Teamwork in Hirsch’s “Fast Break”

The main theme of Edward Hirsch’s poem “Fast Break” is the importance of teamwork. Hirsch relates this theme to the reader through a colorful description of a fast break play in a  basketball game. A typical fast break is completed in a few seconds, but Hirsch slows the action down and describes every minute detail to show the reader how every member of the team plays a crucial role in assuring that a common play is executed correctly. Hirsch paints a vivid picture that helps draw the reader into the game through the use of personification, imagery to reinforce meaning, and alliteration.

In order to show that each team member plays an important role in the fast break, Hirsch slows down the action of a hectic fast break play. Hirsch makes it clear that all of the action in his poem is taking place in close succession because the entire poem occurs in only one sentence. Hirsch separates this sentence into individual couplets that each describe a brief portion of the fast break. By formatting his poem in this manner, Hirsch is able to show the importance of every individual action and how each player’s seemingly minor role is integral to the success of the fast break as a whole.

Hirsch draws the reader into the poem through the use of personification. The opening couplet of the poem describes a missed shot by the opposing team. However, rather than a simple description of a missed shot, Hirsch describes a hook shot that “kisses the rim” and “hangs there, helplessly” before it falls short. The use of personification at the opening of the poem serves to immerse the reader in the action rather than leaving the reader to visualize the action as an outside observer. Furthermore, Hirsch’s personification of the basketball as it “hangs there, helplessly” also serves to add to the sensation that time has been slowed down, which will continue throughout the poem.

Hirsch’s use of imagery creates vivid descriptions of each individual action that occurs during the poem. Since the poem is driven by action, Hirsch employs kinesthetic imagery through the use of strong action verbs. Hirsch describes a guard “shoveling” a pass to another guard who goes “scissoring” past the defender. Rather than a simple description of a guard passing the ball to his teammate, Hirsch is able to create a better visual through vivid verbs like “shoveling” and “scissoring”. Through this kinesthetic imagery, the reader is able to clearly visualize a player heaving an under-handed pass to his teammate who then makes a sharp cut and sprints past his defender. Hirsch uses similar imagery throughout the poem which helps paint a stunning scene while simultaneously drawing the reader’s attention to the importance of every small action that occurs during the fast break.

Hirsch’s poem also contains many examples of alliteration. A few examples include; a hook shot that “hangs there, helplessly”, forwards “fanning out and filling the lanes in tandem”, and the sound that the bounce of the ball makes when it is “hitting the hardwood”. The alliterative words are always placed closely together, usually with only one or two separating words. Hirsch’s use of alliteration could be seen as mimicking a heartbeat which would further reinforce the reader’s feeling of watching action seemingly suspended in time. However, this alliteration could also be seen as a device used by Hirsch to mimic the sound of a basketball hitting the court. If the latter is the case, the alliteration in “Fast Break” could also be viewed as a form of auditory imagery. Alliteration also makes a meaningful presence in the work of Cervantes.

In conclusion, Edward Hirsch’s poem “Fast Break” heralds the importance of teamwork. Hirsch uses personification, imagery, and alliteration to draw the reader into the poem. These techniques, coupled with the structure of the poem, serve to slow down the frenzied pace of a fast break. Hirsch is then able to offer the reader a vivid description of every team member’s role in the fast break. Hirsch is able to take a commonplace basketball play that occurs in a few seconds and show the reader that, when you slow the action down, every player’s small role is extremely important and helps to bolster the effectiveness of the play as a whole.