Ship Breaker

In Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, Louie Zamperini experienced many situations that were both lucky and unlucky. These events helped shape him into who he is and prove that sometimes luck prevails. The Green Hornet crash, the rescue from the sea, and the aftermath of the war are all examples of lucky and unlucky instances that Louie Zamperini faced that left him “unbroken”.

Even though this story is about a serious subject, Gawande still manages to throw some of his own humor into the mix. This is a good point made by him. As this was mentioned earlier, bad things can happen to anyone, anytime, and anyplace. To several people, including myself, this is just a superstition; nothing more and nothing less. Sure, there are always different opinions, but that’s all they are: OPINIONS. Gawande explains this very well in just one statement. He says that we could have feared any other day of the year. We could have feared Thursday the thirteenth, or Friday the fifth, instead of Friday the thirteenth (16). It is in fact true that we could have referred to any day as unlucky. It’s just like having a lucky number too. To you, it may truly be lucky and make you feel that way too. On the other hand, your “lucky number” may not be someone else’s lucky number. Instead, it very well might be their unlucky number. In another instance, at the very beginning of the story, Gawande gives certain examples of athletes having their own superstitions (13). For example, Jack Nicklaus wouldn’t ever play a round of

of the luckless characters lead them to their unfortunate meeting, and consequently their fates. They are so strongly set on their paths that nothing can save them, despite the traits

There are times in life that we attribute good luck to our hard work, dedication or talent but there are some other times when we can say that luck is just a chance that we get. As we can see on the work of this two authors James H. Austin the author of “Four kinds of chance” published in Saturday Review and Robert H. Frank author of “why luck matters much more than you think” published in The Atlantic (May 2016) they show the reader how chances can influence in different ways. After reading their work I consider Robert H Frank article more effectively fulfills his thesis.

According to Marian Erickson, “Most of life is choices, and the rest is pure dumb luck.” Real people’s lives depend on this quote everyday, which leads to the outcome of each problem individuals face. In the passages, characterization of the main personas helps one understand the theme. Conflict and symbolism also help lead to the overall idea that life is not always guaranteed to be full of success. The book The Other Wes Moore, the poem “If,” and the informational text “The Art of Resilience” all share a common theme of how choices and luck contribute to the success of life.

In the book “Strength in what remains” by Tracy Kidder, the main protagonist named Deo was a man that faced many hurdles in his life. From escaping the Genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, which was because of the domestic racial dispute between Hutus and Tutsi (groups of ethnic people) to his time in New york. Deo faced insurmountable odds and opposition. Despite this set back, it seemed as if providence was on Deos side, granting him countless fortunes and blessings. Many different factors can be attributed to Deo’s success but nevertheless, luck and his hard work was what paved his path forward. To attribute all of Deo’s success to luck would be to undermine the sheer willpower he possesses and his willingness

In Paolo Bacigalupi’s novel Ship Breaker (2010), Bacigalupi suggests that people are faced with moral or immoral decisions on a daily basis and that what people decide determine their character. Bacigalupi backs up his claim by telling a story of a young man in a future society having to make a monumental choice that could set himself up for the future or that could save a complete stranger’s life. By throwing different variables at the main character, Bacigalupi puts Nailer in sticky situations in order to highlight the everyday decisions we make that has an important effect on our character. Bacigalupi's target audience is teens and young adults that he speaks to in a calm, relaxed tone and he builds a friendly relationship with. Throughout the novel, Bacigalupi develops a theme of class difference in society, creates a magnificent setting, and does a stunning job in enhancing his main character.

Luck is many times considered silly or just part of someone’s imagination, but it can really play a big role in what becomes of an individual. In the first chapter, titled “The Matthew Effect”, we

Some say that superstition is an impractical way of looking at life but the characters in Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn beg to differ. Examples of superstition are abundant throughout the novel. Allowing characters in a novel to have superstitions makes their lives more realistic and the reading more enjoyable. Huck and Jim’s superstitions cause them grief, help them get through, and sometimes get them into trouble in their lengthy runaway journey. Although both of these characters tend to be quite rational, they quickly become irrational when anything remotely superstitious happens to them. Superstition plays a dual role: it shows that Huck and Jim are child-like in spite of their otherwise

Life is full of challenges. In the stories, “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity” and “Neighbours,” written by Jim McCormick and Lien Chao, the main characters illustrate benefits derived from taking risks. Even though both people in these texts undergo personal challenges, in “Neighbours” the character, Sally, receives greater benefits from taking risks than McCormick in “Breaking Through Uncertainty-Welcoming Adversity”.

Using superstitions and rituals aren’t uncommon, as millions of people believe in such a magical phenomenon. Some of the millions are the most successful lawyers of New York. These thoughts of superstitions and rituals boost the confidence and performance of many, including these lawyers. However, some of these superstitious

His survival is heavily influenced by every choice he makes, from ignoring the exhortations to escape impending danger to choosing to stay with his father in spite of difficulties. His experience with the Holocaust directly shapes his role as a frontline fighter for recognition of Holocaust victims. In moving to Canada, I also shaped my role in society. My skills, such as playing sports; hobbies, such as reading; and characteristics, such as persistence and studious attitude have all developed due to my moving to Canada. My exposure to a life so plentiful in opportunities has also caused me to take many things for granted. Events in people’s lives shape who they become. Some of these circumstances are brought about by the decisions of others, while the majority of occurrences are caused by deliberate choices. These decisions can shape destiny in a life-or-death situation or a can be like a small, yet equally profound, choice to smile at a stranger. While some decisions are out of one’s hands, a conscious effort to have a positive outlook on life can still influence destiny. Like a rudder, daily decisions made with a positive mentality can steer people to a prosperous life. It does not do well to dwell on what may have happened, but rather on how the life one creates can be consequential in further extending the development of

Karma is a powerful influence on humans, but only when one gives it the power to be influential. The sum of a person 's actions in the past can decide one’s fate in the future; this belief is artificial but impacts our moral decision making nonetheless. Those that walk the path to light are rewarded, and those that travel the road to darkness are punished. The acceptance of this value may shape one’s actions, but in reality this precedent is simply just a surrogate to fate. In The Story of the Stone, Cao Xueqin used the theme of karma to illustrate how characters are highly affected by the superstitions they hold. I believe that generosity and kindness will trigger fruitful benefits in the future, and that unjust actions will come back to haunt you as well. However, I do not believe that these paths are set in stone after the initial action. Those that possess good morals should not be rewarded if they become immoral, and those that commit something unjust should have the chance to redeem themselves. This theme demonstrates what Marjorie Garber calls the “use” of literature “as a way of thinking” in that characters make decisions due to their belief in this fabricated guideline. Karma has the power to configure the way we think and act, and its impact on these characters ultimately prompts the reader to do the same.

Superstition in the, “Joy Luck Club,” is a method used by the mothers to provide comfort and guidance to their daughters, or to scare the daughters into submission. In the book, many times do the mothers resort to using superstition to keep their daughters in line. For example, in page 164, Lena says,”” Aii, Lena,” she had said after that dinner so many years ago, “your future husband have one pock mark for every rice you not finish.”” This of course scares Lena into finishing the rest of her rice because she fears that her future husband will have many pock marks because of her failure to eat the rest of her rice. In the article,” In Age of Science, Is Religion 'Harmful Superstition’?” religion is a harmful way to keep people in the dark

The vessel was traveling outside normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. Within six hours of the grounding, the Exxon Valdez spilled approximately 10.9 million gallons of its 53 million gallon cargo of Prudhoe Bay crude oil. The article states that the vessel encounter icebergs in the shipping lanes caused the decision of leaving the shipping lanes. However, it is unknown why the orders of returning to the shipping lanes at a certain point where not followed. However, five probable causes have been established for the reasons of the spill. One, the third mate failed to maneuver the vessel correctly, possibly due to fatigue and excessive workload. Second, the master did not provide a proper navigation watch, possibly due to