January 13,1999 you are walking to your friend's car with the intent on strangling her to death. Or are you? January 13, 1999 you are at school attending track practice like any ordinary day. So which one really happened? Adnan Syed, 17 years old senior in high school, has been in prison for 17 years because of what happened on one day, in fact, based on what happened in 21 minutes. Based on the evidence presented to the court it was impossible for them to convict Adnan guilty for…
Finally the character trait bravery is best shown by Ty from Street Pharm and the IRA Sniper from “The Sniper”. Ty risks his life and freedom for the drug business while the IRA sniper makes drastic decisions and risks his life for his own survival. Bravery is shown in many ways especially when there is a risk to doing it. For example when I had risked myself to help out my younger…
This memoir from Geoffrey Canada is now a graphic novel which was adapted by Jamar Nicholas. It begins by explaining Geoff’s first experience with violence, when his brother’s jacket was stolen in the park. His mother forced the oldest brother to go back out and take it back, that he would get a worse beating at home if he did not get it back. This was Geoff’s first exposure, at four years old he learned that he should not be made a victim. The text continues on showing different moments from Geoff’s live, where over and over he was taught that you do not back down from a fight, even if it was a fight you were not going to win. The book shows an escalation as Geoff grows up, which is mirrored in the title, fist, stick, knife, gun, which can probably help you guess where the text goes. This book shows a lot of tension between Geoff and his culture. He has to do what he has to do to survive, but hearing it from his perspective, you can tell that he does not understand why life has to be that way.…
The theme that war changes a person is evident throughout almost every short story in the book The Things They Carried. Some are changed for the better, and some, not so much. Tim O’Brien used the characters he has built up to show the effects of war on different people. Out of the many themes included in this book, this is a very important one. Any situation will change you if you keep at it long enough, and that is just what happens to each and every person involved in a war.…
When faced with a difficult situation, a person usually does one of two things: gives up or shows strength and fights through it. In Farewell To Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, the author recounts her story of her experience in Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp in California, during World War II. In The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez, the author recalls his journey as a migrant child in the 40’s in California, as his family struggles through all kinds of labor camps. Both Francisco and Jeanne show resilience in the difficult situations they face; however, Jeanne shows defiance towards her father, while Francisco is always sweet and kind. Ultimately, neither character has a lot of control over their fates,…
The novel, Mahtab’s story, by Libby Gleeson, focuses on the many horrific obstacles that the protagonist, Mahtab, and her family face their homeland of Afghanistan as well as the obstacles they face when they flee from Afghanistan in search of a safe and secure home. Some of the hardships they face include: the constant fear and insecurity they experience as a result of living under Taliban rule, the sense of dislocation and alienation they experience as a result of leaving behind loved ones, their possessions, and their culture and the way of life to go to an unknown or unfamiliar place, and the grave uncertainty and insecurity they feel about their futures and loved ones. Despite the enormity of these immense hardships however, Mahtab and her family members, are able to overcome them because they remain resilient and indomitable. Remaining focused on their goal, thinking positively, finding strength in each other and familiar family customs or habits, such as praying, singing, telling soties and counting, are some of the coping mechanisms that Mahtab and her family use which enables them to remain indomitable in the face of her troubles.…
“Survival is not about being fearless. It's about making a decision, getting on and doing it, because I want to see my kids again, or whatever the reason might be.” -Bear Grylls, survival expert. The protagonist of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London may have been fearless, but that does not lead to him to survival. He makes several critical mistakes that cost him his life, including, as Bear Grylls talked about, making decisions and taking action.…
When faced with adversity, some people prevail while others fold. This is evident in the novel The Other Wes Moore with the contrast of the two Wes’s. The author Wes deals with adversity far better than the other Wes. Factors like the people around the person and a person’s support system can be the largest factor of how a person deals with adversity.…
One can not escape life and it’s hardships. Every day, people experience isolation and bitter circumstances just as the main character in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton had. Ethan, like most people, had dreams. But upon an unfortunate series of events he saw those dreams shatter and break like fine china on a cold, stone floor. It prevented him from leaving his life of misery, hardship, and vain efforts. This only fueled his burning desire for freedom and an escape from fate. His conflict from escaping his life in Starkfield is almost impossible to break free from.…
Perseverance though a scary time is hard to do. In the book The Call of the Wild, Buck is taken from his home and forced to live in the tough, harsh, and unforgiving Canada. Through all of the challenges ahead on the adventure, he powers through. In contrast to this, Christine had to have brain surgery. Even though she knew about everything that was going to happen during the surgery, she was still afraid of the the procedure and the outcome. In reality, they had to persevere through different things, but yet they are the same. With courage, strength, and scaredness, they powered through. At the beginning, they were both scared. The difference is the struggles they encountered during it. But in the end, the both had a happy life.…
Every aspect of life depends on one’s ability to survive. The extent to which one can assess and analyse a situation can be as serious as the matter of life or death, or simply choosing one’s outfit of the day. Anthony Doerr and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels All The Light We Cannot See and The Great Gatsby utilise survival to illuminate the effects of an oppressive society.…
Endurance is the state of contributing to live or exist, typically in spite of an incident or in hard circumstances. During the mid 90’s it was difficult for people to survive in the society with its wants and need. People during this period were being bombardier by religious beliefs and then WWII happened, making matters worse. This period of survival was portrayed in the novel Unlocking The Doors by Dr. Eva Olsson. She was known as Ester Malek in the book, born in Szatmar in a high orthodox Hasidic family. Her father was very strict towards his households. The family was taught to pursue the religion and never to go against it. Ester Malek was also seized by Germans during the WWII where the Jews genocide happened. Those years were some of the worst years in her life. The book shows how Ester Malik survived through the religious opinions of her father and the genocide of WWII.…
Within “Speaking of Courage” by Tim O’Brien and “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemmingway there is one underlying theme, it is hard for soldiers to readjust after war. Both authors use multiple devices to illustrate this theme, the symbolism of women in the protagonist's’ life, the conflict between the protagonists and their parents, and the juxtaposition of the protagonists against other people their age.…
“There is no act more wretched than stealing” (Hosseini 106). The Taliban did exactly that when they stole the freedom of the Afghan people. The Taliban turned out to be terrible abusers of the Afghan people and they destroyed many traditions of the Afghan culture as it was illustrated in The Kite Runner. Although they treated everyone so poorly, the Hazara people got the worst end of the Taliban reign. They turned the country against each other. They took over Kabul, they mistreated children and women and Afghanistan is even still considered a really dangerous country to live in because of the Taliban.…
11. Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic media…