Prisoners Of War By Louie Zamperini

Lukas Mason Title of the Text: Unbroken Author: Laura Hillenbrand Section: Chapter 1 - 5 Summary: As chapter 1 begins, Louie Zamperini, a 12 year old boy is introduced. He was born in Olean, New York but he and his family moved to Torrance, California when he was just two years old. He began to cause havoc in his neighborhood. His fearless and troublesome personality is displayed as he got in trouble with the law by stealing food and money, creating pranks, and getting in a number of fights.

In the novel, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie is tortured by being dehumanized and isolated while being a POW. Throughout the book, Louie is being treated poorly by his captors, but resisted giving up. One example is in chapter 17, Louie was being transported to a camp and is put on the ground. The text states, “Louie said something to Phil and immediately felt a boot kick into him...” (page 181).

There were numerous attempts to make Louie and Miné feel invisible while they were in the internment and prisoner of war camps. One attempt was against Miné who, despite being a loyal citizen of the United States, was forced to live in an isolated internment camp. The article “The Life of Miné Okubo” states, “Finally, the presence of armed guards in the camps led to tragedy in a few cases when internees were killed for not obeying orders” (The Life of Miné Okubo, 5). Other Japanese Americans were killed for not obeying orders when they should not even be forced into camps. This instills much fear in Miné, as to be expected, making her feel even more invisible.

In The Return of Martin Guerre, Natalie Zemon Davis uses her sources through Jean de Coras to recreate and analyze the trials of Arnaud du Tilh, Martin Guerre, and his wife, Bertrande as a microhistory to gain a perspective and a glimpse of life for the average peasant during this time period. Natalie Zemon Davis’ sources are of diverse bases. Her main source, however is from Jean de Coras. Coras was a judge in part of the case in Toulouse. He was present, and his credibility enables him.

This is another quote that shows, that even when you are in some of the worst conditions you can make the best out of it, and help others through it too. Though later on in the book, Hillenbrand explains that they later got humor out of this torture, because when Louie and his POW friends were calling guards names such as, “...Turdbird, Flange Face, the Weasel, Liver Lip, and Termite… the Quack,” (Hillenbrand 154). Another example is on page 195 when Hillenbrand says, “The Bird threw himself a goodbye party… officers dashed around camp gathering stool samples from dysentery patients, slathered “gravy” over rice cakes, and presented it to him as a gift.” Again, this shows that even in the worst situations, that you can still have

Some would say being abused mentally, physically and objectified daily would eventually break a person, but not for Louie Zamperini and Miné Okubo. In the novel, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louie's military plane crashes and then is taken in by the Japanese after afloat at sea for months. Louie is beaten, starved and mentally abused while trapped in three different Japanese POW camps. In the article, “The Life of Miné Okubo” by Expeditionary Learning, Miné, an American citizen was forced into a Japanese internment camp inside the U.S because she had Japanese heritage. Louie and Miné were treated as invisible through dehumanization and isolation while inside the camps.

War can be a heartbreaker, a loss of connection, or a big realization. It does not just affect the soldier, but the family, friends and colleagues of the individual. In World War II, Japanese-American citizens in the United States and U.S. prisoners of war in Japan experienced horrific trauma that made them feel invisible, although many resisted. A Japanese-American named Miné Okubo was a typical citizen who was deployed to a internment camp because on February 19, 1942 Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt and was put into law. Mine’ Okubo had been exiled to an internment camp during World War II along with thousands of other Japanese-Americans.

POWs and Internees: Invisibility and Resisting During World War ll there were thousands of American, Australian, and more ethnic group POWs in prison camps controlled by the Japanese. There were also many Japanese-Americans held in internment camps by America who was in fear of them sabotaging our country with secret spies throughout the country. These people were made to feel isolated and dehumanized by being placed in prison and internment camps, living in poor conditions, and even being beaten, sometimes to the death. These two people had to have perseverance, determination, and hope to overcome these awful things and live through it. However, even though Japanese-American internees and Prisoners of War (POWs) were made to feel invisible,

How could one treat an innocent child so cruel? During the time of the genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million people from the Jewish population, children were the main target. By looking at the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, one can see through the use of imagery, diction and conflict that innocent children were starved abused separated from their family,and killed during the Holocaust, which is important because young innocent children should never have to be deprived of their childhood. First, children of the Holocaust were abused or beaten for any wrong move that they made or even attempted to make.

Hitler and his Nazis were not the only ones accountable for the death of six million Jews, bystanders are also responsible. This is one of the themes explored in the memoir, Night by Eliezer Wiesel, which tells of the horrific experiences he went through as a Jew during the Holocaust. He does this by sharing his struggles Wiesel hopes to encourage his audience by recounting the lessons he learned during the darkest days of his life to avoid being bystanders by observing, speaking out, and not conforming. When a person is observant they are able to sense changes in advance even when based on the most minute of details.

A relationship between a father and a son is a sacred bond, one created at birth and strengthened over time. This paternal relationship is core to the value of family, a likewise bond of faith and trust. Such bonds are tested during times of hardship and pain, seen most clearly during times of war. During the events of World War II, and the gruesome events of the Holocaust, this truth was never more true. Through works such as the memoir Night, by survivor Elie Wiesel, and the artistry of the 1997 film Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni, these times of hardships are kept alive in common memory.

Unbroken centers around a soldier named Louie Zamperini. Louie is on the American side fighting for peace in the South Pacific against the Japanese during WW2. Louie was a lieutenant in the U.S Air Force ,and served as a crewmember on the Green Hornet(B-24) Louie functioned as a bombardier who took pride in his duty. He was a true patriot.

“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.

The novel Unbroken is set in Torrance, California in the summer of 1929. Louis Zamperini is a twelve-year-old delinquent who is struggling to find his way as an Italian immigrant in a small town. The theme of redemption and forgiveness are shown throughout the book and in each area of Louie’s life. Every aspect of Louie’s life shows how he redeems himself and how the ultimate act of forgiveness is the most powerful resource for redemption.

He then chose to go back to the horrible, slipshod POW camp rather than degrade and betray his country. These men exemplify people standing up in the face of adversity and the embodiment of a noble