Steps to Survival

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The Day in Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon is that one terrifying, unanticipated, and shocking day when bombs drop on many large and important cities in the United States. This day puts many people into situations that they are not used to. They must adapt to the world rather than try to live their regular live which is now nonexistent. If one is sick, good luck getting medication; scared, good luck finding food when the supply runs out. The mentally and physically strong survive and the weak die, that is the rule of life. Randy Bragg was forced into a leading position because he knew that a leader is needed if his family wanted to survive. He is forced to put his selfishness aside for the survival of him and his family and was willing to do whatever it took to survive. That type of attitude and stubbornness is what was needed to make it through this tough time in America and the world.
Preparation for the bombs and aftermath is very tricky. It depends on the time and supplies one has to work with. Not only physical preparation but emotional as well. Controlling “fear, terror, and emotional paralysis” is essential to the first steps of survival (Kearny). After emotional preparation, one will need to physically prepare. The number one thing one could do is evacuate to a safer area. Some areas are called “high risk areas, which are most likely to be destroyed during the bombing” (Kearny 30). These areas consist of major cities and the main military bases. Stay away from these areas and try to find shelter out in the country or in a small town that is not a suburb to a major city. Physical fitness will be a major part in survival. Automobiles will be limited because “there isn’t enough gasoline” (Frank 199). Shortage on gasoline will cr...

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...and also future threats thought to be made by the highwaymen.
Surviving nuclear war will be a very difficult challenge. It will be a new way of life. To survive one will have to do all the steps and preparations of survival. Surviving alone will be hard but if one is in a community that will support one’s self, that will make it easier. There will be many obstacles and even challenges in the way. Overcoming them will be important in survival. The littlest thing can decide life or death. Knowledge and experience will be prosperous and helpful. Only the mentally and physically strong survive and the weak die. It is the circle of life in the post nuclear war world.

Works Cited

Frank, Pat. Alas, Babylon. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1959.
Kearny, Cresson H. Neclear War Survival Skills. Cave Junction: Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, 1990.

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