My First Essay as a 8th Grader

Sam Queen
10/3/11
The Consequences of Being Egotistical

Author’s Note: This is an essay on why Casey's (from “Casey at the Bat”) ego leads to his downfall.

2 outs, bottom of the ninth, down by 3, and bases are loaded. The classic baseball situation, how you act in that scene can sometime determine how liked and your stature as a ballplayer. The poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer shows that cockiness will lead to someone’s downfall.
When someone is cocky, they tend to think they can do everything and they need to constantly satisfy their ego. Casey is a perfect example of this kind of person. Being the best ballplayer around this was an ample time to fill his ego. And with the crowd behind him he felt he could just blow it and then make it super heroic by purposefully missing and not swinging at the first two pitches.
While Casey’s strikeout for being cocky is important in his downfall, the crowd also played a big factor in the role of his downfall. The crowd was the outlet and all Casey had to do was plug himself in and he had enough energy to be carried away. Maybe if the crowd hadn’t been so intense about the umpire he wouldn’t have been so ego-happy during the final at bat.
Cockiness is a main reason that someone with a high amount of respect can lead to your downfall. So just be humble, and things will always work out for the greater good.