Doris Kearns Godwin's essay "Fan" is ostensibly about being a baseball fan, but it also seems to be about memories of her childhood and her relationship with her father, and how the bond between them was forged through baseball.

For this assignment, write a paper in which you address the following two points.

1. How does the love of baseball connect Kearns with her father? What about her mother? How do memories of the family and memories of baseball get intermingled in her memory? How do the activities and experiences she remembers sharing with her family produce her character as a grown-up? What is Kearns trying to convey overall in her essay? State what you think is Kearns' main idea about baseball and family and provide some specific examples from her essay to back up your opinion.

2. Why did Godwin chose to write about this experience many years later? It's often hard to remember how you actually thought as a child. Children often see the world quite differently than adults do. So, Godwin tries to depict the world of her childhood so that his readers will be interested and sympathetic. Summarize your opinion of Godwin's motives for writing.

Please organize your own thoughts in your response as much as possible. Your response should be 600 words (about 2 pages) total, typed format, and double-spaced.