Morgan Furtado English 1-1A Ms. Lehmann 16 November 2018 Survival is Not Selfish Do you believe survival is selfish? This essay will prove that survival is not selfish. Survival is not selfish as is proven in stories Night, “Deep Survival,” and “Is Survival Selfish.” Night has compelling examples of how survival is not selfish. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night the author proves that survival is not selfish.Wiesel writes about his experience is Buchenwaldconcentration camp.Before Wiesel goes into aselection his Kapos gives him advice. Wiesel hears his Kapos say to him and the other prisoners, “’Don’t walk slowly, run! Run as if you had the devil at your heels! Don’t look at the SS. Run, straight in front of you’” (Wiesel 308). This information helps himpass the test and live. The Kapos is selfless here. He puts his own prisoners first instead of himself. Later on, Wiesel shows another example of how survival is not selfish, when Weisel’s dad tells him that he is going to die. He gives him all he has left. Wiesel’s father says, “’Here, take this this knife,’….. ‘I won’t need it anymore. You may find it useful. Also take this spoon. Don’t sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I’m giving you’” (Wiesel 312). Weisel’s father gives him all that he owns. This will help him go on with his life in the camp. Wiesel’s father is unselfish, putting his son’s wellbeing first. Another relevant essay is “Deep Survival.” Survival is proven not to be selfish in “Deep Survival,” by Laurence Gonzales. Gonzales discusses a group of pilots who survive by working together. He writes, “‘All at once, it hit me that I might actually lose them. Those million-dollar pilots could die” (Gonzales 331). Kearns fears that the others might die. This gave him, the strength to survive and save others. Gonzales gives another example of how survival is not selfish. Gonzales proves that survival is not selfish because sometimes people are thinking of another person. He says, “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home” (Gonzales 332). Many people who survive think about other people because they are able to go on when they think of people who love them, showing that being selfless saved their lives. Author Lane Wallace also proves that survival is not selfish. “Is Survival Selfish,” by Lane Wallace, provides the most compelling evidence that people don’t need to be selfish to survive. Wallace argues that people aren’t selfish in survival situations; they simply follow their instinct. Wallace explains, “Some people hold it together in a crisis and some people fall apart. Some people might run away from danger one day, and toward itthe next” (Wallace 320). Wallace is making the point that people respond in different ways to survival situations. He makes it clear here that survival is simply a matter of instinct, rather than any kind of intentional decision to be brave. Being selfish requires intention; if survival is instinct, there is no intention and therefore it cannot be selfish. Wallace’s essay gives another great example of how survival does not have to be selfish. Wallace points out those who save others don’t do so out of a sense of benevolence. Wallace explains that, “oddly enough, most of the people who perform such impulsive rescues say that they didn’t really think before acting. Which means they weren’t ‘choosing’ civilization” (Wallace 320). Wallace is arguing that people who are described as being brave or benevolent aren’t actually exhibiting those character traits at all; they are simply acting. If saving someone isn’t brave, how can survival be selfish? Some people agree that survival is selfish because people have time to think. It may seem as if this is a good argument, but it’s not for this reason. In many cases, survivors are thinking of somebody else.Having time to think doesn’t necessarily mean people are selfish. Survival is not selfish. The memoirNight, the essay “Deep Survival,” and the article “Is Survival Selfish” all give examples of how survival is not selfish. Wiesel tells about his life in the camp. Gonzales says that many people are thinking of others while in danger. Wallace proves that most people simply acton instinct. So do you think survival is selfish now? Worked Cited Gonzales, Laurence, “Deep Survival.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. pp. 325-334 Wallace, Lane. “Is Survival Selfish.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. pp. 317- 320 Wiesel, Eli. “Night.” Collections.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. pp. 307-312
Argumentative Essay Reflection 1. List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will the look like? -I learned to put quotes and stuff of the things we read so it helps me with my case. I had to find different quotes to go with my story. 2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn? -I learned a lot to go with my Rebuttal, I really didn't put a lot of information to go with the other side of the case and what I did was not the good. 3. What are the conventions of a argumntative essay and how did you meet those in this assignment? -An argumentative essay give your side of the case and tells the reader what you are fighting for. You have to put information that supports your side of the story. I gave a lot of information in my essay. I found out that it tells to have that in your story. 4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it? -I could make my paragraphs longer so I have a better paper. My paper was kinda short. 5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper? -I am proud of my quotes that I found, they really helped with my case.