The novel Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand stands as a biography that captures the real-life experiences of Louie Zamperini, a man who went from living as a troubled boy, to an impeccable runner, and then into a United States soldier. This novel defines the definition of survival. Not only has it sold millions of copies, but is read in many high schools across the world, and became a huge major motion picture. In the book, there is a character who is very close to Louie named Allen Russell Phillips, or better now as Phil. From the beginning of the story and until the end, Phil has changed dramatically.
Heroic Journey The book that was read was Andrew Smith’s “100 Hundred Sideways Miles”. This book describes the journey of Finn Easton, an epileptic teenager, and his struggles. The Heroic Journey is a pattern of narratives that tends to show up in stories and myths. It is seen in this book through Finn’s internal struggles trying to find meaning in life outside of his father’s book which had incorporated characteristics of him.
Whale talk, a book about a teen named tj, who struggled with family values and friends. With a little courage, and an oddball group of kids on a swim team, they learn that if you keep on going, you can and will succeed. Chris crutcher, the author of this book, is a special writer. The reason i say that is due to the fact that, he writes his books using examples of modern day themes and situations. Crutcher wrote whale talk around a few themes/messages that he wanted to pursue, and one of the messages was that if you have perseverance, you will keep on going no matter what situation you are in, and that is exactly what crutcher showed in his book, whale talk.
For instance, Tough shared that Kewaunas hardest subject was biology. Therefore, Kewaunas passion to succeed helped her pass biology. Thirdly Kewauna had the will to graduate. To illustrate Tough tells, the most remarkable thing about Kewauna was that she was able to marshal her prodigious non-cognitive capacity all for a distant prize
The text follows a lost boy who was sucked into a perilous journey and facing situations where a split second could be the difference between life and death. This essay will be about how Salva, the main character in Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water is able to survive and overcome a variety of challenges through his hard work, relationships, and perseverance. Salva survives the first few challenges because of his hard work. Readers learn that hard work saves Salva’s life when he is left alone in the barn by a group of refugees but labors for the woman who own’s the barn so as not to burden her.
For instance, Tough states that Kewauna went without sleep for three night’s straight to prepare for finals. Therefore, her passion enabled her to be ready for finals. Thirdly, Kewauna used courage. To illustrate, Tough tells that Kewauna made the step to make friends to get help if the professor was not there. Hence, Kewauna got the help she needed by
During the Transcendentalist movement, Henry David Thoreau was a leading transcendentalist whose work focused mainly on nature and adventure. Walden, or Life in the Woods is an exceptional example of a story based on adventure. In Thoreau’s account of his life at Walden pond, he first states, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Through this quote Thoreau explains that he was tired of the complexity of normal life and desired to go on an adventure to live simply. Additionally, Thoreau states, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…,” which again reveals his motivation for new life by adventure and simplicity.
A major theme in the true story, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park is perseverance. Perseverance is to stay steady in what you are doing or in a purpose, especially when you are faced with difficulties. This is a perfect theme for A Long Walk to Water because the main character, Salva Dut, an 11 year old Sudanese boy, faced many difficulties and kept going. He took things ‘bit by bit, one step at a time’, a lesson he learned from his uncle that helped him get through the desert, and he applied it to his life and kept going and believing his family was alive. Even though he almost died many times, he did not give up, and he went back to his home country and helped many people have better lives by building wells and giving them clean drinking water.
The three-time United States Track and Field Olympic champion, Gail Devers once said, “Sometimes we fall, sometimes we stumble, but we can’t stay down. We can’t allow life to beat us down. Everything happens for a reason, and it builds character in us, and it tells us what we are about and how strong we really are when we didn’t think we could be that strong.” In the non-fiction book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, protagonist Louis Zamperini demonstrates his everlasting perseverance through his everyday actions. Like Devers believed, the resilient Zamperini refused to be defeated or demoralized and did everything in his power to keep his feet on the ground and his chin up.
Only One Can Survive Survival is the ability to stay alive and make it through another day. This is the same thing that Rainsford must endure has his life is determined by his will to live, in the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connell. In the Story Rainsford goes through an unfortunate event which he is left stranded on Ship Trap Island. He meets General Zaroff who is a man who kills human beings for his own pleasure. Zaroff introduces Rainsford to a game which Rainsford will be hunted and killed if found.
“Survival can be summed up in three words - never give up. That's the heart of it really. Just keep trying.”(B.Grylls) The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, about a man, Odysseus, who went to serve in the Trojan war, but undergoes a very arduous travel back home to his island, Ithaca. The Most Dangerous Game is a short story on Rainsford who swam up on shore of a island, and is hunted in return to go home.
The values and attitudes that the protagonists carry with them into new worlds can influence their perception of their discoveries and its significance, giving the protagonist a growing depth of understanding and discernment. Discoveries, driven by wonder or necessity, can be challenging and confronting, compelling individuals to leave their comfort zone. Consequently, they are prepared to sacrifice the old to embrace the new, transforming and gaining new insights of themselves and the world around them. “The Tempest, a pastoral romance by William Shakespeare, portrays individuals who were faced with confronting experiences that assess their values, and who rediscover the necessity for compassion instead of abuse of power, leading them to re-evaluate their relations with other characters. In comparison, Ang Lee’s film, “The Life of Pi” is primarily focused on the process of self-discovery through isolation.
Have you ever been stuck in the wilderness alone? 13 year old Brian Robeson has. He was stuck in the Canadian Woods for 54 days. He had to use survival strategies like these to help him survive. He uses trial and error, his hatchet, and he thinks positively.
Wise 3 In Suzanne Collins’ book The Hunger Games, Collins writes “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” This is applicable to the sailors stranded in the Philippine Sea. A man with no hope will turn to horrible things.
“ Women, like men, should try to do the impossible, and when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others. ”- Amelia Earhart. The book “The Whale Rider” by Witi Ihimaera is about a girl named Kahu and is in line to becoming chief in her tribe but greatly discouraged by her grandfather Koro Apriana because she is a girl. Then she proves her grandfather by her ability to do things many boys in her tribe cannot do.
