Analysis: Is The Boys In The Boat

Summary of Chapter 2 of The Boys In the Boat The Boys In The Boat, written by Dan Brown and published in 2013, focuses on the rowing team who won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In particular, “Chapter 2” is about the childhood of Joe Rantz, one of the gold medalists of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Harry Rantz, father of Joe Rantz, was an amateur mechanic with a big dream. He married Nellie Rantz in 1899. After Fred, an elder brother of Joe, was born in 1899, they moved to Spokane, WA, in 1914, when Joe was born as their second son.

I had the pleasure of reading an outstanding, best seller book called, The Boys In The Boat Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. This book is about the life of Joe Rantz, and the “boat.” Joe was born in Spokane. At the age of three his mother passed away. With the start of the Great Depression people had lost their jobs, homes, and had nowhere to go. He went though some hard obstacles including being left behind at the age of fifteen. Joe said “The whole thing was over in five minutes” (www.gritfire.com). Mr. Rantz also becomes self-reliant by finding his own way. He also learns how to rebuild trust with his father, and to others.

The front cover shows a scene of a rowing crew in the water. The vast amounts of water and tranquil sky prove to the reader that even the things that are most challenging in life, can be calming and enjoyable. Pictures throughout the text help the reader to better understand Rantz’s and the crew’s lives.

The Boys in the Boat is a nonfiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. This book takes place in 1936 in Germany where the Berlin Olympics were held. Nine American boys from the University of Washington on a eight-oar rowing team entered the Olympics. They were going for the gold and to win it all. They caught the attention of millions of people. Their story of how they got to where they are is very emotional and inspirational.

“The Boys in the Band”, is a play about male homosexual relationships and the revealing truths of being gay in the 1960s. The play gives audiences a distinct perspective of homosexuality on the stage up until that time. The setting is in a New York City apartment that is owned by Michael. He and his gay friends are preparing a birthday party for Harold. Alan McCarthy, a former college roommate of Michael, also shows up at the party unexpectedly. In this paper, we will focus on Alan and Harold and their behaviors and impacts in the play.

In the short story, “The Boat” by Alistair Macleod, symbolism is used to represent an abstract idea. The boat, being a major symbol of the story was the way of life for the family. As the story goes on, the boat starts to make the family feel confined giving them a choice to leave or stay with the boat. There were symbols that impacted the story that had connection towards the boat. Chain bracelets, the father’s clothes, the books that the father read are all symbols that tied to the boat. The father's chain bracelets and clothes represent the father feeling trapped as a fisherman since he never changes out of them. We find out more about the characters and their personal connection with the boat and the other symbols and what it means to them. The family starts to fall apart due to the kids learning about the father’s books leading to them moving away from home. Symbolism is used when one thing is meant to represent something else adding meaning and emotion to the story which is well represented throughout the story.

In the book All American Boys what the authors suggest about the nature of bias is that it is a factor in the lives of many people in some way, and is one of the main reasons why society is not equal. This is shown when the general white population in the book sides with Paul after the altercation with Rashad, even though the plot made it so clear Paul was in the wrong. The first piece of evidence is when the presumably white school committee was only looking for spray paint cans in the lockers of students of color, which is portrayed in the following quote said by Jill: “‘That’s what I saw. Three black students, boys, in a row. Then Martinez. They skipped me!’” (183). Jill was so outraged by what happened at this point in the book because

This structure is commonly seen in any film or television production, as using the structure makes sure that the narrative is continuing to move forward, and is developing. The film plot line I will be studying and making an analysis on is The Lost Boys.

Leaving him to fend for himself at the age of ten. Since then he had always been reserved. When he first joined the crew team he was failing because people did not show him respect and he did not trust anybody. Once he came over his fear of abandonment and the other boys began to trust each other, the boys created a bond where there was no ego or personal gain. Every decision and action was the for the good of the team. “The trick would be to find which few of them had the potential for raw power, the nearly superhuman stamina, the indomitable willpower, and the intellectual capacity necessary to master the details of technique. And which of them coupled improbably with all those other qualities, had the most important one: the ability to disregard his own ambitions, to throw his ego over the gunwales, to leave it swirling in the wake of his shell, and to pull, not just for himself, not just for glory, but for the other boys in the boat” (Barker 23). Even though Joe struggled his entire life, when he was in the boat with his team he put every fiber of his being towards the speed of his boat. Even in old age, Joe made sure that when The Boys in the Boat was written, that it was not just about him but about the boat. “But not just about me. It has to be about the boat.” (Rantz 3). Joe put his mind, body and soul into the boat and left his ego and personal gain at the door. That quality helped pave the way to his Olympic dream.

fact that this essay has been referenced in so many other critiques on “The Swimmer”,

Daniel James Brown manages to awe and inspire readers in his book The Boys in the Boat, which describes the hardships a row crew from Washington underwent to make it to the 1936 Olympics. The story of the nine rowers on the Washington crew teaches lessons about inner confidence, trust, dedication, and the hope that can be found during even the most difficult times. I learned while reading that being the underdog doesn’t mean you’re destined to fail. Readers see that despite the hardships and many disadvantages the Washington crew faced, their dedication allowed them to beat the odds and inspire an entire nation.

“Free will and determinism are like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt is determinism. The way you play your hand is free will.” (Norman Cousins) “The Lost Boyz” by Justin Rollins, is a remarkable, personal recount of the author’s dejected youth as well as a deep, raw and vivid insight into the ways and consequences of a broken youths’ mind (Rollins, 2011). Throughout his book, Rollins depicts the divergent factors responsible for his descend into the criminal lifestyle, ultimately attributing them to two key criminological theories; classicism and positivism (Newburn, 2017). Classicist criminology, or the classical approach to criminal behaviour is centred around the idea of free will and rational thinking, defining the criminal

Throughout the history of the Olympic games, there has been many changes on how the Olympic Games has come to be interpreted and how they are generally viewed in our modern era. These views range from, Nationalism fueled by the Olympic Games, Women trying to create equality through the Olympic Games, Economic supremacy shown by the Olympic games and the responsibilities held by countries and the self-preservation of a country when presenting the Olympic games. Each view states an interpretation of the Olympic games through the years of 1892-2002 showing a distinct view on the Olympic games depending on the times they were hosted at such as when the Olympic Games were hosted when women weren’t equal to men or who the Games were hosted

Brown, Daniel. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. New York: Penguin, 2014. Print.

Central Idea: Swimming has a long and rich history that dates back way before our generations and is not always as beneficial as we may think.