Daniel James Brown's 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.

Throughout The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Joe Rantz shows the traits of a common protagonist. Joe grows throughout the book as a person and an athlete in order to eventually push himself to win the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This book is a great example of how despite his setbacks it didn't stop him from living his life and chasing his dreams in winning the Olympics.

The Boys in the Boat is a narrative telling the story of Joe Rantz and his rowing team’s journey to win the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. During this time, America was in its worst stages of the Great Depression. Also, Adolf Hitler had risen

Thoughts of drowning run rampant in every man’s mind on that boat. At dawn, the men decided that their only chance is to row toward the distant shore again and swim when the boat finally capsizes.

In addition, the importance of risk taking in In the poem “Mother To Son” by Langston hughes is shown by the mother. in lines 3- 9 it states “It had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor-bare. But all the tie I’se been a-climbin’ on,.” his mother had to climb on or keep going even when times were very tough. In lines lines 12-19 it says “and sometimes goin’ in the dark where there ain’t been no light. So boy dont dont you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now- for I’se till goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’,.” when she says “and sometimes

For our summer reading assignment, my favorite book and the one I am writing about is The Boys in the Boat, written by Daniel James Brown. This nonfiction novel describes tribulation, perseverance, and the profoundly unlikely success story of Joe Rantz's life.

1.) “If you simply kept your eyes open, it seemed, you just might find something valuable in the most unlikely of places. The trick was to recognize a good thing when you saw it, no matter how odd or worthless it might a first appear, no matter who else might walk away and leave it behind.” -The Boys in the Boat (pg. 37) by Daniel James Brown

Many say that events, good and bad, from childhood shape a person’s future. Things like the death of a loved one, domestic violence, expectations and economic struggles can surely mould one's true self. However, the gap between finding the person they want to become and the one to avoid becoming is controlled solely by the way one chooses to handle these things in life. This is directly connected to the novel, Crow Lake by Mary Lawson, in which the life of Kate Morrison and her three siblings is depicted. The children are faced with tragedy when both their parents are killed in a fatal car accident and they are left orphaned to fend for themselves. The novel perfectly embodies what it takes to get through extremely tough times and push in order

As Joe dedicates himself more to the rowing team that he is a part of, his coaches realize there is a team aspect missing. For a while when the team was rowing together some days Joe would perform wonderfully and other times the

The poem “No Country for Black Boys” by Joy Priest represents the sorrowful incident which happened on February 26, 2012 for Trayvon Martin in Florida. Trayvon Martin was an innocent African-American young boy who bought iced tea and some skittles. On the way back to his father’s home, he got shot by the neighborhood watch and treated as a victim because of his skin color. Guilt was not defined by what Martin did but by what he said, also it determined something deep-rooted in the young age. No weapon was needed to identify him as a victim. He is a young black boy, so he is already guilty enough to be killed. Black people have the same rights as the other people, however in reality, America’s society discriminates against them compared to other nationalities.

The Varsity team lost to the Junior Varsity team because of their individualistic mindset. The coach of the Army Crew team admits to putting together the best crew athletes together on the Varsity team. As “Making Star Teams Out of Star Players” discusses, putting the best individuals together seems appropriate on paper, but often ignores the soft skills necessary to work together as a team. Because the coach focuses on the individual talents of the Varsity Crew team he creates an air of competitiveness within each member, instead of how they can work together. The goal of the team is not greater than that of the individual and no one wants to be the weakest link so they overcompensate their own skills. Every member of the Varsity crew team believes he is compensating for the other members and blames other members for the failure of the team, which shows a lack of team mentality and strong leadership. Through overcompensating, as stated in the case study, that throws off the balance of the boat because one member being off pace causes slower speeds. Also, through pitting the Varsity team against the Junior Varsity team it adds to the divisive culture within the whole Army Crew team.

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.

A boy who is being bullied at school doesn't know what to do or who to go to. He has become depressed and a shell of who he once was. He wants to talk to someone about what he is going through. He talks to his friend. His friend says he can not give into the bullies and give them what they want. He has to get stronger for the next bullies to come. Hardships are very common among people who are struggling, but they can not give into those struggles, instead of giving in they need to get stronger. This idea can be seen in many pieces of the following poems.“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes both convey the message that people who are struggling throughout a

The case is centered on events of the Army crew team’s annual crew season in May 2002, four days before The Nationals, a 2000 meter race where crew teams row for the best time in an intercollegiate competition. The varsity team has been consistently beaten by the junior varsity team, even though, the eight Varsity rowers are supposed to be the top eight performers of the team and the Junior Varsity is comprised of the bottom eight performers. Coach Preczewski’s dilemma forces him to a decision point where he has to decide between three options which are: