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Examples Of Forgiveness In Unbroken

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The Forgiveness In Suffering
John Green once said, “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive” (Green). Louis (Louie) Zamperini, a World War II hero, knows this to be true better than anyone else. In the novel Unbroken written by Laura Hillenbrand, Zamperini is a mischievous runner in the 1936 Olympics who is later drafted into the United States Air Corps. On a mission, his plane crashes, leaving him and two other crewman stranded on a raft. After 47 days, Zamperini and Russell Allen Phillips (referred to as Phil) are captured by Japanese officials and shipped to camps where they became prisoners of war. As readers follow Zamperini’s story through Unbroken, Louie shows how he overcame his suffering as a POW, which allows …show more content…

He held resentment towards his captors, and had dreams about the Bird torturing him. It was very hard for Louie to forgive anyone, making him push away all of his friends and family. He started drinking, and would many times get so drunk he would black out for many hours. It was not until he went to listen to the evangelist, Billy Graham, that he was finally able to forgive his oppressors. “He was not the worthless, broken, forsaken man that the Bird had striven to make of him. In a single, silent moment, his rage, his fear, his humiliation, and helplessness, had fallen away. That morning, he believe, he was a new creation” (Hillenbrand 383). After this moment of forgiveness, Louie was able move past the horrendous events that occured at the POW camps, and forgive his tormentors. In fact, many years after the war ended, he visited prisons for the convicted Japanese criminals that held some of his previous guards from his POW camps, and forgave them. Likewise, he wrote to the Bird, and forgave him through the words, “ Love replaced the hate I had or you. Christ said, “Forgive your enemies and pray for them” (Hillenbrand 405). Through this forgiveness, Louie was able to accept what had happened to him in the POW camps, and forgive his most prominent oppressor.
For many people, forgiveness is a major part to a happy, peaceful life. Without forgiveness, many people would dwell on specific details in their life, and would not be able to move on. Louie is able to demonstrate this, as he is tormented by the Bird in his dreams, and experience flashbacks, causing more stress in his life. After he forgives his captors, he does not experience any dreams or flashbacks related to the war. His forgiveness freed him from his suffering, and will do the same to anyone who is able to

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This shows louie’s determination for freedom. Louie was willing to kill the bird even though it would’nt of gotten him actually free from the camp it would let him be free from the torture and the fear of death the bird made him endure during his time at the

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Fighting for one’s life and one’s country are two completely different wars that are rarely fought on alike basis’. As a biographer, Laura Hillenbrand focuses primarily on re-constructing Louis Zamperini’s story with the utmost correspondence to true facts and experiences from the second world war in her novel Unbroken. Hillenbrand develops the brave and heroic character throughout the novel, formulating the central theme of decline and redemption. Laura Hillenbrand’s message in Unbroken reveals that even in times of emotional turmoil and spiritual crisis, optimism and hope are key to survival as depicted through the author’s use of rhetorical devices, appeal the audience, and overarching style and tone. On the verge between life and death, faith may sway life threatening choices and cause an individual to reflect on the nature of life itself.

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“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man 's soul in his body long past the point when the body should have surrendered it” (Hillenbrand 189). In the novel Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis “Louie” Zamperini goes through several life-threatening experiences. After being a troublemaker as a child, and an Olympic athlete, Louie straps up his boots and becomes a bombardier for the Army Air Corps. After a traumatizing crash and a forty-six day survival at sea, Louie is taken captive by Japanese officials.

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Louie no longer felt any reason to be mad at any of the guards. For the first time, Louie felt as if he were free from the war. “At that moment, something shifted sweetly inside him. It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over” (Hillenbrand 386).

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However, at home, he began to have terrible nightmares of his tormenter, the bird, killing him. Louie began to drink in order to prevent himself from seeing this. He also tried running again, but he didn’t really enjoy it and was physically not capable of what he previously had done. Louie quickly went on a downward spiral as he became completely alcoholic. His wife, Cynthia, nearly divorced him as he began to be increasingly violent.

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Louie Zamperinis story is one of perseverance, strength, and courage. The central idea of this book is to never give up and keep on going, even in the darkest situations. This novel explores many issues and ideas, but the one that stands out the most is the personal one. Laura Hillenbrand uses the themes of suffering and perseverance in the novel Unbroken to show how if a person believes he/she can do it, it can be done. The author demonstrates this in many ways telling the story of his childhood until adulthood.

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Louis Zamperini lived a life filled with strife. From a troublemaking boy to a prisoner of war, he faced many conflicts. His journey in World War Two is especially fraught with struggle and obstacles. Through sheer determination, Louis Zamperini survived a plane crash, a war camp, and the haunting memory of his time in war. After his plane crashed due to engine malfunction, Zamperini had to survive forty-seven days at sea with two other men.

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Louie Zamperini and Mutsuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe: Character Comparison Like snowflakes, all people are extremely unique. Therefore, it can be assumed that we all have a different outlook on the world and will handle what the universe throws at us in our own way. In the young adult novel, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand conveys this theme, war and trauma can have profound and varied effects on different people experiencing it in a similar way. She does this by showing the reader extremes at opposite ends of the spectrum: Louie Zamperini and Mutsuhiro Watanabe.

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His wife began going to Billy Graham’s services, and encouraged Louie to attend as well. After Louie decided to attend, he continued to talk with Billy Graham and accept that forgiveness would be the only way for him to escape the terror of The Bird. Finally, Louie was able to look beyond the torture he has endured, and learned to believe in his Christian faith and forgive The Bird.

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In the books “Ender’s Game” and “Unbroken” there are many themes, some being of games, others of survival and suffering. However one theme that can be found in both novels is that of the strong impact of war, both during and after it happens. In “Unbroken”, Louis Zamperini created a timeless story with his courage and will to survive through both his tribulations in war and throughout his everyday life. His story includes everything from a childhood full of mischief to an eventual trip to the Olympics.

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Although he faced many hardships throughout the course of his life, Louie managed to stay strong and continue on to spread his heroic life story of survival, resilience, and

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The suffering he went through ultimately led him to his newfound faith. During Louie 's time on the life raft and in the POW camps he suffered an unbelievable amount of pain and desperation, but out of that suffering came faith. Louie was an Olympic runner one day and the next he was drafted into the war. Louie endured an unimaginable amount of pain while

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War Combat, loyalty, enmity, bloodshed, and duty, all words that fit under the category of war. The novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is about Louis Zamperini a strong willed man raised in Torrance, California. He started as a young troublemaker until he discovered his passion for running in high school. That very passion led him to compete in the Olympics. Later he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, a brave decision that would change his life.

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As Helen Keller once quoted, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken tells the life story of Louis “Louie” Zamperini. Through his troubles as a child, emerged a strong-willed Olympic runner, who later became a military aviator. He was lost at sea and then captured by the Japanese as a prisoner of war. He endured years of abuse and suffering but still managed to stay true to who he was.

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Overcoming Dehumanization “Louie watched the sky and hoped the Americans would come before the Bird killed him” (181). This is one of the many examples of how the way POWs were treated in these camps influenced many lives negatively. Like many other Prisoners of War, Louie Zamperini survived several difficult conditions. He had to resist several attempts of dehumanization. In Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses both internal and external conflict to show that war has profound and varied effects on individuals.

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