Why Do Gonzales Miraculous Survivors: Why They Live And Others Die?

CNN journalist, John Blake, takes interest in a book written by Laurence Gonzales about why certain people survive while others do not. In Miraculous Survivors, Laurence Gonzales points out, that people with these certain traits are more likely to survive, than people who do not have those certain traits. One of the first traits Gonzales mentions is, survivors do not declare themselves as victims. He explains that survivors do not feel helpless with in complicated situations. They do not expect someone else to rescue them. Gonzales notes, “These are people who tend to have a view of the world that doesn't paint them as a victim . . . They’re not whiners”. They figure out a way to get out or fix this complicated situation on their

The American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “ Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes of bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character , and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the fearless Louis Zamperini epitomized Ford’s words when, he survived imprisonment for over 2 years only after his World War II bomber crashed into the middle of the Pacific . Thankfully Louie’s fearlessness helped him return home and share his story with the world.

“Some people say I was lucky to survive, other will say I deserved it for the choice I made. I’m here to say I was lucky, it’s never ok to say your life isn’t worth living even at your worst you can always look forward tomorrow will come and if you put your mind to it you’ll see that anything is possible.” – Stephen McGregor Professional Paralympian

Sometimes everyone feels like giving up, and the only thing a person can rely on is his will to survive. Giving up is admitting defeat, in every circumstance. In the story by Jack London, To Build a Fire, the main character learns a hard lesson of reality, when he meets his fate. The result came about because of many factors, mainly the man’s lack of psychological perserverance on the journey, as well as the harsh temperature and surroundings. If there was any hope for the man to survive these conditions, it would rely wholey on his persistance and motivation. The man expected his fate after it was too late to change it, weighing all the variables and realizing there was no probable way to escape his prediciment. The man’s fate was

The central theme of this story is that the stage between life and death is

Flannery O’Connor’s short story The Life You Save May Be Your Own, takes place in a rural area with a few powerful main characters, and though the literal meaning is not challenging to comprehend, the symbolic and metaphorical meanings are much more complex, requiring further analysis. One of the most touching and relatable themes in the story is that redemption is often overlooked because of personal greed.

Death is the unavoidable end for everyone. The very real topic can bring people together, but can also pull people apart. This is evident in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. A theme statement that can be found in both books is that surviver's guilt can be dealt with through kindness and friendship. This statement is evident in how characters cope with the survivors guilt by assist the living, talking to others about the guilt, and how the lives of the dead are celebrated.

Facing Death is a compelling documentary on, oftentimes, the final journey patients and their families will venture through together in life. The documentary seeks to capture how the patients and their families respond to the inevitability of death. The film includes families who respond to the issue by allowing their family member, the patient, to pass through the door of death without aggressive care, while there are yet other families who insist on everything being done to delay the moment of death. This topic of fighting death is attributed with producing much debate. On one hand are those who do not see the point of fighting death, however, on the other hand, there are those who believe that delaying death and staying alive is what ought to be done. Personally, from what I understand of either party, I think that I am a part of the later party. In addition, this issue naturally delves into what one believes occurs after death, as it is an issue dealing directly with death. This also compels me to view this topic from the viewpoint of the later party.

Undocumented immigrants make up a good percentage of the workforce, although they have a high rate they earn half the average California income. Throughout chapter 2, Gonzales analyzes two different groups, one is the early exiters, and the others are college-goers. Early exiters are those individuals who were not able to complete school, and the college-goers were those who went to college. He began to follow these two groups and studied every aspect of them from personal and social being to how their legal status affected them. School experiences help to shape people’s lives and determines what their future will look. The school experience differs for both early exiters and college-goers, a vast amount of college-goers attended a community college or university earning a degree other than high school diploma. On the other hand, the early exiters is lower due to having to work to keep up with paying expenses and having to take care of their families.

Rick Yancey’s science fiction novel, “The Last Star,” takes place in a modern day society where the government has become corrupted and is now working against the human race. Most of the people left after the 5 waves, barely even try to stay alive. They know the odds of surviving is a lot to a little, so they think what is the point of staying alive a week longer. Although, a group of 6 people try their hardest and their best to stay alive. These 6 people are probably the only 6 people in their world that is trying to stay alive. And because they try their best, they end up surviving much longer than other people. This suggests that a possible theme for Rick Yancey’s “The Last Star” is that however much

By biological logic, we human beings will face death sooner or later in our life and death has its very own ways to approach us - a sudden deadly strike, a critical sickness, a tragic accident, a prolonged endurance of brutal treatment, or just an aging biological end. To deal with the prospect of death come different passive or active reactions; some may be scared and anxious to see death, some try to run away from it, and some by their own choice make death come faster. But Viktor Frankl, through his work Man’s Search for Meaning, and Bryan Doyle; in his essay “His Last Game” show us choices to confront the death, bring it to our deepest feelings, meaningful satisfaction. To me, the spirit of the prisoners at deadly concentration camps, Frankl’s Logotherapy theory of “. . . striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.” (99), as well as the calmness of Doyle’s brother on his last ride, like an awaken bell, remind us of how precious life is, how we should find the significance in every act of living, determine to live a meaningful life at any circumstances; hence, when death comes, we can accept it without anxiety nor regrets.

When faced with the inevitable fate of death, the reaction of the population is very different because of their relation to life. Some men did not stop for death; they “hurried to and from” grinding their teeth in anger, which indicated their frustration in their inability to change the inevitable. Some “hid their eyes and wept” because of their unwillingness to accept the end while others rested “Their chins upon their clinched hands.” The latter watched their world fall apart bravely and smiled at their fate.

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.

As the old saying goes, in this world nothing can be said to be sure, except death and taxes. Even everyone knows their life must have an end, but most of them still fear the death. In the short stories, A Drowning by Mark Ferguson and Red Bean Ice by Nancy Lee, authors have demonstrated the reaction and feeling of people to death. In these two stories, the characters are unlike the other person when death comes. They are both calm facing to death, and they are all insisting their hope. However, the reaction of people around them for their death is different.

The saying “desperate times call for desperate measures” holds truth to an extent. In the award winning novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, drastic measures are taken by characters in order to survive while stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Through his journey, main character, Pi Patel, endures many hardships and witnesses several deaths. Significantly, the death of the zebra accompanying Pi and the other animals establishes a generalization of human nature being sophisticated yet inherently vicious according to methods of survival.