Armando Socarras Ramirez Punishment

Imprisonment or Freedom? Worldwide boxing champion Muhammad Ali once said, “he who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Taking a risk, is giving a situation the benefit of the doubt and hoping for the best when knowing that danger could be a possible outcome. It’s giving a choice complete faith in knowing that something bad may happen. Because risk is dangerous, how does one determine if the risk is worth the reward, and when is the risk worth the consequences? Armando Socarras Ramirez shared his personal story “I Escaped From Cuba in the Wheels of a DC-8” to Denis Fodor and John Reddy. This story was published in Reader’s Digest Magazine. He demonstrates that the risk is worth the consequence when something is

For instance, Ramirez stated, “young as I was, I was tired of living in a state that controlled everyone’s life.” (Fodor and Reddy 2). The constant controlling of Ramirez’s life was causing him to be unhappy. He communicates in a way that makes him appear to feel already imprisoned. Furthermore, Ramirez talked about his family and said “We are poor, like most Cubans.” (Fodor and Reddy 2). If money was paid based on hard work ethic, Ramirez’s family would have been rich. Because the government controlled their lives in every aspect, they were not able to live to their fullest capacity. They were a less fortunate family because the government had already established that they were destined to be a less fortunate family. Even though Ramirez encountered many setbacks on his journey, when he made it to New Jersey, he concluded his anecdote with, “you can smell freedom in air.” (Fodor and Reddy 4). In his eyes, dying or being captured was a reasonable consequence in order to achieve freedom. A man that is not free to do what he desires is a man who is unhappy. Even knowing the risks, Ramirez jeopardized his life based on confidence and a pinch of