Argumentative Essay & Reflection
Daniela Ambriz
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
3 December 2019
Survival is Not Selfish
Is survival selfish? This is the central question of this essay. Survival does not require people to be selfish because the key to survival is having purpose in a crisis; caring for others gives people purpose and people need a reason to survive; this is often thinking others and the loss they would suffer were they to die. Many survival stories prove that helping others saves lives. The best search and rescue professionals are people who have survived in a crisis. “During World War 11, the author’s father fell from a plane without a parachute and miraculously survived” (Gonzales 334). Even if the situation is bad you still need to have faith because someone out there can come for the recue and help you. Survival is not selfish because caring for others always has a purpose and caring for others offer that. When DiFrancesco was stuck in the Twin Towers, he only survived because he thought about his family. When other people were giving up, he said to himself, “‘I’ve got to see my wife and kids again’” (Gonzales 332). This shows that DiFrancesco thought about his family and not just himself. Another piece of evidence can be found in the same article. Gonzales explains that doctors and nurses have higher rates of survival than other people. He writes, “Doctors and nurses often survive better than others because they have someone to help. They have a well-defined purpose. Purpose is a big part of survival” (Gonzales 332). People who work in professions that help others don’t think of themselves in survival situations; by thinking about the people they’re helping, they take the focus off of themselves, and that allows them to survive when others die. This shows that you should have faith and not give up when you have a chance to live.
The key to survival is not only about having a purpose, but also about having a reason to survive. Imagine all the suffering people go through when they lose their love ones. One example of this was Antoine de Saint-Exupery; he got lost in the Libyan Dessert. Gonzales explains that “it was the thought of his wife’s suffering that kept him going” (Gonzales 332). He kept going so he could be there for his wife. There are numerous stories that follow this same pattern. Gonzales writes, “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home” (Gonzales 332). When people think of others instead of themselves, it keeps them going and keeps them alive.
Although it’s clear that survival is not selfish, there are those who disagree. Some people agree that apathy will kill faster than anything, so people must be selfish and care about what happens to them. The truth is, when DiFrancesco survived the World Trade Center attack, he says that it was the thought of his family that saved his life. Ultimately, the evidence is overwhelming that survival is not selfish.
People do not have to be selfish because the purpose of survival is caring for others and people need a reason to survive. People do survive due to the fact that they thought about someone else, such as a loved one, which gave them strength to survive. People often say that they survived for someone else. Therefore, survival is not selfish.
Page Break
Work Cited
Gonzales, Laurence. “Deep Survival.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, &
Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, pp. 325-334
Argumentative Essay Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
2. What qualifies this paper as an argumentative essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them? This paper qualifies as a summary because it puts the main ideas into one paragraph. I meet these requirements by writing my essay.
3. Explain how you found at least one of the quotations from the essay and tell me why you chose that particular quote. What did it do for your paper? i found my quotes in the stories and i used them because they answered all the questions.
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
3 December 2019
Survival is Not Selfish
Is survival selfish? This is the central question of this essay. Survival does not require people to be selfish because the key to survival is having purpose in a crisis; caring for others gives people purpose and people need a reason to survive; this is often thinking others and the loss they would suffer were they to die. Many survival stories prove that helping others saves lives. The best search and rescue professionals are people who have survived in a crisis. “During World War 11, the author’s father fell from a plane without a parachute and miraculously survived” (Gonzales 334). Even if the situation is bad you still need to have faith because someone out there can come for the recue and help you. Survival is not selfish because caring for others always has a purpose and caring for others offer that. When DiFrancesco was stuck in the Twin Towers, he only survived because he thought about his family. When other people were giving up, he said to himself, “‘I’ve got to see my wife and kids again’” (Gonzales 332). This shows that DiFrancesco thought about his family and not just himself. Another piece of evidence can be found in the same article. Gonzales explains that doctors and nurses have higher rates of survival than other people. He writes, “Doctors and nurses often survive better than others because they have someone to help. They have a well-defined purpose. Purpose is a big part of survival” (Gonzales 332). People who work in professions that help others don’t think of themselves in survival situations; by thinking about the people they’re helping, they take the focus off of themselves, and that allows them to survive when others die. This shows that you should have faith and not give up when you have a chance to live.
The key to survival is not only about having a purpose, but also about having a reason to survive. Imagine all the suffering people go through when they lose their love ones. One example of this was Antoine de Saint-Exupery; he got lost in the Libyan Dessert. Gonzales explains that “it was the thought of his wife’s suffering that kept him going” (Gonzales 332). He kept going so he could be there for his wife. There are numerous stories that follow this same pattern. Gonzales writes, “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home” (Gonzales 332). When people think of others instead of themselves, it keeps them going and keeps them alive.
Although it’s clear that survival is not selfish, there are those who disagree. Some people agree that apathy will kill faster than anything, so people must be selfish and care about what happens to them. The truth is, when DiFrancesco survived the World Trade Center attack, he says that it was the thought of his family that saved his life. Ultimately, the evidence is overwhelming that survival is not selfish.
People do not have to be selfish because the purpose of survival is caring for others and people need a reason to survive. People do survive due to the fact that they thought about someone else, such as a loved one, which gave them strength to survive. People often say that they survived for someone else. Therefore, survival is not selfish.
Page Break
Work Cited
Gonzales, Laurence. “Deep Survival.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, &
Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, pp. 325-334
Argumentative Essay Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
- Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific. First we got our collection books and started reading all four stories. Then, we took lots of notes on all of the books. We also compared all four stories. After, we did a class debate so we can argue if survival is selfish. We took more notes on that. Then, we started writing our essay. I first started with my introduction. Then, i started paragraph two. I explained my first topic which was about people suffering when they lose a family member or someone you love. After, i started paragraph three which was about my second topic. i explained that you should care to save other people and not just yourself. I then put a conclusion. I also finished my paper with a work sited page.
2. What qualifies this paper as an argumentative essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them? This paper qualifies as a summary because it puts the main ideas into one paragraph. I meet these requirements by writing my essay.
3. Explain how you found at least one of the quotations from the essay and tell me why you chose that particular quote. What did it do for your paper? i found my quotes in the stories and i used them because they answered all the questions.