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This 3 page paper discusses the ways in which 3 people profiled in Amanda Ripley’s book were able to turn catastrophe to something uplifting. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KV32_HVunthnk.rtf
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described in the book. Discussion St. Augustine said that catastrophe is not an end, but the beginning of a new chapter; he also said that a good man is "not
exalted by this worlds goods; nor is he overwhelmed by this worlds ills" and that seems to hold true for the people in Ripleys book (St. Augustine 14). Ripleys book
is fascinating, precisely because people in crisis dont act as we might expect-or as they hope they will. Instead, they may remain calm in the face of utter danger (as
the people who stayed in the towers after the planes hit rather than evacuating immediately); or they deny that anything is wrong; or they suddenly undertake a heroic action that
is not in keeping with their character (Ripley). Ripley divides her book into three sections, each of which discusses a particular behavior under stress: denial, deliberation and the decisive moment.
The first principle, denial, is clearly illustrated by Elia Zede?o, who was in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Her response to the catastrophe was, at first, much
the same as everyone elses in her office: denial (Ripley). She refused to believe that anything bad was happening, despite the fact that she was in the building in 1993
when another attack took place; and despite the fact that the building actually rocked from the force of the airliner crashing into it (Ripley). She screamed "Whats happening?" and more
than anything else she wanted someone to say, "Everything is OK! Dont worry. Its in your head" (Ripley 7). When the jet hit, Zede?o "entered a rarified zone. The rules
of normal life were suspended. Her entire body and mind changed" (Ripley 7). She went through a series of emotional and physical acts that helped her survive: first disbelief, then
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