Imagine being stuck in the middle of the ocean with no food, water, and shelter. Louie Zamperini was stuck in the middle of the ocean and then captured and tortured. After the war Zamperini was molded and became an inspirational speaker and became a national hero and should be remembered by everyone. Louie Zamperini is an inspirational hero to the entire world through his perseverance, faith, and legacy.
Louie had an interesting and a difficult childhood. “Louie Zamperini was born January 26, 1917” (Biography.com Editors). He was raised in New York, and when he was two years of age, his family moved to Torrance, California (Grossman 106). Before they moved, Louie climbed out his bedroom window and ran down the street naked (Grossman 106).
…show more content…
He had a rough childhood, though his high school years where his best. Zamperini started drinking at the age eight and started smoking at the age five (Andrews). He always got into fights with others and into trouble with the police. In the movie Unbroken, Zamperini got caught drinking and the police took Zamperini back to his house and where he was beat by his father. Zamperini deflated a teachers car tires because she disciplined him. Zamperini also threw tomatoes at a cop, and also gave black eyes to any kids that dared challenging him (Andrews). Zamperini’s life turned around in 1933 when he began tenth grade and his brother Pete convinced him to run track (Biography.com Editors). Louie convinced himself that he wasn’t good at track but Pete just kept pushing him. Pete always supported Louie in track and even when he made wrong decisions. In high school, Zamperini became the best long-distance runner around. Many people may think four minutes and forty seconds was fast, but he destroyed and overcame that time in high school. After high school, he had to decide where to go to college. For college, he had many different options. He later earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California for track (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini trained with his best friend Payton Jordan in college (Hillenbrand 38). Stories claim “[h]e had autograph-seeking girls waiting at the finish line waiting for Louie” (Hillenbrand 19). His life changed after he set a national record in 1934 for the mile of four minutes and twenty-one seconds (Hillenbrand 19-20). While at college, Louie practiced non-stop to become the best runner possible. Zamperini broke the mile record and then pushed to get better every day.
His high school record lasted nineteen years (Hillenbrand 20). Zamperini had an amazing seven-foot stride (Grossman 106), and with that stride he went to New York in 1936 for the 5,000-meter Olympic trials (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini never thought he would ever get this chance or would be good enough to place in the trails. He was ecstatic when “[h]e qualified for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin” (Biography.com Editors). Back home in Torrance, California, everyone was going crazy and congratulating him. Unfortunately, “Zamperini did not medal but finished 8th and his last lap was 56 seconds” (Biography.com Editors). Even though he got eighth everyone still would have been super happy for even making it to the Olympics. Zamperini also got the “honor” of meeting Adolf Hitler at the Olympics (Andrews). The start of WWII meant that the 1940 Olympics were canceled and Zamperini was drafted into the Marine’s Corps (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini did not have a choice to sign up or …show more content…
not. Zamperini became a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator. Zamperini’s plane was called The Super Man “In 1942 Zamperini was commissioned a second lieutenant” (Hillenbrand 53). “May 1943, Zamperini and his crew went out on a search for another plane that went down” (Biography.com Editors). The search mission was out of Honolulu (Grossman 106). To pass time they would throw grenades in sharks mouths to see them blow up (Hillenbrand 91). Zamperini’s plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed into the ocean (Biography.com Editors). Later they found out the crash was around the equator (Grossman 106) Zamperini, Francis McNamara, and Russell Phillips survived the crash (Manley). Zamperini was the only one keeping his sanity out of the three men. The other three men were having visions from lack of food and water. By the fourth day the food and water where gone (Grossman 106). McNamara died thirty-three days into the ocean (Manley). Zamperini killed a shark with a screwdriver for food (Grossman 106). Zamperini caught multiple fish with his bare hands (Grossman 106). They also collected rainwater and birds to survive (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini and the other men survived multiple shark attacks and Japanese planes shooting at them. They also had the sun beating down like a drum all day. On day forty-seven a Japanese patrol boat picked up Zamperini and Russell, which was 2,000 miles away from the crash site (Manley). Zamperini and Phillips where separated and tortured, both physical and psychological (Biography.com Editors).
The Bird, real name Mustsuhiro Watonale, was the POW camp sergeant. Zamperini was singled out by The Bird and was picked on the most. “Zamperini was confided to three different interrogation centers and POW camps” (Andrews). Zamperini was held on the island of Kwajal, for six weeks (Andrews). At every camp Zamperini got sent to The Bird was always there. At the camps Zamperini was forced to race against Japanese competitors (Biography.com Editors). “If he tired to win he would get beat with clubs (Adrews). They called Mustruhrio Watonale The Bird because he heard everything and knows everything. The Bird also saw Zamperini as a propaganda tool because he was in the Olympics (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini was released after the war ended in 1945 (Biography.com Editors). Captivity lasted more than two years. Zamperini was also officially pronounced dead by the U.S. (Biography.com
Editors). After the war Zamperini struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (Manley). He had nightmares every night about him being back in the POW camps again and being tortured by The Bird. Zamperini suffered from alcoholism (Biography.com Editors), and was welcomed home to a hero’s welcome (Manley). The first thing Zamperini did when he stepped on American soil was kissing the ground. After being tortured it left him unable to continue his running career (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini’s wife, Cynthia came close to divorce, they stayed married for fifty-four years, and she died in 2001 (Biography.com Editors). Right before Cynthia died she wanted Louie to go see a Billy Graham sermon in Los Angles in 1949, which brought him back and inspired him to begin the process of healing (Biography.com Editors). Zamperini went on to become an inspirational speaker where he spoke about how he forgave The Bird (Biography.com Editors). He traveled around the United States telling his story and how he needed to have hope. “Zamperini carried the Olympic torch in 1998 in Zagono, Japan near his old prison camps. While he was there he forgave multiple people that treated him bad and revisited the POW camps. He also got to carry the Olympic torch in 1984 in Los Angeles” (Manley). Louie Zamperini died at age ninety-seven of pneumonia on July 2, 2014 (Biography.com Editors). From a rough childhood that included drinking and smoking before grade school and then leading to two years of torture and starvation, Louie surprised everyone by leading a long life after the war. Louis consistently proved he was a fighter and a war hero. Louis Zamperini is a hero that everyone should remember.
I agree with the statement that Louie was as much a captive as he’d been when barbed wire had surrounded him after the war. The following quote was taken from chapter 39 of Unbroken. “It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete. For Louie Zamperini, the war was over” (386). From this quote, we can see that Louie was struggling with vengeance. Although the war was over in 1945, it toke Louie almost five years to say that the war was over for him because of the hatred and thought of revenge Louie undergo after the war. This is one of the reasons why I agree with the author’s choice to include the post-war years and explore this story of obsession for vengeance. Putting Part V into the book not only not take away the theme of survival,
Louie Zamperini had escaped the grievance with his life and has become an advanced soul. Louie Zamperini lived in a miniature house in Torrance, California; he was a fascinating Olympian. He was also held captive as a prisoner of war. In the book Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand uses the life experiences of Louie Zamperini to show the traits of optimistic and rebellious.
In Unbroken: A world war 2 story of survival, resilience, and redemption- by Laura Hillenbrand; young Louie Zamperini is a delinquent of Torrance, California. He steals food, runs around like hell and even dreams of hoping on a train and running away for good. However, Pete, his older manages to turn his life around by turning his love of running from the law into a passion for track and field. Zamperini is so fast that he breaks his high school’s mile record, resulting in him attending the olympics in berlin in 1936. His running career however was put on hold when World war 2 broke out, he enlisted in the the Air Corps and becomes a bombardier. During a harrowing battle, the “superman” gets hit numerous times with japanese bullets destroying
Let's start with Pete Zamperini, Louie's older brother. Pete was a father to Louie among other things. Their own father, Anthony Zamperini, was abusive toward them so in way Louie really didn’t have a father, that’s where Pete comes in. Pete was a pusher to Louie but not in bad way. It was because of Pete that Louie stated track (but Louie would say it’s because of the ladies). Pete would ride his bike behind Louie and swat him with sticks while training. This reason and many others is one of the reasons Pete is one of the heros in the story.
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Maya Angelou fits the hero archetype, and she did it in her own way. She had faced a myriad of hardships, torment, and racial oppression, yet she still remained steadfast through her childhood ordeals of growing up black in the South. Her autobiography discloses these adolescent uphill battles in detail; including how racism in the South overtook her life in most aspects.
Zamperini found small victories that helped him to get through the day and through the journey. Surviving for the next hour was a great example about learning to focus on the the now – not the future. He wasn’t focused on not getting out of camp and home before the holidays, but on staying in the moment and surviving that moment. Small victories lead up to the big ones in ALL situations.
Isolated and alone, many attempts from both sides, America and Japan, to force the feeling of invisibility on their POWs or Japanese-American internees. Separated from friends, denied human rights and on the brink of starvation demolishing their dignity. Louie Zamperini was a POW who was originally an Olympian athlete. He was taken captive by Japan while laying raft for over a month. Miné is a Japanese-American intern who had been condemned to an intern camp during World War Two. The experience that Louie and Miné have undergone are those that challenge the two in a very psychological way. However, they have recovered showing their resilience and how humans can recover even from scarring events.
Louie Zamperini was an uncorrectable child in Unbroken. As a teen, he channeled all his defiance into running, which carried him to the Berlin Olympics. However, when WWII began, Louie became an airman. When his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean Louie survived with two others. Louie, against all odds survived the months on the raft along with Phil, however his other friend, Mac, did not survive for this long. Louie and Phil were soon met with a Japanese ship, who captured the two of them, taking them as prisoners. The first group wasn’t too bad and they helped the two recover, however they were shipped to multiple different camps throughout their time at the camps. Louie was quickly stripped of his humanity and dignity as
Louis Zamperini had always been a troublesome boy. From beating other kids up to stealing items from neighbors, there was always doing something mischievous. In an attempt to reroute this craving, he was enrolled in sports, one of which was running. Eventually, Louis lived and breathed running. He even made it to the 1936 Olympics.
Louie Zamperini have lived a constantly changing life. During the Unbroken, the novel that tell his life, we can appreciate several important transformations that affects his way of behaving. From being an Italian immigrant that had problems with alcohol and drugs, to become an Olympic athlete. The World War II starts and he decides to defend his country on the Pacific Ocean. And then going back home and suffering all the dramatic effects of the post war.
Louie Zamperini was a young boy, who encountered a painful, yet fascinating journey in his life surviving things many people could not through his will to live. Not only was he was one of America’s greatest heroes but also, an Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, plane crash survivor, POW, and survivor or post-war turmoil. Laura Hillenbrand was able to tell Louie’s incredible story through her award winning book, Unbroken. She wrote the book Unbroken to tell Louie’s unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body and spirit.
Throughout the course of history there has been many remarkable people that have created an impact on the world. But what is hero? Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or lots of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a ripple of hope.” Meaning a true hero is someone who can stand up for an idea, or can help eliminate the unfair treatment in which the rights of a person are ignored; and everytime gives people the faith that everything is going to be okay after all. John Lennon is a good example of a hero based on Robert F. Kennedy's description of a hero. John lennon is a hero because he peacefully fought against war through his fame and music, promoting peace and inspiring many people.
Heroism demands self-sacrifice, self-discipline, self-confidence and self-respect. Ulysses S. Grant had these qualities in their most complete form. He set out from humble beginnings, and failed. At the age of 38 was a conspicuous failure. Then, like few of us, he succeeded beyond belief. Had he not had tremendous greatness within him, he could never have accomplished what he did. How did such a simple, honest and humble man raise himself in the eyes of his people and the world to the highest position a man or woman can reach - that of a national hero?
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.