Comparison Of To Sir, With Love, With Love And An Ordinary Man

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change." – Charles Darwin. Surviving is about not giving up or breaking, about learning to cope with what’s around you in order to survive or overcome, and being determined enough to do both. The main characters in the autobiographies To Sir, With Love by E.R. Brathwaite, Night by Elie Wiesel, An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina all were survivors of social prejudices, two of which overcame genocides. They were malleable, adapting to their situation to survive: to ultimately persevere and overcome struggles presented to them. For them to be survivors they had to be determined to get through tough times and learn how
The determination to overcome is what allows them to persevere. An example of this determination can be seen in Braithwaites' struggles in finding a job, "I tried everything – labor exchanges, employment agencies, newspaper ads..."(page 43 To Sir, With Love) Even though all odds were against Braithwaite, he tried many different angles to get past the prejudice of his color. By not giving up, it shows he still has spirit; spirit makes you determine to live and overcome. Also per train determination is Paul Rusesabagina as seen in his struggles to save the lives of his refugees, "And when they came back.. [he] kept telling them they should leave in peace once again. It went on like this for 76 days." (page 77, The Ordinary Man) even though the situation was dire, all he thought about was the safety of others. It is not an easy thing to do – to help others when it puts your life at
This can be seen when Braithwaite first started teaching and tries to become accustomed to being a teacher and fitting lessons to the students’ needs,"... But the suggested method somehow did not meet my particular need... I took great pains with the planning of my lessons...."(page 66, To Sir, With Love) This is important because Braithwaite embraced his situation and try to find the best way for him to get past never having taught before while having the most difficult students. This shows that he was determined to teach the children so they could understand and relate To the lessons. That is important because he had to take into account their personal lives, personalities, and needs, trying to make a relationship with them no matter how unruly they were. Another example of being malleable to their situation is Paul when he sees the genocide of Tutsis, "I was slippery and evasive when I needed to be. I acted friendly towards despicable people. I flattered them shamelessly. I said whatever I thought it would take to keep the people in my hotel from being killed. This shows that he adapted quickly to any and every situation not only to keep himself alive, but also the 1,268 people he harbored in his hotel. This is important because if he could think that fat on his feet, or was resistant to change, 1,269 more people could have become