Spak Of Hope In 'A Man's Search For Meaning'

The theme of this book is that the human capacity to adapt to and find happiness in the most difficult circumstances. Each character in the novel shows this in their way. For instance, their family is randomly taken from their home and forced to

In the book as in my personal life, there were two people with very similar environments yet their lives took completely different paths in the end. Their paths determined by the choices they made at different situations in their lives. Those choices explain who they have become and create the goals that they have set for themselves. The choices also opened up other opportunities that they each will have in their future. No matter what life may hand you always be careful with your decisions you make. Consider how this will affect me tomorrow, a week from now, or even a year from now and go with the one that leads to a better life for

We are meant to become our truest selves by finding meaning in our lives, which, according to Frankl, can come from three places: work, love, and our attitude in the face of horrific suffering or difficulty. And at the center of this meaning is our responsibility and human right to choose. In Frankl’s theory, we all strive to fulfill a self-chosen goal, from which meaning has the potential to be found. And if no meaning is found, there is meaning yet to be found, or meaning to be drawn from the apparent lack of meaning. Whatever the case, Frankl viewed man’s lack of meaning as the greatest existential crisis, the stress of this meaninglessness giving life and shape to all of our neuroses.

In all situations where survival is scarce, hope is often needed to survive. The Holocaust is an example of a situation where survival is scarce because very few people survived and most inmates died. In this situation hope is needed because the want to survive is based off hope and without hope the probability of surviving is not good. From the start of Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie the main character shows the importance of hope. From the time he first arrives at Auschwitz to when his father dies he might have moments when he loses hope but deep down he still turns to hope for his survival. Though at times he may show signs of loss of hope he still utilizes hope for his survival. In the Holocaust memoir Night, Elie Wiesel uses the motif of loss of hope to convey the idea that when faced with extreme circumstances, it helps to have a reason to keep going, so that a person can withstand the challenges.

From the beginning, Engelberg shows the struggle between the life threatening nature of cancer and dealing with

Through Frankl's view of suicide you can discover his view of human person. Suicide is wrong in all cases, and should not be even considered an option. He believes that all people can find some meaning in life which would prevent them from giving up all hope and ending their lives. Every human life has meaning, and therefore every human life has value. While in a concentration camp serving as a doctor to those who were ill with typhus or other diseases, he encountered two individuals who had given up hope on life. He asked them both to think of something worth living for. One answered that he had a son waiting for him at home, and the other said he was writing a book and wanted to finish it. Frankl helped them find meaning in their lives to hold on to some hope. Just as they did, anyone can find a meaning to live for, whether it be another person or a goal or achievement.

Despite the bitter realities, we always search for the silver lining or light at the end of the tunnel. There's always that one key aspect that keeps one motivated to continue on. The value of Hope is proven in Elie Wiesel's memoir Knight as well as throughout The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy. Although the key to survival is maintaining hope, while simultaneously the delusions can be one's Achilles Heal.

Throughout the entire novel, Jack faces many complications during his childhood and struggles to find his self-identity. All of these stories and life lessons compiled into what became the memoir This Boy’s Life written by Tobias Wolff. The quote that I chose stood out to me because of the profound language that glorifies innocence. Through the use of symbolism, Wolff uses the color green, a fresh and pure color, to represent innocence and youth.

Kicker, a 3 year-old boy, who has never been to a doctor, never received any type of shot or poke, eaten a clean, nutrient dense diet throughout his short three years and never had anything toxic on his skin, was sitting in the cold hospital room waiting for news of a diagnosis. Nurses came in and out of the waiting room, bringing in needles, advice, paperwork and machines. All of which were intimidating to a 3 year-old and his mother, Season, who happened to be a holistic nutritionist. A nurse came into the waiting room and informed Season that an Oncologist needed to speak with her. At that moment, Season began holding her jaw tight to fight back the tears knowing that Oncologist specialized in cancer.

Cancer is a word that everyone has heard and an illness that has affected everyone. It is a heavy topic that is often acknowledged but not thoroughly discussed. When Breathing Becomes Air, a book written by Dr. Paul Kalanithi and finished by his wife, goes into details with the feelings of being diagnosed with cancer. Michael Geron reviews this book in his opinion article, “Giving Cancer a First-Person Voice.” Gerson persuades his audience to read Dr. Kalanithi’s book through a balanced and effective use of the different appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.

Andy was embarking on his second semester of his junior year in college. After a long bout with a cold and the sudden emergence of a protruding mass on his chest, he knew something was not right. Within a week, he received devastating news - a diagnosis of an aggressive form of bone cancer. The treatment regiment included two years of chemotherapy and radiation. The extensiveness of his cancer made surgical treatment impossible. After just his first dose of chemotherapy, he became septic and spent six weeks in an intensive care unit followed by weeks of rehabilitation. Although he had been optimistic about continuing to attend classes and staying involved with campus organizations throughout the treatment course, a disabled immune system and countless days in the hospital prevented this. His friends and peers became distant because his appearance and prognosis made them uncomfortable and speechless. He eventually relied on his mother and closest friends to take him to appointments because of increasing weakness and chronic pain. When his world was virtually turned upside down and he eventually lost much of his independence, Andy started to display symptoms of major depressive disorder.

“’So what’s your story?’” she then then replies “’I already told you my story. I was diagnosed when-‘” He interrupts and says “’No, not your cancer story. Your story. Interests, hobbies, passions, etcetera… Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It’s disheartening. Like cancer is in the growth business, right? The taking-people-over business. But surely you haven’t let it succeed prematurely’” (Green, 32).

I just wanted the future to come faster. Frankl was in a lot of rad situations that no human should ever have to see or experience. Frankl helped some patients that were suffering from a disease called “Typhus” , the patients and other camp prisoners were terrified by every traumatic event their powerless eyes had to see . Another thing I got from this statement was to just live in the moment ,not the past ,nor the future. Frankl has a lot of key roles in his book, he is a husband , a prisoner, a doctor , and a friend.

One of the many of the world's problems is sickness, but some diseases have no cure which can result in death. Cancer is a code we just can’t seem to crack and it has taken hundreds of thousands of lives. Everyone knows of someone who has died of or had cancer in their life. It’s a hard sickness to beat but many strong people do beat it, some being children. I have personally seen my family members go through this and of course, some didn’t make it out alive. If you have seen anyone who has cancer, you’ll see how it can take over your body, how that person doesn’t even look like themselves anymore.

The premise of Frankl’s book is that mankind’s desire for meaning is much stronger than its desire for power or pleasure and that if man can find meaning in life he can survive anything. Frankl introduces this idea [which he calls the theory of logotherapy] throughout his concentration camp experiences in the book’s first section and delves deeper into it in the second section. Referencing Nietzsche, Frankl tells us “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'” (p. 80). The most important thing to be learned from this statement is that no matter what your circumstances are, you can be happy, or at least survive, if you find a meaning or purpose in life. While in the concentration camp Frankl tells us that in order to maintain his desire to have a meaningful life he focused on three main things: suffering, work, and love. Of sacrifice