Bruce+Lee

Tony Tran =Bruce Lee= Introduction Bruce Lee once said,"A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at." According to Frank Daniel, Bruce overcame racial, economical, and physical injuries" and became one of the most inspiring and influential person in the history of martial arts. Born in the U.S. and raised in Hong Kong, Lee worked his way up and returned to the U.S. to become a star in Hollywood. He made 5 featured-length films. Soon after he was done with his last film, he died in Hong Kong on July 20,1973 days before the film's screening. Although his death was a tragedy, he influenced people with his teachings, philosophy, and his films.

Personal Background Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco. He was given the Chinese name Li Jun Fan. His parents were Lee Hoi-chuen and Grace Ho. They give birth to him in America and returned to Hong Kong when Bruce was only three years old. Bruce got in a lot of street fights and had many problems with the police in Hong Kong and was kicked out of his home by his parents (Augustym). Although he was kicked out of his home, his father introduced him to the entertainment industry at an early age and appeared in many films as a child. He moved to America at the age of 18 and studied philosophy and drama at the University of Washington. During this time he began teaching martial arts. He also opened a school in Seattle (Augustym). At his school he taught Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts form he made himself. Jeet Kune Do was a blend of fencing, boxing, and philosophy.He also meets the love of his life Linda Emery. He later on goes on to marry her and has two kids. They had a son named Brandon Lee and a daughter. As a hobby, Bruce wrote poetry. He wrote poems such as: Night rain, Bonding on Lake Washington, Since You Left, and many others (Landsberger).Bruce was involved in five feature-length films: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and The Game of Death. Bruce became a huge figure throughout the world and especially in the eyes of the Chinese. He became a role model to the Chinese community with his films and teachings (Daniel). Although all his films were a success, just before the release of Enter the Dragon, Bruce collapsed from suffering from seizures and headaches and was rushed to the hospital (Cadwell). According to Linda Lee, Bruce was given painkillers that contained aspirin and muscle relaxant meprobamate. Later on that day Bruce lie down to take a nap and did not wake up for dinner. His wife Linda called the ambulance, but by the time that reached the hospital Bruce had passed. Bruce Died at the age of 32. He died on July 20, 1973 (Cadwell). Lee’s wife took him back to her hometown in Seattle and was buried in Lakeview Cemetery.

Personality Traits Three traits to describe Bruce Lee are honorable, determined, and well rounded. He had an enduring spirit of youthful rebellion and was very hard working. He also had a willingness to fight his oppressors (Yap). He was raised in Hong Kong and returned to America to studied philosophy and drama at the University of Washington. Lee also was a pretty successful writer and wrote countless poems (Landsberger). He was an understanding and determined teacher that will teach anyone who is determined to put in the effort to learn. Lee was an inspiring and honorable man, husband, father, friend, and teacher (Cadwell). He stood as a role model and was the face or the Asian community when he was in Hong Kong. He inspired people not to just sit around and think about what you can do, when you can just go out and do it. Although Lee died at a young age we can still remember him through his teachings, philosophy, and his films.

Obstacles During Lee’s life had to overcome many challenges. At a young age Bruce had many problems with the police (Augustym). He was kicked out of his home and was moved to the U.S. When arrived, he enrolled in the University of Washington where he studied philosophy and drama. In the U.S. he had to overcome racist altitudes and economic circumstances as he became a star (Cadwell). He created a school teaching his own form of martial arts Jeet Kune Do. As a teacher and actor of martial arts he had many physical injuries (Daniel). He was the role model and face of the Asian community at that time. Bruce died on July 20, 1973.Althought he died at a young age, Lee was able to overcome all the obstacles to become an inspiring man that promotes hard work and honor.

Historical Significance Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940. He died on July 20, 1973. Over the 32 year he lived he was a film actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, filmmaker, and creator or Jeet Kune Do. Through his teachings, philosophy, and his films he has become a local hero in Hong Kong (Lee). To this day many of Bruce’s close friends and students are teaching Jeet Kune Do in Hong Kong. Bruce was involved in a few feature-length films: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon. He was also in Enter the Dragon and The Game of Death. Bruce became a huge figure throughout the world and especially in the eyes of the Chinese. If you walked in the streets of Hong Kong today, you can find arts shows, exhibition, and street graffiti in honor of him. He has his films are also kept in museums (Yap). There are also shirts and posters sold in Hong Kong of Bruce Lee. He was basically a role model in Hong Kong that everyone could look up to and push to be like them (Yap). To this day people still remember Bruce and write articles about him. In Frank’s article “Reincarnation,” he writes about how a man looks like a reincarnation of Lee. In the article he shows us how he is still remembered by many people 42 year later. Bruce has a whole district of art of him and a life size model of his house in Kowloo Tang (Yap). In Hong Kong Bruce’s fan club raised $100,000 to make something to preserve his legacy. The fan club used the money to make a statue of him out of bronze. Although he lived for a short time, he made the most of his life by making a big impact on the filming industry and made what martial art is today.

References

Augustyn, Adam "Bruce Lee" Encyclepurdia Britannica, Sept 9,2014, Web, Dec 4 2014

Cadwell, Linda Lee "The Truth Behind Life and Death of Bruce Lee" Los Angeles Time, Web, August 17, 1998, October 16, 2014

Daniel, Frank, "Afghanstan and Bruce Lee "reincarnation" becomes web hit," Reaters Dec 4,2014 Web, Dec 11,2014

Landsberger, Dave "Poetry Kung Fu or Breaking Boards with your head is dumb, write poems instead," The Rumpus October 4,2011, Web, Demcember 6,2014

Witchel, Alex, "The Man Who Can Make Bruce Lee Talk, New York Time, November 7, 2012, Web, Oct 1, 2014

Yap, Brian, "Bruce Lee's legacy still debated 40 year after his death" Chiago Tribune, July 18,2013, Web, November 20, 2014