THE GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE-NOTES 14,JULY,2011

1. MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE
JESSE OWENS
I BA ECONOMICS
14
TH
JULY 2011
2
ND
HOUR
SPIC HALL
BY
S. NEHRU

2. CONTEXT
1936 Berlin Olympics
Hitler
Aryan Supremacy
Theory
Owens’ Resolve
Owens’ Initial Hurdle
Luz Long’s Friendship

3. THEME
FRIENDSHIP

4. About the Lesson 1
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic Experience
He shares his ambition
He shares his resolve
He shares his trouble
He shares his anger
He shares his friendship

5. About the Lesson 2
Patriotic Feelings around
Racial Superiority Feeling
Owens has to overcome hostility
Luz Long’s Cordiality
Long’s Advice
Owens’ Response

6. MAIN IDEAS 1
First Paragraph
Summer of 1936
Berlin Olympic Games
Nationalistic Feelings Running High
Hitler’s Insistence of Master Race

7. MAIN IDEAS 2
Second Paragraph
Owens’ Hardwork
Not Worried About Hostility
Eye on the Game
Eye on Long Jump
Previous Year Record 26 ft 8 and ¼ inches
All Expected Owens to win

8. MAIN IDEAS 3
Third Paragraph
Startled to see a tall boy
He is Luz Long
Hitler has hidden his talent

9. MAIN IDEAS 4
Fourth Paragraph
Long winning- Aryan is superior
Negro winning- Not inferior to German
Owens resolve to show Hitler that he is not
inferior

10. MAIN IDEAS 5
Fifth Paragraph
Owens making mistakes
Off the three jumps he faulted twice
Frustration

11. MAIN IDEAS 6
Sixth Paragraph
Owens hits the ground
Long pats on Owens shoulder
Long gives him a firm handshake

12. MAIN IDEAS 7
Seventh Paragraph
Long introduced himself
He says they have not met before
Long’s English is good.
They Pick conversation

13. MAIN IDEAS 8
Eighth Paragraph
They talked for long
Long did not believe in Master race
Long an inch taller than Owens
He had a lean muscular frame
Clear Blue Eyes
Fair Hair
Handsome Face

14. MAIN IDEAS 9
Ninth Paragraph
Long advises him
"Jesse, the qualifying distance is only 23 feet. You've jumped
26 feet many times before. Just move your starting mark back
three inches, that way you'll make sure to not cross the line
and be disqualified."

15. MAIN IDEAS 10
Tenth Paragraph
Owens is free from tension
He follows Long’s advice
He qualifies

16. MAIN IDEAS 11
Eleventh Paragraph
Owen’s goes to Long’s room to thank him
They speak for more than two hours
About athletics
About themselves
World situations etc.

17. MAIN IDEAS 12
Twelfth Paragraph
They leave
New friendship has formed

18. MAIN IDEAS 13
Thirteenth Paragraph
Luz breaks his past record
Owens makes New Olympic Record
Wins
Luz congratulates him
He shook his hand hard
Hitler glaring at a distance

19. MAIN IDEAS 14
Fourteenth Paragraph
All the gold medals cannot equal their
friendship thought Owens

20. MAIN IDEAS 15
Last Paragraph
Important thing: taking part
Fighting Well

21. NOTES
ONE MARK QUESTIONS
2. Who is Jesse Owens?
3.In what event did he set Olympic record?
4.Who is the tall man Jesse Owens did meet
in the Olympics?
5.In which year did Owens meet Luz Long?
5. What was Owens’ new Olympic record?
6. Why did Jesse Owens make fault?

22. NOTES
ONE MARK QUESTIONS
7. What was Owens new Olympic record?
8. Why did Jesse Owens make fault?
9. What shattered the confidence of Jesse
Owens?
10. What is the spirit of Olympics?

23. NOTES
ANNOTATIONS
1. You can melt down all the gold medals and cups I
have, and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat
friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment.
A: This passage is taken from, “My Greatest Olympic
Prize” written by Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic experience and the
friendship he won.
Here he feels that his friendship with Luz Long is
greater than that of all the medals he has won.

24. NOTES
ANNOTATIONS
2. Suddenly all the tension seemed to ebb out of my
body as the truth of what he said hit me.
A: This passage is taken from, “My Greatest Olympic
Prize” written by Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic experience and the
friendship he won.
After Long’s advice of marking few inches behind board
Owens felt relaxed and confident.

25. NOTES
ANNOTATIONS
3. I was in for a surprise. When the time came for the
long jump trials, I was startled to see a tall boy hitting
the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps.
A: This passage is taken from, “My Greatest Olympic
Prize” written by Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic experience and the
friendship he won.
Here he refers to Luz Long. He was surprised by his
performance

26. NOTES
ANNOTATIONS
4. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar
about Hitler's ways, I determined to go out there and
really show Der Führer and his master race who was
superior and who wasn't.
A: This passage is taken from, “My Greatest Olympic
Prize” written by Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic experience and the
friendship he won.
Here Owens expresses his determination to win the
medal and prove to the world.

27. NOTES
ANNOTATIONS
5. An angry athlete is an athlete who will make
mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no
exception.
A: This passage is taken from, “My Greatest Olympic
Prize” written by Jesse Owens.
Jesse Owens shares his Olympic experience and the
friendship he won.
Here Owens refers to his anger against Germans
which made him to make faults in trials.

28. NOTES
ESSAY
Owens’ “My Greatest Olympic Prize” deals with
friendship he had with Luz Long. While sharing his
Olympic experience he also brings out the friendship
he develops with Luz Long.
Owens mind is filled with Olympic gold. Nothing
could shake the spirit of Owens. He is not bothered
about hostile feeling among the Germans. Hitler’s
men believed in his theory of master race.

29. NOTES
ESSAY
In this backdrop Owens happens to meet Luz
Long. Luz Long is a German. But he is friendly with
Owens.
When Owen’s anger is pointed towards Hitler his
performance suffers. Out of three qualifying jumps
he faults in two. At this crucial moment Luz Long
gives a solution. Long asks him to draw a line few
inches behind the take of board. Owens follows his
advice and qualifies for the final.

30. NOTES
ESSAY
On the same evening Owens meets Luz Long. They speak
for long. They speak about sports. They talk on world affairs.
They also talk on several issues. Finally Owens departs.
The next day Owens wins gold in long jump. He sets a new
Olympic record of 26 feet 5 and 1/16 inches.
Long is the first one to congratulate him. Hitler watched from
a distance. At that moment Owens feels that all the gold
medals he has won cannot equal his friendship with Luz Long.
Long embodies the Olympic spirit of taking part and fighting
well.

31. My Greatest Olympic Prize is
Concluded
Coming Next
The Glory Has
Departed
Jawaharlal Nehru
Log on to: nehru.wikispaces.com

32. THANK YOU