On May 27, 1943 Louis Zamperini and his crew of eleven other soliders we participating in a search for a lost plane over the Pacific when their plane suddenly malfunctioned and crashed into the sea. Zamperini was an Olympic long-distance runner and bombardier who survived a terrible plane crash, spent weeks afloat on a fragile raft in shark infested waters, and spent two years in Japanese prisoner of war camps. In a nonfiction book, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand writes about Louie Zamperini and his will to survive which is stronger than that of an average person, enabling him to survive several seemingly unsurvivable situations. Hillenbrand is an author of American books and articles. Born in January 1917 to Italian immigrant parents, Louis Zamperini grew up as one of Californias most known troublemakers. He was a smoker by the age of five and a drinker by age 8, and stole anything that he could. One day he left behind his life full of crime in high school and decided to join the track team. Encouraged and trained by his older brother, Pete, he soon became one of Californias best athletes, and broke the high school mile record by running a mile in 4 minutes and 21 seconds. After …show more content…
Hillenbrand writes, "The crash […] had left Louis and Phil in the most desperate physical extremity, without food, water or shelter. But on Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This self-respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul lies at the heart of humanness." This quote shows readers that humans need to have the sense of self-worth: dignity, and food, water, and shelter are basic human needs which he went days without. In Japan, Zamperini's reputation as a former Olympian may have saved him from execution, but also made him an easy target for
“A lot of times I find that people who are blessed with the most talent don't ever develop that attitude, and the ones who aren't blessed in that way are the most competitive and have the biggest heart.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the competitive spirit of Louis Zamperini is demonstrated when, against all odds Louis goes, from being a thief as a kid to competing in the Olympics in Berlin. Tragically as a young adult during World War II his bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean Louis’s future started to head for the worst as he was stranded for 47 days. Needless to say it was Louis's own competitive spirit that allowed him to live to tell this unforgettable story.
1. Louis Zamperini was born in January 1917, in Olean, New York. Raised in California, Zamperini joined the track team in high school. Excelling at long-distance events, Zamperini competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and was set to compete again in the 1940 games in Tokyo, which were cancelled when World War II had struck. A bombardier in the Army Air Corps, Zamperini was in a plane that went down, and when he arrived on shore in Japan 47 days later, he was taken as a prisoner of war and tortured for two years.
Hillenbrand doesn’t say it, but she probably agrees that Zamperini was one of many who inspired other to do
In Unbroken Part IV, the Japanese guards, everyday would try and make their POWs feel “invisible” but the POWs resisted, demonstrating resilience multiple times. In this part of the book Unbroken it is about Louie and many other POWs who are held captive in prison camps. In these camps the POWs are abused and humiliated daily by the Japanese guards. But this story is not only about how the Japanese dehumanized the POWs, it is also about how the POWs fought back to try and regain their dignity and themselves.
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.
Unbroken The author wrote this story to inform the reader of the life of Louis Zamperini, while also telling the story in an entertaining way. Hillenbrand demonstrated the main idea throughout the book by using rhetorical devices such as diction, syntax, imagery, and tone. Hillenbrand’s use of these rhetorical devices contribute to the book Unbroken by emphasizing the main character, Louis “Louie” Zamperini’s, life before, during, and after becoming a prisoner of war.
Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken, wrote the book about Louis Zamperini’s fight to survive though tortured, beaten, and a barrage of gunfire. After surviving a plane crash in the middle of the ocean, where he spent forty-seven days slowly dying of intense hunger and thirst, the book shows Louis Zamperini’s quick wit and will to survive despite being tormented as a Japanese POW (prisoner of war). The author uses rhetorical devices such as syntax, diction, imagery, and tone to amplify certain moments, Hillenbrand uses imagery to convey the scene and appeal to the reader’s senses and uses precise diction to elaborate on certain scenarios. She uses tone to convey the characters’ attitudes and to give the feel of certain moment.
In the memoir Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand and Louie Zamperini show that having a determined mindset can help get through the horrors of POW camps. The POW camp Louie was in was terrible. He would get beaten everyday for no reason and be forced to do hard labor. The author uses words such as “broken”, “fractured, and “shattered” and paired them with the word “POW” to show that the Japanese soldiers had no mercy against the American soldiers. Throughout the POW camp terrible things happen to Louie and he is forced to see horrible events.
Proverbs 24:6 says; “for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory and safety” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation). In the novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, the story of Louis Zamperini is told from his troubled childhood, his record breaking running days, and to becoming a WWII hero, and living to tell his story. Louie ends his running career when the second world war started between the Americans and the Japanese. Louie faces many hardships through his time in the military, and after the war. Through Louis Zamperini’s suffering while striving to survive while being stranded at sea, becoming a Prisoner Of War in Japan, and his post war trauma, leads him to God, and finding his faith.
Unbroken is the best word that can be used to describe Louie Zamperini. In the book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, there are three other adjectives that can be used to describe Louie Zamperini, the main character. These adjectives are determined, compassionate, and defiant. These attributes can be proven through not only Louie’s actions, but his thoughts as well. These are the three different characteristics of Louie.
“To persevere, I think, is important for everybody. Don’t give up, don’t give in. There’s always an answer to everything”-Louie Zamperini. This man, Louie Zamperini was a bombardier for the US in World War II. He and his crew were shot down and forced to survive at sea for forty six days.
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.
Unbroken is a biography about World War II veteran Louis Zamperini, who was a former olympic track runner who survived a plane crash in the pacific ocean. Spent up to 47 days drifting in the ocean. However that wasn’t even close to how long he spent as a prisoner of war in three Japanese camps. Louis had an interesting , and suspenseful life, but he managed to survive which is the surprising part of it all. This book gave us an insight into Louis Zamperini’s life about how belief is the most powerful, if not essential part of growing and overcoming crisis.
“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.
Louie Zamperini and Commander John Fitzgerald show strength and resolution in the face of adversity. For example, when Louie’s plane crashed and the men were on the raft, Laura Hillenbrand wrote, “Louie was determined to keep himself and the others lucid”(114). During their journey on the rafts, Louie tried to keep Phil, Mac and himself hopeful in a seemingly hopeless situation. He tried to distract them from hunger and troubling thoughts by singing songs and talking about comforting memories of the past. Commander John Fitzgerald demonstrated his fortitude in Ofuna.