Who Should Survive?
By Cara, Lily, Sophia, and Elijah
Mrs. Victor
Since age and health play a key role in surviving in an uncivilized setting, Mrs. Victor is one of the best canidates for the seven seats on the lifeboat. She is twenty-three years old and does not have any health problems. Instead of hindering the overall survival of the group due to slowness or dependency on others that could result from medical problems or old age, Mrs. Victor would be an able-bodied leader in the group. While some might argue that her ninth-grade education, history as a prostitute, young marriage that ultimately ended in divorce, and low-paying job are questionable qualities regarding her knowledge and morals, some of them could prove to be to her advantage. After dropping out of school at a young age, Mrs. Victor would need to be resourceful in order to survive without an extensive education. Her history as a prostitute shows that she is willing to go to great lenths in order to support herself and survive no matter what.
Mr. Newton
Mr. Newton would be able to survive for an extended amount of time on the island due to his age, fitness, and medical knowledge. He would also increase the survival chance of the other six people with him. He has gone through all but one year of medical school, which would make him an extremely valuable person to have in a survival situation. His extensive knowledge about sicknesses and injuries, both of which could occur on an uninhabited island, would be necessary for his own survival as well as the survival of his companions. Since, he is only twenty-five years old and physically fit, the chances of him living are much higher than some of the older passengers, or the passengers with health problems.
Bobby
Bobby is a ten year old child who is physically disabled and requires 24/7 care. This means that he would not be the best candidate to survive, because he would need round-the-clock care and he would need lots of attention. When the others would go looking for food he would be unable to "pull his weight", Bobby would need too much care, and hinder, rather than help, the group's survival. His parents are the two people who know the most about his care and without them, Bobby would not be able to survive.
Mary Evans
Mary Evans is an eighteen year old who went to trade school. Individuals who go to trade school go into very specified fields. Whatever she went to trade school for she is well versed in how to use that talent to the best of her advantage. It would be a good idea to keep her also because she is artistic, art is a great stress relief and so she would be able to keep the others rather sane. She also has not gotten to experience much of her life. Compared to Dr. Gonzales's sixty- six years Mary has barely gotten to live.
Jean Garcia
Jean is a three month old infant and she is the hope for the future as she is the youngest. She also has the most open future and could be anything in the world. Even though she wouldn't really be able to pull her weight, she is so young that without care she would die. Also, she is so young that she could outlive everyone else and live to tell the tale. She has the most to gain through life.
Mr. Blake
Mr. Blake, despite being 51 years old, has much to offer due to previous life experience. He is married and a father of four, giving him the upper hand when it comes to taking care of Jean Garcia, the infant on-board. His Bachelor of Science degree in mechanics and experience in construction gives him much needed skills when it comes to surving on a deserted island.
Father Frans
The only person with a background in farming in the group is Father Frans, which means that he is a valuable body to have in a survival setting. That, coupled with the fact that he is a former college athlete, gives him an edge when it comes to staying alive. Being a priest, in addition to his activity within the civil rights movements, means that Frans would have a good sense of equality and justice, which would deffinitely come into play in a small community on a stranded island.
Dr. Gonzales
The sixty six-year-old in the group, Dr. Gonzales, is a doctor in general practice. While having a doctor as one of the members in a make-shift civilization would be immensely advantageous to everybody, fortunately, there is second person involved who works in the medical field. In the past five years Dr. Gonzales has had two heart attacks, which, if he were to be put on the island, means that there is a high chance he would not be part of the community for long. That is why Dr. Gonzales would be a poor choice for someone to send out on the life boat.
Dr. Dane
Although Dr. Dane is physically fit and educated, the rest of his family requires special care in order to survive. It would be awful to make a man live on with high moral after leaving his family to die. A family man like Dr. Dane would have a hard time surviving after the deaths of his wife and sone, knowing that someone else could be living in his place and he could be with his family.
Mrs. Clark
Mrs. Clark is a young, educated women. She is now single after a brief marriage and is looking for a new start. As a electronics engineer, she has experience in science, mathematic, and design and will be able to help develop a proper shelter and tools. Being the daughter of a minister, Mrs. Clark has good values and is likely to get along with Father Frans. Overall, she is a young, smart woman with a high chance of surviving and enabling the group's survival.
Mrs. Dane
Mrs. Dane has a masters in psychology and works at a mental health clinic. Her experience in psychology and mental health could be very helpful on the road back to civilization. However, Mrs. Dane is also obese and diabetic. This would be a major handicap for the whole group if she were to come on the lifeboat. Mrs. Dane would be hard to provide for because she needs to have a healthy, stable diet and medicines which would be hard to find. Her weight would make it difficult for her to do physical labor and help the group. Ultimately, it would not be beneficial to the rest of the group for Mrs. Dane to come along.