Les Miserables 3

AP English 12
22 December 2009
Quarterly Assessment: Prompt One
In real life situations, an individual’s capacity for living has often been based upon their purpose for living. Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning used his love for his family, friends and God as a crutch to lean on while suffering the horrors of the Holocaust. “Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp,” (Frankl 75). While many of his fellow prisoners lost all hope and eventually were either executed by the camp or by their own thoughts. Frankl was determined to survive, and which allowed him to both physically and psychologically survive while countless others perished. Another example of individuals taking inspiration from an outside source to push through hard times is visible in Alex Kotlowitz’s _There Are No Children Here. _Pharaoh and Lafayette both had to respond to the daily challenges they faced living in the inner city of Chicago. Without living for a purpose, they both faced the probability of falling into the life of gangs, drugs and violence. They were both faced with the pressure of engaging in the hedonistic lifestyle of those around them. “Mama…I could go outside and don’t have to come back. Anytime I go outside I ain't guaranteed to come back,” (Kotlowitz 216). Even though pleasures of the flesh predominated their society, Pharaoh and Lafayette had to stay on the straight and narrow in order to have any hope of advancing out of the hell-hole they spent their childhood in.
In all of aspects of life, it is important for individuals facing persecution and hardship to live for a purpose. This purpose provided a constant rock of support and a goal only attainable through hard-work and perseverance. In many cases, an individual’s self drive is of the upmost importance to their progression through all of the horrible...