Ted Talk Analysis

Having no charge on your phone, having a bad hair day, failing a test, not having enough cats. These seem to be the major plights in our life. However, there are more extreme situations that can arise, and although we are unaccustomed to having to prepare for life and death situations, we should know what it takes to be a survivor. In in a TED Talk, Hyeonseo Lee recounts her harrowing journey fleeing from a famine ridden North Korea and trying to bring her family with her. In his autobiography, Aron Ralston narrates his story of how he survived in a remote canyon with his hand pinned beneath ½ ton of rock for 6 never-ending gruesome days. Additionally, Suzanne Collins tells a story of a girl, Katniss Everdeen, who has been picked to compete in a death match called

the Hunger Games. Through each story, it is seen that it takes courage, determination, and loyalty to be a survivor.
Hyeonseo Lee was courageous, which in turn enabled her to survive. Evidence Lee remembers her life in China and how “[she] was living in constant fear that [her] identity could be revealed and [she] would be repatriated to a horrible fate in North Korea.” (Page 1) Analysis This feeling shows now Lee exemplified courage when she was in China. Even though she knew that being caught could mean being sent back to North Korea to be tortured, imprisoned or publicly executed, she prevailed and did what was best for her. This is an example of courage because she’s continuing to survive, even though she knows the consequences. Evidence Another event when Lee displayed courage that led to her survival was when someone had accused Lee of being North Korean. Which then caused a police investigation where they tested her knowledge in the Chinese language. (Page 2) Analysis Lee was courageous during this time and survived. Rather than give up and admit her identity as North Korean, she courageously managed to answer all of their questions. This act of courage makes Lee a survivor. Link Had she not been courageous, she would have not been a survivor and instead would have been tortured, imprisoned or publicly executed by the North Korean government.
Furthermore, determination is a vital trait necessary for surviving, as seen by Aron Ralston in his autobiography, Trapped.

Evidence Ralston remembers how “the sound of [his] knife tapping [the boulder was] practically minute.” (Page 2) Analysis The minute sound of the knife’s tapping suggests that the knife is slowly chipping away at the boulder. This excruciating progress of the removal of the boulder would infuriated and frustrate anyone, but Ralston was resilient and kept on picking. This determination to live makes Ralston a survivor. Ralston’s determination to live is also shown in the fact that in the canyon this trait helped him survive. Evidence He said in his autobiography “despite having already come to accept I will die where I stand [in this canyon] I now believe I will live. That belief …changes everything for me.” (Page 4). Analysis Ralston’s determination to live changed his whole way of thinking. He became more positive about his situation despite the circumstances. That determination led him to try and get out of the canyon. It also led him to go to the extent of amputating his own arm. Link In the end, because of Ralston’s determination, he survived being trapped in the

canyon.
Claim Finally, in The Hunger Games, the main character Katniss Everdeen’s vital characteristic of being loyal led her to being a survivor. Evidence This was shown when she fought to survive the games because of her promise to her sister Prim to live. (Collins) Analysis Everdeen was so loyal to Prim that despite the unlikely chance of Everdeen surviving the death match, she fought to live. This loyalty to her sister was her reason to even try to survive. She willed herself to persevere to in the games to uphold her loyalty to her sister. Everdeen’s loyalty also helped her to be a survivor because of her loyalty to Peeta. Evidence This was shown when she couldn’t let just herself live and Peeta die. She faked her own death because of her loyalty to Peeta. Then, in the end, she was able to survive the Hunger Games because of her loyalty to Peeta. (Collins) Analysis Loyalty means adoring someone so much that you are faithful to them in all circumstances. This trait was imperative to Everdeen’s survival because saving Peeta was her reason to survive. She was so loyal and loving to him that she would fake her own death, just so that they could both survive the Hunger Games. Link Her loyalty was the cause of her survival.
Thesis All in all, the traits needed to be a survivor are courage, determination, and loyalty. Recap By being courageous, Lee was able to survive her escape from North Korea. Similarly, Ralston’s determination led him to getting out of the canyon alive, despite having just amputated his own arm. Finally, Everdeen’s loyalty to Prim and Peeta gave her the reason to survive the death match of the Hunger Games. Clincher Although we may not have gone through life or death situations such as these, the same traits can be used for surviving the day to day trials of life.