Sam Patch
Kellman, 1
John Kellman
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tamara Thornton
History 161
"Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper," by Paul E. Johnson shows the many different attitudes toward Sam Patch. It displays certain attitudes toward Sam Patch and his jumps. Some people are amazed by his jumps and think the world of him; others poke fun at him and use every mishap by Sam to derail him from his practices. Sam Patch didn't seem to pay much attention to these hateful comments. Sam Patch became a celebrity in America through his many successful jumps. In the beginning, however, his attitude was different as well as the meanings behind each jump than from his later jumps.
Sam Patch's first major jumps in Paterson at Passaic Falls got the town talking and his name in the newspapers for the first time. Sam Patch leaped from these falls to show that anybody could do something great. Timothy Crane was gathering a large crowd to move a bridge and Sam Patch wanted to use this large crowd to his advantage by drawing their attention away from Crane, and toward himself. Same Patch's famous motto was "some things can be done as well as others" and Sam wanted people to know that people of the upper class weren't the only ones who could achieve great things. (pg. 66)
These reasons were all thought up about from Sam's friends and the witnesses of these jumps. Other rumors were about how he had fallen in love with a girl but she had denied him. He attempted the jump not for fame, not to show the world that anyone could achieve greatness, but to kill himself. (pg. 53) Sam Patch specified that the he continued jumping because of the excitement he gave the crowd because of his stunts and that is where his persistence to show everyone that anybody could achieve something great originated from. Sam also identified that the jumps he performed was an art form. This was something that stuck with him at every jump he attempted. Many people were afraid to make the jumps that he completed and those
John Kellman
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tamara Thornton
History 161
"Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper," by Paul E. Johnson shows the many different attitudes toward Sam Patch. It displays certain attitudes toward Sam Patch and his jumps. Some people are amazed by his jumps and think the world of him; others poke fun at him and use every mishap by Sam to derail him from his practices. Sam Patch didn't seem to pay much attention to these hateful comments. Sam Patch became a celebrity in America through his many successful jumps. In the beginning, however, his attitude was different as well as the meanings behind each jump than from his later jumps.
Sam Patch's first major jumps in Paterson at Passaic Falls got the town talking and his name in the newspapers for the first time. Sam Patch leaped from these falls to show that anybody could do something great. Timothy Crane was gathering a large crowd to move a bridge and Sam Patch wanted to use this large crowd to his advantage by drawing their attention away from Crane, and toward himself. Same Patch's famous motto was "some things can be done as well as others" and Sam wanted people to know that people of the upper class weren't the only ones who could achieve great things. (pg. 66)
These reasons were all thought up about from Sam's friends and the witnesses of these jumps. Other rumors were about how he had fallen in love with a girl but she had denied him. He attempted the jump not for fame, not to show the world that anyone could achieve greatness, but to kill himself. (pg. 53) Sam Patch specified that the he continued jumping because of the excitement he gave the crowd because of his stunts and that is where his persistence to show everyone that anybody could achieve something great originated from. Sam also identified that the jumps he performed was an art form. This was something that stuck with him at every jump he attempted. Many people were afraid to make the jumps that he completed and those