In the historical narrative, Boys in the Boat, Daniel Brown recounts the captivating tale of Joe Rantz, his rowing crew mates, and their journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The majority of the book describes the many obstacles that the young men from Washington University had to overcome leading up to their Olympic victory. More importantly, Brown sheds light on some of the individuals’ personal backgrounds, whose lives were significantly affected by the Great Depression, ultimately shaping their character and enabling them to be successful rowers. Boys in the Boat illustrates how the mental strength required of these boys was a vital piece in the winning of the Berlin Olympics. More than any other story, it supports the notion that success does not come easy and is not just given away, but earned. Every single one of those boys had to make sacrifices and work hard to get to the place where they wanted to be-- on top of the first place podium with gold medals hanging around their necks.
As cliché as this sounds, Rantz and his crew proved that great things can come out of tough times. During the Great Depression, many people lost their jobs, family …show more content…
When Joe’s girlfriend, Joyce, asks him why he never got upset about the plight of his childhood and the cold shoulder he experienced from Thula, he responded by saying, “it takes energy to get angry. It eats you up inside.” Joe recognized the negative impact that anger could have on a person if they allowed it to affect them. He went on to say, “I can’t waste my energy like that and expect to get ahead. When they left it took everything I had in me just to survive. Now I have to stay focused” (134). And he did. There were lulls through his freshman and sophomore year, however, Joe learned how to work through these mental setbacks and demonstrated the focus needed to be successful when it
As cliché as this sounds, Rantz and his crew proved that great things can come out of tough times. During the Great Depression, many people lost their jobs, family …show more content…
When Joe’s girlfriend, Joyce, asks him why he never got upset about the plight of his childhood and the cold shoulder he experienced from Thula, he responded by saying, “it takes energy to get angry. It eats you up inside.” Joe recognized the negative impact that anger could have on a person if they allowed it to affect them. He went on to say, “I can’t waste my energy like that and expect to get ahead. When they left it took everything I had in me just to survive. Now I have to stay focused” (134). And he did. There were lulls through his freshman and sophomore year, however, Joe learned how to work through these mental setbacks and demonstrated the focus needed to be successful when it