1. “The Berlin Olympics” from The History Place
This passage adds to the conflict that exists in The Boys in the Boat between Americans and their consciences over whether to attend the Berlin Olympics or fight for human rights, which had so clearly been taken away from Jews. It details how many Americans wavered between the chance to showcase their brilliant athleticism and protesting blatant anti-Semitism, with the former winning out in the end. The passage also explains the great lengths Hitler and his men went to hide their actions and present a magnificent Germany as propaganda, which is also evident in The Boys in the Boat.
2. “The Berlin Olympics” from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
By inserting snippets of what was occurring simultaneously in Germany between Joe’s experiences, the author of The Boys in Boat illustrated American ignorance to what was happening. This passage lends to this by stating all of Hitler’s clever propaganda, failed boycotts, and manipulation of world leaders that led to the United States eventually failing to respond to the Jews’ cry for help. The descriptions of viscous persecution of Jews and the invasions that occurred shortly after the Games describe the disastrous effects that the world’s blind eye to Hitler’s actions had.
3. Letter from Walter White, Secretary of the NAACP, to Jesse Owens
This pleading letter written to an African American athlete from the president of an organization
fighting for his race’s rights highlights exactly why athletes from minority groups felt conflicted about attending the games. They would be playing a hand in the same cruel treatment and social injustice that had been shown to them and promoting the rise of it. Bobby Moch, one of Joe’s teammates, also felt this inner struggle on his way to the Games, after learning of his Jewish ancestry.
4. “My Greatest Olympic Prize”
From the moment they arrived in the Olympic village, Joe and his teammates were all incredibly overcome by the sheer, vivid spirit it emanated. The book focuses on the relationship between Joe and his fellow rowers, one that extended beyond race, differences in class and even athletic rivalries, created by all their unbelievable hard work, perseverance and determination. This passage describes an unlikely friendship between a German and a black athlete, which perhaps might be the greatest example of the true Olympic spirit.
5. “Marty Glickman, Jesse Owens and a Forgotten Story of the 1936 Berlin Olympics”
A particular motif that unfortunately defined Joe’s early life is: good things are precarious and can be taken away at any time. He constantly held the belief that things were too good to be true and tragedy would strike; something that did happen to Marty Glickman when he was removed from the men’s relay team at the last possible minute. Both Joe and Glickman also experience the pain that hurts the most: being let down by the people who are supposed to support and love you the most; for Joe, his father and for Glickman, his fellow Americans.
6. “The Shameful Legacy of the Olympic Games”
The Boys in the Boat was written in order to preserve the legacy of nine incredible talented men from Seattle. Hitler attempted preserve his own accomplishments, which are not nearly as magnificent and will be present forever in the screens of Olympia.
7. “Six Minutes in Berlin”
A major theme in The Boys in the Boat is those nine boys ability to beat immeasurable odds against them. This passage explains just how high those odds were; ranging from their inability to pay for funds, German victories in every other rowing race of the day, and to their key rower’s illness. Yet, in the end, the boys from Seattle overcame their obstacles, and achieved a legendary victory for their rainy city.
8. Professor Angela Duckworth’s TED Talk on Grit and the Power of Passion and Perseverance
“Grit is living life like it is a marathon and not a sprint,” said Angela Duckworth, aptly summing up the efforts of the boys in the boat. As Duckworth explains and as it is observed in The Boys in the Boat, the success of the boys didn’t depend on the amount of money they had (not much) or how much prior rowing experience they had, it depended on how much work they were willing to put in (a lot). Under Al Ubrickson’s watchful eye, the boys grew to possess the tremendous grit and perseverance that carried them to the 1936 Olympics.
9. “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals”
Hard work is always rewarded is a maxim that proves incredibly true in The Boys in the Boat. According to this passage, those who possess grit similar to the boys will always succeed and reach their fullest potential, which the boys did. Joe, in particular, demonstrated incredible grit when he remained in the rowing game while experiencing financial troubles and vast self-doubt.
10. “Is Grit Overrated?”
This passage describes another factor essential to grit: an incessant focus on one area. The boys demonstrated remarkable self-discipline when they persisted in rowing while so many abandoned the sport, the practices grew difficult and disappointment was frequent. This passage also presents another obstacle the boys had to overcome: a bias in favor of those with rowing experience, like the well-groomed Ivy League boys, something that was evident at the Poughkeepsie Regattas and the general opinion of western schools.
11. “Outliers”
Achievements, especially those as large scale as the boys’ 1936 win, can be defined as talent plus preparation. According to this passage, the amount of preparation should equal to or surpass an astonishing 10,000 hours, which the boys put in under the regime of Al Ulbrickson. The Boys in the Boat reminds readers of the immense practice needed to make perfect, through which stamina and discipline are learned.
12. “Practice Does Not Make Perfect”
Though this passage concedes that deliberate practice does one better at what he/she does, it vehemently states that humans are not all created equal and that some benefit from practice more than others. This can explain how the boys in Joe’s first boat cruised to an easy victory during their freshman year while the veteran varsity boat struggled during their own race. Some rowers, such as the freshman boat in the year after Joe’s, are simply born better and can benefit more from repeated practice than others.
13. “Teaching ‘Grit’: How Students, Schools Can Benefit”
The competitive attitude that the passage says prevails at most schools was very present at the University of Washington boathouse, resulting in bitter rivalries between some boys. It didn’t help that Ulbrickson chose to reward those with the fastest times and simultaneously made the losers feel discouraged. Rather, it is the method that George Pocock employed with Joe that will have better results. After studying Joe for several hours, George encouraged Joe to let go of his insecurities, stay focused and try his hardest in order to succeed, just as this passage recommends.
14. “Teaching Kids ‘Grit’ is All the Rage. Here’s What’s Wrong With It.”
This passage brings up valid points about the importance of grit. Though zest, self-control and optimism are all important qualities to have for a successful existence, these are qualities that can hardly be taught through schooling. Though almost all the boys had little to no rowing experience, they had come from humble backgrounds and had utilized grit to create lives for themselves. Also, teaching grit can create a competitive atmosphere in things that shouldn’t be a contest, like how much social intelligence one possesses. The Boys in the Boat has already highlighted how negative competition can be, even in a place where it is common like an Olympic sports.
Part II: Thematic Connection
1. Angela Duckworth defines grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It cannot be denied that all nine boys in the shell at the 1936 Olympics possessed incredible grit. Their perseverance was documented over three years of grueling practices, crushing losses, and disappointments in how they had ranked. While passion had perhaps not been what initially drew the boys to rowing, it developed steadily through the years leading up to the Olympics. In order to achieve, Duckworth explained, one must not only persevere but they also must remain interested in their subjects through struggles and challenges. A struggle that stays with Joe for a long duration is his battle with insecurity and self-doubt. Although lifted briefly following his freshman year win at the Poughkeepsie Regatta, his insecurity returned in full force after he fails to row to his full potential the following year. One night, after getting a harsh scolding from Ulbrickson for his lackluster, he reflects dolefully, “It was obvious he still remained utterly disposable, even at the crew house, the one place he had started to feel more or less at home” (Brown, 208). Rather than find a club or sport where his position was more stable and didn’t leave him feel utterly worthless times, Joe simply renewed his quest to become part of the varsity boat that year. Although he did not reach varsity status that year, Joe still demonstrated incredible resolve in the face of disappointment. Joe’s passion for rowing obviously developed through his years of competing and the feeling of he experienced while on the water, as Pocock said, the feeling that“ ‘you have rowed right off the planet and are rowing among the stars’ ” (Brown, 313). George Pocock also advanced Joe’s passion for rowing by explaining the mechanics of building a shell and rowing to him on the lazy afternoons Joe would spend in the shell house, as in page 291. These examples illustrate how Joe came to possess the immense grit that he does, and the passion and perseverance needed for it.
2. Jerry Useem cites Chia Jung Tsay’s study in establishing a bias in favor of those who have a natural talent for a particular subject. Despite people claiming to consider effort more integral to success than talent, they inwardly have different views. This presents another obstacle that Joe has to overcome because in all honesty, he didn’t have a natural affinity for rowing. As Pocock explains on page 312, Joe was breaking his arms at the elbow a little too early and not catching water cleanly enough. But as the passage later goes on to mention, there is no way no one can cruise to the top without practice, not even highly esteemed people like Michelangelo. This meant that Joe had to make up what he lacked in natural talent in hours of practice, which he did through “cold, rain, sleet, hail and snow” (Brown, 311).