“The Blind Side” Written by Michael Lewis

Written by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side tells the story of a troubled african american teenager from Memphis, Tennessee named Michael Oher and the evolution of his ultimate football position, left tackle. All of his life, Michael was moved to more foster homes than he could count on his fingers. He grew up with no father in the picture, a mother who was addicted to drugs, and was one of thirteen other children. A man named Big Tony, who had been one of the people Michael stayed with, attempted to get him into a highly regarded academy in East Memphis. Michael did not know any details about himself, or even how to read or write, but his athletic abilities are what gave him enough leverage to get into the school. Later on, Michael is discovered by a rich, white family, the Tuohy's. They take Michael under their wing and raise him as if he was one of their own. Standing at six-feet-five inches tall and 350 pounds , Michael became quickly noticed by college coaches all around the country because he was perfect fit to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability, his blind side.

The Blind Side was written by Michael Lewis, an author from Berkeley, California. The story takes place in Memphis, Tennessee where Michael Oher was entering his sophomore year of high school at Briarcrest. Michael Lewis intended his audience to be anyone that needed inspiration or that has a troubled family life. His overall purpose is to prove that despite setbacks and a bad past, you can do anything you set your mind to. Lastly, the overall subject of the book is about a young, black teenager with a scarring childhood. After meeting a loving family, there is immense hope for his future to go to college and play football, in the position of left tackle.

The most predominant rhetorical appeal used by Michael Lewis is pathos. Lewis uses pathos in most of the story to appeal to his reader's emotion and pull at their heart strings. He shows how poor of a life Michael had, by explaining how he never even had his own bed before the Tuohy's took him in. 'And he said, 'That's my bed?" And she said, 'That's your bed." And he just stared at it a bit and said, 'This is the first time I've ever had my own bed" (Lewis 88). Lewis uses emotion to draw in his reader even more in depth by making sad points about how bad of a past life he had before the Tuohy's. Additionally, Lewis appeals to the emotions of his reader by using relations to family. '?When I moved in with Leigh Anne and Sean, I felt loved," said Michael, 'like part of a family. In the other houses I didn't feel like part of the family. I didn't feel like they wanted me there'" (Lewis 150). Michael clearly did not experience what it was like to ever feel loved. Lewis brings the love from the Tuohy family into the story in order to appeal to engage his audience into feeling sympathetic towards Michael. The author also reflects on Michael's horrible past in order to appeal to our emotions. He says,"Sean had a different take: Michael's mind was finely calibrated to get form one day to the next. Whatever had happened to him in the past he couldn't afford to dwell on it. He couldn't afford to be angry, or bitter. 'Michael's gift,' Sean said, 'is that the Good Lord gave him the ability to forget. He's mad at no one and doesn't really care what happened. His story might be sad, but he's not sad'" (Lewis 89). Lewis includes these details to prove that Michael is not sad, even when the audience would assume he is, which reflects on Michael's genuine character. This gives the reader a happier sympathy towards Michael because it not only explains the bad in his life, but also shows that he is happy in his present life, since he was give a second chance for success.

Michael Lewis' book, The Blind Side, can be described as having a sympathetic tone. Michael Oher had an alcoholic for a mother and had never met his father all his life. He went through numerous hardships throughout his life, like racism and childhood trauma. Unlike most people. Michael Oher persevered and overcame every obstacle his life through at him in order to achieve his goal of playing left tackle professionally. The story Lewis tells throughout the novel is about Michael Oher's past life, representing the sympathetic tone. The author's purpose was to prove that no matter what life throws at you, anyone can persevere and succeed. Throughout the book, the author consistently refers back to Michael's childhood and past life. Lewis' audience learns that Michael had it very rough growing up, and every time he mentions it, it brings the reader back to their sympathetic emotions towards Michael.

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