...American writer and poet Erica Jong once wrote, “Everyone has talent. What's rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads.” In the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Louie lived by these words, when L. Zamperini shows his skill in the sport of track, with blood, sweat, and tears along his journey to compete in the Olympics. Following, Louie honed his skills in the Air force during WWII, to help him survive the “punishment” (P.O.W.) camp, Ofuna. Hillenbrand described Louie as a skilled delinquent at the beginning of the book, often stealing and participating in pranks. In high school, however, Pete introduced Louie to running; and Louie showed tremendous amounts of skill and athleticism, taking to the sport extremely...
Words: 795 - Pages: 4
...today if it weren’t for certain people. One of these people was Louis Zamperini. Without him we may be in a worse place. It all began in 1943 when an Air Army Corps plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. After being marooned on a raft for 47 days, a Japanese War Ship came and abducted them. They tortured them for 2 years until WW2 ended. Only two of the original eleven crewmates made it back home. Louis Zamperini grew up in Torrance, California, which is not one of the best place in the world. His bad surroundings shaped his personality and thoughts. (Leopold, CNN) He was born January 1917 to Italian parents Anthony and Louise in Olean, New York. He had 3 siblings, 2 younger sisters Sylvia and Virginia, and an older brother Pete. He moved to California in his preteen years, so about 10 or 11. Being grown in a nasty part of California he had to be competitive to survive and wary. This caused him to have the new kid clique, gets bullied a lot, and has no friends. As result his father taught him how to box as a form...
Words: 1365 - Pages: 6
...Retired track and field athlete and three-time Olympic champion Gail Devers once said, “Sometimes we fall, sometimes we stumble, but we can’t stay down. We can’t allow life to beat us down. Everything happens for a reason, and it builds character in us, and it tells us what we are about and how strong we really are when we didn’t think we could be that strong.” In the biography Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Louis portrays what this quote expresses with his determination to never give up, even in a time of major crisis. In the beginning of Hillenbrand’s book, she described Louie as a delinquent child. He stole from others in his free time; however, he often gave anything he stole away, hinting that Louie might not be all that others claimed:...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4