Randy Pausch Character Analysis
The day before Pausch gets his CT scans back, he tells his wife, “Today, right now, well this is a wonderful day.(115)” Even though Pausch knows that he might not live for much longer, he continues to live life to its fullest. This is really a “life’s what you make it” moment, and he chooses to make the best of how ever much life he has left. “This is the epitome of a person appreciating this day and this moment,” thought Robbee Kosak, Carnegie Mellon’s vice president for advancement, about when she saw Randy Pausch in his car, sometime after his diagnosis. Even in his private moments, he still was showing gratitude and appreciation for life in general. This is yet another instance where Pausch showed his persistent optimism and wonderful
way of handling the cancer situation. When he found out that faculty members could not fly with students in “The Weightless Wonder,” he was “heartbroken… (but) not deterred, “ and resigned as faculty advisor and became a journalist, just to experience being weightless. His actions were spurred by his determination to achieve his goals. Pausch didn’t let obstacles stop him, but instead maneuvered around them to get what he wanted. Pausch also spent six months as a Disney imagineer, by flying out to California just to have lunch with the Imagineer running the team, doing eighty hours of research, and convincing both deans to let him take a sabbatical. No matter how large the “brick wall,” as Pausch would say, he would find a way to scale it. Preparation, luck, and persistence all came together to help Pausch succeed.
way of handling the cancer situation. When he found out that faculty members could not fly with students in “The Weightless Wonder,” he was “heartbroken… (but) not deterred, “ and resigned as faculty advisor and became a journalist, just to experience being weightless. His actions were spurred by his determination to achieve his goals. Pausch didn’t let obstacles stop him, but instead maneuvered around them to get what he wanted. Pausch also spent six months as a Disney imagineer, by flying out to California just to have lunch with the Imagineer running the team, doing eighty hours of research, and convincing both deans to let him take a sabbatical. No matter how large the “brick wall,” as Pausch would say, he would find a way to scale it. Preparation, luck, and persistence all came together to help Pausch succeed.