Analysis: What Happens To Your Body When You Freeze To Death

Hypothermia is a terrifying and painful way to die. Hypothermia is a condition in which your body is exposed to too much cold and slowly, your body starts to shut down. The two articles, “What Happens To Your Body When You Freeze To Death” by Katherine Ripley and “Hypothermia- Cold Weather Health Risks” both identify the effects and stages of hypothermia. The videos, “What Hypothermia Does to Your Body and Brain” and “The Effects of Hypothermia” provide even more information about what your body experiences during hypothermia. The short story, “The Little Match Girl”, by Hans Christian Andersen presents a story about a little girl who is suffering outside in the cold on New Years Eve. The story ends without explaining whether or not the little girl dies, but it is clear that she does due to the symptoms she experienced.
The girl in “The Little Match Girl”
In paragraph two, the author presents, “...the little girl walked on her naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold.” According to the article, “What Happens to Your Body When You Freeze to Death”, extremities turning blue is one of the later stages in hypothermia. This is caused by the lack of blood flowing in these areas. Hands and feet will become numb and frostbitten. Also, Ripley describes, “She was getting colder and colder”. In the article, “Hypothermia- Cold Weather Health Risks”, the author identifies, “Reports of people who have died or come close to death with hypothermia describe them as becoming colder and increasingly numb, then drifting slowly off into oblivion.” According to people who have experienced hypothermia, growing colder and colder is a symptom. This may be caused by your overall body temperature dropping due to the coldness. Additionally, the little girl was, “Shivering with cold…”. The video, “What Hypothermia Does to Your Body” explains how the hypothalamus