The Value of Life From A Surfers Perspective

The Value of Life From A Surfers Perspective

BEGINNING
A. Hook
B. Bridge
C. Frame the Conversation (Remember to TAG=Title, Authors, Genre)
In discussions about life, one debatable issue has been how to assign value to it.
On the one hand, Maynard in her video to legislators argues that life only has
value if one can live it with dignity until the bitter end. On the other hand, Ripley
in her Time magazine article questions if a human’s worth can be boiled down to
dollars and cents. I agree more with Shakespeare’s titular character, Hamlet, who
offers his musings about life in his famous suicide soliloquy and with TED talk
speaker, Professor Randy Pausch, who offers his perspective in “The Last
Lecture.” Both Hamlet and Pausch examine the value of life from a philosophical
lens and use metaphors to explain the way in which they define the value of life.
D. Thesis
Similar to both Hamlet and Pausch, I maintain that the value of life can only be
philosophically described through the use of metaphors and, for me, an avid
surfer, life can be likened to the sacred Hawaiian sport of surfing–a sport that
exposes those brave enough to paddle out a mix of experiences, including the ride
Zubko 2
of a lifetime, extreme wipeouts, and moments of pure bliss and sheer terror.
II. MIDDLE
A. Define YOUR Lens/Metaphor and the Underpinnings of that Lens/Metaphor
(Your Background)
1. Philosophical (Love languages/reading)
2. Surfing (Been at it for 12 years)
3. Return to claim/thesis
B. Compare/Contrast Your Lens/Metaphor with Writer/Speaker #1 (Hamlet)
1. I agree that life is like a metaphor: Hamlet=battle Zubko= surfing; Hamlet
wishes to die, to sleep and perhaps to dream/Zubko dreams to live and to
catch the ride of a lifetime–willing to wipeout
2. Life is scary–there are sharks–Hamlet has sharks in his family (mother
and uncle kill his father; I have literal sharks under my board–but there
are plenty of land sharks to contend with.
3. I disagree that we are cowards because we choose life over death. Life is
about embracing challenges–going after waves slightly bigger than what
you think you can handle.
4. Return to claim/thesis and transition to Pausch
C. Compare/Contrast Your Lens/Metaphor with Writer/Speaker #2 (Pausch)
1. I agree that life is about dreams and about hitting walls–In surfing, one
dreams of the perfect wave, similar to life–wanting to fulfill big dreams.
But in surfing, one hits walls as well. It is brave to ride a wall of water
Zubko 3
and sometimes that wall crumbles beneath your surfboard and causes a
wipeout. Even from wipeouts, one can learn, much like Pausch says.
2. Return to claim/thesis
III. END
A. Reiterate thesis
B. Reiterate the two voices you compared and contrasted your own views with
C. Explain the significance of your lens and the way you assign value to life
IV. WORKS CITED PAGE

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