Preview

Discuss The Qualities That Erik Weihenmayer In

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
440 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Discuss The Qualities That Erik Weihenmayer In
Discuss the qualities that Erik Weihenmayer in “Blindly He Goes…Up” and Uncle Jim in “Versabraille” share in facing their challenges

In today's society nothing seems impossible and every day there are incredible people who are doing incredible things. In the stories “Blindly He Goes Up” by Steve Rushin and “Versabraille” by Bill Schermbrucker, both Erik Weihenmayer and uncle Jim are blind, but they still manage to accomplish tasks every day. Erik Weihenmayer makes the impossible possible by being the first blind man to ever climb Mount Everest, while Uncle Jim blindly works his way across his town of Tulbagh at the young age of 7. Both characters faced extreme challenges.

In the year 2001 Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind man not only to attempt to climb Mount Everest but also succeed in his journey up this 29,035 foot peak. In 1991 he managed to graduate from Boston College with a degree in English and became a teacher. Erik is not only an incredible man but also an role model to thousands of other handicapped people. One of Erik's most famous sayings is “because we were here”. He says this to show us that we must make the most of what we have because we are the only creature on this earth that has thought of perseverance. What Erik has done sets a new standard for people around the world. Erik has shown the world that all it takes to accomplish life goals is to have courage, optimism, and a sense of determination. [Try to simplify this part.]

Like Weihenmayer, Uncle Jim is also a blind man, who “cannot remember seeing things”. When he was only 7 years old, he managed, “with no vision at all, to travel all the way” across town to pick up some tobacco for his father. Even though he was a small child, he was very determined and faced his fears with pride that is to be admired. The only goal that Uncle Jim had in mind was to make his father proud of his actions and so he “marches slowly, determinedly across the road”. This taught Jim that he had the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Despite repeatedly pleas, Jim never gets a real answer when he asks his father, What do you do when you have to be a man? His emasculated fathers hopeless role model turns farcical when Jim returns from the cliff tragedy to find him wearing a frilly apron and picking up spilled food for fear his wife will see it. Jim confesses that he knew the inherent dangers he faced, but had to race. They called me chicken. I had to go. If I didnt Id never be able to face those kids again, he says.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn teaches readers two important lessons about the true nature of people. Throughout the book, one of these main lessons is that Blacks can be just as caring as whites. The white characters often view the blacks as property rather than as individuals with feelings and aspirations of their own. Huck comes to realize that Jim is much more than a simple slave when he discusses a painful experience with his daughter. Jim describes how he once called her and she did not respond. He then takes this as a sign of disobedience and beats her for it. Soon realizing that she is indeed deaf, he comforts her and tries to make up for the act of beating. The feeling that Jim displays shows Huck that Jim has a very human reaction and the fact Jim says, "Oh Huck, I bust out crying....'Oh the po' little thing!" (Twain 151), only further proves to Huck that Jim is as caring as he is. Huck's realization allows him to see…

    • 1267 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Censorship in Huck Finn

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy named Huckleberry Finn runs away from his life and travels down the Mississippi River with his friend Jim, a runaway slave. The story follows Huck 's moral growth and maturity throughout his many adventures and experiences. The major turning point of the book is when Huck realizes that Jim cares about him, and that he cares about Jim in return. As a child, Huck is taught that Jim isn 't a person because of his skin color and that he does not deserve respect, but Huck discovers that Jim is a person and deserves more respect than most people Huckleberry met on his journeys. He comes to this decision because Jim cares for him and treats Huck better than his own father. Huck says “All right, then, I 'll go to hell.” when he decides to go against the racist teachings of his childhood and help Jim get his freedom (Twain 216-217). The book was written to show what life was like in the 1840s and successfully revealed the way people viewed each other and people of other races. In the beginning of the story, Huck treats Jim poorly because he is taught that…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Helen Keller: A True Hero

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As we go through life we hit bumps in the orad and overcome obstacles in our everyday struggles. As humans we are always taking what we have for granted and never come to be appreciative of what we do have. Helen Keller, although blind, deaf, and mute never let her disabilities stop her. She was a women who appreciated every day of life and demonstrates true heroism to all.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Mark Twain's renowned novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you seem to be teleported back in time. Twain’s strong diction and vivid descriptions make it feel as though it is really the 1940’s in Hannibal, Missouri. Huck is the troublesome boy of the town and lacks parental guidance, because of the unluckiness of having a drunk as a father. Miss Watson, the town widow, takes Huck in as her own child and attempts to civilize him. While living with Miss Watson, Huck befriends one of her slaves who goes by the name of Jim. It quickly becomes apparent that Jim has a special place in his heart for Huck, and that Huck looks up to and respects Jim. Through Jim’s pure heart and fatherly role to Huck, Twain proves the insignificant need to judge a person based on their skin color, overall proving the ignorance in racism.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Jorge Luis Borges’ piece from Ficciones, “Blindness” and Annie Dillard’s piece from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, “Seeing”, we read writers’ perspectices on their own blindness. The writers contradict the common fallacies our culture has about blindness with their own personal experiences. Although both writers portray blindness in a positive light, each writer uses his disability to enhance his lives differently. Borges depicts his loss of sight as an opportunity to learn new things about life and himself, while Dillard uses her blindness as a way to better appreciate nature.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mark Twain displays the good in humanity through depictions of courage in the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Jim. Huck Finn, certainly one of the bravest characters in the novel, overcomes his hardships through his demonstration of courage. One example of his courage occurs upon a crashed steamboat, “The Walter Scott”, when Huck stumbles upon a ruthless band of cutthroats and attempts to stop them. Huck says, “if we find their boat we can put all of ‘em in a bad fix-for the Sheriff ‘ll get ‘em” (Twain 90). Huck demonstrates his fearlessness to risk his own life to bring several murderous criminals to justice. He displays the human virtue of heroism when he decides to free Jim from the clutches of the Phelps family. Although he thought it would cost him his life, Huck summons up the courage to help free Jim. To many, Huck Finn’s demonstration of courage may in fact personify their connotation of courage, however, to others it may only display bravery.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Huck Finn

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Old South’s way of life deformed the consciences of the people living there, convincing them of the humanity of slavery. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tells the story of Huck Finn, a young redneck boy, who finds friendship in a runaway slave named Jim, despite his own racist background. Though Huck and Jim bond throughout their journey, Huck struggles to overcome the way he was raised and see Jim as a person capable of feelings and emotions. Throughout his journey down the Mississippi, Huck is faced with challenges where he must decide Jim’s fate, but as his bond with Jim grows stronger, he begins to unlearn the racist views he was taught. He begins to mature and follow his heart when he apologizes to Jim, decides not to turn him in, and when he finally has the epiphany that he would rather rot in Hell than turn in his best friend.…

    • 1632 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whereas many literary figures rise to greatness in the world of fiction, history has shown us real life leaders that overcome real life adversities, while exhibiting admirable character. Martin Luther King, Jr., an African-American man, overcame racism and discrimination. King believed, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” King’s patience and non-violent protest allowed an end to racism and discrimination. Helen Keller helped put an end to the idea that those who are disabled are incapable of overcoming adversity and becoming successful and adequate members of society. Keller overcame being blind and deaf by becoming a famous speaker, author, and activist. Neither Keller nor King allowed the discrimination they both received to lay dormant. By overcoming their adversity, they both changed society.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huckleberry Finn's Journey

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most loved novels in American literature. Due to its popularity, there are a lot critiques and analyses of the work, especially of Huck and his development. But in all the analyses of Huck, people have neglected to appreciate one of the most important protagonists in American literature, Jim. Without Jim's guidance for Huck, Huck's journey would have failed. In Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim plays the role of a father to Huck by providing for his physical, emotional, and moral well-being.…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cathedral Motif

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator is overwhelmed with disappointment and misunderstanding in his own life. He doesn’t see all the beauty and creativity in the world, but merely goes through the motions of life without actively living. Blindness is an underlying theme in this story, but not only as a physicality, but a social handicap. The narrator may be more capable of sight than the blind man, but he knows nothing of the descriptive illustration of life. It is through the blind mans probing of the narrator, that he finally discovers how closed off and shielded he has been. We can see a revelation in the narrator, and a transformation in his mindset.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story, Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, readers are shown the other side of blindness. In the world, one may assume that there is just one type of blindness- being sightless. “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver, 1). The meaning of blindness goes much deeper than that. Through the actions and words of a character, the husband in this short story, readers are shown how much ignorance, fear, and confusion one can have for someone who has literal blindness. All these negative feelings towards the blind man leads to the husband finding the blindness within himself.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Superstitions

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the distance, the horn of a steamboat sounds. The Mississippi River flows powerfully. A raft appears, just a small speck on the great river, carrying a young boy, Huck Finn, and a runaway slave, Jim. In Mark Twain’s novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the reader dives into a first hand account of these two and their journey, as well as the growth of their thoughts along the way. Long days on the river allow much time for one to think. Though both characters do a considerable amount of reflecting, Jim’s is the most profound, as he uses his thinking to come to conclusions, consider things once they have passed, and realize the effect his words will have. Because of this, Jim is the novel’s most sophisticated philosopher.…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jim is a slave and he overhears his owner talking about swelling him again, so out of fear, he runs away in opes to find freedom. Huckleberry Finn, on the other hand, runs away partly because he doesn't like his home situation and partly because he is looking for an adventure. During the novel, Huck and Jim eventually meet up and go on the adventure to find a new home together and to escape slavery together. When Jim and Huck talk about being free, “it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, i can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because i begun to get it through my head that he was almost free.” (Twain 110). The two boys eventually meet up with Tom Sawyer, who wants to…

    • 1462 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In ‘The Ballad of the Drover’ and ‘Huckleberry Finn,’ the central characters encounter physical hardships and obstacles in the course of their journey. For example; the drover in his eagerness to reach home arrogantly believes he can defy the power of nature and cross the flooded river. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim are often in danger on their journey down the river from other river craft, for example when the steamboat destroys their raft. In both texts, the physical journey causes characters to reflect on their relations with others. The drover is so eager to get home because he is thinking of “someone / He hopes to marry soon.” This is his impetus for trying to complete the journey despite the apparent dangers. In Huckleberry Finn, it is the time spent on the raft with Jim that allows Huck to come to an understanding that Jim’s humanity is equal to his own.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics