The Importance of Hope and Perseverance
These three pieces of literature are not only meant to entertain, but they also bring to light the importance of retaining hope and perseverance through even the most arduous times.
Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken. Random House, 2010. Print.
Unbroken, the true story of Louis Zamperini, know by his friends as Louie, and how he goes from a troubled child, to an Olympic athlete, to being stranded at sea. As a young child Louie was very mischievous; he was drinking, smoking, and stealing all before he was 10 years old. To keep him out of trouble, Louie’s brother got him to join the track team. Little did he know, Louie had the potential to be a tremendous runner. After countless hours of strenuous practice …show more content…
This article doesn’t focus on Louis’ life as a whole, but merely the events from 1943-1945. Moreover, The article provides exact facts and details about the two years Louie was missing, and corroborates the sheer improbability of his survival. The article continues to describe the dreadful conditions that Louie and his crew mates experienced, one of which was extreme starvation, which can be described by this quote from the newspaper: “When the Japanese fishermen captured him and Lieutenant Phillips in the Marshalls, he weighed only 87 pounds.” They also provided details to how the men survived the days at sea by catching birds and using their meat as bait for fish. The article also describes Louie’s time at the POW camps and how there was a guard, nicknamed “The Bird” by Louie and his fellow inmates, who was very keen on making Louie miserable. This cruelty can be emphasized by the fact that “The Bird” once forced every single one of the prisoners at the camp to punch Louie in the face; this beating lasted over a day and left Louie without being able to move his jaw for two