Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger Essay -- rural town, football cra

H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights brings to mind the cold, autumn nights of 1988 where a town, just like any other rural town in America, was brought together in such a raw and emotional way. From the rise and fall of Boobie Miles to the push for the playoffs, it is clear that 1988 Odessa was swept up in the glory of football to replace the grandeur of the 1950s, which seemed to deteriorate throughout that hectic decade. While a modern reader may view Bissinger’s masterpiece as a tale from a dated and faraway place, several factors have kept it in the public’s eye. What is it about Friday Night Lights that still resonates today? The answer can still be found in the same rural towns of America. Though it may seem incredible, Texas is still football crazy, and it may be fairly concluded that emotions have only slightly receded from the obsession they once held towards high school football. People’s inability to analyze themselves, the impact a community c an have on younger generations, and the way priorities can easily be warped all struck me as subjects that have stayed true in Texas culture over the past 26 years. I will be discussing these topics throughout this dissection of Friday Night Lights. The ability to analyze one’s self is a trait that seems to be lacking in nearly everyone until, supposedly, they reach full maturity. It can be noted that this ability is extremely lacking in every character introduced in the book, including adults. All of the coaches and parents fail to realize the great amount of pressure they place on the kids. Rather than being supported, Boobie Miles is treated as a â€Å"has been† at the age of eighteen by everyone surrounding him. Don Billingsley is dejected at the beginning of the season, even b... ...at Round Rock because the school was having difficulty supporting it. It can be understood why the football season of 1988 seems like such a faraway place. 1995, the year I and many of my fellow classmates were born, marked twenty six years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Though it is not a pleasant thought, it seems that the problems Americans faced in 1969, 1988, and now will be problems we must face for years to come. It is our duty to make Texas a better place to live, encourage younger generations that success and happiness exist after high school, and that one is in charge of his own destiny. Works Cited Cantu, Rick. "State's Stadium Spending, Amenities Raise Eyebrows." Austin News, Sports, Weather, Longhorns. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .