Angel Diaz Gomez
Ms. Lehmann
English1-1A
4 December 2019
Is Survival Selfish?
Do you believe people must be selfish in order to survive? This is the central question of this essay. Survival does require people to behave selfishly because the key to survival is having purpose in a crisis, and people need a reason to survive; this is often thinking of others and the loss they would suffer were they die. Most survival stories prove that people often survive better by helping one another.
If people do not keep cool and calm, they often die. Doctors and nurses have higher rates of survival than others because they have a purpose. “Purpose is a big part of survival” (Gonzales. #332). This proves that survival is not selfish because people must have to accomplish the work. Another example that supports this is people saying they lived for others. “Many people who survive by themselves say that they were doing it for someone else; back home” (Gonzales#332). This shows that people survive for other people, not by being selfish.
Not only is the key to survival purpose, but surviving is often a result of thinking about others. People need a reason to survive; this is often thinking of others and the loss they would suffer were they to die because every person has someone back home or that makes them want to survive. “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone back home” (Gonzales #332). This refers that people don’t just survive for themselves, they have family they want to live for. Another example, this is Di Francesco. When Ronald DiFrancesco survived the World Trade Center attack, he says it was the thought of his family that saved his life. “DeFrancisco, too was collapsing, but then he said to himself, I've got to see my wife and kids again’. (Gonzales 332). While he was in the position to survive, he thought about his family and he wanted to survive even more because he cares about them and they care about him. Although it’s clear that survival is not selfish, not everyone agrees.
Some people argue that people shouldn’t assume they are capable of saving others; it could cost them their lives. This is wrong because it says in Deep Survival that nurses and doctors often survive better by helping others. So, it’s obvious that survival is not selfish.
Because the key to survival is having purpose, and people need a reason to survive, survival is not selfish. People often say they lived for others. Those who try to help others in a crisis give themselves purpose, a necessary ingredient for survival. So, is survival selfish? Obviously not.
Work Cited
Gonzales, Laurence. Deep Survival. Collections, edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, lydia Stack. 2017, pp.325-334.
Argumentative Essay Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
I read four different stories and took notes on each one of them. We had a class debate on which side we were on "Is Survival selfish or not?".
2. What qualifies this paper as an argumentative essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
There was two sides on which one of them was survival selfish and the other side survival is not being selfish.
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?
"Doctors and nurses often survive better by helping one another" this quote help my argumentative essay by referring that survival is not selfish. I was reading page #332 which is where I found this quote while reading this article for my argumentative essay.
Ms. Lehmann
English1-1A
4 December 2019
Is Survival Selfish?
Do you believe people must be selfish in order to survive? This is the central question of this essay. Survival does require people to behave selfishly because the key to survival is having purpose in a crisis, and people need a reason to survive; this is often thinking of others and the loss they would suffer were they die. Most survival stories prove that people often survive better by helping one another.
If people do not keep cool and calm, they often die. Doctors and nurses have higher rates of survival than others because they have a purpose. “Purpose is a big part of survival” (Gonzales. #332). This proves that survival is not selfish because people must have to accomplish the work. Another example that supports this is people saying they lived for others. “Many people who survive by themselves say that they were doing it for someone else; back home” (Gonzales#332). This shows that people survive for other people, not by being selfish.
Not only is the key to survival purpose, but surviving is often a result of thinking about others. People need a reason to survive; this is often thinking of others and the loss they would suffer were they to die because every person has someone back home or that makes them want to survive. “Many people who survive alone report that they were doing it for someone back home” (Gonzales #332). This refers that people don’t just survive for themselves, they have family they want to live for. Another example, this is Di Francesco. When Ronald DiFrancesco survived the World Trade Center attack, he says it was the thought of his family that saved his life. “DeFrancisco, too was collapsing, but then he said to himself, I've got to see my wife and kids again’. (Gonzales 332). While he was in the position to survive, he thought about his family and he wanted to survive even more because he cares about them and they care about him. Although it’s clear that survival is not selfish, not everyone agrees.
Some people argue that people shouldn’t assume they are capable of saving others; it could cost them their lives. This is wrong because it says in Deep Survival that nurses and doctors often survive better by helping others. So, it’s obvious that survival is not selfish.
Because the key to survival is having purpose, and people need a reason to survive, survival is not selfish. People often say they lived for others. Those who try to help others in a crisis give themselves purpose, a necessary ingredient for survival. So, is survival selfish? Obviously not.
Work Cited
Gonzales, Laurence. Deep Survival. Collections, edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, lydia Stack. 2017, pp.325-334.
Argumentative Essay Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
I read four different stories and took notes on each one of them. We had a class debate on which side we were on "Is Survival selfish or not?".
2. What qualifies this paper as an argumentative essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
There was two sides on which one of them was survival selfish and the other side survival is not being selfish.
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?
"Doctors and nurses often survive better by helping one another" this quote help my argumentative essay by referring that survival is not selfish. I was reading page #332 which is where I found this quote while reading this article for my argumentative essay.