

26、ion with horses because he knew their minds and he knew their bodies. Smith could tell how they telegraphed emotion and sensation and could almost communicate with them. “Ten Ton” Irwin was on his way to Wyoming when his car crashed in a ditch. Rescuers found Irwin with head and chest injuries. He d

27、ied two days later. Irwins barn was dissolved. Smith wound up at Seattles Longacres Racetrack. There he was let go again, but as a gift he was given another horse, Oriley. Oriley was doing wonderful, he was being bumped up in class and he kept winning. Smith found himself living in a horse stall wit

28、h another struggling horseman. There a man named Giannnini noticed how Oriley was flourishing and told Charles Howard about Tom Smith. The two met and became partners.Vocabulary-Stark- adjective; Sheer, utter, downright, or complete (pg. 23)Recalcitrant- adjective; Resisting authority or control (pg

29、. 24)Vernacular- adjective; Native or indigenous (pg. 25) Sojourns- noun; A temporary stay (pg. 26)Raucous- adjective; Rough or hoarse (pg. 26)Dubious- adjective; Doubtful (pg. 34)Chapter 3; Mean, Restive, and Ragged;(pg.37-56)Summary-Tom Smith finally got a large salary, which came from Charles How

30、ard. He began wearing suits to the barn instead of overalls and t-shirts. Smith had weird tactics when training. He buried an alarm clock that got a horse used to the sound of ticks. Then he would put of the alarm clock to get the horse to go on a bell. No one understood Smiths ways, but they always

31、 placed bets on his horses. They found that the horses trained by him wound up in the winners circle. Howard knew his place; he did not try to interfere with Smith during training. Howard had a fleet of juvenile horses and wanted a mature horse to lead. Therefore, he sent Smith on a mission to find

32、a cheap, overlooked horse. The horse found Smith. The horse walked right up in front of Smith and eyed him up. Smith found the horse in the program and saw he was a descendant of great fast horses. The horse was blunt, coarse, rectangular, and stationary. This horse had so many problems. He had base

33、ball glove knees, a sad tail, permanent semi crouch, eggbeater gait, and his gallop was so disorganized that he had a tendency to whack himself in the front ankle with his own hind hoof. Somehow, during that race the horse managed to win, even with a bad start. Smith was determined to get that horse

34、. The horses name was Seabiscuit.James Fitzsimmons was born in Brooklyn. When he turned three the Coney Island Jockey Club built a track around his house. He grew up in the horse field and he loved every minute of it. He started as help in the kitchen then he became an exercise boy eventually ending

35、 up a jockey. From there he wanted to try his hand at training. He had such bad arthritis by the age of sixty-one that his back bent so far forward he had to recognize horses by their feet. Fitzsimmons created a name for himself and was recognized all over America. This was the only person Smith reg

36、arded with awe. Fitzsimmons had a horse named Hard Tack. Hard Tack was uncontrollable just like his great-grandsire, Hastings. Hastings rammed his own competition and he ripped groom after groom to shreds. Hastings son Man o War beat his competition by so much and he set speed records. He was only b

37、eat once by a horse named Upset! Man o Wars son, War Relic, was quite the ball of fire. A jockey that was “fearless”, Tommy Luther, was even scared of him. The first time War Relic was in a race, he won with excellence. Luther then told his wife to bet money on War Relics next race. Helen, Luthers w

38、ife, did bet and sat in the stands and prayed for him to be safe. On the homestretch, War Relic went to the inside and stopped dead in his tracks, which vaulted Luther off the horse. Luther headed for a bunch of spears and fortunately caught himself on the rail with his hands and swung around it lik

39、e a gymnast. Luckily, his wife was praying. Any son of Man o War all you could do was pray because they inherited Hastings temper. Hard Tack definitely inherited the uncontrollable part of Hastings. Hard Tack finally raced and set speed records as well as dominating other top horses. One race he did

40、 not leave the gate, he stayed put. That is when Fitzsimmons sent the horse back to the owner Phipps. No one would take hard tack, even free. Therefore, Phipps decided to breed Hard Tack with three of her own horses. One in particular named Swing On. She was a melon-kneed horse who never raced. Phip

41、ps hoped she would have three racehorses without the temper. Swing Ons son was Seabiscuit. No one thought much of Seabiscuit but Fitzsimmons took him to train. The three colts all looked the same except Grog was a hair shorter and the three were inseparable. Seabiscuit did not have the temper of his

42、 father. He spent a lot of his time sleeping. Most horses sleep standing up but Seabiscuit slept laying down almost every time possibly because he could not lock his knees. He slept so deeply that the grooms had trouble getting him to stand up. Seabiscuit was easygoing and loved to eat. His career d

43、id not look good because he was slow. It was hard to get him to run. It was as if he was able to run but did not want to unless you forced him. His father had raged; Seabiscuit was amused!Fitzsimmons wanted to foil Seabiscuits plan so he paired Seabiscuit with the fastest yearling, Faust, and had th

44、e exercise partner use a stick as a whip. This broke Fitzsimmons no whip rule. After being whipped, Seabiscuit blew by Faust, and had an amazing time of 22 and 2/5 seconds. It was not that Seabiscuit could not run, but it was that he did not want to because he was lazy. Fitzsimmons kept using the wh

45、ip on Seabiscuit because it made him run instead of being lazy. Since Seabiscuit slept more than other horses and he was unusually smart, they began to run him very hard. Seabiscuit began racing at a very early age because every January all the horses were considered a year older, but he was born in

46、 late May 1933. Therefore, in January 1935, he was considered two even though he was about one and a half, so he could race. In his first race he got fourth which was not good, enough so he was put up for sale, but no one wanted him. Occasionally he would have Hard Tacks speed, but then it would dis

47、appear. After his first year of racing, he had been in thirty-five races and was showing signs of being burnout. Phipps tried to sell Seabiscuit. In June 1936 at Massachusettss Suffolk Downs Seabiscuit finally laid eyes on Tom Smith.Marcela and Charles Howard bet on a measly looking horse. Howard sa

48、id he would win, Marcela begged to differ. The horse won and Howard wanted Smith to look at the horse. So Smith went to Fitzsimmons and asked to see the horse, it was Seabiscuit. Howard said he wanted him if he preformed well at his next race. Smith was nervous because Seabiscuit does not run well i

49、n mud, but he pulled through that race to a win. Howard then bought Seabiscuit and gave him to Marcela. August 1936, Seabiscuit walked his last lap around the Fitzsimmons barn. Fitzsimmons did not even know Seabiscuit sold. Smith was eager to get Seabiscuit there, and he did not say much, but everyo

50、ne knew that the horse was special to Smith. Smiths next job was to find a jockey.Literary Elements- “Man o War lost only once in his career- to a colt coincidentally named Upset- a defeat that still ranks among the most shocking in sports history.” (pg. 42)This is a form of irony because it was a m

51、ajor upset when Man o War lost to a horse named Upset! Significant Quotes- “The colt was a descendant of the mighty Man o War through his sire, the brilliantly fast, exceptionally handsome Hard Tack, but his stunted build reflected none of the beauty and breath of his forebears. The colts body, buil

52、t low to the ground, had all the properties of a cinder block. Where Hard Tack had been tall, sleek, tapered, every line suggesting motion, his son was blunt, coarse, rectangular, stationary. He had a sad little tail, barely long enough to brush his hocks. His stubby legs were a study in unsound con

53、struction, with squarish, asymmetrical “baseball glove” knees that didnt quite straighten all the way, leaving him in a permanent semi crouch. Thanks to his unfortunate assembly, his walk was an odd, straddle-legged motion that was often mistaken for lameness. Asked to run, he would drop low over th

54、e track and fall into a comical version of what horsemen call an eggbeater fait, making a spastic sideways flailing motion with his left foreleg as he swung it forward, as if he were swatting at flies. His gallop was so disorganized that he had a maddening tendency to whack himself in the front ankl

55、e with his own hind hoof. One observer compared his action to a duck waddle.” (Pg. 40)This is significant because it describes how Seabiscuit was anything but a racehorse. It describes how he was the underdog and unlikely to win ever. Vocabulary-Raiment- noun; Clothing (pg. 38)Rough-hewn- verb; To s

56、hape roughly (pg. 39)Rigor- noun; Strictness (pg. 40)Encumbrances- noun; A burden or impediment (pg. 41) Paragon- noun; A model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence (pg. 42) Malevolence- noun; Malicious behavior (pg. 42)Bequeathed- verb; To pass (something) on to another or hand do

57、wn (pg. 42)Cherubic- noun; A beautiful or innocent person (pg. 43)Consummate- verb; To bring to a state of perfection or fulfill (pg. 43)Recalcitrance- adjective; Resisting authority or control (pg. 43)Miscreants- noun; An evildoer or a villain (pg. 43)Diminutive- adjective; Small (pg. 45)Bovine- ad

58、jective; Cow like (pg. 45)Torpor- noun; Sluggish inactivity or inertia (pg. 45)Amiable- adjective; Having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities (pg. 46)Ineptitude- noun; Quality or condition of being without skill or aptitude for a particular task or assignment (pg. 46)Docile- adjective; Easily managed or handled (pg. 46)Obstreperous- adjective; Resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner (pg. 46)Audacity- noun; Boldness or daring (pg. 53)Akin- adjective; Related by bloo