Synthesis Essay: Man's Search For Meaning

Synthesis Essay
In Viktor E. Frankl’s autobiography, Man’s Search for Meaning, he states, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” (Frankl). Despite traumatically enduring the holocaust for a period of his life, Frankl used his experience as a way to interpret the true meaning of life. Frankl demonstrates the importance of approaching hardships with a change of attitude, taking action and adapting to situations. Various influential people have interpreted similar themes through literature, as they encourage individuals to embrace life by a change of outlook. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1910 and The 15 Invaluable Laws of

Frankl’s troubled past began in 1942 when he and his family were deported to the Nazi Theresienstadt Ghetto. It seemed as though he had every reason to give up at this point, however, after his release from the concentration camp three years later, Frankl found himself doing quite the opposite. He developed an approach to psychological healing and decided to share it with the world through lectures and literature. He filled his novel, Man’s Search for Meaning, with reasons for individuals to choose life over accepting defeat. Choosing to change ourselves and our outlooks was a message that Frankl wanted the world to know. Even through suffering, Frankl believes that has not made it impossible for an individual to find their significance in life. The changing of an outlook is the most vital piece in improving a situation, and people must remember that anything has a possibility if you put your mind to it. When in the concentration camp, Frankl could have given up and accepted defeat, although he capitalized on his circumstance focused on helping others through open lectures about the mind, body and

In Frances Burnett Hodgson’s novel, The Secret Garden, Mary endured the loss of both of her parents and initially has a very bitter outlook on life; however, after discovering this wonderful garden, she gains an appreciation for beauty, along with an appreciation for life. She uses the beauty she finds within the Garden on her uncle's estate, and allowed that to translate to her outlook on life. Her uncle’s son, Collin, had a crippling disorder which resulted in him needing a wheelchair. Collin gains strength from the garden and eventually does not need his wheelchair anymore. Hodgson writes, “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden” (Hodgson). This shows that literal beauty is not imperative to a beautiful life. Similar to how Frankl mentions we are unable to change some situations, this quote shows that there are also some images in life we cannot change and we are challenged to simply look at them