...Perseverance is the persistence in carrying on with something despite the delay in achieving success. The theme of perseverance in runs through both ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by Daniel Defoe and ‘Alive’ by Piers Paul Read. ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is a fiction adventure novel about a young man who manages to survive for many years on an island before returning home to Europe. However; ‘Alive’ is a literary non-fiction text that provides a detailed account of a rugby team along with their friends and family, who managed to survive for 72 days and get off the mountains after their plane crashed into the Andes in 1972. In Alive, perseverance is shown through the extract many times, in trying to maintain a society up in the mountains, and perseverance to eat the flesh of their friends through reasoning with their conscience. In contrast, the extracts from Robinson Crusoe show perseverance is shown through Robinson feeling desolate and isolated on the island but manages to persevere through the reasoning with conscience and religion when he tells himself he is in a better condition than he could be in. In the second extract I have chosen from Robinson Crusoe is where he starts to lose faith, and he feels empty and alone in his deserted island, but then he regains his faith in God through reading the bible, which gives him strength to persevere. The writer’s use of language changing over time, settings and the reasoning with characters conscience through religion and their actions demonstrate...
Words: 2001 - Pages: 9
...yourself a better person afterward. Survivors have common traits that help them get through unfortunate events in their lives. Traits rooted in one’s emotional, mental and physical state such as calmness, perseverance, and physical strength are portrayed in both fictional and nonfictional stories. For example, characters in “A Boy and A Man”, “Into Thin Air” and “Soul Surfer”all have characteristics of a survivor. There are three main similarities between Bethany Hamilton’s survivor traits and those of Captain Winter, Rudy, and the mountain trekkers. In spite of being attacked by a Great White Shark, Bethany remained calm and collected throughout all the chaos. Similarly, despite falling down and 20 foot crevice, Captain Winter remained calm. This is an emotional survival skill. To be calm is probably one of the most important trait someone can have. In the article “Boy and a Man” Captian Winter had to remain calm when he was freezing to death in a 20 foot crevice. He had no idea if someone or something would come and help him out. In the same way, Bethany Hamilton had to stay calm when a Great White Shark bite off the majority of her left arm. She was bleeding continuously and was...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...Summiting Everest mesmerizes many climbers, but often the public overlooks the difficulty of the life threatening descent of the mountain. In fact, some researchers believe climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine summited Everest in the 1924 British expedition and then fell to their deaths on the descent (The Guardian). Even though these men perhaps reached glory, their deaths kept them from living to enjoy and recount the stories of their possible success. Statistics of the casualties on Everest illustrate the difficulty of descent. “Among climbers who died after scaling higher than 8,000 meters above sea level, 56 percent succumbed on their descent from Everest’s 8,850-meter summit, and another 17 percent died after turning back” (Lite). Although ascending the mountain provides difficulties, the real treachery begins on the descent of the mountain. As oxygen levels run low, climbers often lose focus, energy, and determination as the attempt to return to base camp. This simple decrease in energy often leads to one small slip or poor decision which quickly endangers the lives of the climber and others on the expedition. Even though there are four camps along the common routes taken up Everest where climbers often refocus and...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...The stories “Sharon Woods: No Limits” and “The True Story of Lake Ontario, both have characters which are seen as role models. Sharon Wood and Marilyn Bell Di Lascio both overcome their challenges by not giving up and through determination. However, Marilyn Bell Di Lasico is a better role model for she had determination to swim to Toronto, even though she believed that she was not going to succeed. On the other hand, Sharon Wood thought that she would not have been able to climb back up the mountain, so she decided to just stay at the bottom to wait for her partner. In The story of Sharon Woods, She is climbing Mt. Everest, which happens to be one of the tallest Mountain in the world. By such an act, it requires a lot of determination and...
Words: 431 - Pages: 2
...One of the most important activities I have been in is dance. Being on my schools dance team has taught me a lot about consistency and perseverance. Consistency in my dance technique helped make my team better and consistency overall makes me a reliable person that people can count on to get the job done. We work together as a team to encourage school spirit and push each other during routines and workouts. Perseverance helps me strive to push myself to reach whatever goal I set in life. I learned that working with others and contributing strong skills make the overall product better. These skills will help me get through any obstacle and complete any task I put my mind to. Whether that be coming up with ideas that will help advance the USD...
Words: 283 - Pages: 2
...Jack London, the writer behind the prominent and well-known story, The Call of the Wild, shows readers what it is like to survive and get through tough times. His book follows a dog named Buck, the protagonist of the story. He is taken from his home to work up north near the Klondike Mountains. Buck struggles in the freezing and blizzard-like climate, outsmarts his owners, defeats his enemies, becomes a leader, and is finally set free. With every twist and turn, the dog stood strong and powered through life with perseverance and courage. Jack London’s writing is a clear example of surviving by having determination and persistence. In the beginning of Jack London’s masterpiece, an antagonist arose. Spitz, the lead dog of Francois and Perrault’s...
Words: 835 - Pages: 4
...between the Appalachian Mountains and the beautiful east coast. While in Aberdeen you can visit its many castles, see dolphins, and “you can roam for miles across great estates, expanses of moorland, ancient Caledonian forests, rolling farmland, vast dunes, wide sandy beaches and expansive coastlines” ("Visit Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Guide"). Aberdeen is known for its historical features and Scottish culture ("Visit Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Guide"). Myrtle Beach is on the north east coast of South Carolina right on the coast. Myrtle Beach is known as a spring break spot with many activities to do near the ocean. A great deal of hotels are near the ocean where families can stay and enjoy the view and swim in the ocean. Walking the boardwalk, fishing at the countless amount of piers, and checking out the tremendous restaurant options are a few other options a family may enjoy ("Myrtle Beach 2017: Best of Myrtle Beach, SC Tourism - TripAdvisor"). Pigeon Forge is a beautiful family vacation spot in the Smoky Mountains. Lodging areas include hotels, cabins, and many campgrounds, if you want to camp. Cades Cove is a site you do not want to miss out on if you are in the smokies; it is a valley surrounded by mountains ("Welcome to Pigeon Forge”). The Ripken Way is the main idea and reason for the event. Coaches and parents are to assess each player and get them ready to be the best they can be on and off the field. “The Ripken Way is about perseverance, integrity, and the unwavering...
Words: 1048 - Pages: 5
...leading factor in success. Without it we may never reach our goals. Other people have the power to help motivate you to try harder, but in the end you need to be the one to have the determination, drive and dedication to keep going and to continue fighting for your goals. Time and time again, it has been necessary to have strong will and determination. 2. PERSERVANCE Perseverance Perseverance is continued application to a work once begun. It is the one great secret of success in life. There are men who are disheartened by failures. They will find it hard to attain success in the world. Perseverance is the key to success. Instead of being disheartened by failures we should make greater efforts, and return back to the task till the success is achieved. People who doesn’t give up, even when there doesn’t seem any hope at all, are sure to achieve success. It is exactly in this way that men who have left their ‘footprints on the sands of time’ acted. Instances of Perseverance Napoleon rose from the humble position of a Corsican solider to be the most powerful monarch in Europe by virtue of perseverance. The story of Robert Bruce and the Spider is well-known. This Scottish king whose memory is still revered by his countrymen made several attempts to free his country from the English rule, but in vain. It was when his...
Words: 1272 - Pages: 6
...Analysis American culture value through the film The Pursuit of Happiness The reason why the Hollywood films are popular, besides its wonderful plots, the characters in the films could always reflect the special American cultural values to audiences. The American spirit such as individualism, heroism, religious and pursuit of freedom are all reflect in the Hollywood films. However, the American dream is a unique American culture and has inspired many Americans to rely on personal struggle to make their dreams come true. Films from different culture have their different cultural values, in turn, the different cultures have reflect and strengthen their own culture values in their films, so that audiences could get to know the mainstream American culture values from Hollywood films. Hollywood as the largest American film media has created many motivation films to express the importance values of American dreams to the world. The film The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) by Gabriele Muccino is a very classical Hollywood biographical film which is based on Chris Gardner’s life story. The film talks about how a homeless man success from the hardship and finally became a famous investment expert through his struggle step by step. The narrative of the main character Chris’s story refers to the key aspect of American Dream which is the equity opportunity of everyone in the society. It has showed the thought that happiness will come to everyone as long as we do not give up and make unremitting...
Words: 1615 - Pages: 7
...of Tea, Greg Mortenson emphasizes the importance of perseverance and helping others through his own experience in educating the children, more specifically girls, residing in Pakistan. When Mortenson's goals of scaling the second highest peak in the world, the K2, failed, he lost his sense of direction. On his intense expedition down the mountain, Mortenson found himself wandering through a rural and hidden town named Korphe. There he discovered that the few male children who attended "school" sat outside in the brisk cold, and carved letters with branches in the mud. The villagers couldn't afford a full-time teacher, let alone a building. However, these people didn't hesitate to give Mortenson, someone at the time no more to them than a stranger, their best blankets, and precious sugar. Moved by their kindness, this was the tipping point when Mortenson lost interest in his own climbing goals and shifted his focus entirely on improving the lives of the people of Pakistan. He promised to build them a school on...
Words: 2025 - Pages: 9
...Krakauer to the top of the mountain. He also tells about Scott Fischer, who was the guide of Mountain Madness. Rob Hall is definitely the better guide to go on the climb with, because he is the more serious mountaineer, and he also was more careful about planning the climb up Mount Everest. Adventure Consultants is also a much more professional sounding name than Mountain Madness. Hall was more of a serious climber when it came to going up the mountain. He was said to have “impressive organizational skills” (34), and once the groups were at base camp, “Nobody commanded more respect on the mountain than Hall” (65). This shows that even Krakauer thought Hall was very good at planning, and that he really knew how to be a leader when it came down to climbing. These are essential when it comes to going up the summit, because without proper planning and a good leader, there wouldn’t be anyone to tell clients what to do to keep them safe and get them to the summit, which is what everyone on the trip is paying for. Fischer told a reporter “When accidents happen, I think it’s always human error. So that’s what I want to eliminate” (69). Yet, he still led his group by more of a “seat-of-the-pants, what-worry-me modus operandi” (70). Leading in this type of fashion could lead to several people taking unnecessary risks, and not being prepared when a dangerous situation came up. If something had arose that Fischer had not planned for like a certain part of the mountain being impassable, he would...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...|Using a word document, write a response to the following question: | |Question: Who would be the better role model, Marilyn Bell Di Lascio or Sharon Wood? In your argument, you MUST discuss both passages. | |Guidelines For Your Response | | | |show your understanding of BOTH passages | | | | | |if you do not discuss BOTH passages you will not receive full marks | | | | ...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...center so it easily catches the viewer's attention. The viewers, being the American people, are directly focused on the soldiers’ strive for greatness and not distracted on other unimportant things. Additionally, the color helped the viewers focus on the broad idea of the love for your country rapidly and precisely rather than other photographs that have a variety of colors and depth in many areas of the photo. Secondly, Rosenthal gave depth to the photo by taking it at an amazing angle where the courage of the soldiers was portrayed due to the extremely high altitude of the mountain . Therefore, the brave soldiers are viewed as fearless and valiant by being in such high ground raising the American flag and showing their patriotism to the whole world. Likewise, the clear sky indicated that the battle was over for good as it also helped to show the soldiers’ determination to reach the top of the mountain when it was clear that the difficult battle was...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...“Drip, drop, tink. Drip, drop, tink.” The light pitter patter of rain was the only thing I heard before I gracelessly forced the rickety shed open. There beheld my beautiful, brand new, blue Rotary Cruiser bicycle. Well that is what I wish I could tell you; in all reality what I was gazing upon was a cheap, tired, rusty Peugeot mountain bike. My heart wished with all of its might that I possessed a Rotary Cruiser. Unfortunately my mother thought I “needed” to know how to ride a bike in the first place; to which my mind scoffed. “How could riding a bike be so hard?” I asked my twelve-year-old self while hauling the rust-covered contraption out of my shed and onto the soaked grass. This is the story of how I used perseverance, passion, and fortitude to unearth the actions one would need to know to ride a bike. To start off with, I used perseverance, the steadfastness in doing something...
Words: 970 - Pages: 4
...American Spirit The American Spirit can defined by many people and by many events. The Alaska Purchase may not be an example of all the definitions of the American Spirit but it does cover a few. The Alaska Purchase at the time seemed like a great waste to the American people. It was given nicknames such as Seward's icebox and Seward's Folly. What Americans didn't know was how valuable it would become in the years to come. The Alaska Purchase is a good example of the American Spirit through intuition and perseverance. Almost everyone but William Seward, secretary of the state at the time, believed that Alaska was nothing but a barren ice block. However Seward knew what the new American frontier was actually like, mountain ranges, dazzling bays, lush forests and only in the upper quarter of Alaska was the barren frozen wasteland everyone expected. Seward knew that in this territory twice the size of France there had to be some useful resources from it (Gold 80). Seward was right, the territory already had an abundance of timber, a wealth of fisheries and fur, that could, when properly executed, could produce a healthy profit (Russell 45). Whales, more specifically, whale oil was a very important resource up until electricity and light bulbs lit up our world. Whale oil was used in virtually every oil lit lamp on the planet so when the whales would migrate north to Alaska, the valuable whale oil would be collected. These so far are only the resources Seward knew about and his...
Words: 1605 - Pages: 7
