The Importance Of Emotional Strengths In The Voyage Of The James Caird

When people are struck with hardships in life, the way they react reveals their true character. Having a certain mindset can greatly influence how they handle problems, differentiating one person from another. Many can feel discouraged and feel like giving up when they hit a rough patch. In other cases, the will to be in a position better than where they are at the moment gives them the motivation to succeed. Adversity can have a positive effect on the development of an individual's character, providing them with the drive to overcome their current situation.

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie and his dad did not have the best relationship in the beginning, but at the end of their very long journey they were inseparable. In the book Boy In the Boat by Daniel James Brown Joe did not really have a family until he made the rowing team, and until he met Joyce who would later become his wife and they would start a family. Human resilience is affected by family in both of these books.

Mental Strength is the most valuable strength in a survival situation because it can not be lost or taken away from someone. According to Caroline Alexander’s article “The Voyage of the James Caird” the crew of the James Caird needed mental strength to survive the dangerous journey. In the article she writes “Worsley, despite the rank discomfort, was in his element. He was conscious of being in the midst of a great adventure---which had been his life’s ambition”(Alexander 185). Here it is shown that despite the physical challenges Worsley was still able to maintain his mental strength which kept him going. Similar to the crew of the James Caird Sherpas that climb Mt. Everest to transport goods also need mental strength to make it through their job. In the article “The Value of the Sherpa Life” by Grayson Schaffer it states “And perhaps most significantly, the amount of time that Sherpas spend making laps through the deadly Khumbu Icefall and up the Lhotse Face”(Schaffer 218). Schaffer explains that despite the physically grueling laps their mental strength which kept them going was maintained. Similar to the Sherpas of Mt. Everest and the crew of the James Caird in Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night he needed mental strength to survive in the concentration camps of World War II. In the book it says “An icy wind was blowing violently. But we marched without faltering”(Wiesel 85). Shown here is that even when the physical conditions were anything but pleasant Eliezer

Physical strength is important because a person’s body can only withstand so much. According to Grayson Schaffer in “The Value of a Sherpa Life” the Sherpa porters struggle to survive in the hardships and conditions they face. He writes, “The men who were struck were carrying 80-pound loads to Camps I and II, or they were on their way back to base camp” (1). This shows how hard the Sherpas work and the weight of the supplies they have to withstand. Similarly, members on the James Caird have to withstand the major hurricane and massive waves coming over the boat. In “The Voyage if the James Caird” Caroline Alexander states, “Rain, hail, sleet, and snow hammered down, and by noon the gale had become a full-fledged hurricane whipping a mountainous

People have learned to be resilient in order to overcome serious hardships. A person’s resilience can be seen through how they handle bad experiences; to be resilient in the face of adversity. People who never give up and always fight back even when it gets hard are resilient. Some believe that resilience is a trait that can be learned.

The first example of the resilience of the human spirit is Liesel dieing at old age after everything she went through. Markus Zusak in The Book Thief writes,”I traveled to Sydney and took Liesel away”(549). Liesel dies at an old age with her husband, three kids, and grandkids. She died far from Himmel Street, at Australia. Liesel survived losing her mom, dad and her brother. Liesel had to leave and create new friends while getting adjusted to her new mom and dad. Also, Liesel had to let go of her new parents, best friend Rudy, Max, and everyone who died during the bombing of Himmel Street. Liesel survived everything to once die of old age instead of any cause of disaster

Throughout history there has always been adversity, even today there are people who struggle to cope with it in their everyday lives, but some are able to overcome it as individuals and move on. But sometimes there are situations so adverse it takes more than one person to overcome mentally and/or physically.

Etta Shattuck took cover in a haystack and prayed that God was coming to save her is a final example of willpower. Etta was a very religious nineteen years old teacher who taught in Holt County. Hours before the storm hit, she went out that morning to get her orders signed so she could get her twenty-five dollars. Soon the storm came like a desease and she was lost and confused as she struggled to find her way back home. She walked for miles and miles as the chill wind slowly wore she out. Since she was a very religious woman, all she did was prayed and asked god to save her. Sooner or later, God led her into a pile of haystack. She used the last ounce of strength she had and managed to dig a shallow hole for herself. “By the time she reached

These texts develop our understanding of persistence, mental and physical strength and mateship through survival in an

In Endurance Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing recounts the tale of one of the greatest successes of the Twentieth Century. Ironically, Lansing's detailed account of the 1915 Trans-Antarctic Expedition illuminates the stark reality that Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition did not fulfill its goal. In fact, the expedition never even set foot upon the continent that they had intended to cross. The outstanding success of that motley crew of adventurers was in their ability to endure the harsh Antarctic climate. Despite having their ship crushed by an ice cap, spending the dark Antarctic winter hopelessly alone, suffering through a stormy voyage in

At one point in his or her life, everyone is faced with some type of difficulty or problem that seems impossible to solve. Whether it be trying to convince people with an opposing view that your view is correct, or the difficulty of choosing between two opportunities, that could change your life, everyone shares the experience of being faced with adversity. In these strenuous moments everyone reacts in their own unique way, allowing some people to overcome the difficult moment, while others are left unsuccessful. This begs the question, in the face of adversity, what causes some people to prevail while others fail? While there could be countless answers to this question for any given scenario, it ultimately comes down to one's attitude and fortitude.

In a short story named “The Story of Keesh” and a novel excerpt named “The Life of Pi” both authors, Jack London and Yann Martel, develop certain qualities in characters who find the strength in themselves to want to survive when in extreme situations. Both Keesh and Pi obtain three traits that help them survive in these extreme environments such as bravery, intelligence and strategic plans.

One character that showed strength in the face of adversity is Mattie Silver from “Ethan Frome.” Mattie shows strength in the face of adversity by living her life through the difficulties that she has faced. One example of Mattie staying strong through difficulties is when her parents died. Mattie does not let her parents dying keep her from living her life. Mattie lives her

In my term paper, I would like to talk about Resilience which I believe is a prerequisite for an effective leader. Life has ups and downs and adversities are inevitable. Things can beyond our control, it is impossible for us to prevent unpleasant circumstances from happening. Difficulties and problems come out of nowhere, the stress and anxiety associated with adversity may knock us down if we cope with them inadequately. Chronic stress can lead to mental collapse if we still cannot manage them well, which is definitely undesirable for a leader because it can affect the cooperation with others as well as the team morale.

The main problems with mental toughness are the inconsistency of its definition, and a lack of research into clearly defining mental toughness and what attributes are required to be mentally tough (Jones et al, 2002). The earliest definition of mental toughness was provided by Cattell (1957), suggesting mental toughness was an important personality trait, supported by Kroll (1967). Loehr (1982, 1986, 1994) attempted to define mental toughness, suggesting “mental toughness is the ability to use energy positively during crises and the possession of positive attitudes towards challenging and demanding situations”, although this definition lacked scientific definition regarding positive attitudes (Crust, 2007).