I went and saw UNBROKEN last night with the Altar Boyz and their Dads...a Father and Son event...We then had a discussion after; here were the questions that I posed....if you go and see it, these questions might be worth your while reflecting upon ....great conversation. 1. What are the ways in which Louie’s childhood prepared him for his time in the war? 2. If his older brother Pete had not come up with a plan to get him into track, would Louie’s life have been different? How? 3. Did the Great Depression prepare Louie, and perhaps others of his generation, to persevere through the great hardships they would later face in the war? 4. In Louie’s boyhood, he was severely bullied, then became a delinquent. In these experiences, did he already display attributes that would help him survive his wartime ordeal? Did he also show weaknesses or tendencies that foreshadowed the struggles he would face postwar? 5. Did Louie’s athletic career help prepare him for what he would face in war? 6. Louie was especially close to his brother Pete, who devoted himself to him. If Pete hadn’t been there, what would have become of Louie? Does Pete deserve credit for shaping Louie into a man who could endure and survive this ordeal? 7. When Louie, Phil and Mac were on the raft, a key factor in their survival was optimism. All three men were young and able-bodied, veterans of the same training, experiencing the same hardships and traumas, yet Louie and Phil remained optimistic while Mac was hopeless, seemingly doomed by his pessimism. Why are some people hopeful, and others not? How important is attitude and mindset in determining one’s ability to overcome hardship? 8. Louie’s experiences are singular: None of us is going to be in a plane crash, strafed by a bomber, attacked by sharks, cast away on a raft, or held as a POW. And yet the word most often used to describe him is “inspiring.” What does Louie’s experience demonstrate that makes him so inspirational to people who will never endure what he did? What are the lessons that his life offers to all of us? 9. Do Louie Zamperini’s wartime and postwar experiences give you a different perspective on a loved one who was, or is, a veteran? 10. Louie endured many trials; which one put you most on the edge of your seat? 11. How was Louie able to set the NCAA record for the mile with a cracked rib, cut shins, and a bloody foot? 12. What devices did Zamperini and others use to survive and maintain their sanity during their time on the raft and in the POW camp? 13. What enabled Louise to endure the trials and pain? 14. Why did Louie desire to go up to “bird’s” room” 15. What explains how Louie and Pete were able to survive on the raft while Mac, who seemed to have no physical injuries, did not? Are survival skills learned or inherent? 16. Did you learn something new from this movie? 17. Tom Brokaw coined the term “The Greatest Generation” to refer to people from Louie’s time who came of age during the Great Depression, fought during WWII, and took care of the homefront. Is this moniker accurate? 18. What keeps you from being like Louie in your everyday life? 19. Could you have forgiven like Louie did?
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:51:49 +0000
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