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Idioms
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Pendulums and Seabirds:
Chapter 13 ends with Brown describing the first varsity race at the Pacific Coast Regatta—where University of Washington faces off against the University of California—using imagery and simile:
As they flew down the last few hundred yards, their eight taut bodies rocked back and forth like pendulums, in perfect synchronicity. Their white blades flashed above the water like the wings of seabirds flying in formation. With every perfectly executed stroke, the expanse between them and the now exhausted Cal boys widened. In airplanes circling overhead, press photographers struggled to keep both boats in the frame of a single shot.
In a book full of descriptions of rowing, this quotation stands out. Similes comparing the rowers to “pendulums, in perfect synchronicity” and the rower’s blades to “the wings of seabirds flying in formation” convey the technical precision with which the crew is rowing. The crew is rowing in perfect unison, as if obeying the laws of physics (as a pendulum) or the laws of nature (like animals who move in unison without active thought). Swing, the near-mystical state of rowing in perfect unison such that the boat flies across the water with an unnatural ease, requires the highest level of synchronicity, and the similes highlight just how unified the rowers were as they raced.
Brown also makes use of imagery when describing this overwhelmingly large victory: the description emphasizes what is seen, ironically through how hard it was for both boats to be kept in frame by photographers. This description creatively highlights just how far ahead the Washington rowers have moved by the end of the race. This race, a commanding victory in which the Washington rowers reach the flow state of swing, necessitates writing that highlights just how fast the Washington rowers are moving.
Importantly, this race is the first race of Al Ulbrickson’s desired Olympic lineup in the boat made by Pocock for the Olympics, The Husky Clipper. Brown’s description takes on even more significance within that context: the simile and imagery combine to suggest that there is something uniquely fast and special about this group of athletes.
Related Themes:
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Living Thing:
Brown describes the American crew's rowing at the very end of the 1936 men's eight final with simile and imagery:
In a daze, believing they were finally bearing down on the line, the boys threw their long bodies into each stroke, rowing furiously, flawlessly, and with uncanny elegance. Their oars were bending like bows, the blades entering and leaving the water cleanly, smoothly, efficiently, the shell’s whale-oil-slick hull ghosting forward between pulls, its sharp cedar prow slicing through dark water, boat and men forged together, bounding fiercely forward like a living thing.
When the Americans are exhausted and nearly without energy—and coxswain Bobby Moch is leading the rowers, squeezing out every ounce of power—the rowing appears as beautiful as ever. This description of rowing is particularly important as the Americans win the race by only six-tenths of a second: every single stroke was needed to win the race. If the Americans lost focus for even a second, they would not have won gold. The simile "bending like bows" highlights the sheer power of the rowers, with Rantz and his teammates loading up their oars with the power of someone drawing back a bow before loosing an arrow.
At the same time, Brown describes the rowing with imagery highlighting forward progress above all else: from the "shell's whale-oil-slick hull ghosting forward" to the "sharp cedar prow slicing through the dark water" and the simile suggesting the rowers and boat combined are "bounding fiercely forward like a living thing." As an author, Brown must somehow describe the sheer speed of the boat as the crew rows faster than they have ever rowed before in the most important race of their life. Brown accomplishes this task by referencing the forward progress of the boat in numerous ways within the same paragraph, making use of stark visual imagery and figurative language to highlight that the boat is surging forward towards the finish line.
The simile describing "boat and men forged together" as "bounding fiercely forward like a living thing" emphasizes the unity of swing, the near-mythical state of rowing in perfect synchronicity. The rowers must row as one, each rower mirroring the man sitting ahead of them perfectly while dancing with the boat itself. The simile, through describing the rowers and the boat as one living organism, emphasizes the complex unity required to row as fast as possible. All of The Boys in the Boat builds to this moment, where Rantz and his teammates win gold against the fastest rowers in the world. Brown's use of imagery and simile conveys the speed and beauty of the American crew during this incredible moment in history.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Wild Wind, Flapping Flag:
Early in the 1936 race for gold, Brown uses alliteration and imagery to describe the adverse conditions the American rowers face:
As they moved out into the widest part of the Langer See, the winds grew even stronger. White, frothy waves began splashing over the small American flag that was flapping wildly [...].
There is an alliterative repetition of the /w/ sound, with “widest,” “winds,” “white,” “waves,” and “wildly” all used in two brief sentences. This alliteration mimics the relentless chop Rantz and his teammates must row through, with seemingly never-ending waves as constant as the /w/ sound itself. In fact, all of the words beginning with /w/ describe the wind or the water, either directly or tangentially.
At the same time, Brown paints a vivid picture of waves overwhelming the small American flag fixed onto the foredeck. The image of an American flag battered by waves is indicative of the current battle facing the American rowers, who must fight through poor rowing conditions at the race's outset. Furthermore, the rough water facing the Americans is partially a product of the lane assignment, which was the inverse of the standard procedure due to German and Italian machinations. In rowing, the fastest crews in the preliminary races receive the fastest lanes in the final race, with the slowest crews in the preliminary races receiving the slower, less-protected lanes. In a subversion of standard procedure, the Americans, despite posting the fastest time in the preliminary races, received the least protected lane in the finals. The visual imagery of the American flag battered by the waves thus represents the American crew's battle against the machinations of Germany and Italy, as well as the need to overcome these mounting geopolitical tensions in order to win the race and achieve a symbolic victory of broader significance.
Related Themes:
