Comparing Aron's Between A Rock And A Hard Place

After two more strenuous miles I had reached the summit of Mount Lafayette. As I stood there surrounded by the beautiful mountain ranges I could not get over how blessed I was to have the ability to make it here. A year prior, just walking up a hill was impossible. Then I was fighting a

A person living with the circumstances of Erik Weihenmayer may have a difficult time accepting them, and making the best of the situation- and justly so. They would be presented with an exhausting conglomeration of obstacles. Erik Weihenmayer learned to accept his situation. He chose not to see it as a road block to a fulfilling life, and went on to climb some of the world’s tallest peaks, attain an education and a career, and his face on the cover of Time Magazine.. The essay “Blindly he goes up”, it is disclosed that Weihenmayer became lost while trying to find his way to a gym, only to arrive once it had closed for the day. He chose to see the situation as an adventure rather than a nightmare. He faced life with an exemplary attitude, and

In “The Mountain” Eli Clare addresses the plight and disadvantages of the disabled in society using a metaphorical mountain and her own climbing supercrip experience. In the opening metaphor section Clare explains how the little sympathy the empowered and able have for the disabled. With the supercrip section, Clare asserts that when stories of crippled people “overcoming” their disabilities gain publicity they simply support and reinforce stereotypes, continuing the discrimination of the disabled community (Clare 1999). Due to her cerebral palsy, Clare cannot finish her hike with her friend Adrianne to the top of Mount Adams. Following her disappointment, Clare considers the difference between impairment and disability. According to the article, an impairment refers to the objective inability to accomplish a task resulting from a faulty limb or bodily function. On the other hand, a disability is a product of a structures refusal to account for the impaired (Clare 1999). In the final section titled “Home,” Clare reminisces on the depressing parts of his life: his father raping him, the inconsiderate and harsh slurs, and his impairment. Then, he ponders the body as a home and its functions. Finally, he accepts that he will never be able to call the mountain home, but yearns for a society where ableism is absent, the concept of the supercrip is extinct, and the impaired can live normal lives (Clare 1999).

Peak is brave, what kind of 14 year old would climb the largest and one of the most dangerous mountain in the world (Pg.228). ”When I finally reached the rope I gave it a tug, It seemed solid enough but i wasn't sure if it could hold my weight (Pg.202)”. Peak has courage by climbing Mount Everest(Pg. 67). Peak shows perseverance by...

What drives a human to go beyond their physical capabilities? In the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place is an autobiography of Aron Ralston life stories of troubles and triumphs. The main themes displayed in the book are the will to survive and to follow passions in a person's life. The themes are brought out through a dangerous entrapment of being stuck by a boulder in the desert for several days. Aron Ralston’s incident brought repercussions and blessings in his life. Aron has affected not only himself, but society also as told in the public's review of Aron Ralston’s book Between a Rock And a Hard Place.

The feeling of fear excites me, an ecstasy of joy trickles into my veins. In a quick moment I make a choice and the adrenaline surges as I boost off a massive cliff, with a thud and a mushroom cloud of powder, snow drifts onto my face. With each line persuading me towards the life of a ski bum, living in a van, going from mountain to mountain, meeting new people and experiencing new thrills.

In Matthew Hedger’s article “Yosemite National Park Day Hikes: Vernal Falls Death March”, he claims that you don’t always know what you’re getting into and find that things are harder than they seem. Hedger supports his claim with a story of his hike up Vernal Falls. His purpose is to inform his readers that you can always get through difficult things and that they’re stronger than they think. The intended audience is anyone who enjoys a good story and wants to know about hiking.

pp. 143 Tom begins his rehabilitation; running to get fit and attempting to climb ‘the ascent’

When depicting the tremendous height and abruptness of the mountain he states that “It was like a window ledge on a skyscraper, no more than fourteen or sixteen inches wide”. Bryson’s use of the simile establishes an illustrative image in the reader’s mind and creates a lasting impression of the situation. This improves the author’s tone as it details the uncertainty and discouragement the men were facing during the hike. Furthermore, Bryson advances his narrative and tone with imagery as he adapts to the trail when it becomes hazardous with oncoming snow and freezing temperatures. Bryson describes his surroundings with a bleak and dreary attitude, for example, he states that “the path was broken by steep, thickly bouldered streams, frozen solid and ribbed with blue

As Tom and Brendan talk about plans for their future climb of Mount Everest, Tom reaches the top of the hill with ease, this symbolic moment allows Tom to reflect of his transition personally and how important his relationships with Brendan and Chrissy have been in supporting him. Tom’s thoughts of “shedding with each kilometre, like layers of skin falling onto the track” as he runs with Brendan is a simile which allows the reader to understand how Tom is feeling and the relief of not having the weight on his shoulders anymore. This achievement and realisation symbolises the growth and change in values and perspective of self that have been achieved through the support of new relationships which have allowed Tom to overcome past events.

We were all encouraged to choke down as much food as possible. Any kind of energy was essential. A melancholy atmosphere hung heavy as the journey progressed. Minutes walking slowly progressed into hours, the sky seemed to darken steadily. All of us were oblivious to the danger shrouded by the dim evening. Only moments after scaling a rather steep ledge did nature dice to turn sour. A deafening rumble made each climber perk up. Snow began to descend at an alarming rate. Thunder began to mic the steady beating of a drum, causing more concern among the ranks of climbers. The powdery snow became more of a risk than ever, climbing under pressure and leaving nothing to stand on. Third base was more than three hours away. Three hours wasn't possible at the rate. Snowfall this bad could be detrimental to the climb’s success. Snow obscured vision and numbed faces. Shouts and orders deemed lost in the screaming wind; people’s figure became shapeless blurs frantically shifting, hoping if they struggled against the wind hard enough, they might find someone. Of course, this was to no avail. Not a single person doubted their demise would come at this point: the stakes were high and no-one could play too well against Mother Nature. The snow crept up to knee-level, making it harder and harder to travel. Death and I were face-to-face. To some, they couldn't bare the idea of dying up here; they had families and friends, children who need parents and

There was no pavement for his dog to follow. The trail is marked only by small patches of white paint on trees, rocks, or occasional posts. No signs were in Braille, so Bill Irwin had to run his hands over their etched letters to read them. Many of the hundreds of footbridges were only twelve inches wide or less and Irwin had to cross them on his hands and knees. The trail often wound its way along steep cliffs and mountainsides. He had to contend with the continual unevenness of the trail’s rocky surface, which tore up his boots and twisted his ankles. And Bill Irwin fell literally thousands of times – fracturing several ribs on one occasion. There were no inspiring vistas that would reward all those uphill climbs. He made the journey in perpetual darkness. And although the Appalachian Trail Conference has published dozens of detailed topographical maps of the trail, they were all useless to this man who couldn’t see. How, then, could he find his

for excitement, adventure, and freedom. All of these people have one thing in common, which is

In the first passage of Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction novel, he argues that Christopher McCandless was thought to be an avid survivor of all terrain. In his two year journey, McCandless learns to live off  “wild plants,” experiencing his “adventurous spirit” across North America. He encounters many people from Mexico to South Dakota, who set a trend of wonderment in what a “twenty-four-year-old vagabond” could be doing traveling the country with nothing but a backpack. His “figure out all on his own” attitude suited his “nomadic” life well. The “radical” lifestyle provides McCandless with a sense of newly found “solitude” until his unfortunate “great Alaskan odyssey,” that ultimately ends his life.

Lastly, Aron’s lives an adventurous lifestyle but he’s not a transcendentalist. Aron had to overcome a tremendous tragedy by amputating his arm and being stuck in a canyon for six days. However, after reading the book and watching 127 hours Aron is not a transcendentalist. When he was stuck he did not show confidence, self reliance or solitude. The only characteristic of transcendentalism that he demonstrated was simplicity. He brought very little water, food and gear because he didn’t want to carry the extra weight but had he brought enough water and food he would not have been forced to drink his own urine. The transcendental characteristic he possessed could have killed him. Overall, Aron is not a transcendentalist because he is arrogant,