A Dead Body Breathing
Louie and Phil met a friend on Kwajalein.
Who was Kawamura?
Louie and Phil were transferred to this camp after leaving Kwajalein.
His photographic memory was a unique gift that proved to be a blessing and a curse.
Who is William Harris?
Despite what the town was feeling, she held onto unwavering faith that somewhere somehow Louie was alive.
Who is Louise Zamperini?
"Could you fly a Japanese plane?", he asked" (Hillenbrand 165).
What is an escape?
A man-made island in Tokyo Bay where evil awaited Louie, Tinker, and others.
What is Omiri POW Camp?
This was truly a treasure under such desperate conditions.
What is sugar?
Louie developed this due to malnutrition and consuming contaminated food and water.
What is explosive diarrhea?
Louie and others observed and experienced the only two traits Ofuna guards seemed to have.
What is stupidity and murderous, psychopathic harshness?
POWs were made to bow to the emperor to further humiliate them.
Who is Hirohito?
This mother boldly asked the local paper not to print her child's death notice because he was not dead.
Who is Kelsey Phillips/Phil's mom?
Hillenbrand provides an example of another childhood skill Louie had in Torrance.
What is stealing?
Like a proud bird, he walked with his chest puffed out, squinting his eyes at the POWs, and reappeared quicker than he disappeared.
Who is "The Bird"/Wantanabe?
Served as an unsanitary sanctuary from The Bird.
What is the benjo/latrine?
According to Hillenbrand, "This self-respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness" (p. 140). Kwajalein guards tried to strip this from every POW in their camp.
What is dignity?
The constant lack of nutrition and unhygienic environment contributed to severe digestive issues for many prisoners causing a lack of vitamin B1.
What is Beriberi?
His cheerful presence brought a sense of joy to the captives who came to love him.
Who is, the peg-legged duck, Gaga?
Others felt the Zamperinis were in denial, but they knew Louie was alive and in trouble without a way to communicate. This was not denial or grief.
What is belief?
It's ironic that he was in the medical field but was the cause of Harris' near-fatal injuries.
Who is the Quack?
Louie was everything he wasn't but felt he should be.
What is jealousy?
Prisoners of War should be healthy, paid for their labor, and not subjected to dangerous jobs that were ridiculously difficult or had anything to do with the war.
What is the 1929 Geneva Convention/what are the terms of the 1929 Geneva Convention?
"Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen" (Hillenbrand 141). What type of figurative language is Hillenbrand using here, and what is she trying to tell us about dignity?
What is a simile, and how important is dignity?
Ofuna did not register their POWs which made their presence unacknowledged by the Japanese government.
What is a "secret interrogation camp" (Hillenbrand 147)?
What is defiant and rebellious?
Cecy needed reassurance that Phil was alive and would one day be found.
What is a fortune-teller?
POWs craved this more than they did food.
What is war news?
With The Bird, you never knew what you were going to get or when you would get it.
What is inconsistency?
Organized theft involving "Professors" - the best thieves" (Hillenbrand 181).
What is the University of Thievery?
In some Japanese territories, thousands of POWs and civilians, to include children, were used as test subjects for unbearable experiments.
What is medical, biological, and chemical warfare?
The constant threat of it created a sense of impending doom, which heightened the psychological suffering of the prisoners.
What is the "kill-all" order?
For the first time the best friends would be separated, and Phil will go another way.
What is Ashio?
The military final sent out official death notices for Louie, Phil, and their crew after they were missing for 13 months.
What is military procedure?
It was dangerous to possess, but Louie wanted it on record what he had endured and who he was during his captivity.
What is a diary?
He would never stop hunting Louie because of his desire to break Louie's will.
What is obsession?
Reminded of the childhood bullying, Louie was becoming more and more angry. Engorged with jealousy, the Bird was enraged. Who would win in this battle?
What is the "battle of wills" (Hillenbrand 181).