El Survivor Synthesis Essay: 127 Hours

Six Word Slant: 127 Hours, Life over a Limb.




Claim: If confronted by a situation where death is inevitable, man's instinct resorts to whatever is necessary, even the untinkable, to survive.

If confronted by a situation where death is inevitable, man's instinct resorts to whatever is necessary to assure survival. Whether the outcome could be bodily harm, loss of loved ones or fatality, even man will revert from his civilized 21st century persona to the primordial neanderthal all in the name of survival.

The will to survive is a very powerful force every living being on this planet possesses and pushes that entity to perform the unthinkable to survive. Aron Ralston has been in this very situation before, where he found himself trapped between a rock and a hard place and was forced to perform an unbelievably arduous task of amputating his right arm to free himself. Aron's chances of survival was minuscule, but his determination and perseverance allowed him to accomplish this mammoth task. Aron fastened a tournequet around his arm to reduce the loss of blood and began sawing away at his arm with some of his safety equiptment. After Aron wandered into a nearby party and arrival at the closest hospital, surgeons discovered that Aron's amputation caused a bone infection that gave him a 50/50 chance of survival. According to Aron Ralston Discusses His Life Since He Amputated His Own Hand, Aron was quoted saying, " ' This is not the life I fought like hell to get out of the canyon to get back to. ' All of his outdoor experiences, all the good times with his friends seemed to be out of reach forever. Ralston remembers one night from the convalescence with a palpable intensity: lying in bed, he saw all the bottles of high-powered pain pills and knew he could end his life." Aron lugubriously struggled to fend off his depression and the fact that life may never return to normal after his incident. Aron resorted to what every other human being would when facing any perilous situation, he turned to his family and friends to find comfort. The presence of love helped Ralston cope with reality and allowed him to slowly begin returning to his daily routines. After every he has been through, Aron now has reacquired his former optimistic outlook on life and is grateful for having his life.

Immediately after his release from the unforgiving rock and the life he knew before, Aron experienced an euphoria of freedom, in which he passed out due to soon afterwards. Aron must have felt like Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) after he had escaped from Shawshank State Prison in the Shawshank Redemption. Aron never felt anything like this and spoke of the feeling as an extraordinarily powerful moment since he had already accepted his fate and acknowledged death as an inevitability. The CUindependent article, (an) Interview with Aron Ralston, addresses that Aron said, " 'It was just the idea of being free,' he said. 'It was the idea of getting back with my family; the idea of who kept me alive all those days. I had accepted my death, so to step out of my grave in that moment was ... extraordinarily powerful.' " A case similar to the story of Buck from The Call of the Wild, where Buck was practically sentenced to death performing the tasks that his inexperienced masters demanded of him. Buck refused to carry on the useless attempts to lead his pack and was in the process of being whipped to death until a benevolent being, Thorneton, intervened and rescued Buck. Buck acquired a renewed sense of love for life and a true companion in Thorneton. 

The consequences of a life endangering last resort should be took into consideration and the awareness of these consequences can play a major role with one's last ditch effort for survival. The decision of amputation is no easy one. Jonathan Metz somehow managed to entangle his arm between the heating cores inside a boiler in his basement. As an ABC News article, Man Trapped in Furnace, Amputated Own Arm to Live, illustrates, "Floating in and out of consciousness, and drinking water leaked from the furnace, Metz made a decision that doctors say saved his life: He placed a makeshift tourniquet near his left shoulder and, using the tools he had available, began to cut off his arm." Though his decision was not without repercussions. Three days after his amputation and a single day after surgeons grafter muscle tissue onto his shoulder, Metz smelled the telltale sign of infection, the rotting of his flesh. Again, he removed his dying tissue, a decision that doctors said was his salvation. Metz was later properly treated for infections and later recalls the similarities between his own predicament and Aron Ralston's incident. 

 

Some may say that saying and waiting for help to arrive would have been the proper means of dealing with this kind of situation, but I concurr. If Ralston and Metz were to sit tight and wait out the storm, they would have surely parished because safety officials were unaware of their presence and circumstances. Aron did what he had to do to survive and he succeeded. Metz made the right decision and he survived due to his decision making.

The determination of man (and beast) to survive has proven to be no more prevalent than the stories displayed above. Ralston, Metz, and Buck has shown that nothing exists out of the question when it comes to survival. Life and love stands above appendages, pride, and life's mortal possessions. So I conclude by asking you to do whatever possible to achieve your goals in life, whether those goals are fame (or infamy), fortune or just simply survival.

Frankenstein Summary

Frankenstein is an epic novel displaying the agony and suffering of those that have not experienced a loving touch in their lives. Mary Shelley masterfully weaves together a story that would outlast herself and generations to come. A story depicting a misunderstood innocent corrupted by the hatred that he unfortunately encounters during his brief time on this earth. Frankenstein's monster never knew family, never knew friendship, never knew love. He suffers and thus takes his anguish out upon his master, the man who abandoned him in this cruel and unforgiving world, Frankenstein. The monster tracks down his "father" and assures him that turmoil is only to come if he were to not agree to his terms of creating a companion for the creature, someone who would understand his pain. Frankenstein submits at first, but only to go against his word later. This epic depicts the deadly sin of pride and how this sin can lead to one's ultimate downfall and demise. Frankenstein's pride eventually leads to the untimely deaths of his wife, father and even himself.    

The Responsibility of Raising a Full Grown Frankenstein.

                If I were given the spectacular abilities of creating a monster out of the remains of various bodies, I would choose not to create anything of the such. Anyone who would want to create an atrocity of such should really get in touch with the consequences. Where would one house this being and what would he eat?
                To control a decaying coalition of flesh wandering around your property would be painstaking enough. The monster would need all the responsibilities of a child but amplified. His mindless groaning and careless outlook on your possessions would be enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity. Why anyone would enjoy harbouring a putrid bag of bones is beyond me.
                Not to mention that his diet may possibly include a wide range of bodily organs. What to feed him would be the least of my worries. He may never quit experimenting with the local dogs or try a taste of raw human. You simply cannot find raw human on the market very easily like you used to, so the cost would be horrendous at best.
                 It may be only my opinion but I would certainly not want to create an atrocity of life like what Dr. Frankenstein accomplished. It is just too much trouble these days to afford to feed and house a grown monster like him. He would live on his own on the streets if I were to creaty such a being, he is old enough to take care of himself.

Pre-Frankenstein

               I am eager to read a classical book such as Frankenstein and I am excited about the opportunity I and my fellow classmates have been given. I have not read or seen any of the movies so I am clueless about the setting and characters. All I know is that there is a misunderstood monster who the near-by townsfolk are terrified of.
               The age of nineteen seems incredible for one to be able to wright a timeless epic such as Frankenstein. Although I believe that many other teenagers and young adults would be able to construct other master peices if they would strive to acheive greatness. Think of all the wonders that could be imagined if children these days would quit watching Jersey Shore.
               Man can indeed create life. Man has come to the point of where he is able to create and recreate living organisms by will (and some scientific assisstance), but does he have the rights to create life. Some argue that man is becoming too powerful and that man is "playing god". That is an arguement based solely upon the reader's personal viewpoint. I have no bais towards this and I do not lean towards or away from either side of the argument.
                Yeah, I believe in the sorcerer's stone. I have like 5 of them laying around in my bedroom. They're not that special. No, I don't believe in anything supernatural or any kind of magical stones, this is not Harry Potter.

Patience

           Patience fits the year of 2012 because only time will tell what will become of today's world. Today's time is filled with uncertainty about the economy, Iran, North Korea and the 2012 presidential elections. Patience follows hope, which was a very popular word about three years ago. To have hope, you must also have patience.
            Though many Americans may have expected an immediate resolution to the economy due the the election of President Barack Obama, patience will be what keeps sanity within the homes of Americans. With the national debt seemingly insurmountable and various news sources giving credit and blame whether they are due or not, many Americans have lost their patience and ultimately given up hope. Hope is what keeps the seems within American society from unraveling. Patience allows hope to keep its positive message within the hearts of Americans. For those who have lost patience in the current leadership of America, hope replants itself during this year's elections and once again patience plays a key role in our society.
            Today's situation ,outside the boundries of the United States, has begun to unerve those who have not already been disturbed by the developing stories of the Middle East and the Koreas. Iran continues to pursue its nuclear ambitions while North Korea is becoming increasingly aggressive. Iran has been continuely harassing Israel. Israel has become very worried by the fact of Iran being possibly years within reach of a working nuclear weapon. The U.S. has demanded the relinquishment of Iran's nuclear program although Iran has stood firm in its pursuit. Patience may be the deciding factor between Iran standing down and possibly another war. North Korea's dictator, Il, has recently passed away. While widely considered a wing nut outside the totalitarian walls of North Korea, his replacement may be a sigh of god relief for the world or a gasp of shock and disbelief. The new leader of the struggling country will either be a step in the right direction for Korea or two steps back. Only time will tell and that's where patience plays its part. 

The Action Packed Ending of My Antonia... Not to be Continued... ever...

               Willa Cather offers her perspective on how pioneers lived during pioneer time in her novel, My Antonia. She illustrates a time that today's world has since forgotten. A time where life was much more difficult.
               Her novel displays a world through the eyes of a young man, Jim Burden. Although being told by Jim, this book may have been completely different if told through the eyes of Antonia. Through Antonia's perspective, we would be able to share her internal feeling, her thought process and many other internal conflicts. Antonia may have been inspired to learn law or any other type of education. Through her eyes, we may have come to know a completely different Jim Burden, (Mrs. Shimerda, Lena etc.).
               If I did not know that the book was wrote by a woman, I would not be able to tell if Jim sounded feminine or not. Some readers may have assumed that that was how men spoke or thought back in the time of pioneers. If you were to read any literature of Shakespeare, you would notice that his way of writing and speaking is completely different than today's literature. I believe that Cather successfully imitated the mind of a young man of the 1800s.
               The speculations of why Jim may have changed the title of My Antonia from simply Antonia may vary from person to person. Jim may have saw the title of My Antonia as a proper title due to the fact that Jim develops an interest in Antonia midway into the novel. From adding the 'My' into the title, he may be inadvertantly sharing his feelings for Antonia with the reader. He may have just thought the title of Antonia was not long enough or catchy enough and decided to add the 'My'.
                Although many of my fellow classmates may see this book as a simple novel about adolescents in the old days, many others see a deeper meaning within the texts. Willa Cather was able to formulate a narrative with that brought many questions to the reader's mind. This book goes deeper than the words on the page, allowing readers of all ages to speculate many aspects of the story and develop their own personal observations and assumptions.

The Effects of Setting

"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running."
            In My Anotnia, the setting helps show the place in time where this story took place. In this time, characters may act differently than what many would preceive as normal. The setting of My Antonia is a prarie-like landscape where the inhabitants of the land must grown acustomed to the life of a farmer. The Shimerdas are a farming family and commonly find themselves struggling to maintain a steady supply of vegetation and materials. Without the technology of today, the Shimerdas have grown strong family ties amongst each other. The Shimerdas are not alone. Their neighbors also fued with them and causes turmoil and stress upon the daily lives of the Shimerdas. Antonia develops and strong work ethic and determination. She becomes very mature and learns the responsibilities of growing up on the prarie.
             My bed room brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the clouds of my mind. It allows a safe barrier to be established between me and the chaotic outside world. A shelter where I may lay upon my troubled head and simply sleep away a day's stress. A place where I may rest and rejuvenate my long lost energy. Time in and out, I greet my bedroom with anxiousness. My bedroom becomes my sanctuary like that of a cathedral, where I know that I'm safe in the arms of the lord.