Fatima Martinez
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
3 December 2019
Survival isn’t Selfish
Do you think survival is selfish? This is the central question of this essay. Survival does not require people to be selfish because people who survive live because they keep a cool head, not because they are selfish, and people need a reason to survive. Many survival stories prove that people who are calm during a survival situation and help others have a greater chance of survival.
Staying calm in a crisis, happens not because people are selfish, but because focusing on others improves outlooks. This is proven in the science writing Deep Survival. The article states that helping other people keeps people calm in a crisis. “Helping someone else is the best way to ensure your own survival. It takes you out of yourself. It helps you rise above your fears” (Gonzales#331). This is true because people who are more concerned about someone else aren’t really thinking about themselves. This connects with staying calm because, people can keep their cool better by having a purpose. Another example of people keeping a cool head in a crisis can also be found in Deep Survival. According to the book, having a Positive Mental Attitude is the number one thing that defines whether a person survives or dies; this is unrelated to looking after yourself first. “It meant the difference between life and death; he could tell me that.” (Gonzales#330). This is explaining that that the first step to survival is staying calm. If you can’t stay calm you will not be able to save yourself much less others. Not only do people who survive keep a cool head, but they also need a reason to survive.
People need to have a reason to survive. In Deep Survival, Gonzales claims that people who survive often say that they did so for someone else. “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home” (Gonzales#332). People who are in a crisis need worry about someone else, so they aren’t really thinking about themselves for that second. It is nearly impossible for people in crisis to be selfish if they are thinking about someone else especially if it’s someone they care about. Another example of people needing a reason to survive a crisis can also be found in Deep Survival. When Ronald DiFrancesco survived the World Trade Center attack, he says it was the thought of his family that saved his life. “DiFrancesco, too, was collapsing, but then he said to himself, ‘I’ve got to see my wife and kids again.’ and with that, he got up and bolted down the stairs to safety” (Gonzales#332). DiFrancesco was only concerned for his family at that moment and no one else. He was worried about someone else. Survival is not selfish, but others may think differently.
Although it’s clear that survival is not selfish, there are those who disagree. Some people will argue that apathy will kill people faster than anything, so people must be selfish and care about what happens to them. The truth is, there is a perfect example of this not being the case with DiFrancesco. He was about to give in to apathy when he remembered his family and saved himself. He lived for someone else instead of thinking about himself. Ultimately, the evidence is overwhelming that survival is not selfish.
People don’t have to be selfish to survive because people survive because they keep a cool head and have a reason to survive. I think needing a reason to survive is true, because people who are worried about what will happen to their loved ones and live for those people. Keeping a cool head is also important, and this is accomplished by not focusing on your survival. Now, the question is, do you think survival is selfish?
Work Cited
Laurence Gonzales. “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
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
Writing this paper was extremely difficult to start off. First I had to choose if survival is or not selfish. It took about a minute or three for me to decide it wasn't because I am actually extremely neutral on the subject because I don't consider it selfish but some times it can be really horrible when someone can save someone else but chose to save themselves only. After that I had to find research on this subject, fortunately we had recently written notes for a debate. Soon after that I started writing this essay. I started with the hook which is how I got you the reader's attention. Next I wrote down my thesis. After that I proved my main points which were staying calm in crisis and needing a reason to survive using the evidence I had collected.
2. What qualifies this paper as an argumentative essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
This paper is arguing if survival is selfish or not, so it makes sense for it to be called an argumentative essay. What it requires is a debatable thesis, information on the topic, research and evidence (in this case quotes), and a rebuttal. I had lots of my evidence already prepared so all had to do was create a rebuttal and thesis.
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?
Quotes are easy to find you know what you are looking for. An example is I that I had to find a quote for needing a reason to survive I looked for a section in the article on needing a reason to survive and I found, "Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone else (a wife, boyfriend, mother, son) back home” (Gonzales#332). I chose that specific quote because gave proof of that subject. It really helped my papers it could start off because it was my opening quote for that paragraph.