Thursday, January 19, 2012
Unbroken - Blog #1
Laura Hillenbrand gives us a moving story, one that brings to life the suffering and courage of not just one man, but thousands whose stories are untold. What is it about Hillenbrand's writing that saves her book from feeling melodramatic? What do you admire most about Louis Zamperini? What enables him to survive the plane crash and POW ordeal? Does he possess special strengths-personal or physical? Did his training in track, for instance, make a difference in his resilience? What do you find most horrifying about Zamperini's experiences so far?
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Hillenbrand's writing is saved from being melodramtic because she writes matter of factly. She simply tells the story without useing elevated language or big words. I admire Louis' perserverance. While Louis was young he was able to recognize his life was going in the wrong direction and he decided to turn it around. He could have told himself that it was too late and that he had no real future. However through the help of his brother Louis found his calling. He became a runner. Louis endured hours and hours worth of pain in his training. Training to be an Olympian is no small feat. He kept running even when he had blisters and he legs were all slashed up. He possessed the quality of mental toughness which allowed him to keep going and to not quit. I think Louis having been an Olympic runner definitely made a difference in his resilience. He learned hard work and discipline.
ReplyDeleteLauren Hildenbrand's "Unbroken" isn't melodramatic because of the forrealism that she depicts through her writings. She tells the extroidinary story of Louis Zamperini's and his brother Petes' survival on the raft exceeding all maxiumum record days for surviving. Louis Zamperini is admirable for not only his histroic speed, but for his will power to withstand mental defeat and perservere in every circumstance. He never fails to step up the challenge and give all he has to acheive the goal. Mentioned before, Louiss' will power and perseverence helped him withstand weeks stranded on a raft with limited food, if any, and the brutality of the POW ordeal. His track training didn't neccessarily make a difference in his reslilence, it primarily affirmed his drive to peresevere and acheive what he put his heart and mind into. Thus far, the most horrifying part of his experience, would have to be when he was finally rescued, but put within a few days ,back into a inhumane cell to be interrogated and malnourished.That had to be completely devastating to have the burden of terror lifted off when rescued, but to then be forced back into a situation that is possibly worse than being stranded on the raft.
ReplyDeleteI’m not one to read a biography. That being said, Unbroken has been a nice surprise. Hillenbrand’s style of writing makes it feel like more than just somebody talking about somebody else; she makes Louis feel like somebody that you know and care about. Her introduction of him and his childhood makes you care about him because you feel like you know him so well. Knowing his struggles and triumphs makes you want him to succeed, and eventually survive when he crashes and is captured.
ReplyDeleteI admire Louis’ sound character in everything that he did in the Olympics and army. He knew what he wanted and he fought furiously for that goal in the Olympics, but he also knew how to have a good time and was humble about the entire experience. Once he was recruited into the army, he took his work seriously, training hard and going on missions without question. His commitment to excellence in everything that he did is inspiring.
When Louis crashes, the chances of survival were slim. However, he was a resourceful, intelligent, and resilient man, and wouldn’t accept death as an option. He pushed his body past what most people experience simply because he refused to give up, a character trait that I admire greatly.
Louis was an incredibly strong man, both personally and physically. He took care of his body and mind, exercising furiously and keeping his mind sharp by reading and constantly recalling old memories. His training for the Olympics and track absolutely helped him survive his ordeal; a track runner must possess incredible strength and endurance, two things that made him that much more suitable to fight for his survival.
The most horrifying thing about his experiences so far for me has been when the Super Man’s crew was attacked in their air raid of Nauru and the ensuing bombing of Funafuti. The description of the pain and terror that those men, grown and brave men, went through was genuinely difficult for me to read, and I can handle a lot. It really put war into a real and horrible perspective; war is no longer some valiant and ideal thing that men go to and come back from unscathed. War is terrible and scary and bloody and violent and breaks men. That’s what has been the most terrible thing, in my opinion.
Generally, I shy away from biographies, but this one is very conversational, like just sitting and listening to Louis talk. The aspect that really gives me that feeling is through Louis’ humorous stories. What I most admire about Louis Zamperini is his optimism and sense of humor. Even with the extreme circumstances he has been in, his humor, whether through pranks or a funny story or a joke, keep his story from being overwhelming. Early on, his shoplifting habit brings him close to his family and, somehow, makes the whole town love him when he gets his act together by running. At the Olympics, he stole the Nazi flag, which is something that I would have been too terrified to even think about doing.
ReplyDeleteBecause my dad was in the Air Force, I recognize the camaraderie and practical jokes that happen in a flight squadron, and I identify with the stories that Louie and other pilots mention in the book. Pilots need that sense of community to trust each other to fulfill their missions, so combat deaths are not merely casualties, but deeply felt personal losses. Louis’ carefree personality is balanced when he goes into combat because he loses many of his crewmembers and buddies. The beautiful thing is, though, that when he is stranded in the raft after the crash, he does not lose hope. He still retains his optimism and resilience that he has learned from his experiences, especially through the drive to overcome and succeed that he discovered through running.
Even though Louie seems to be holding up as well as can be expected on the raft (I have not read far enough for him to have left), the conditions Louis, Mac, and Phil faced terrify me the most. Granted, the combat stories also frighten me, but what struck me the most was Mac’s utter hopelessness. I cannot understand the desperation that led him to eat all the rations in one sitting while the other two men slept. Watching him deteriorate while Phil and Louis are holding up decently is hard to read, even though it seems to be because of his guilt.