Giovanni Morales
English 1101
Professor. Carrie Hall
12/6/18
Rocky: Going The Distance
There is no doubt that the older we become the harder life gets. we all go through this if you are not suffering then you are not living, there is always a challenge we must face. Sure life does have its moments when we feel like we are at the top flying and the view up here does look nice. But then you fly too close to the sun and fall losing everything you once had. You enter this philosophical phase where you start  question everything why do bad things happen? I’m someone who can easily feel down, somebody tells me “no” and it’s all over for me. I’m sent down into this deep hole that’s hard for me to climb back out. I’m too afraid to fail, so I don’t even bother taking any risk, because of “what if?”, “what if I don’t make it?, “what if I make myself look bad?”. My whole life relies on “what if ?” because I look more into the possibilities more than actually doing something and receiving a outcome. I’m afraid of getting hurt just like the grades I get sometime. when I finish my homework I look at it as a work of art because all of my effort is put into it, but when it comes to the professor grading my work of art I get comments and grades that I don’t wish to see and the only thing I do is drop my head knowing I could do better but don’t put in that extra work. Usually when I’m feeling down I depend on videos to uplift myself and somehow they make me feel better about myself. I would go on YouTube and watch motivational videos, there would be a motivational speaker speaking and a montage of people feeling down because of their multiple fails and then transition to the same people mastering the work they couldn’t do. It was inspirational because if they can do then so can I. It was finding something that would pick you when you were at your lowest if it’s music, a painting, or Movies; there is always something for us that will remind you to keep moving forward. I would always go to my favorite movies; the Rocky franchise.
I can’t remember how I started to get into the movies but there is a total of six. To sum up all the movies it’s about a underdog boxer who has been given the opportunity to fight a boxing champion. Although he didn’t win the first match he did win the second fight becoming the new champion and his fame and confidences grew too high that he was reminded that he can still be broken. This was proven by a new opponent knocking him down and taking a his belt away and after the fight his trainer passed away, this made him fall into a deep depression. Eventually he got back up on his feet with the help from his former rival to now friend Rocky defeated the same person who took his belt. Just as we thought things were settle Rocky had to avenges his friend who died in the ring by the hands of a undefeated boxer. Guilty for not throwing the towel Rocky decides  that it’s up to him, he must avenge his friend. The fight ended up being dirty and they were fighting till the finally round, ultimately knocking down Goliath and Rocky stayed victorious. Rocky had his ups and downs from the start to the end of his boxing career he wasn’t perfect but he also never let himself get beat he always found a way to get around, he was a fighter in and out of the ring, a good role model. He taught me many life lessons and if you watch his movies he can probably teach you a few things or more.
The sixth installment from the Rocky franchise is my favorite movie and I consider it the best one out of the six, we now see a retired Rocky that has nothing, his wife passed away and lives alone in his old apartment. Missing being in the ring Rocky decides to go back to boxing and gets offer to take on a boxing champion. Its old school vs. new school you assume now that he’s old Rocky has no chance but he still manages to put on fight and continue fighting ending with Rocky losing, but still being respected by everyone for putting up a good fight even when they doubted him . It wasn’t just the fight and training montage that made the movie so iconic but the speech he gave.
It was a special scene,where I felt like the Protagonist was talking to me, I was in the movie and this is what I mean find something that speaks to you, It made me reflect on my life. The scene takes place outside in the cold streets appeared to look like in the middle of the night, no one is walking. In the background there are parked cars and street lights illuminating the night. In the foreground you see Rocky wearing a red blazer with a sweater under and in front of him is his son who confronts him for taking on the challenge to fighting a boxing champion. Rocky’s son believes that this fight is going to make his father to turn out to be a joke going up against a boxing champion and he’s going to be included as well. Rocky not liking what his son blaming him for what’s going to happen to his son’s reputation. He gives his most famous speech which I will break down.
Starting with the beginning, Rocky was talking about the birth of his son and watching him grow was like a privilege but as his son gets older he switches tone from light to something serious. “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it….” Rocky reminds his son the reality of the real world, life going to throw anything at you to keep you down. My eyes were open because I believed that the world was only attack me but we are all victims in this world, nobody gets to be where they want to be without a challenge and failing a few times. I always wanted to get things done in the first try but, if I didn’t make it. I would throw in the towel.
“…You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!…”. Yes, endurance. The hits wont stop coming just like Rocky said. This is my first semester in college and I’m feeling stressed trying to balance school, work and my personal life. But who am I to complain others have been through worst and manage, I have to suck it up and keep moving forward. I reflect back on the times my parents told me the challenges they had to face when coming to the United States, Not knowing the language, the streets and the people. Now they made a family and enough money to support the family and send to their mothers, because they took the hits.
“…Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!” The the yelling put more emphasis on his words. He constantly says “you” throughout the speech he was not only talking to his son but to me as well. If I want something I have to go get it and not put any excuses. Taking all this in made me mad at myself because the only person that I was in my way from getting to where I want to be, I was my worst enemy. I know I could do better and my thought were holding me back. Yes I will always feel pain of rejection, but it will go away because I learn from my mistakes.
In the end, when you’re stuck inside that hole that’s difficult to climb always find a work of art that speaks to you, Just like how I found mine, Rocky was talking to me and his words just gave me strength to keep fighting till the final round. The character may be fictional but he’s a representation of any successful person that had to endure till it was their time to shine. I’ve been improving on myself lately working becoming a better person. It may take some time to improve on my skills. I’ve made it this far in life to graduate from high school and go to college and I want to go even further up high, As said in the lyrics of his theme song “Gonna fly now”.
Rocky’s speech to son: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk82j1jQw_8
