The Boys in the Boat

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Politicizing the Olympics”

In this activity, students will explore the ongoing political significance of the Olympics by researching another example of politicization of the Olympic Games and comparing athletes’ experiences to those explored in The Boys in the Boat.

Though the 1936 Olympics are often regarded as the first overtly politicized Olympic Games, many games to follow were overshadowed by or connected to global politics, such as the civil rights protests in Mexico City in 1968, the Munich Massacres of 1972, the first Olympic Games in socialist Sarajevo in 1984, and the Refugee Team at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

• Research another politicized Olympic Games and create a presentation that compares athletes’ experiences in those games to those in The Boys in the Boat.
• Draw a conclusion as to why the Olympic Games lends itself to politicization.
• Your presentation should cite all sources and contain a balance of visual and textual information.

Present your research and conclusion to the class.  

Teaching Suggestion: Curated topic lists may shorten brainstorming time and eliminate overlap of topics. Since the assignment relates to athlete experiences, students may benefit from reminders to use multiple types of sources, such as interviews, video footage, memoirs, and news articles in addition to contextual sources such as encyclopedia articles. This assignment can be adapted to a formal research paper format in lieu of presentations.

Differentiation Suggestion: English learners and students with attentional or executive functioning differences may benefit from home language sources, graphic organizers, and pre-highlighted or annotated sections of both the book and/or research resources related to their topic to guide them through each step. For nonverbal or socially anxious students, consider having them develop an animated presentation using text and imagery to inform viewers or allowing them to prerecord their presentation in private to showcase on video. For approaches to the assignment via more learning styles, students might work in groups, incorporate music, dance, or cultural imagery relevant to the topic into their presentations, or use creative presentation formats such as film and animation, dramatization, storytelling, or visual arts.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Brown emphasizes the importance of character, or temperament, as a key component of rowing.

• What role does temperament and integrity play in the story? (topic sentence)
• Explain which aspects of Joe’s character make him well-suited to rowing, which ones get in his way, and how the team’s character evolves over time. Analyze and discuss your points with details that support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the team exemplifies an idealized American character.

2. George Pocock’s presence permeates the story even though he was neither coach nor the main character.  

• What role does Pocock play in the story and why might his presence deserve Brown’s emphasis? (topic sentence)
• Analyze and discuss what Pocock’s presence does for the boys and for the Washington program. Why is Pocock’s presence as instrumental in the team’s victory as Ulbrickson’s? Support your ideas with examples from the narrative.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, comment on how Pocock’s role connects to themes such as Human Connection or The Value of Teamwork.

3. Though the story belongs to the whole team, Brown filters it through the lens of Joe Rantz’s coming-of-age during the Great Depression.

• What does Joe learn about The Value of Teamwork during his college years and how does it change his life? (topic sentence)
• Explain what factors contribute to Joe’s reluctance to rely on others and how rowing helped him to overcome this reluctance. Discuss and analyze these factors with examples and details as support from the narrative.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what Joe’s story reveals about the need for positive Human Connection as one matures.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Though Joe Rantz faced terrible difficulties growing up due to circumstances and abandonment, several figures fill important mentorship roles and help shape his character. What do figures like Joyce, Pocock, Charlie MacDonald, and Ulbrickson teach Joe and how does he use these important connections to stay motivated and move forward against the odds? How does Joe’s story arc offer advice on the importance of human connection and inspiration for overcoming setbacks?  

2. Brown builds significant connections between two very different stories, that of Joe Rantz and his rowing team and Goebbels and the Nazi propaganda machine organizing the Berlin Olympics. Considering such aspects as theme, structure, plot, and character roles, explain how Brown unifies the stories and plays them against each other. How does this interplay build toward a satisfying conclusion?  

3. A major challenge of writing about the past is the fact that readers often know the outcome of the events. How does Brown use elements of style and narrative structure to create an inspiring and suspenseful account of both the Washington team’s victory at the 1936 Olympics and Hitler’s political misdirection at the same event? How successful are these techniques in creating interest while supporting theme, purpose, and message?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How does Al Ulbrickson view rowing?

A) He thinks rowing is the greatest sport of all.

B) He views rowing as a religion.

C) He views rowing as a means to an end.

D) He views rowing as the source of his rivalry with Ky Ebright.

2. In what ways does repeat abandonment shape Joe’s inner conflict?

A) Joe is an angry person ready to fight over any slight.

B) Joe uses his abandonment as an excuse to avoid his family.

C) Joe struggles with his sense of self-worth, belonging, and trust.

D) Joe is bitter, resentful, and jealous of his teammates.

3. What role does bad weather play for Joe’s freshman team?

A) Bad weather demoralizes them.

B) Rain and cold make it impossible to keep on weight.

C) Windy conditions build up their strength and capacity.

D) Fog leads to fewer training opportunities.

4. Why does the team’s reaction to his music hurt Joe so deeply?

A) In suggesting he sell the banjo for a new sweater, the team insults his poverty.

B) Rejection of such an important part of himself makes him feel unwanted.

D) When the team breaks his banjo, he cannot afford another.

D) He views the joking as an insult to his family and beliefs.

5. How does the East Coast/West Coast cultural divide show up in rowing?

A) Easterners consider Westerners too unrefined to be competitive.

B) Both have their own style of rowing.

C) Western shells are considered inferior before Pocock’s shells.

D) Western teams are favored for their strength and individualism.

6. What does Brown imply about Pocock when he writes that he did not make shells, he “sculpted” them?

A) Brown implies that Pocock refused to use power tools.

B) Brown implies that Pocock is an artist.

C) Brown implies that Pocock is pretentious.

D) Brown implies that Pocock uses unique materials.

7. Why do many of Ulbrickson’s coaching strategies backfire for Joe?

A) Joe needs individual attention.

B) Joe does not want to join something greater than himself.

C) Joe is reminded that he can be rejected at any time.

D) Joe is too tough to be broken down by hardship.

8. In what ways does working on the Grand Coulee Dam allow Joe to engage in youthful abandon for the first time?

A) He drinks heavily with the work crews for the first time.

B) He spends time with the B Street “Yoo Hoo” girls.

C) He has a rare combination of friends, time, and extra money to spend.

D) He doesn’t have to show up to practice.

9. What detail of the Olympic Stadium most aligns with Nazi nationalism?

A) It is built over the old Olympic stadium.

B) The stadium overlooks the occupied Rhineland.

C) It is designed by renowned architect Werner Marche.

D) It is built from stones quarried directly from German soil.

10. What does Pocock say matters more?

A) Harmony is more important than individual power.

B) Stamina is more important than stroke rate.

C) A team’s coxswain is more important than any other factor.

D) Dedication to an inner ideal is more important than strength.

11. How would Germany present itself at the Olympics?

A) Germans would be openly hostile to non-Germans.

B) Germans would cheat in every area to prove German superiority.

C) Germans would present as heavily militarized and deadly.

D) Germany would be clean, efficient, tech savvy, and hospitable.

12. What verb does Brown use to convey the transcendent experience of rowing?

A) Flying

B) Dreaming

C) Skimming

D) Breathing

13. How does Seattle reporter Royal Brougham describe Bobby Moch’s strategy that won the Poughkeepsie Regatta?

A) He cannot think of a word, it is so surprising.

B) He refers to it as surprising.

C) He writes that is the most spectacular rowing he has ever seen.

D) He calls it cold-blooded.

14. Why might Brown include the story of the Hirschhahn family’s brutal treatment by Nazis after the Olympics?

A) The story personalizes the detrimental results of a propaganda campaign.

B) The story creates sympathy for someone other than Joe.

C) The story is used to undermine the team’s victory.

D) The story underscores the importance of misdirection.

15. What connection does Brown make between the team’s victory and Hitler’s downfall?

A) The team exemplifies the character of the American soldiers who would defeat him.

B) Brown reflects on how close the victory was for Americans in the race and the war.

C) Many of the teammates later work for Boeing, giving America an engineering edge.

D) Germany’s lack of character is its downfall.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What does Brown suggest made the 1936 Olympic rowing team so special?

2. What role does teamwork play in the story and what does Brown imply regarding the value of teamwork?