Louis Zamperini is an elderly man in his 90s. He has lived a life of adventure as a World War II Veteran and an Olympic athlete. He is recognized as a war hero by others, but he does not accept being a war hero. Why don’t we go back to see what he has done in his past to earn such a title. Louis Zamperini is a child of Italian ethnicity. His mother and father both immigrants from Italy had two children. Pete, the oldest child and Louis Zamperini. When they arrived to America none of them could speak English. While away from their parents, the boys had spent their days building up a notorious ego. The two brothers had become mischievous. Steeling food from houses or stores. Getting into trouble wherever they go. As they became older so did their mischief grew. Louis learned how to fend for himself, stirring up fights when bullied or when someone crosses his path. On occasions there was a petty thievery, or a chase. His actions made it harder for him to be trusted. One day he ran away from home. Only to injure himself so badly in his foot and kneecap. He came home as soon as that happened. Eventually his brother helped him get into track. His brother helped but what really urged Louis to join was some feminine temptation at a track meet that his brother brought him to. It wasn’t easy because thought he would be too much of a nuisance. Since Louis was a gifted runner the school allowed him to join. It was thought that giving Louis a sport to compete in would build some character in him. What kept Louis competing in track was that he liked the glory and the crowd cheering at him. Otherwise he would give up and resort to a more criminal path than an athlete. His brother became his personal trainer, building up Louis’s athletic abilit... ... middle of paper ... ... later on suffered from physiological problem from the prison war camps. His problem became so bad he almost divorced. He then started attending religious meetings to treat his ill mind Then on Louis attended programs and athletic events. He goes around now giving speeches about his life story. Now his story has been transcribed into books and is soon to be made into a Hollywood film. He might have been a hero for the will he had to survive the most brutal situation ever. He says that a hero should have been a person to have sacrificed something very important. I do not believe what he said is true. I see that he was able to leave the comfort of his home, the safety of civilization and survive the dangers of being lost at sea and the cruelty of humanity. What makes him a veteran is enduring conflict. What makes him a hero is self sacrifice and influence on others.
He uses his rebellion to get through the POW camps. He also used what he learned along the way to help him. Louie really knows he has to believe in himself. Louie Zamperini once said, “I think the hardest thing in life is to forgive. Hate is self destructive. If you hate somebody, you’re not hurting the person you hate, you’re hurting yourself. It’s a healing, actually, it’s a real healing...forgiveness.” (Louie Zamperini.) On July 2nd, 2014, Louie Zamperini died of natural causes, but his message of forgiveness will carry on
The older brother, the narrator, finds himself struggling at the beginning of the story. While riding the subway, he reads in the paper that Sonny has been arrested for possession of drugs. During his day of teaching, he reflects on prior years with Sonny and their past adventures as young boys. He remembers Sonny's "wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness and privacy." The narrator sees his brother as a good boy, not "hard or evil or disrespectful." He wonders how many of his algebra students are similar to Sonny in appearance and personality along with his drug habits. This comparison allows the older brother to conclude that Sonny was probably not arrested on his initial use of drugs. It also allows the narrator is see that Sonny may be like most of the other young boys in Harlem.
Louis “Louie” Zamperini went from the Terror of Torrance to a World War II hero. He grew from a young boy, who terrorized his town, into a record breaking runner, who competed in the Olympics. He later joined the United States Army Air Forces and served as a bombardier in World War II. After his plane crashed and he was stuck on a raft in the ocean, he was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war. Louie’s resourcefulness, toughness, and defiance from his boyhood helped him to survive the relentless torment thrown at him later in life.
First, Rudy’s family didn’t believe in him. Rudy’s background was a struggle, because his family, especially his father, didn’t expect much from him, coming from a common family in a small town. His father expected for him to get a job at a local factory after his high school graduation and follow in his footsteps. He doesn’t believe Rudy will achieve his dreams. When Rudy returns home to see his family, they mock him for ...
have to admit why some of you might say he was a hero. He did
How do you define a hero? Some may define a hero as someone with great courage and bravery; to others a hero might be a strong warrior and leader who wins battles; others may define a hero as one who uses his brain as much as his brawn to win. In Homer's epic poem, Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero by every definition.
Though, Robert Ross was not the normal definition of a hero, he exhibited heroic qualities for other reasons. Many of the people in The Wars will say that Robert was a hero, not your average one, but one nonetheless: “My opinion was – he was a hero. Not your everyday Sergeant York or Billy Bishop, mind you! But a hero nonetheless. You see, he did the thing that no one else would even dare to think of doing. And that to me’s as good a definition of a ‘hero’ as you’ll get. Even when the thing that’s done is something of which you disapprove.” (12) Robert may have had many anti-hero qualities, but it was the intent behind his actions that still made him a hero in other peoples eyes.
To conclude my paper I would like to highlight Louis’s life. He was just a poor
These soldiers lacked passion for the war. They didn't feel heroic because they did not hate the French nor the British. Therefore they lacked zeal to fight the war and did not fit the title of hero, they clung on to their life at all times.
In this essay I have only shown three, but there are so many more and the traits of a hero are not only restricted to people who save lives, chase bad guys, or change the world. He overcame constant pressures with his determination, led a whole team with his outstanding leadership, and never gave up thanks to his passion. He is a hero to many, no cape, or superpowers needed. So now it’s up to you, is he, or is he not, a
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.
People are heroes in different ways for different reasons. American soldiers are heroes because they fight boldly for their country. Corrie Ten Boom is also a hero because she took risks and saved hundreds of Jews. Abraham Lincoln is another example of a hero because he fought for what he thought was right and helped free all slaves. Similarly, Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, possesses all of these characteristics and many more, making him a true epic hero.
Louis Armstrong was born to William and May-Ann Armstrong, on August 4, 1901; although it is rumored he was born on July 4, 1900. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana where as he went back and forth between his 'grandmother’s house and his mother’s house. He had on sister named Beatrice who was just two years younger than him who he looked after as a young child. When he was seven he begin singing on the street for a little money with his friends and that is where he got his nickname “Satchelmouth” which was later changed to “Satchmo” because of his smile. While playing in the street he met a trumpeter by the name of Bunk Johnson who taught him things he knew about music and the trumpet. In his memoir he said, “But somehow all that jive didn’t faze me at all, I was so happy to have some place to blow my horn” (Armstrong). Trouble didn't meet Mr. Armstrong until 1912 during a New Year’s Eve celebration. Louis Armstrong fired a pistol into the air and was immediately arrested and he spent the night in a jail cell. He was sentenced to a Colored Waif’s House, where he stayed for 18 months.
One of the very monumental jazz artists during the jazz age was Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was a trumpet player, bandleader, soloists and singer. Louis was born on August fourth 1901 in a bad neighborhood of New Orleans called “The Battlefield”. His parents were not the best . Armstrong's father was a factory worker but left when he was young. His mother was around but she often turned to prostitution in order to help support him; therefore his grandmother was his primary guardian. Armstrong's first job was given to him by a Jewish family by the last name of Karnofskys working delivering coal and collecting junk The Karnofskys often fed him meals and always encouraged him to sing. Armstrong was a bit rough around the edges and he had an incident on new year’s eve in 1912 he fired h...
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.