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A Memento Of Your Service: Torrey Canyon

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An impending disaster puts pressure for decisive action on those in charge, while at the same time clouding the senses, mistakes in judgment are easily overlooked by all. The story “A Memento of Your Service” was one example for this case, as the super tanker Torrey Canyon, built by Newport News Shipbuilding of Virginia, headed towards dangerous rocks beneath the heavily-laden hull on March 18th, 1967. The largest oil-spill to date happened that day as a result of miscommunication between shipmates, risky planning considering the stakes, and overlooked technology right under the noses of its crew. The immediate confrontation with catastrophe spun the captain, and his crew, into a state to change the course of the 1000 foot vessel obvious signs
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“The path Joe Rantz followed across the quad and down to the shell house that afternoon in 1933 was only the last few hundred yards of a much longer, harder, and at times darker path he had traveled for much of his young life” explains Daniel James Brown in his novel, The Boys in the Boat (Brown 31). The reader follows Joe through his early trials, errors, successes, and failures, all of which molded him into a persevering character. Through disappointments and abandonment, Brown’s The Boys in the Boat illustrates Joe Rantz, son of mechanical pioneer Harry Rantz, as a cunning, intelligent, and hardworking individual determined to succeed in his endeavors. Although Harry Rantz, Joe’s father, began adulthood with a “most satisfactory life —

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The Titanic’s maiden voyage was a disaster because the people didn’t prepare for things like this. Most ships go over a safety procedures, but the Titanic didn’t do such a thing. They only rescued wealthy people, which I felt was wrong. Some passengers jumped off the ship in desperation. Whoever drove the ship couldn’t have been paying attention.

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Literary analysis America’s war heroes all have the same stories to tell but different tales. Prescribed with the same coloring page to fill in, and use their methods and colors to bring the image to life. This is the writing style and tactic used by Tim O’Brien in his novel, “The Things They Carried”. Steven Kaplan’s short story criticism, The Undying Certainty of the Narrator in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, provides the audience with an understanding of O’Brien’s techniques used to share “true war” stories of the Vietnam War. Kaplan explains the multitude of stories shared in each of the individual characters, narration and concepts derived from their personal experiences while serving active combat duty during the Vietnam War,

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Tom Godwin’s short story “The Cold Equations” illustrates how one should think of and become accepting of their consequences whether it's deserved or not. The story is about an Emergency Dispatch Ship, also known as an EDS, with the pilot on a mission to give a group of six men who have a fatal fever. The pilot, Barton, during his mission finds a stowaway named Marilyn found in a small closet on the ship. Marilyn was a young girl trying to go to Mimir, for she had a destination waiting and hoped to see her brother who she hasn't seen in 10 years, but little did she know that there was a previously set protocol that determines the life of a stowaway. Barton had sympathy for the girl and did his best to help her by contacting headquarters and asked if there was any way he could spare Marilyn’s life

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The short story “On the Rainy River”, by Tim O’Brien is an exploration of how guilt and the pressures of society can shape one’s decision making. O’Brien feels guilty about going to war in Vietnam which contradicts his principles and his dream of becoming a writer. In the story, O’Brien admits, “I was a coward, I went to war” (O’Brien 80); he feared how the people of his community, and the rest of society would view him if he ran away. He feared the external embarrassment he would face if he dodged his draft notice instead of serving in the war; the fear of being judged by society was too unbearable for him to face. During O’Brien’s encounter with Elroy Berdahl, he is influenced to adhere to a decision, however, he chose to conform to the expectations of society.

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The author provides a parallel between Kendal and her Captain Glenn. Four decades ago, Captain Glenn would be saluted at all times by his crew, officers, passing ships, and docks; now, he simply runs the ship and does eight hours of computer and paperwork. Notably, a couple of decades ago, shipping required admiralty excellence and mastery in mounting ships, as well as highly skilled crews to operate, support, and cargo them. The said issues outline the fading of value humanity exhibited. Being able to operate and facilitate a liner is an incredible skill regardless of the presence of technological novelties.

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