Courageousness And Determination In Unbroken

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. Furthermore, one of the main symbols shown was sharks. Additionally, one of the themes displayed was survival and resilience. In this paper, the

The first example of why being skillful is so important in cases of resilience in Unbroken can be noticed when once the plane crashes into the ocean, Louie immediately puts his wits into action. Highlighted in the text: "Louie knew he had to get Phil 's bleeding stopped, but if he went to him, the raft would be lost and all of them would perish. He swam for the raft" (Hillenbrand 3). Louie backtracked and thought about the situations that could be thrown at him for each movement he made. He ended up using his natural instinct which was to save his whole crew over a bleeding cut. The fact that Louie is throwing himself into being the leader of the tough situation and using his mental skill to comprehend ideas which could lead to a different fate shows how skillful he really is. As can also be seen in the text: "He snatched the cord, reeled the raft to him, and climbed aboard. He rowed to Phil and Mac" (Hillenbrand 4, 5). This also shows how important skillfulness is due to the fact that Louie found his solution to a problem and put it in action. Luckily, it can be shown in his natural instinct to do this sort of idea-thinking process. Louie having skillfulness pushes along the story due to the fact that it is such an important key role in the story because of how he finds solutions to

camps; he made it through the war. After the war Louie found someone to fall in love with; her name is cynthia. Soon after returning home Louie developed a drinking problem since he was usually going somewhere to talk to groups of people; he used it for his anxiety. Nightmares of the bird haunted Louie in his dreams but that did not stop him from living his life, and showing off his skills. It was his skillfulness that got him married to cynthia and you can find this out by reading; “‘ Along came Louie. Here was someone exotic, someone who answered her yearning for adventure’” (348). Searching skills came into play when Louie was starting to prepare for his wedding; ‘“ He tracked down reception sites, invitations, a caterer, and a jeweler’” (350).

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. War and its affinities have various emotional effects on different individuals, whether facing adversity within the war or when experiencing the psychological aftermath.

“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. Shortly after being captured, Zamperini is taken to a POW camp where he is abused physically and mentally. Throughout the novel the readers learn that the hardships of war effect Louie, causing the loss of his dignity.

The dictionary defines courage as having strength in the face of pain or grief. Although that does not mean it is everyone’s definition. Courage is something that will always be there, it is up to someone who is motivated enough to dig down and find it in themselves to help them face the situation that they are in. It can be more difficult to find it for some and easier for others, but it will always be available when it is needed. In Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried he brings you into his life leading up to and through fighting in the Vietnam War. In the book he walks you through his journey of physical and personal struggles along with his fellow soldiers’. Throughout the book O’Brien gives you a sense of his own courage and how it evolves over time.

Determination is something displayed by Louie Zamperini all throughout the novel, from his career as an athlete to his journey in the Japanese prison camps. One part in this book where Louie shows he is determined is when he strives to go to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Instead of trying out for the mile event, he starts training

Have you ever thought of how it would be to have a plane crash and be deserted for more than 40 days? Well neither did Louie Zamperini, until it happened. Louis Zamperini never thought that he would be lost at seas but when his B-24 crashed down in the pacific that's just what happened. Though his whole life he has been all sorts of things, rebellious, determined, courageous, and more. Louie Zamperini, from the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand shows the characteristic traits of rebellious and determined through the thing that he does in this book.

When Louie was a prisoner in the camp, he needed to resist the dehumanization and beatings he had been given by the Bird. Louie had brought out this theme in the camps many times. He had stayed strong against the Bird, who would stop at nothing to destroy his dignity. Once, the Bird had given Louie and some others the job of cleaning the benjo, or bathroom. The Bird thought they were going to hate it, but, “To deprive him of the pleasure of seeing them miserable, they made a point of being jolly” (179). If Louie would have shown he was despondent, the Bird would possess all the power. Louie didn’t want the Bird to see him in pain because he wanted to take control and turn the power around. He needed to be resilient and stay mentally strong. Later, for stealing, the Bird had made every man in the camp punch Louie and a few others in the

American entrance into World War II officially began December 7, 1941 after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The war lasted until 1945, and thousands of Americans had been captured and detained as prisoners of war. In Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie Zamperini is a former Olympic athlete who enlists in the air force and becomes a bombardier. He is taken as a POW after his plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific and he is left to survive on a raft for over a month. In various Japanese POW camps, Louie faces starvation and brutal beatings. Louie has many survival traits that allow him to survive this horrendous experience, including perseverance, hope, and fearlessness.

Over the summer I read about a person who was a really good track star and served in World War II. Written by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken is a non-fiction World War II story about a young man named Louis Zamperini. The story takes place in the pacific islands and Japan during World War II Louis grew up as a restless and naughty boy, but then became a good and famous track star before getting drafted into the second world war. Louis faces the challenge of surviving on his own and enduring cruelty against Japanese leaders as a prisoner of war.

During the war against Japan, Louie Zamperini and his crew were shot down force to crash into the Pacific Ocean. As a kid Louie Zamperini was a rebellious child, he caused problems everywhere he went. The entire city of Torrance, California knew him, he was the talk of the town. His brother Pete found a skill Louie possessed and train Louie to use it. Louie Zamperini soon became a great olympic athlete to break a record of 56 seconds on the last lap of the 5,000 meter run. Louie Zamperini, an Olympian and a War Hero, was resilient and optimistic. These two words best describe this man in the book “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand.

It is widely stated that veterans are heroes for what they have done. War is nearly never necessary, and killing for whatever cause should not be considered positive. While it is true that veterans have defended our country, most wars in which our country partook were for our country’s gain, and not a defense of our country, but instead an expansion of its resources and land. Our country and its soldiers have taken unnecessary and harsh actions during wars. Enduring the suffering brought about by war takes courage and perseverance, but does it show heroism? In the novel Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini survives for over two years, stranded at sea and then moving between various POW camps. He shows the strength to not give away American secrets. However, I would not say that these actions made him a hero. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, has a more accurate depiction of war. In Slaughterhouse-Five, war is shown to damage soldiers’ mental states. While Unbroken shows that soldiers are damaged, it depicts them as heroes. War

endure in their entire life. In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis Zamperini was an Olympic runner. He was drafted during World War II . During the war, his plane crashed in the middle of the ocean and he was stranded with little resources to survive. This book follows his incredible story battling starvation and abuse in Prisoner of War camps (POW). 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.

Another adjective to describe Louie, is courageous when he faces, “The Bird”, multiple times a day. A quote to describe that is,”Louie took his beating with as much defiance as