Preview

Unbroken: Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
418 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Unbroken: Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption
The book Unbroken A World War 2 Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand is a story of a true American; Louie Zamperini. Growing up as an Italian American he learned how to value the most out of everything, his entire childhood he would get bullied for who he couldn’t help but being. He would never see himself as less than he was, he was strong minded always rebelling against what he knew was wrong. As a troubled boy he found running, later he went to the olympics setting the new world record in the mile. He then got drafted into the war becoming a bombardier in the Air Corps. The author, Hillenbrand, wrote the novel with great detail showing Louie's perseverance and adversity throughout his life made him the exceptional …show more content…
Growing up socially, Louie was poor, but his identification of an italian american pushed him to rebel against the limitations he had around him. At the time he expressed himself in inappropriate and destructive ways, such as acting rebelliously; stealing from neighbors and local businesses. “----” His popular older brother, Pete helped straighten himself out he inspired a new challenge: running. Louie put all his determination and perseverance into running. He continued the act of giving everything for running “____”, therefor overcoming his adversity through physical emotional and mental resilience. Because of this Louis has made a himself a forever famous olympian who competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This perseverance with adversity and the resilience in such experiences have led to to build up allowed Louis to survive the war. While stranded in a life-raft for forty-seven days he perceived it as just another limitation or obstacle to overcome. Alike, after being captured by the Japanese with their cruelties and humiliations of the labor camp, Louie never gave in to despair or hopelessness because he had such strong perseverance. (14)

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Louis Zamperini was born in Olean, New York, on January 26,1917. He is an Italian. But his family moved to California. Because he couldn’t speak English well so no friends talked to him and always laughed at him. And he became a tough kid. Then his brother, Pete encouraged him to run. So he made his first wise and important decision of his life. He was really good at running, won many prizes. His dream was to attend an Olympic Game. Unfortunately, his whole right lung was full of pus. So he couldn’t run any more. In addition, the 1940 Olympic Game was canceled due to the war. Inevitably, his dream crashed down. It was not long time for him to move into the Expediting Department at Lockheed. He also did well in it. And one day he flew in a B-24 Liberator. Fortune’s wheel didn’t care him. On May 27, he crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He and two other survivors found a raft and waited for rescue. They floated about forty-seven days. They evaded enemy’s attack several times. They killed sharks and ate their livers as food. Waited rainwater to drunk. They were still alive, but captured by the Japanese finally. Following more than two years, he was tortured and humiliated by Japanese. He experienced a lot of dehumanization and torment. Though he endured many torment, he never give up hope. After two years, he backed to home eventually. But he suffered from severe posttraumatic stress disorder. His wife helped him to get through the difficulty. He began to read Bible. He learnt to condone. Ultimately, he condoned all Japanese enemies and held on…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The biography “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand tells us the story of Louie Zamperini's life. Louie grew up in Torrance California and was a troublemaker as a child. His brother helped him to become an olympic runner while he was in high school. A short time before the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo Louie was drafted into WWII and trained to become a bombaired. Louie and his crew took part in many dangerous air raids. Then, one day Louie and his crew were called to help with a rescue mission when their plane failed mechanically and they crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Only Louie and one other survived the many weeks the spent adrift on an inflatable raft. The men spent many traumatic years in POW camps until the war was over and they were freed to go home…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louise post war life was both amazing and horrible. He was happy to see his family and all his friends but he also fell in love with Cynthia and then he married her only a couple weeks after they met. “Later in his last lap, there was an abrupt slicing sensation in his ankle. he half hopped to the line and collapsed. A doctor confirmed he’d worsened his war injury disastrously. It was all over.” I felt really bad for Louie because this injury ended his running career and now he wasn’t able to compete in the olympics. Louie was so distressed that he became an alcoholic, he also became abusive with his wife. “Post War life was often tormented. Men sleepwalked, acting out prison camp traumas, and woke screaming or lashing out.” This must of been terrifying for the family members of these soldiers. Many probably attempted suicide or try to kill other people. When Louie started strangling Cynthia thinking it was The Bird in his dream I was sure that Cynthia would immediately divorce Louie but she stayed with him. That took courage from her. I really enjoyed reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. Everytime I said I was done reading for the day, I just couldn’t…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I am thoroughly enjoying Hillenbrand’s eclectic storytelling in the novel Unbroken. Essentially, while reading chapter nine, I came across a sliver of insight from Super Man crewmember Pillsbury. I valued his moment of rescinding despair. Pillsbury depicts the rivaling Zero’s Pilot with a white scarf and face aglow from the sunlight, yet he imagines only despair for himself and his crew. Pillsbury’s vision also entertains the human aspects of war, as there is no question that hard choices must be made. Immediately, Pillsbury bucks up and fires the deadly blow, annihilating the seemingly infallible Zero. Subsequently, the Super Man bomber received five hundred ninety-four gashes during the conflict, in effect was presumed never to fly again.…

    • 242 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The longest serving first lady of the United states Eleanor Roosevelt had once said, “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” In Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken, the exceedingly clever Louis Zamperini embodied Roosevelt’s words when he survived World War II employing his own idea’s of his to stay alive and help his remaining crew return home.…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louis could not sit still to save his life, always getting into trouble, then ran away. When he got older he went off into the Olympics and was one of the fastest runners there. He never gave up on what he wanted whether that be running or stealing, and so he would run as fast as he could and would run as far as he could. The fact that he never gave up on running helped him stay alive throughout the course of his life. Louis being so determined by…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Laura Hillenbrand’s World War II biography, Unbroken, follows the life of a Prisoner of War, Louis Zamperini. From childhood to adulthood, Louis’ life contains a story of survival and the struggle to fit in. This novel portrays the cruel and jealous Mutsuhiro Watanbe, the always present danger of sharks and Louis’ survival and resilience filled life.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The result had been a mutinous youth. As maddening as his exploits had been for his parents and his town, Louie’s success in carrying them off had give him the conviction that he could think his way around any boundary. Now, as he is cast into extremity, despair and death becomes the focus of his defiance. The same attributes that had made him the boy terror of Torrance were keeping him alive in the greatest struggle of his life” (Loc. 2444) This piece of evidence explains how all the difficulties Louie is facing is in some way easier, because of all his troubles in his past. And as the evidence states, he takes on all of the rules and restrictions placed on him as a boundary he is going to stomp on. In the Prisoner-Of-War Camps, he is forced into, he knows just how to step on all the strict rules he is supposed to follow. This helps him show his pride for America and his defiance to the things blocking him and his friends from going on in life. Once again, the skills he learns in the process of figuring things out benefits him with the problems he…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    unbroken

    • 6886 Words
    • 28 Pages

    The book so far is based around the story of an Italian boy named Louie Zampernini and his family. Louie’s father and mother moved from Italy and brought themselves up in a half-acre field with a one-room shack. “If it was edible, Louie stole it.” This is an idea brought up constantly in these chapters about Louie’s daring and witty attempts and successes at stealing, fighting, and causing most other kinds of mischief. The book also says that “Confident that he was clever, resourceful and bold enough to escape any predicament, he was almost incapable of discouragement. When history carried him into the war, this resilient optimism would define him.” A foreshadowing of the next part of the book when he is brought into the Army Air Corps. As someone interested in the armed forces I can identify with that last quote because there are many occasions when I have seen people bring with themselves their outstanding qualities into the military, this is something that I hope I can do with traits that will better me in service.…

    • 6886 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Audie Murphy: A True Hero

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages

    World War two was the greatest of all wars ever fought on this earth, with millions of men from every corner of the planet fighting for the cause that they felt right. Out of all of these men from this war and arguably any war Audie Murphy is the greatest. Born the seventh out of twelve children to a sharecropping family on June 20th 1924, all Audie wanted to do in life was “to be somebody” (Gale). To do this Audie had to fight against the odds his entire life on to his way to becoming one of America’s most recognized and cherished people during and after the War.…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For miles and miles, all the American Military airman could see was water. Tangled in fear, he was only surviving off of hope. His name was Louie. When Louie was a little boy, he was a trouble maker, always stealing and breaking into houses. As he grew older, he grew a passion for running as a way to channel his defiance, which lead him to the Berlin Olympics. He broke record after record until the war came, then…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The subject of my research paper is how Jesse Owens, an athletic runner yet also an inspirational person, changed history in positive ways. I am approaching this topic from the standpoint that Jesse Owens broke all racial barriers in sports. I will focus on how his story changed history in positive ways. I hope to find information on to support my thesis that Jesse Owens was a role model in society and was a part of an inspirational time in history.…

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within the book The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien said, “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it.” O’Brien is a Vietnam veteran who does not consider himself a hero. This is interesting because while growing up in the United States of America, people have learned that all veterans are heroes. Americans were raised on hearing war stories that were uplifting and encouraging, but when O’Brien wrote the book, The Things They Carried, he wrote it in the sense that not all war stories are true. That is why he called the book “a work of fiction”;…

    • 1616 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Victory in the Pacific

    • 1451 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ollie, a twenty-two year veteran, has written many books, several best-selling, that have captivated many readers with his narratives of United States' wars ranging from World War II up to the Afghanistan war. In my honest opinion, his time as a Marine, serves as his best credential as a military historical writer and allows him to familiarize himself with the experiences of the past and present wars' veterans. War Stories II: Victory in the Pacific really caught my attention because of it being over the history of War World II and because it was written by a Vietnam war veteran and not a writer that only has history classes that serves as knowledge of war time events.…

    • 1451 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays