Character Analysis: The Boys In The Boat

Alan Hopgood’s “And the Big Men Fly” is a written comedic play about a country farmer named Achilles Jones, who is recruited to play for the West Melbourne Football Club. His character’s development allows Achilles to be a key player for the football team, though he never has any passion for the VFL. In the novel, Achilles has represented Australian stereotypes of a typical country person almost exactly through never traveling far from his farm and by always appearing dumb and uneducated. In addition to the stereotypes, his character only tends to enjoy the simple aspects of life.

Though all the members of the team are important characters, Joe Rantz is undoubtedly the novel’s protagonist. Trace Joe’s character development from his childhood to his gold- medal finish in Berlin. How does Joe grow as a character? What does he learn about himself and the world, and in what ways does he change?

Does the truth always set you free? On the Waterfront is a film that touches on the complexity of this question while exposing power, corruption, and its consequences. The main character, Terry Malloy deals with a personal battle between his morality and what is safest to do. Malloy struggles in finding his own identity that isn't connected to the mob. He struggles with the insecurity of having an identity and what that details. Throughout the film, Malloy startes to uncover his identity and the values in which he believes in.

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.

Most of the time when I am not reading an independent reading book, it is because I can never find a book I like to read. Also, I am usually very busy and cannot find the time to finish or even start a book. However, if I do find a book I like, I can finish it within days because of how gripping it can be. In addition to this, I will probably re-read the book for a second, third, or fourth time, with time in between, of course. The book The Boys in the Boat, has been added to the list of these memorable, and definitely re-read, stories.

When observing the social classes in the Boys in the Boat, it helps develop the theme topic of overcoming adversity, showing man’s desire to be like their counterparts. In the Boys in the Boat, Joe Rantz is the definition of the lower class. He was abandoned by his family because his mother couldn’t deal with the pressure of raising multiple kids. This makes Joe resort to the wild for his food, which is vastly different from his counterparts at the University of Washington. He constantly dealt with people on “the library lawn who had glanced appreciatively his way had had to overlook what was painfully obvious to him: that his clothes were not like most of the other students” (Brown 13). Joe was not supposed to make it to college, let alone

As Ricky Baker thrives to build his relationship with his new uncle, Hector, he is also running away from his consequences. The film,“The Hunt for the Wilderpeople”, begins with the delivery of Ricky Baker, an orphan, to his adoptive family. As the story progresses, his aunt, Bella, passes away, which begins his journey to disappear from society. Hec, Ricky’s uncle, receives a letter regarding Ricky’s confinement in juvenile. As Hec started to vocalize, Ricky refuses to go to juvenile due to his desire to disappear. Through Ricky’s determination, loyalty, and his adventures, these traits allow him to gain life lessons during his journey to run away from his consequences.

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.

1. Compare and contrast how, and for what dramatic purpose, the writers of The History Boys and Oleanna present characters who display both vulnerability and villainy.

Year 11 English: AS 90854 (1.10) Form personal response to independently read texts, supported by evidence.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is a true story which illustrates the importance of grit and perseverance in the face of challenging situations. Throughout his troubled upbringing, Joe Rantz faces depressing and unfortunate events. When he was young, his mother dies, and his father remarries a harsh woman, Thula, who treats Joe dreadfully. His father can't hold a job, and his family keeps moving from town to town, which negatively impacts his social life. Eventually, Thula threatens to end the marriage with Joe’s father unless Joe leaves the family. Joe’s father accepts Thula’s request, and he abandons Joes when he is only fifteen years old. Yet in the midst of living independently at such a young age, Joe perseveres through the challenges and achieves his life’s dreams. When he is left with almost nothing, his drive to succeed ultimately leads to his triumph at rowing and to his winning of an Olympic gold medal in Berlin.

One of the main themes of The Boy in the Boat is a teamwork between the rowing crew members that won the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. While I read the book, it reminded me of a contest that was held when I was in the military service even though it was totally different from my experience except for the teamwork.

Uncle Tom and his family are not the only ones going through family struggles. The introduction of the St. Clare family tells of turmoil in a family unit as St. Clare and his cousin, Ophelia, constantly debate over St. Clare’s religious views. One day, St. Clare seems to be a faithful, Christian man who preaches devotion, but the next he proclaims his stance on not being a follower of Christ. St. Clare justifies his “preaching” by saying, “Nothing is easier than talking” (Stowe 152). Uncle Tom’s Cabin regularly discusses religion and Christianity throughout the entirety of the novel, as being a devout Christian is one of the only things that gets Uncle Tom and many other slaves through life, and St. Clare’s position on not following the

A person may find someone likeable for many different reasons. Maybe the person is charismatic and loyal, honest and humble, grateful and trustworthy. The likability of the protagonist in Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, is often called into question by many of its readers. The story starts with the protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, leaving home against his father’s wishes to voyage across the sea. But misfortune fell upon this voyage in the form of a great storm. During this storm, Crusoe prays to God, saying that if He saved him, Crusoe would serve him for the rest of his life. This storm caused Crusoe and his shipmates to abandon ship and watch it fonder. He survived, forgot his promise to God, was deemed bad luck by the captain and the crew, and was directed to never again board a ship. Ignoring this, Crusoe boarded another ship, on which he and the crew were captured by pirates and sold as slaves. He was a slave for three years before he escaped with another slave named Xury. They are then saved by a Portuguese captain, who keeps Xury and takes Crusoe to Brazil. There Crusoe lives a life similar to what his father wanted for him, a simple yet content life. He at first vowed to never sail again, but after getting better acquainted with his neighbor, he was persuaded to travel to Africa with his neighbor to bring slaves, free of cost, back to their farms, breaking this vow. But he proves to, again, be bad luck. The ship crashes and Crusoe is the only man to survive. Through all this, and more, Crusoe proves himself to be inconsiderate, selfish, inhumane, and ungrateful, all unlikable traits.

In Master Harold and the Boys, Hally’s crippled father never appears on stage, instead, the closest thing to him talking is through the telephone conversations. However, Hally’s father still has a huge impact on the play as his roles in the play include creating tension through the phone conversations and his relationship with his son also brings about the bond between Hally and the servants. In addition, he symbolizes the conflict of apartheid in South Africa back then.