3.9 Introducing Biographies

Sweet Success

Read this example of a biography to determine the writer's purpose.

     As a small boy, Meadowlark Lemon was not much of a basketball player. Noone in his hometown expected him to play professionally. Little did they knwo that Lemon would become one of the most famous and popular members of the Harlem Globetrotters.

     Lemon was born in the 1930s in Wilminton, North Caroline, USA. One of his favourite pastimes was watching movies at the local theater. When he was 11 years old, he saw a news story featuring the Harlem Globetrotters, a basketball team of entertaining athletes with expert basketball skills. Lemon was instantly captivated by the players driblling, shooting, passing, and clowning around. In that moment, he made up his mind that he would someday join the team.

     Lemon was determine to reach his goal, even though he could not afford to buy a basketball. He made a hoop from an onion sack and a coathanger, and he used an empty can for a ball. He practised endlessly. By the time he reached high school, Lemon had become a fine athlete. He wanted to try out for the Globetrotters, but he was drafter into the army and had to serve two years.

     Lemon finally joined the Globetrotters in 1955. For 24 years, he delighted fans with his pranks on the court. He was known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball". But he was also known for his superb half-court hook shot.

     Meadowlark Lemon played in more than 16 000 basketball games in his career. In 2003, he was honoured to become part of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Today, Lemon works with the sports camps that he founded in 1989. He teaches kids to work hard and believe in themselves because he knows that those are the qualities it takes to be successful.

In Sweet Success in your Learning Guide, record what you think the author's purpose was for writing the biography of Meadowlark Lemon.