True Heroes: Elie Wiesel, Paul Rusesabagina

Rehman Tailor
Mrs. Davidson
English 1Hp, Period 6
25 October 2016
Survivor
Is there anything that you have overcome, something that made you change, something that made you a survivor? Many people have been seen as heroes, Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. are just a few examples of them. However, the true heroes are those who rose up from their own hardships and became true survivors. Elie Wiesel, Paul Rusesabagina, and John F Kennedy Are seen as genuine survivors. Elie had endured through a concentration camps whose sole aim was to kill people who were of the same religion as him, Paul Rusesabagina had hid 1000 people in his hotel to protect them from being killed, and John F Kennedy had strived to save his crew from a Japanese freighter

after they were shot down.

They all endured through their own hardships and were able to survive. They had used their environment to persevere through their dilemmas they encountered.Through the actions seen in these individuals, it can be said that these survivors had endurance and mental fortitude that helped them surpass their troubles.
Looking back at the efforts of Elie, John, and Paul, it can be said that endurance enabled them to survive. To start off with, when Elie was being whipped by the german official, he states, “I no longer felt anything, except the lashes of the whip.”*(p.58). Elie was being brutally hit and had been inflicted with much pain due to the efforts of the german soldiers. Elie was suffering inside of the concentration camps. Elie may have only been able to survive because he had endurance and the will to go on. He had endured thought the dehumanization of the Jews caused by the germans. He was able to endure the pain of being whipped twenty-two consecutive times and was able to survive the wrath of the officials and survive long after the liberation of the Jews. In addition, When Kennedy’s ship was taken down, he jumped into the water and “swam out to McMahon and Charles… towing the incapacitated McMahon by a life vest strap.”(p.2). Kennedy had

risked his life at the expense of saving his crew. Kennedy had endured the shock of being thrown off the pt-109 and had endured the pain of the impact . He had endured the weight of McMahon and the cold water. He wanted to save all the people around him. Endurance is needed in a survivor because it allows them to help others and be unmoved by the things happening around you. It is needed to face their individual challenges and surpass upcoming obstacles. Furthermore, when the militia came to kill them, Paul, “for seventy six days… served them cognac, and beer, and convinced them to neglect their task that day.”(p.77). Paul had saved everyone in the room above, complete strangers to him. He had risked his life to protect those that he didn’t know. He had swallowed his pride and enslaved himself to the militias men. This shows that Paul had endurance because for seventy six days, he continued to use his own things to protect the people upstairs. He had done his job as a hotel worker and had stopped them from going upstairs. He had endured through the tiresome call of the militia men. Based on the evidence stated above, it can be said that Elie, Kennedy, and Paul are all great examples of survivors who had endurance which helped them survive.
Looking back at what Elie, Kennedy, and Paul needed to survive, it can be said that their mental fortitude played an important part in their survival.

When Elie was running to avoid being shot down, he states that he, “was putting one foot in front of the other, like a machine… I kept repeating to myself, ‘don't think, don't stop, just RUN!”(p.85). Elie and the other inmates were forced to run to avoid being shot down, like a dog, if they stopped. They were forced to run for a long time. Elie had endured the pain and continued to go on. He had a will to survive. This shows that he is a survivor because he was able to use his mental strength and push himself to not stop and to continue running. This led him to survive the Holocaust. He was able to use his mental strength to surpass all of the obstacle thrown his way. Furthermore, while Kennedy was keeping the crew hidden, he saw a Japanese barge and realized that,” his swimming had not stopped… island hopping and clinging to reefs, the return voyage nearly killed him.”(p.2). Kennedy had persevered through the water and had the mental strength to survive. He had gone from island to island in hopes of hiding his crew from the enemies. A survivor needs to have mental strength because it will give them clarity and a will to go on. It will give them the hope and reassurance that they would be saved. In addition, when Paul was convincing the militia's, he states, “I wonder why those militiamen didn't just put a bullet in my head

and execute every last person in the room upstairs.”(p.77). Paul continued to try to save the people upstairs, knowing full well that he could have died in the process. He had stood his ground and was able to use his mental strength to help him protect the strangers in the room upstairs.. He stood his ground, knowing full well that he could have died in the process. He faced death almost every day for almost three months. Elie, Kennedy, and Paul can be considered survivors because their mental strength helped them succeed.
Elie, Kennedy, and Paul’s ability to endure and their mental fortitude shows how they were able survive. Not everyone can be considered a true survivor, they must be able to willingly help people and protect them. They must also accept change in their lives. This is important because it shows what what kind of person a survivor is and what they have endured and the obstacles they surpassed in life.. These few words do not tell the entire story and show what happened, we should take time to learn and appreciate the things people have suffered through for us.