The Boys in the Boat

74 pages • 2 hours read

The Boys in the Boat

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2013

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Teacher Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 5

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the racing shell Joe and the boys rowed to victory in 1936?

2. What does the dreary weather match in the opening scene of the narrative?

3. Which sport does rowing rival in popularity?

4. What distinguishes team rowing from solo rowing?

5. From which high school team is Joe recruited by the University of Washington?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. When the author visits him, what is it about “the boat” that brings an aged Joe Rantz to tears?

2. Why does Joe fear he does not belong at tryouts?

3. Why is tending the garden so important to Joe and what does this reveal about his inner character and conflict?

4. What role does class play in Pocock’s upbringing and how is he able to move between layers of the British class system?

5. How does Joe’s upbringing influence his ability to contribute to the team?

Paired Resource

“Pantoum of the Great Depression”

In this poem by Donald Justice, the speaker dispassionately recalls the interminable stretches of the Great Depression and the quiet resignation of survival.
Justice’s poem touches on the themes of Human Connection: Presence and Absence and Social Stigma and Economic Status in relation to surviving the Great Depression.
What similarities exist between Justice’s poem and Brown’s descriptions of the Great Depression? What values, attitudes, and characteristics did the experience seem to impart on the American psyche, and how might this account for Joe’s upbringing and character?

CHAPTERS 6-10

Reading Check

1. What does the freshmen team’s nine-month training schedule amount to?

2. By how many lengths does the freshmen team beat Cal?

3. What word do reporters use to describe the freshmen team’s rowing style?

4. What is Bolles’ nickname for Joe?

5. What is the result of Ulbrickson’s announcement that he would be vetting the boys for an Olympic team?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In the narrative, what is the overall effect of switching between the development of the team and the developments of the Olympic preparations in Berlin?

2. In what way are Joe and Pocock presented as kindred spirits?

3. How does Brown use the Nuremberg Rally of 1934 to build parallels between rowing and the Nazi propaganda machine?

4. In what way does Brown parallel the conflict of the Dustbowl with Joe’s inner conflict?

Paired Resource

“The Story of Hooverville, In Seattle”

This excerpt written by the Seattle Hooverville’s mayor, Jesse Jackson, details the setbacks he faced in establishing a place for himself and others made homeless during the Great Depression. (Content Warning: This resource includes the use of dated language.)
Jackson explains how Social Stigma and Economic Status added to the setback of unemployment and describes The Value of Teamwork in creating a livable place in the absence of government relief.
Both Jackson and Rantz found themselves without a clear place to call their own, a common situation for Americans during the Great Depression. How do social and economic conditions force both men to extremes to survive? How do their responses illuminate the changing values and mindsets American embraced to survive the Great Depression?

CHAPTERS 11-15

Reading Check

1. How are both Hitler’s stadium work and Pocock’s shells crafted?

2. What is Joe drawn to that explains why he rowed?

3. What does Joe connect Pocock’s advice to harmonize to?

4. What risky strategy does Ulbrickson employ to beat Cal at Poughkeepsie?

5. How does Ebright view Moch’s strategy as coxswain after losing to the boys at Poughkeepsie?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What about working on the Grand Coulee Dam forces Joe to reconsider his fierce independence?

2. How does Pocock connect with Joe?

3. What is the role of the coxswain and why is it so important in rowing?

4. How does the occupation of the Rhineland play into Hitler’s schemes both for world domination and in terms of the Olympics?

5. In what ways is the East Coast/West Coast rivalry in the rowing world an issue of social status and how does this disadvantage the team?

Paired Resource

Post Office Murals and Art for Federal Buildings and Art of the New Deal

Digital collections of murals from Washington State University and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum showcase murals commissioned by the New Deal Public Works of Public Art Program that aimed to raise American spirits and celebrate its strengths.
These murals and paintings point to changing values in American culture that began to celebrate The Value of Teamwork; diverse working class subjects reveal changing attitudes toward Social Stigma and Economic Status.
In the text, Brown focuses on the values, characteristics, and temperament that not only benefit the Olympic team, but that characterize an entire generation. What similarities in values do you see between the team and the subject matter of the PWAP murals and paintings? To what extent might one regard this program as a kind of propaganda? How might it differ from the Olympic propaganda program in Berlin?

CHAPTER 16-EPILOGUE

Reading Check

1. To what does Brown liken Berlin as the Olympics nears?

2. Who will receive top priority and special privileges during the Olympics?

3. What does Alfred Joachim refuse to do during the opening ceremony?

4. In terms of the team, what does each boy believe himself to be?

5. What role does the Husky Clipper still serve at the University of Washington for prospective rowers?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In what ways are The Manhattan and Berlin similar?

2. In what ways is the lane selection method of the host country transparently political?

3. How does Brown manage to make the last race suspenseful despite the reader knowing that the team prevails?

4. For Joe, what is more important than the gold medal?

5. In what way do the boys continue to exemplify the core values that made them a great team?

Paired Resources

Olympia: Festival of Nations

Part One of LeniRiefenstahl’s film for the games, Festival of Nations celebrates the human form and emphasizes the diversity of human forms as well as the friendly and competitive spirit of the games. (This resource runs almost 2 hours in length; it may be beneficial to preview and screen an excerpt such as the first 10-15 minutes if sharing in class.)
Riefenstahl presents the games as a celebration of diverse human forms, which creates the illusion that Social Stigma and Economic Status played no role in the games.
Brown asserts that the goal of the Olympic propaganda campaign was to present such a civilized face to the world that those alarmed about human rights abuses would appear hysterical. To what extent is this goal apparent in Olympia: Festival of Nations? How does Riefenstahl’s visual narrative of the games compare with Brown’s?

The 1936 Berlin Olympics and The Holocaust: Persecution of Athletes

These pages from the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation and United States Holocaust Museum offer eyewitness accounts of Jewish residents of Berlin during the 1936 Olympics and present context for the ways in which Jewish athletes were treated in the aftermath of the 1936 games.
Jewish persecution in Berlin connects with the theme of Social Stigma and Economic Status.
How do these sources both support and recontextualize Brown’s depiction of Berlin during the 1936 Olympics?

Recommended Next Reads

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

This nonfiction account follows runner Louie Zamperini’s journey from the 1936 Olympics through his experiences surviving a plane crash in the Pacific, years of dehumanizing hardship in a Japanese POW camp, and his triumphant fight to readjust after the war.
Shared themes include Human Connection: Absence and Presence and The Value of Teamwork.
Shared topics include the 1936 Olympics, inspiring sports stories, and biographies of Greatest Generation figures.
Unbroken on SuperSummary

I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson

In this autobiography, Jackie Robinson reflects on the strengths of his upbringing, the highs and lows of his career in baseballs, and the importance of his work both on and off the field in advancing civil rights for Black Americans.
Shared themes include Social Stigma and Economic Status and The Value of Teamwork.
Shared topics include the intersection of sports, racism, and politics; overcoming the odds; and an inside look at a legendary sports figure.
I Never Had it Made on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 5

Reading Check

1. The Husky Clipper (Prologue)

2. The Great Depression (Chapter 1)

3. Baseball (Chapter 2)

4. Precise timing and coordination (Chapter 3)

5. Gymnastics (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. He remembers the experience of perfect harmony of the boys, the water, and the boat as they rowed to victory. (Prologue)

2. Rowing is associated with aristocratic gentleman, but Joe struggles to eat and needs team memberships to secure a job on campus to pay for his education. He feels this position set him apart from his wealthier peers. (Chapter 1)

3. Tending the garden makes Joe feel he has a role in the family, revealing an inner desire to care for others and belong. (Chapter 2)

4. Coming from a long line of boat makers, Pocock belongs to the laboring class. By dropping his Cockney accent, remaining honest, competing in races using a stroke he learned from ferrymen on the Thames, and sharing his rowing techniques with aristocrats, Pocock moves between classes. (Chapter 3)

5. Repeated abandonment and childhood neglect make Joe resourceful, determined, and unafraid of hard work so that he excels at the physical aspects of rowing; abandonment also undermines his self-worth and ability to trust others, leading to difficulties developing the unified mindset of a rowing team. (Chapter 4)

CHAPTERS 6-10

Reading Check

1. Two major races (Chapter 6)

2. 4.5 lengths (Chapter 6)

3. Serene (Chapter 7)

4. Mr. Individuality (Chapter 8)

5. Intense competition (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. In addition to foreshadowing and contextualizing the small world of college rowing within larger global events, Brown creates opportunities for comparison by paralleling two very different stories aligned by the common goal of a perfect Olympic performance. (Chapter 6)

2. Brown highlights their ability to find religious inspiration in rowing; he also focuses on their humble origins and struggles to find a place, their self-made spirit, and Joe’s awe of Pocock’s self-assurance. (Chapter 8)

3. By describing the aftermath of the rally directly after showcasing Pocock’s understated role at Washington, Brown narrows in on the figure of Riefenstahl, paralleling her role in the Nazi organization with Pocock’s. Brown presents both as artistic masters of their crafts, explains how they revolutionized their fields, and underscores the importance of their roles behind the scenes as visionaries offering artistic and religious inspiration. (Chapter 8)

4. Brown presents Joe’s struggle and the Dustbowl through repeated patterns of hope and trust undermined by setbacks. Brown delves into the collective psychological toll of the Dustbowl by outlining reasons for optimism such as an uptick in the stock market and hopeful reception of New Deal projects like the Grand Coulee Dam, then describing how the sudden drought, heat, and food scarcity crushed Americans’ trust in Roosevelt and hopes for the future. Similarly, Brown delves into the psychological toll of Joe’s on-again-off-again familial relations; Joe is hopeful each time he reaches out, but each instance of rejection undermines Joe’s optimism, self-worth, and ability to trust. (Chapter 10)

CHAPTERS 11-15

Reading Check

1. By hand (Chapter 12)

2. Challenge (Chapter 12)

3. Music (Chapter 13)

4. A slow start (Chapter 14)

5. A warning (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Not only does the dangerous dam work force Joe to rely on his crew for safety, but because his teammates Johnny and Chuck are there, he realizes that they are working their way through school too, putting him at ease and giving him a chance to make connections without the pressure of competing. (Chapter 11)

2. At first Pocock is cautious, only offering advice through analogies of woodworking and boat making, such as the ability of wood to be flexible and bend to the will of the water and then return to its shape when dry as an analogy for understanding teamwork. After building trust and human connection by inviting Joe to work the wood, Pocock can finally ask him deep, personal questions about his motivation and give him direct feedback as a trusted mentor. (Chapter 12)

3. The role of the coxswain is equal to that of cheerleader, coach, and football quarterback in that they must motivate and inspire, come up with strategies in real time, and manage the team’s vision and center, making them foundational to a team’s success. (Chapter 13)

4. When England and France refuse to challenge Germany’s violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler knows he would go unchallenged with larger moves if he had the time to build his army. However, reporters use the move to reinvigorate WWI era prejudices and characterize Germany as uncivilized and brutish, leading the Nazi Party to regard the Olympics as the biggest venue for strategically undermining rumors about Nazi violence and oppression and presenting Germany as a pinnacle of human civilization and gentility. (Chapter 14)

5. Historically, the East Coast had the funding and the power seat in rowing as home to the leaders of the major rowing associations, leading to a national perception that rowing was a refined and sophisticated sport for the wealthy. Wins from Western schools like Stanford, Berkley, and Washington, with their low budgets and rugged, self-made rowers, upset the established narrative; stoked by the reports from sports writers who framed matches in terms of East Coast sophistication against Western grit and determination, prejudice and resentment further embittered the rivalry. This leads to association leader Henry Penn Burke declaring that the cash-strapped Washington crew would have to pay their own way or forfeit their Olympic position to the wealthy University of Pennsylvania (the team believed by the association to be a better and more worthy representative of America). (Chapter 15)

CHAPTER 16-EPILOGUE

Reading Check

1. A movie set (Chapter 16)

2. Foreign journalists (Chapter 16)

3. Lower the flag (Chapter 16)

4. The weak link (Chapter 17)

5. Inspiration (Epilogue)

Short Answer

1. Rules aboard The Manhattan and in Berlin separate and give advantage to a privileged few, creating vastly different worlds and experiences for different classes of people. (Chapter 16)

2. By giving the favored lanes to Germany and Italy and handing the worst two lanes to Great Britain and the United States (despite the tradition of awarding rowers based on fastest heat times), Nazi organizers give themselves and their Fascist allies the advantage while disadvantaging their clearest political enemies. (Chapter 17)

3. By focusing on the disadvantages facing the team, such as the late start, worst placement, Hume’s severe illness, Moch’s struggle to communicate with his team, and the devastatingly close finish, Brown relies on incremental pacing and the reader’s lack of detailed knowledge to show how overcoming each setback is what makes their victory so compelling. (Chapter 18)

4. By winning gold and having such an experience of complete trust and unity with his teammates, Joe loses his doubt about his place and sense of belonging. For the first time, he feels whole. (Chapter 19)

5. Described by Brown as good-hearted boys from humble origins, they continue to make a difference after graduation, many aiding the war effort with their engineering skills at places such as Boeing, where they work well with their teams; some continue to work within their communities as coaches and physicians. They remain in contact and continue to take the Husky Clipper out on anniversaries of their victory, maintaining their coordination and serenity even as they age. (Epilogue)