Life Lessons In John Hersey's Survival

The series of essays in the novel “Profiles in Courage” by John F. Kennedy all demonstrate the single, truly rare character trait of courage through the actions of senators. The story of Edmund G. Ross undoubtedly portrays courage by his collected and determined demeanor in voting to avoid national corruption through a single phrase. Kennedy, through writing, is able to tell the brave story of Ross in the role of the shy, weak, underdog senator who makes a single decision that would destroy his political life, but save America from corruption. In “Profiles in Courage”, John F. Kennedy successfully uses his structures of his ideas and his detail placement of descriptive phrases, and words which set the tone and rhetorical devices that persuades the

The determination to live comes from human nature. But the urge of giving up when we come across a difficult problem is also a part of human nature. There a few people in this world that have the characteristics of resilience. As author Kendra Cherry describes them, "People that are able to keep their cool have what psychologists call resilience, or an ability to cope with problems and setbacks" (Source A; Cherry, 1). An example of someone who has the characteristics of resilience is a bombardier name Louis (Louie) Zamperini. After Louie’s plane crashed in the middle of the ocean, he and two other survivors had to overcome a series of conflicts before they could make it to safety. Throughout Laura Hillenbrand's book, "Unbroken", Louie’s most important characteristic of resilience that contributed to his survival was his awareness. With his awareness of his surroundings and situation, Louie was able to overcome the conflicts he faced such as shark attacks, dehydration, and starvation.

The American Revolution marked the history of many heroic events that immaculately stand as true inspirations for the generations to come in the United States. Even today, the gallantry of a few soldiers that won independence for the country is not only kept in the hearts of the people but run in the American blood to demonstrate acts of valor at times of war and hardships. One such story recorded in the history dates back to 1776, about a sixteen-year old juvenile, Joseph Plumb Martin, joined the Rebel Infantry and recorded his tribulations about forty-seven years in a memoir titled as “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier”.

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.

Linda Sue Park’s book entitled A Long Walk To Water is about two people on different paths that eventually meet. One character named Nya is a girl who walks 12 hours a day to get water for her family. While the other character Salva is a boy who is left in a country surrounded by war. In Salva’s story, his survival became possible through three main factors:his uncle, food and water; the memory of his family.

John F. Kennedy was a political man who had many political positions, also a place in the navy. We all know him as the youngest president, or the 35th president that is on the half dollar. With him only being in office for 1000 days. He made an impact on America with letting us explore new land on the moon and many

In 1962, in the midst of the international space race, steel prices in the U.S. began to rise. In this speech delivered by John F. Kennedy, he claims that there is no justification for these increasing steel prices through the use of logos and pathos.

The two essays and the picture in question all have differing styles. All of the pieces also contain different focuses, which contribute to their difference in style and tone. Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 is an account of the words that John F Kennedy spoke shortly after being sworn into the office of the president of the United States. Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On by Eleanor Clift is a collection of personal of individuals who were present at the event in 1961. Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, the photograph captured by the United States Army of Signal Corps, shows a clear depiction of the event. These three pieces all share a common goal but approach that goal in a variety of ways.

Every Once and awhile, tragedy strikes, and the whole country sits still. On January 13th, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed. An event such as this one, though tragic, is sadly fairly common. Although, on January 13th, every soul in the united states had their eyes glued on the news channels, following the crash. There are many speculations about why this crash, in particular influenced the public so dramatically. On this day, a multitude of innocent people fell victim to the catastrophe, while some became heroes in the process. One man, known as the man in the water, had a particular pull on the hearts of the country. The man in the water showed a great deal of courage, strength, and selflessness in a time of disparity. The article, The Man in The Water, by Roger Rosenblatt, follows a central theme of heroism.

“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. Unfortunately, he and his friend Phil were captured by the Japanese and put into prison camps. Louie needed to show resilience and resist the captors attempts to make him feel worthless. Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken, uses character to show the theme when tough situations arise one must be resilient in order to transform the bad into good or even better.

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” (Pele qtd. In Soccerlens). Countless people have done amazing things through perseverance. Sonny was an average boy in a mining town, but he started building rockets and learned a valuable life lesson. Through perseverance, you can accomplish your dreams. This theme is shown in the memoir October Sky, and is seen in topics such as, Sonny’s pursuit of education, his rockets, and his relationship with his father.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Junior’s, speech at his inaugural address in 1961 is undeniably a masterpiece of the persuasive arts. Although the speech is short as such speeches go, and although its main persuasive device is pathos alone, the masterful skill with which Kennedy’s speech is written makes it one of the most moving and effective political speeches to date. Kennedy’s vivid use of diction and metaphor, as well as his extremely memorable syntax, are particularly strong and successful.

In the article by Roger Rosenblatt, a man risked his life to save the other passengers in the freezing cold water of the Potomac River. In Time Magazine, the article summarizes the plane crash and the reason behind its significance. In 1982, Air Florida flight 90 crashed directly into a bridge located in Washington D.C. The plane then sunk into the Potomac River, leaving passengers fighting for their lives. Only six of the seventy four passengers survived and one of the passengers lived to tell the story of the man who risked his own life while fighting to save everyone else’s. In the article “The Man in the Water,” by Roger Rosenblatt, the theme is heroism.

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,

John F Kennedy was a level headed, determined and well accomplished person. During his short-lived presidency, he had to take on challenges like no other and did it with sophistication and grace. From conflicts involving other countries, like Vietnam, to the Civil Rights Movement that directly affected our own country, Kennedy continued to take each problem day by day until there was an overall improvement or resolution. It would be safe to say that he is one of the more progressive presidents our country has ever seen.