Comparing Life Of Pi, And My Escape From North Korea

H. There are many “survival stories” out there, often retold by those who lived through them, however accounts of survival are very different depending on the person and their perspective. B. Three stories that show this when compared to each other are “Trapped” retold by Aron Ralston, “My Escape from North Korea” retold by Hyeonseo Lee, and “Life of Pi” a fictional story by Yann Martel. Trapped is about a climber who gets trapped in a canyon for five days, and can only get out by amputating his arm. My Escape from North Korea is about a girl who helps her family flee famine while facing the challenges of being illegal immigrants. Life of Pi is a tale about a boy who is stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean and survives for weeks on end.

T. The survivor in each story uses their instincts to give themselves an advantage over the odds.

C.

Once Aron Ralston gets himself trapped in a canyon for five days, he doesn’t expect himself to come out alive. By getting himself stuck in the canyon, Ralston has certainly ran into trouble, but what is important is how he uses his intelligence and survival skills to overcome it. E. An ill-prepared climber with little experience likely couldn’t survive for such a long time in such a dangerous place. Ralston survived because he knew how to use his tools to his advantage, and keep himself alive long enough to escape the canyon. A. That is not to say that he definitely would’ve survived in the canyon, for he was merely able to miraculously beat the odds. He likely couldn’t have survived against the heat, cold, dehydration, and loss of circulation without conserving his water, constantly moving himself around the boulder and amputating his arm. Ralston didn’t expect to survive by the fifth day, showing how much of a miracle it was even with all the traits he had. E. Ralston’s mental state also helped him survive. During his time in the canyon, he remained calm and collected and had positive visions of the future and his escape. A. A strong positive mindset played an important role in Ralston’s actions. Without the idea of escaping the canyon, there would be no reason to save himself. If that were the case, he might as well go through a slow and painful death. L. As a skilled climber, Ralston used his knowledge of survival to his advantage, when it came to avoiding

death.

C. Another story about a different kind of survival took place in 1990’s North Korea, which was going through a harsh famine at the time. A girl by the name of Hyenseo Lee used awareness and manipulation to flee her family out of the country and onto a treacherous journey through China. E. Throughout the trip, they had to be wary of guards and police, because if they found out Lee’s family were North Korean, they would be deported. At one point, Lee had to convince police that she was operating a tour bus full of deaf and dumb people, to avoid identification as illegals. A. In many instances, Lee had to use a believable excuse to not face criminal charges. Failure to be accepted as a legal citizen would possibly result in beatings back in North Korea. All encounters with authorities had to end well, if not, it would likely mean no way out of oppression for the rest of their lives. E. To blend in in a country with a different language and culture meant Lee had to learn Chinese and understand the laws imposed on North Korean refugees. A. The Chinese authorities test those in interrogations on their knowledge of the Chinese language. Therefore, Lee would not have been allowed to continue on her journey without learning it. As a refugee, Lee also needed to understand the punishments placed on those caught and how to avoid being convicted. L. It was important for Lee to adapt to her life as a refugee, and to lead her family on the dangerous path to safety.

C. The story “Life of Pi” focuses on a teenage boy from India named Pi. Pi and his family board a ship bound for Canada that is caught in a storm and sinks, Pi survives, but is stuck on a lifeboat with no one but the animals from his zoo in India who he learns survival skills from. E. When Pi first becomes stranded, he has a fear of Richard Parker, the lion who he constantly avoids. Pi observes Richard Parker’s method of survival-eating the hyena, and taking all the fish for himself. It becomes evident to Pi that he must stand up to Richard Parker so it doesn’t hinder his own survival. A. Pi does not continue to let Richard Parker intimidate him into not coming on the boat, because he realizes he has a better chance for survival on the boat then sitting by the fishing net. Off the boat, he would face a greater inevitable danger from sharks or drowning. Pi then learns to cooperate with Richard Parker, further helping his chance of survival. E. Another element of survival Pi learns to adapt is to simply eat whatever fish he finds, even if it goes against his beliefs. A. Simply put, Pi depended on the fish he found for food. If he hadn’t eaten any of the fish, his only other way of survival would be to kill and eat Richard Parker, which attempting so is definitely riskier for survival. L. Pi survived the voyage by overcoming his fear of Richard Parker and trusting his instincts of the ocean around him.

T. The three main characters in each story have their own unique traits that help them overcome their challenges that is specifically Ralston’s intelligence, Lee’s awareness, and Pi’s courage. R. Ralston uses his survival skills to keep himself alive when exposed to nature’s elements. Lee uses her awareness and manipulation to avoid being deported. Similarly, Pi builds up courage and uses his instincts to survive a journey across the ocean accompanied by a Bengal tiger. C. If you really want to survive, self-acceptance and the belief that you can deal with the challenges and come out on top is huge for anyone in a unfortunate situation, no matter how difficult.