Characteristics Of A Survivor

Everyone encounters obstacles in life that they feel like they can't overcome. People that have 'resilience' can take these challenges head on, stay calm in any situation, and use their problem-solving skills to take advantage of the situation and get themselves out of it. In a section of "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, a biography of war hero Louie Zamperini, Zamperini is adrift at sea after his bomber crashed in the ocean. He is left with just the remains of the plane and two others, Phil and Mac. Louie Zamperini's key characteristics of resilience and the differences between all three men allow them to overcome adversity, and Louie and Phil make it out alive.

The art of survival is something that is not easily learned. For some, however, it is something that comes from a natural desire to be defiant and rebellious. In the novel Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, protagonist Louie Zamperini fights for survival through a number of trials that are presented to him. His life takes him from being a troubled child, to an Olympic runner, to a bomber lost at sea, to POW in some of the worst camps Japan could conjure. Louie not only survives these trials, he stands up and goes directly against the normality and ease of submission and faces his adversity head on. Throughout the novel, Louie shows that his ability to survive stems from his natural urge to rebel and defy anything that he deems too controlling in his life.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand provides a detailed description of how Louie Zamperini survives being a prisoner of war. The author uses several ways to develop the central idea of resilience and perseverance. One way the author develops this main idea is by giving vivid descriptions. During the bombings of Wake Atoll, the author uses graphic and vivid phrases like “The islands were now a blaze of garish light.” This quote is just one instance where the author highlights how much resilience was needed to survive this dangerous situation. Secondly, the author develops the main idea by using problem and solution to show the resilience, grit, and perseverance needed for this difficult situation. The text states ““Phil was fighting to get out” and

What allows a person to survive and thrive in unbearable inhuman conditions versus someone who gives up on everything they hope for? The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill is a compelling story about a resilient African women named Aminata Diallo from a village of Bayo in Africa that was taken by slave traders to be shipped to the United States of America to become a slave. The title of the book is drawn from an actual historical document detailing the names of 3000 black slaves that were allowed to settle in Nova Scotia following the US War of Independence. Through Aminata’s narrative, we follow her freedom to Nova Scotia from the US, back to Sierra Leone were she was first taken to establish the first

Aron endured over 6 days of grueling pain, extreme thirst and hunger, and so much more, due to his arm being stuck in between two large boulders while he was on a hike alone in the mountains. On day 5, at 11 PM, Ralston stated how " they are killer winds" and that it is an "icebox", informing the reader of the treacherous conditions that were endured for survival. Blazing heat during the day, freezing temperatures at night, and everywhere in between, Ralston showed what it takes to be a survivor. Ralston fought for his life, and did everything in his power to help himself survive, because it was a matter of life and death. On day 6, at 9:30 AM, Ralston was on the verge of death. In his last chances at survival, Ralston came up with the idea to "break his arm, so he could twist his arm through and out." Ralston did this so he could shoot the cap gun and try to get help. After this, he performed a self-amputation on his arm, and he was free at last. Ralston faced enormous odds, and overcame them by being calm, and persistent, a perfect blend. He succeeded, and is now a survivor. He is alive and well. Ralston is a very lucky survivor, and he had the correct knowledge and ability to do everything that he performed, a true

Whether it is surviving mentally, or physically, one must know it takes change in willpower to go out and fight for what they need. To know what one needs and to know how to get it, is what makes up a survivor. No matter the circumstances they can forget what they thought they knew to grow within their surroundings. Surviving is all about making use of their knowledge they take from their situation so they can thrive off of their circumstances, instead of failing and giving up. Resilience leads to survival because one who is willing to do things they have never done before, will save themselves in any situation because they went to different depths to save their life and maintain what they

Reading the novel Lone Survivor has shown me many ways from sticking to your roots and what brotherhood actually means. So far of what I have read in Lone Survivor is about a group of four guys who are highly classified Navy SEALS. Meaning they’re the best you can find in the United States military, or even in the world. Being a SEAL takes more determination than anything. They say you can’t break a SEAL for a reason. The SEALS are one of the major reasons why the United States military is so freighting to mess with. The author of the novel, Marcus Luttrell was in Afghanistan along the Pakistani boarder with Mike Murphy, Mathew “Axe” Axelson, and Danny Dietz. They were on a scouting mission for a Taliban target Ahmad Shad, who they’ve been looking to take out for years. On their scout they ran into goat herders who they thought were innocent citizens. Soon after they let the herders go, they all had an entire Taliban military ready to fight. While Marcus was bravely serving our country, he was also searching for his own identity and love for his family and country.

About 33% of American POWs held by Japanese captors died during WWII. Louie Zamperini was a soldier of U.S. forces and became POW in Japan after his plane crashed into the sea. But, he had resiliency and agency, he used these two traits to help him survive Japanese POW camps. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from bad situations. Agency is the ability to take control of a situation. In the novel, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses Louie’s life experiences to show his most important traits: agency and resiliency.

Have you ever been in a dangerous life or death situation? It may not have been life or death, but even just going camping you have to make a fire and build shelter to survive. These three people were in a life or death situation and used their unique characteristics to survive. In the news interview "Young Girl Tells Tale of Shark Attack", Bethany Hamilton talks about the incident where her arm bit off by a shark. Also, in a seminar given by Hyeonseo Lee, "My Escape from North Korea" she tells the story of how she and her family escaped from punishment in their home country. Lastly, Aron Ralston wrote in his article "Trapped" about how he got stuck under a rock while climbing for six days. As shown in the three aforementioned articles, these people have calmness, courage, and determination which allowed them to survive their situations.

Have you ever thought about losing your country, family, or time? This actually happened in Korea by Japan in early 20th century. They were suffered, despaired and frustrated. People were living because they couldn’t die. There was no hope, dream or confidence either. But there is a way out of every situation. People never gave up whatever happened as if they are metals that become stronger and stronger as they are beat. Now I’ll examine the reason, fault, process, and lessons one by one.

I am a survivor. My parents were told that I had cancer when I was only months old. The doctors believed that I would not be able to walk or talk after an operation to remove a tumor in the stem of my brain. I had to have therapy which meant seeing therapists every day to learn basic skills like crawling, eating and even communication. I started preschool like everyone else but I always felt different. I felt more comfortable with my doctors who helped me heal than the students in my class. They never seemed to accept me for being different than them. I struggled to hold a pencil or even to walk and play at recess but that didn’t stop me from trying to fit in. I saw the joy in people’s faces and did everything to make others happy. When middle

Melba Beals once said “Courage is not about being unafraid … courage has to do with moving forward in the face of fear”. Anyone can survive with a differnt trait, but that is what is different about each survivor. Everyone has their own way of being a survivor. Either someone being a Believer, Thinker, Lover, Fighter, Stronger, or being Optimistic. Survivoring is the key to success. Their will be some ups and downs, but honestly anything can happen. If Lauren Manning, kayla, Austin Hatch, Aron Ralston are able to do it then there should not be a problem. Everyone has a different trait to describe them as a survivor.

Colin Powell once said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." For example, Stanley Pearce needed to survive the arctic-like weather in order to stake a claim. Buck had to survive the harsh life of a sled dog. If he wasn't strong enough, he could have been ripped to pieces by huskies, or killed by men that didn't think him useful enough. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi needed to use his quick thinking and wits in order to escape the cobras jaws. Each character needed to overcome challenges to reach their heart's desire's. Stanley Pearce, Buck, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi all had different goals; however, all three characters use persistence despite the difficult situations they face.

Hyeonseo Lee gave a presentation on TED Talk entitled, “My Escape from North Korea”, summarizing about her life in North Korea. She was born and raised there and sing patriotic songs. All the history books told her that North Korea was the best country in the world. As she got older, a famine struck North Korea in the mid-1990’s. Although, she never experienced starvation, she witnessed the events first hand. This was the pushing point for Hyeonseo, who decided to leave North Korea. Due to China and North Korea’s stringent border policies and the Chinese government immigration policy, the life of a North Korean refugee is challenging and extremely risky. They risk being deported back to the very country that they escaped from. There are reports and stories about the violation of human rights and labor camps in North Korea. She would live in China for ten years before moving to South Korea. Hyeonseo was forced to help her family escape from North Korea. The regime caught Hyeonseo for sending money to her family. Lee’s family to be relocated by the order of the North Korean government. She needed to smuggle them through China to a South Korean embassy in Laos. Unfortunately, Hyeonseo Lee’s story won’t be the last we hear about the abysmal conditions in North Korea. There are, potentially millions more, stories detailing the humanitarian disaster in the country and we must take steps to prepare for the eventual collapse of the country.

Even amidst the excruciating pain and grief, Yinghong Qiao was able to realize that her life did not end there. She kept calm and thought about the ways out and the ways to keep on living. During the interview, she said: “If I stuck in the negative emotions created by the difficulties, I will never be able to get out. I should face the difficulty and deal with them with a positive attitude. I should be strong, to conquer it for myself and my family” (Qiao). This shows how her clear mind, optimistic mindset, and determination helped her extricated herself from the predicament. On the other hand, Qian Wang was pessimistic and saw death the only way. She did not think clearly and ended up making impulsive decisions without thinking about the alternatives. She was not determined to find a way in the first place. By contrasting the two, I learned that whether people can find their way to be back on track depends on their perspectives on the situation, their calmness, as well as their