The weather and setting of Roger Rosenblatt’s essay, “The Man in the Water,” had a prodigious effect on one particular man as well as everyone else who was involved in the catastrophic January 13, 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90. Due to the winter season and the weather conditions, the water in the Potomac River where passengers landed was frigid. One courageous man stepped forward and began to save as many of the horrified and dying people as he could. Since the water was so cold, it adversely affected the man and his fellow passengers. Even though the man could have saved himself, he made the conscious decision to continue rescuing people instead of saving himself. Unfortunately, his heroic decision cost him his life. In addition
