Many people have different adjectives and phrases to answer the question “what is resilience” but each answer is the same. People know what it means to be resilient, but there are not many resilient people in the world. Not many people could get beaten, verbally abused, and come back against all the odds. To be resilient people need to keep their dignity and their pride and that is exactly what Louis Zamperini, Ed Roberts, Jason Zimmerman, and Frederick Douglass did. These four men had all the odds against them with so much suffering, but they rolled up their sleeves and fought through that pain because they are the true definition of resilience. Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity, fear, and show strength. To begin what Many…show more content… In the book Unbroken by, Laura Hillenbrand the main character Louie Zamperini showed both mental and physical strength. He showed that strength by not allowing his tormentor to win, which in Louie’s case was the crazy war camp guard “the bird.” The bird tormented Louie everyday beating him even if Louie was just drinking water. But even through all this pain and stood tall not letting the pain break him. Louie knew one thing, “He cannot break me,” (213). Louie even in the most immense pain would not succumb and used all the strength he had and beat his tormentor. Louie would not falter because he knew if he went down, he wouldn’t come back up. The reason Louie triumphed was his strength was greater than his pain and that is what it means to be resilient. The ability to show strength doesn’t mean one needs to be physically strong, but also can be one being mentally tough. One person who showed mental strength is Ed Roberts Roberts, who contracted polio by the age of fourteen. From then on he would be unable to walk and had to live the rest of his life in an iron lung. Even in the worst condition possible he would not let polio win and mustered up all the strength he had and managed to become a great activist for the disabled community and many other causes. He did not let his physical disability weaken his mental strength. In a speech by Ed Roberts himself, he said, “When they all finally left,…show more content… When people think of adversity it can range from a numerous amounts of subjects such as civil rights, disease, or the school yard bully. Louie Zamperini faced adversity from a very early age when he was bullied. In the book Unbroken, Louie Zamperini was bullied when he was very young in his school but Louie ¨refused to bend” the book explains how “you could beat him(Louie) to death and he wouldn’t say ouch or cry.” Louie’s ability to overcome adversity was on full display in this chapter of his life. Louie wouldn’t bend or break and that showed later in his life when he faced even more adversity in the bird and in war. Not only has Louie overcame adversity but also has Jason Zimmerman. Many people when they get cancer they don’t even try to be cured but what made Zimmerman so resilient was his ability to pick himself up from this misfortune and fight through that adversity. He was diagnosed with cancer twice but even after all those setback he chose the most grueling treatment and was determined to make sure he would be cured. That determination to beat his adversity is why he is still alive today and inspiring hundred of other cancer patients to also beat their adversity. Many people make excuses for why they crumble under adversity but it is those who are truly resilient that won’t make excuses but will try to rise above the