Chapters 13-15 - The Grapes of Wrath

As chapter thirteen of The Grapes of Wrath starts, I find it to be a little boring.  There is really nothing going on and all they are doing is traveling, which is nothing to get excited about.  At the gas station, sad news is brought to the book.  "A big swift car whisked near, tires squealed.  The dog dodged helplessly, and with a shriek, cut off in the middle, went under the wheels.  The big car slowed for a moment and faces looked back, and then it gathered greater speed and disappeared.  And the dog, a blot of blood and tangled, burst intestines, kicked slowly in the road." (Steinbeck, 130).  It is sad to hear that the dog dies, because it has to be hard for children to see that, because they will remember that for the rest of their lives.  It reminds me of when I saw my dog get hit.  Although my dog did not die, it was hurt badly and I still remember how hurt my dog was.  More sad news is brought the book when the granpa dies.  Thinking that the dog was going to be the only bad news, I can not imagine the emotions of the Joad family.  A question that will never be answered is what would of happened if the granpa stayed at home?  Sure he would not of been with the family, but he may not of died.  When the author says that all the tenant farmers are now traveling to California, that image paints a picture in my head of traffic.  All the cars on the highway would have possibly caused a huge traffic hold-up.  Even though when I was headed to Florida, nobody was sleeping on the sides of the roads, but there was traffic and I am sure that the Joads and everybody else are not happy with the traffic.  As I am now almost halfway through the book, at least chapters wise, the book has been alright thus far.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Chapters 10-12 - The Grapes of Wrath

As chapter ten rolls in, the Joads are discussing on leaving to go to California.  The book I believe was written in the early 1930's, and about twenty or so years later, the gold rush was founded in California, so was everybody(all of the tenant farmers) going to California, because people were just now starting to discover gold?  If so I can see why they would be going west to California, but if not, than why was everybody headed there?  Again, I find comedy in chapter ten.  As they are about ready to leave for their journey, Grampa Joad says that he wants to stay.  'I ain't sayin' for you to stay, you go right on along.  Me-I'm stayin'.  I give her a goin' -over all night mos'ly.  This her's my country.  I b'long here.  An' I don't give a goddamn if they's oranges an' no good, but it's my country.  No, you all go ahead.  I'll jus' stay right her where I b'long." (Steinbeck, 111).  This reminds me of my family, when we are about to go on a long vacation, and then one of my sisters starts crying and says she wants to stay home.  I am sure it is frustrating for the Joads to here this, but at least for me it is funny.  Then they decide to drug him, which is a very efficient way to knock somebody out.  As they begin their journey, the car salesmen begin to rip of the farmers for different pieces.  It seems like in every chapter, there has been somebody or somebodys' who cheat people for their money.  Unfortunately, that is kind of how people are today.  All people care about is money and some people rip people off for it.  I am not saying that is everybody but I see it occassionaly.  Thankfully this book is getting easier to read and it is throwing in some laughter, to give the reader something to enjoy, and for that I am thankful.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Chapters 8-9 - The Grapes of Wrath

When chapter eight begins, Tom finds his family and the book is introduced to many new characters, such as:  Ma Joad, Pa Joad, Granma Joad, Granpa Joad, Al (Tom's younger brother), and a few others.  When they meet up, I am amused at how they treat Tom.  First, they do not know who it is, which is understandable due to the fact that they have not seen each other in a while.  Then both of his parents are questioning whether he has broken out illegally.  "It's tommy-" And then, still informing himself, "It's Tommy come home."  His mouth opened again, and a look of fear came into his eyes.  "Tommy," he said softly, "you ain't busted out? (Steinbeck, 72).  You ain't go to hide?"  Then the mom goes into questioning, "Tommy, you ain't wanted?  You didn' bust loose?"  I find this absolutely hilarious.  I am trying to picture if I were in Tommy's situation and what my mom and dad would say.  First, I hope that they would know how long I have to do time for, but when I come to them after being out of prison, I do not want them to ask if I am on the loose. I am not saying that I am going to prison though.  This chapter is very hysterical in my opinion.  It is a happy reunion, but everybody is questioning Tommy.
The book has done weird things in my opinion.  It keeps flipping to different stories.  Chapter eight is about the family reunion with Tommy, but then Chapter nine, a narrator is talking about how people travel to California.  It has done this in the book before.  I know that they are going to California, but I find it weird that they keep switching stories.  Another rude characteristic comes up within the people that buy from the families.  They take their belongins for next to nothing of a price, and it again gives a bad portrait of the people in this book.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Chapters 4-7 - The Grapes of Wrath

As chapter four of The Grapes of Wrath started, I was not to thrilled about reading it, due to the fact that the first three chapters were very boring and it seemed like the chapter just dragged along.  However, the next few chapter get a little more interesting, therefore, making it easier to read which I enjoyed reading these next three chapters of the book.
Although the book does get more exciting and adventurous, I find a couple things disturbed about different people in the book.  "Oh, no, you wouldn't remember.  You was always too busy pulliin' little girls' pigtails when I give you the Holy Sperit.  You was all wropped up in yankin' that pigtail out by the roots.  You maybe don't recollect, but I do.  The two of you come to Jesus at once 'cause of that pigtail yankin'.  Baptizzed both of you in the irrigation ditch at once.  Rightin' an' yellin' like a couple a cats."  When I read this, I kind of understood why Tom was like this, he is a young adult, but still it sounds like he was obsessed with girls.  Not only does the book talk about them when he was young but also when he was in prison.  He says that when he was in prison, he craved them and had a hard time living without them.  This scares me because it sounds like he is an offender to me.  I know he is not, or least so far he is not, but it just scares me when people talk like that.  The other thing that I found harsh in this chapter was the fact that bank owners drive the farmers off their land.  I know that the land is shared, but I do not think that you should be allowed to kick somebody out of their homes and destroy their house.  Also, how the people ripped everybody off into buying their cars.  They made them so they would work for a little while and then be no good.  The people are not getting on to my good side so far, but the story is progressing.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Chapters 1-3 - The Grapes of Wrath

As I picked up the book The Grapes of Wrath and was ready to read it, I was praying that it was as good a book that The Old Man and The Sea was.  Well, I started reading and it was very boring, plus it took forever to read the first three pages because of the small print. 
It starts off with an ex-prisoner who gets a ride from a bus driver, (it was a semi).  It kind of scares me when they get into a conversation.  Tom Joad, the ex-prisoner sounds like he is getting pretty mad.  When I was reading it I thought that Tom was going to kill the driver.  I know it sounds pretty drastic, but that is what I thought would happen.  "The hell you ain't," said Joad.  "That big old nose of yours been stickin' out eight miles ahead of your face.  You had that big nose goin' over me like a sheep in a vegetable patch. (Steinbeck, 12).  If not killing at least I was thinking a brawl would break out, but thankfully it did not.  When chapter three started I was really confused.  It started about a turtle that was crossing a street.  "and as the turtle crawled on down the embankment, its shell dragged dirt over the seeds.  the turtle entered a dust road and jerked itself along, drawing a wavy shallow trench in the dust with its shell." (Hemingway, 16).  I did not get why it was talking about a turtle.  This book is confusing.  It starts off taking about a farm that does not get much rain, then a criminal getting a ride from a truck driver, and now a turtle.  I do not see where this book is going with the story.
Unfortunately this book is not living up to the previous book I read, but it is only three chapters in, so hopefully it will get better and maybe stay on track with one storyline.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Analysis: Fifth Day - The Old Man and The Sea

As the fifth day starts, the story is just about to come to an end.  Santiago made it home safe, but the fish that he caught did not.  As I see the fifth day I see it as a time of mourning.  All Santiago does is sleep and everybody else feels bad for him.  It is really a sad part and ending to what was a fascinating book.
As I said earlier, Santiago comes home and sleeps.  Manolin comes to visit him and is upset with how badly Santiago's hands are cut.  "The boy saw that the old man was breathing and then he saw the old man's hands and he started to cry.  he went out very quietly to go to bring some coffee and all the way down the road he was crying." (Hemingway, 122).  It shows how much the boy cares for his friend and hero. He is terribly upset with how bad Santiago looks and then he goes to get him some coffe, which shows just how loving the boy is towards the old man.  On the way, to get the coffe, Manolin comes in contact with the other fisherman.  They say that the fish was eighteen feet long.  "He was eighteen feet from nose to tail." (Hemingway, 122).  What a fish!  When I heard this I was amazed at the length of this fish.  I tried to picture how long eighteen feet was.  It is more than three of me stacked on top of each other.  It was exciting to hear this fact, but it is disappointing that Santiago could not make any money off of the fish.  It gets you thinking of all the what if's.  How much could he have sold it for?  We will never know.
When the story was over, I was fascinated by the book.  Each part or in this case day was vital to the whole story.  I loved the book and I hope the next two are just as good.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Analysis: Day Four - The Old Man and The Sea

As the book is over half way done now, the end has to be coming to a near.  The struggle can not go on forever, meaning that something has to happen soon.  When I was on day four, I always new that Santiago would reel in the fish.  I just did not know what the outcome of the whole situation would be.
At the start of the day, you could tell that this was the day that the fish would die.  They start battling and the fish is brought in closer and closer and finally Santiago killed the mighty marlin.  "The old man dropped the line and put his foot on it and lifted the harpoon as high as he could and drove it down with all his strength, and more strength he hadjust summoned, into the fish's side just behind the great chest fin that rose high in the air to the altitude of the man's chest.  He felt the iron go in and he leaned on it and drove it further and then pushed all his weight after it."  (Hemingway, 93, 94).  Finally, the battle is over.  Santiago has caught the prize of his lifetime, now all he has to do is get the fish home safely.  Should not be to hard right?  "It was an hour before the first shark hit him." (Hemingway, 100).  First of all, I never saw this coming.  I thought it would be a happy ending.  When I heard that there was a shark coming, I knew that Santiago was not going to be able to get the fish home safe.  There is no way one man with not many weapons can defend off dozens of sharks.  It is too bad that this had to happen.  Santiago fought so hard only to come up with nothing.  He only makes it home with the carcass of the fish.
This day of the story is the main part of the whole plot.  Even though the book is not quite over, it seems like the plot is over.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Analysis: Day Three - The Old Man and The Sea

As day three comes into play in the story, the struggle between Santiago and the fish continue.  He is being towed by the fish further and further and now is beginning to feel pain in his hands.  "How did I let the fish cut me with that one quick pull he made?" (Hemingway, 56).  "What kind of a hand is that," he said.  "Cramp then if you want.  Make yourself into a claw.  It will do you no good." (Hemingway, 58).  In holding the line that the fish is hooked on, it cuts his hand very badly.  Not only does he have a cut now, but his hand is beginning to cramp up.  When I heard this, I began to wonder how was he going to use that hand.  Was he even going to be able to use it at all?  Fortunately later it does come undone but Santiago is now beginning to feel the pain of the struggle between the fish.
Right now in the book, Santiago knows that the fish he has hooked is big, but he has no idea how big it really is.  He has been wanting it to jump not only to see, but it is a fishing technique that puts the fish in a bad position later on.  "The line rose slowly and steadily and then the surface of the ocean bulged ahead of the boat and the fish came out.  he came out unendingly and water poured from his sides.  He was bright in the sun and his head and back were dark purple and in the sun the stripes on his sides showed wide and a light lavender." (Hemingway, 63).  "He is two feet longer than the skiff." (Hemingway, 64).  Santiago gets his wish of seeing the fish and when it was described it is bigger than what Santiago thought, and is a beautiful fish.  As day three comes and goes, the day is used to show the reader how much of a struggle bringing in the fish really is.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Analysis: Day Two - The Old Man and The Sea

 As day one has now finished in the book The Old Man and The Sea, day two is set to begin bright and early.  The significance of day two is to really start the plot of what the book is really about.  Santiago gets up early due to the fact that he wants to go very far out in the ocean, to where the big fish are located.  "Before it was really light he had his baits out and was drifting with the current.  ONe bait was down forty fathoms.  The second was at seventy-five and the third and fourth were down in the blue water at one hundred and one hundred and twenty-five fathoms." (Hemingway, 30, 31).  I am not an expert at fishing and really have no idea about what this quote means, but I do know that Santiago is a very good fisherman, even though his look may not be as good.  You read on that putting the bait down as Santiago did, saves it from getting caught up in the current.  It really speaks levels about what an expert he is at fishing.  The plot gets exciting when Santiago feels the tug of one of his lines.  He prays that that the fish take it, "God help him to take it." (Hemingway, 42).  He does take the bait and you began to know that this is just not any ordinary fish, this is an enormous fish, who happens to be very strong.  "The boat began to move slowly off toward the north-west...  I'm being towed by a fish and I'm the towing bitt." (Hemingway, 45).  When I heard that the fish was moving Santiago and his boat, I was amazed.  Granted it is not the boats that we have today, in our society, but it is still a boat and it has to have descent size due to the fact that they are out deep into the ocean.  The second day is really the starting point for the whole story and it gets the story onto a good track.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Analysis: Day 1 - The Old Man and The Sea

In the book, The Old Man and The Sea, there are no chapters in the book.  Instead, the book is broken down into five days, each of which has an impactful meaning to the books story.  Althought a couple of the days may seem like they meant more to the story, each day contribute necessary and significant  information.
A look at Day One:
When the book starts, obviously it is day one of the five day story.  Although nothing exciting and mind blowing happens, this "day" is very useful to set up the whole setting that is yet to come.  You learn that Santiago is on a cold streak in catching fish.  This may be the most needed fact in the whole book, because it gives you background on what the story is to be about.  Like I said in an earlier blog, without it it would be a book about a old man fishing.  How boring.  "In the first forty days a boy had been with him.  But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week.  It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help..." (Hemingway, 9).  In reading this, you learn that Santiago and Manolin have a very close, loving relationship. It gets you tied into the story with kind of a romance feeling, but in a guy way.  Other information that was provided that was relevant to the story was the other fisherman making fun of Santiago.  It made me feel bad for what he was going through, and you wanted to see him catch a fish soon. Although this was not the day where he hooked the big fish, this day provided background information on what the story was going to be about.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Motifs - The Old Man and The Sea

So I was thinking of some more topics that I could blog about and I was beginning to run out of ideas.  So I am not going to lie I looked at other people's blogs to get some ideas.  I found a topic that I had not done and began wondering what is it?  I saw the topic that is called a motif.  What is a motif?  So I looked it up and found that a motif is a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.
So I thought that I would do this blog on motifs.
The first motif that came to my mind was the reoccuring dream of lions on the beach, that Santiago dreamt three times.  "He was asleep in a short time and he dreamed of Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great brown mountains." (Hemingway, 24).  This is when he dreamed of the lions in the beginning of the book, he also dreams of them when he is sleeping while on the boat and at the very end of the book.  "Up the road, in his shack, the old man was sleeping again.  He was still sleeping on his face and the boy was sitting by him watching him.  The Old man was dreaming about the lions." (Hemingway, 127).  The last sentence of the book was about the lions.  It leaves a lasting image about the lions playing on the beach.  The other motif that I came upon was life from death.  The one situation that comes up in my mind right away is part in the book where Santiago kills the marlin.  This is associated with life from death because when the marlin was killed, Santiago came alive with the kill and gave him a resurgence of life, when he was beginning to feel down about himself.

"Motif | Define Motif at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 27 July 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/motif.

 

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Tone, Writing Style - The Old Man and The Sea

In the book The Old Man and The Sea, the author, Ernest Hemingway, writes this book so people will want to read it.  For students like me, we do not want to read thick books with small print.  When I look at something like that I get intimidated by how long this is going to take to read.  Ernest Hemingway writes the book in big print and it is a very thin book, therfore making the reader less intimidated and it is a very short read.  What is not to like about this?  He puts interesting facts in the book to make it enjoyable, but he gets to the point of the book so that it is a short read.  You really do not want the struggle to go on for much longer, because it will get boring.  Ernest Hemingway had the perfect length to it, so that it was interesting, made sense, and made my life a lot easier by making it a short and quick book to read.
If there is any way that a book can be suspenseful and yet relaxing, well than Ernest Hemingway did just that.  He absolutely did a great job in writing this book.  He made it laid back for parts that got you relaxed and than when you were not expecting it he made it suspenseful and made it pop out of your seat.  "Fish," the old man said.  "Fish, you are going to have to die anyway.  Do you have to kill me too?" (Hemingway, 92).  The struggle between Santiago and the huge marlin has been going on and nothing has really happened for a while.  Than when you are laid back, Hemingway puts this bit of writing in the book, to get you thinking about what is going to happen next.  You begin to think is Santiago going to die.  Who will die?  You figure who dies, but at that moment you are not sure which makes it suspenseful.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Irony - The Old Man and The Sea

In the book, The Old Man and The Sea, Santiago has not caught a fish in eighty-four days.  Although the bad luck, he goes out fishing each day and is pesimistic about the chance of realing in the big one.  Although it never happens his attitude never changes about the subject of fishing.  On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago's luck is about to change, although he does not know what is to come.  He gets a bite and is praying that the fish take the bait.  "Come on, make another turn.  Just smell them.  Aren't they lovely?  Eat them good now and then there is the tuna.  Hard and cold and lovely.  Don't be shy, fish.  Eat them." (Hemingway, 42).  He is begging the fish to take the bait and he finally does.  He has finally caught a fish and it is massive.  Unfortunately for Santiago more bad luck is to come.  The fish is soon devoured by sharks.  Santiago tries everything to keep the sharks away, but he is no match.  This is so ironic due to the fact that Santiago finally caught his fish, and now all that is left is the skeleton of the beast that was.  He had done all this for nothing and his unfortunate luck continues.   "What a fish it was, the proprietor said. There has never been such a fish. Those were two fine fish you took yesterday too. Damn my fish, the boy said and he started to cry again. Do you want a drink of any kind? the proprietor asked. No, the boy said. Tell them not to bother Santiago. I'll be back. Tell him how sorry I am. Thanks, the boy said." (Hemingway, 123).  Another thing that is ironic about this situation is the fact that everybody (besides the young boy) was making fun of Santiago for his bad luck.  Now they are feeling bad and are showing gratitude towards him.  They are also amazed at what he had realed in.  It is amazing how peoples' attitude can change over one event.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Conflicts - The Old Man and The Sea

In the book, The Old Man and The Sea, the conflict is in now way hard to figure out.  It reveals itself right away.  "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish." (Hemingway, 9).  On the first page of the book you start feeling bad for the old man, Santiago.  It is a constant struggle between the old man and his unfortunate luck of not catching any fish. 
Another conflict comes when Santiago finally hooks a fish.  "He started to work his way back to the stern on his hands and knees, being careful not to jerk against the fish.  He may be half asleep himself, he thought.  But I do not want him to rest.  He must pull until he dies. (Hemingway, 78).  He has to real in and kill the fish and the conflict is that the fish is not wanting to give up, therfore, Santiago must struggle through the pain, hunger, and loneliness to reel in the huge marlin.  The battle goes on for three days, until finally, Santiago musters up the strength to slowly gain slack and then spear the huge marlin.  With this conflict comes another huge conflict.  If you are in the ocean and you just have speared a fish, what is going to happen.  Blood is going to go astray, and sharks are going to smell the blood and come to feast.  Santiago does not have many weapons to yield off many sharks, and he has to go a long way to get back home.  Everything was good until the sharks came and took all of the fish.  It seemed like one conflict led to another conflict, and another.  Everything went wrong for Santiago, but even though Santiago came up against many conflicts, you could say that he beat each conflict that came up against him.  It may not have been the way most people think of winning, but he definitely conquered each one.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Characters - The Old Man and The Sea

In the book, The Old Man and The Sea, there are two major characters and a group of people who as I see it, they make up a "character".  First of all, the two defined characters are Santiago (the old man) and Manolin (the young boy).  They are really only together in the beginning of the book, and than it is basically a story of Santiago.  From the beginning, the reader could feel a close bond between Santiago and Manolin.  Although they have no relation to one another, they watch out and show a lot of gratitude for each other.  I am sure that it is not easy going on all alone to fish, but Santiago wanted to see Manolin succeed.  He was not going to be able to do that with the luck that Santiago was having, so he told the boy to go with the other fisherman.  "You're with a luck boat.  Stay with them." (Hemingway, 10).  It really shows how much love they have for one another.  Manolin wants to go with Santiago, but Santiago wants to see Manolin catch fish.  Even though Santiago does not have much money, Manolin always finds a way to get Santiago dinner, coffee, or whatever he needs.  Throughout the book, when Santiago is by himself fishing, he is constantly saying, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this." (Hemingway, 48).  Even though he told Manolin he could not come with him, he is always wishing he had him to help.
The other character that I talked about is really a group of people.  They are the group of fishermen that make fun of Santiago for not being able to catch any fish.  At the beginning, they are making fun of him at the bar, but Santiago ignores them.  At the end of the book, when Santiago has the skeleton of the marlin that he caught, the fisherman see it and they are immediately taken back.  They realize how big the fish is and are amazed, and they probably will stop teasing him.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Setting - The Old Man and The Sea

Well, the setting was basically in one broad area.  That area was in the ocean.  I don not recall reading any text saying what ocean Santiago was fishing in but Santiago was from Cuba, so I think it would be a good guess to say that it was an ocean off the coast of Cuba.  It really was not an exciting place to have a book based on.  It was not in various countries or buildings; it was simply in the ocean.  From reading this point I got this general feeling of calmness.  Everything seemed liked it was relaxed and it gave me a very good feeling.  You could say in a way that this book was disstressful(I think that is a word).  The setting went along with this very calm feeling.  I think of the ocean when there is nobody in sight, a slight breeze, and very small waves.  This went along with the feeling that I got from this book.  It seemed like it slowed life down and it was a very happy but relaxive setting. "Far out to come in when the wind shifts.  I want to be out before it is light." (Hemingway, 14).  The setting actually was the reason Santiago did what he did.  It gave him life.  The reason why Santiago finally caught a fish was because of this quote.  He wanted to go farther out, where he knew fish would be, so that he could hook a fish.  Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Santiago went farther out into the ocean, so he could reel in the fish.  It is kind of funny because the ocean, in a way, was how everybody in Santiago's community made their living.  No ocean, no money.  Trying to remember other books settings, this books' setting stands out among the others because it was everybody's life.  In other books, the setting came to the people, in this book people went to the setting. 

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

My Opinion - The Old Man and The Sea

For this blog, I am going to write about what I thought about the book, The Old Man and The Sea.  I thought that this was a very good and interesting book.  For not being able to pick out my own book I thought this was a great book.  I am interested in mystery and crime books and honestly I was not very thrilled about reading this book, but I was surprised about how good the book really was.  I heard it was a book about a guy fishing and I was not very motivated about reading it, but when I started the book it grew on me.  It helped that it was a short and big writing but it was a very easy book to read (Hemingway, 9-127). 
One of the main reasons why I thought it was so good was because of the background history that it gave me.  From the start of the book it gives you the fact that tSantiago has not caught a fish in eighty-four days.  If it had not given me that fact than the book would have been boring because it would have been a story of a guy catching a fish.  "He's taken it." (Hemingway, 44).  If he had not had bad luck in catching fish, than who would really care that he caught another fish.  Since he did have bad luck, than this quote is very exciting because he has finally caught a fish.  It would in no way be the same book and by putting such a drastic streak in the writing, it makes these three words so exciting.
Another good part of the book, was the journey home.  He had finally caught the fish and now he was battling sharks.  It gave the book another fascinating story to, because he ended up losing the fish.  Since he lost the fish, the readers felt bad for Saniago, and became  thinking of what could of happened.  Due to these reasons I loved the book.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

History - The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and The Sea reflects two major events very well.  One of course is fising.  People were looking to get money and the people around Santiago's community were getting that money by fishing.  To me it sounded like there was really no other way to get money, so the only way to get it was fishing and it sounded like everybody enjoyed fishing.  The other event that I found was reflected very well was the mentioning of Joe Dimaggio (Hemingway, 17, 21, 22).  The book refers to Joe Dimaggio playing through a bone spur and Santiago saying he could go through his pain if Joe Dimaggio could play through a bone spur.  This really reflects history well because Joe Dimaggio did have a bone spur and he did play through all of the pain. I think that the author puts responsiblities on grown-ups to be role models for the youth.  Santiago was a very good role model for the young boy and the young boy looked up to him.  I believe that the author believes that there needs to be a person a child can look up to.  I do not only believe that he meant ir for the time when the book was written but I believe that he put this in to the book to show that children look up to adults and they need to realize that and be a good influence on them.  I believ that two sports played a influence on the author.  Fishing and baseball were mentioned all of the time and I believe that they influenced him.  The author could have grown up around fishing or baseball and that is what might have influenced him to write this book.  Seeing this paints a picture in my mind that the author was a very active person.  This may not seem like it is a big deal but it makes me appreciate the book more because I know that the author appreciated the outdoors and he was very active.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Techniques - The Old Man and The Sea

In reading the book The Old Man and Sea, techniques revealed themselves as you got further and further in to the story.  You could find techniques pretty easily throughout the book, but some were there even though you may not have thought that they were.  The one thing that I thought about after the story was the technique of suspense.  This writing technique is usually found in mystery books, but if you think about it, suspense was maybe the biggest technique in the whole story.  Will he catch a fish?  How long will this battle go on?  Will he reel in the fish?  These are all suspensful questions that are in this book.  "God help him to take it." (Hemingway, 42).  Will the fish take the bate?  This is just another question that is an example of suspense.  Suspense really keeps the reader reading because it keeps them on the edge of their seat.  It is an excitement of what is coming next that thrills the reader.  I am in to mystery books, so I like it when there are moments when you do not know what is going to happen next, and this book does a very good job of keeping the reader interested. 
The other technique, which I am not sure if it is a technique, but I am going to make it one is the overall sense of relaxation.  Again, I have said this in previous blogs but it was such a relaxing book.  Sure it was an exciting book, but it was never a heart-thumper, (if you know what I mean).
I liked the book a lot, but one technique that I wish would have been in there is humor.  It would have changed the story a little bit but I would have liked to see it in the book. It does not have to be a comedy show type comedy, but little jokes here and there I think would have helped a lot.  A flaw with this is that I do not know where to add this, but I would have liked it.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Why we still read this book - Old Man and the Sea

For every book, there is a reason why someone wants to pick it up and read it.  It could be something special to them, a hobby of their's, or it sounds like a good book.  In my case, I was forced to read it, and after reading The Old Man and The Sea, there can only be one explanation to why people still read this book.  This book has been on book shelves for over fifty years.  Today, there are books that have not been up five years and people do not read them.  Fortunately for this book, people still read and enjoy this book, and that is why it is still read.  It is read to this day because people enjoy reading this book.  It is an exciting and adventorous book and those are the types of books people want to read.  If it has been read by so many people for this long, than it is obviously a book that people enjoy.
I have said this in previous posts, but its message is a great message for people to go by every day.  Persevere through the suffering and you will find joy.  That is what Santiago did and achieved.  He could have felt sorry for himself, but he did not, and instead of complaining he worked through the hard and unlucky times.   "It could not happen twice." (Hemingway, 18).  In saying this, Santiago was referring to his streak before his current streak.  His highest streak of not catching any fish was eighty-seven, and he says that it will not happen again.  This may not seem like much, but to me it sounds like he has faith and confidence that he will catch something.  From this book we can learn the message.  We need to not ever give up no matter what the situation is.  Too big or too hard is never an excuse for giving up. We always need to look for the "silver lining" in the dark clouds.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Historic Relevance - The Old Man and The Sea

In reading the book The Old Man and The Sea, one thing that relates to the history of the time period is the mentioning of Joe Dimaggio (Hemingway, 17, 21, 22, etc.).  Seeing that Joe Dimaggio was playing in the thirties, forties, and early fifties, this book had to of taken place in 1951 or 1950, since Joe Dimaggio retired in 1952. (That is just my guess.)  Anyways some say Joe was the greatest baseball player ever, but for Hemingway to mention Dimaggio on so many occassions, it tells me that sports played a significant role in that time period.  In mentioning Joe Dimaggio and the New York Yankees, it makes the book more enjoyable to read for me, because it relates to baseball.
From reading the book,there was one social and behavior issue that I picked up on.  That was that if you were a fisherman with luck you were well liked by all the other fishermen.  Right at the beginning of the book everybody was constantly making fun of Santiago because he had not caught a fish for so long. Also, going along with this point is that everybody seemed to be around each other, except Santiago.  This proves my first theory that if you were lucky you were liked.  They all seemed to be around each other either when it was getting ready to go fishing or going to a bar.  I think that the books symbolic and thematic significance is that, if you persevere through the hard times, suffering, you will be rewarded in the end.  It goes along with Santiago very well in this situation.  He suffered through the agony of not catching any fish for so long, but when he finally did catch the fish, he persevered through the pain, the hunger, and the loneliness and he killed the fish.  You could say, "How was he rewarded?, he ended up losing the fish."  In the end he was rewarded with the fact that he still has the ability to catch fish and he is not going out there for no reason.

"The American Experience | Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 13 July 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dimaggio/>.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Hero - Old Man and The Sea

When you hear the word "hero", you automatically think of superman, batman, and "hero's" like that.  You begin to think of the people who save the world from evil villains.  In the book The Old Man and The Sea, there is no typical hero.  Nobody does anything spectacular that you would associate with a hero.  However, in this book, the hero would have to be the old man because of what he does.  He overcomes many challenges throughout the story like:  finally catching a fish, catching an eighteen foot fish, and going on a three day journey and killing the fish.  Santiago was an old, unlucky, and caring man (Hemingway, 9).   Although he had all the reason to be grumpy and mean, Santiago cared for fishing and the young boy who looked up to him.
Santiago has a few small accomplishes throughout the story, but by far the greatest accomplishment that Santiago achieved was that he caught the marlin.  At first it really does not sound like that great of an accomplishment, but when you think about it, it was a huge accomplishment.  Going so long without any fish, Santiago catches not just any fish, but the biggest fish he had ever caught.  Santiago is portrayed as a calm man who loves fishing.  He does what he loves but and looks forward to each day of fishing (Hemingway, 10). 
Santiago arguably could represent multiple things.  Strength, courage, and the will to not give up could be considered what he represents.  In my opinion, Santiago represents calmness.  Throughout the book, he was always calm when he could have been scared or worried.  When he was out at sea all by himself, he was very calm and collected, where I would have been freaking out.  When he had the fish he was confident and calm.  He never got so excited when he hooked the fish, and he was never frustrated when he could not bring it in.  He was very calm which gave the book a very relaxed feeling to it.  

 

 

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Themes, Human Nature - The Old Man and The Sea

In reading The Old Man and The Sea, two reoccurring themes stuck out to me.  The first theme that I found important was suffering.  How much suffering did not only Santiago go through, but also the fish.  In catching the fish, Santiago had to go through physical and emotional pain.  Hunger, lacerations, and loneliness overwhelmed Santiago, in his struggle with the fish.  In holding the line that the marlin was on, his hand had been cut very badly and was beginning to cramp up (Hemingway, 64).  Santiago began to get so hungry that he had to eat the fish that he had intended on using as bait (Hemingway, 66). However, Santiago was not the only one who had to go through suffering; the marlin also had to go through the pain.  Sure, he was a huge fish, who had great strength, but having a hook in your mouth and pulling a boat had to be very difficult. 
This theme leads into the next major theme of perseverance.  Both Santiago and the Marlin had a test of whose will was stronger.  You could say that in the end Santiago won this battle, but both had a test of their perseverance.  Santiago's was that he had to be able to hold on to the fish no matter how hard it was.  He had to go through the "sufferings" of pain, hunger, and loneliness to hold on to the great fish.  It tested his strength and endurance, but in the end Santiago prevailed in killing the fish.  Even hough the fish did die, his perseverance was tested.  Again, the fish had to go through much pain and strength to not give up.  In the end, he did, but it was a great fight that was put up on both ends of the battle.
By using the themes of suffering and perseverance, Hemingway not only understands the battle being fought in the book, but also the battle being fought by everybody on a daily basis.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Causes, gains, and losses - Old Man and The Sea

In the book The Old Man and The Sea, there are many small conflicts, but the book revolves around one major conflict.  That conflict is that the old man, Santiago, has not caught any fish in eighty-four days (Hemingway, 9).  With this conflict come many gains and losses but really no explanable cause.  The only cause that you can get out of it is that Santiago is just having bad luck in catching fish.  The biggest gain is Santiago finally catching a fish.  He had been in a huge drought and finally he comes up with something.  With this, Santiago gains a huge moral booster.  He had been made fun of by other sailors for not catching anything and finally he gets that burden of his back (Hemingway, 11).  Also, he gains the satisfaction of catching an eighteen foot marlin, the biggest he had ever caught (Hemingway, 122).  However, with all these gains come a few losses.  By far the worst, Santiago loses the marlin.  After finally catching the fish, Santiago can only watch and try to fight off the ferocious sharks from eating his massive marlin.  With this, Santiago loses a lot of hope.  He had come all this way, not only to hook the marlin, but to hold on to him for three long days.  He might lose the feeling of why he does what he does.   When it was all said and done I am sure that if he had the chance to do it differently he would, but Santiago gains all this experience that came with the fish.  If you look at all the gains and losses, you could say that they equal each other out, but in my opinion, the gains will last much longer in the mind of Santiago.  If I were in Santiago's shoes, it would be tought the first few days to get over what had happened, but you can always say that you caught the biggest fish and that he gained self-confidence in the whole experience.


 

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Values and Attitudes - Old Man and the Sea

In writing the Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway portrays himself through the main character in the book, the old man.  As you read the book, the author shows the old man as a very compassionate, determined, and faithful person and fisherman.  The old man and the young boy have a very close relationship.  Despite the old man's unfortunate luck, the young boy insists on fishing with him.  As a human being you never want to tell somebody no, but the old man can not let the boy come with him.  He wants to see the boy succeed and have fun in catching fish, and you can not do that if you are not catching fish.  Nobody wants to go out to see alone but the old man shows kind heartedly tells the boy to fish with somebody else. Going along the journey with the old man you begin to feel the pain he is going through.  You begin to get tired and start telling him through the book to let the fish go(well that is what I did).  As the old man suffers through the journey, I began to think what would I do if I was in his situation.  I'm miles away from home, I do not have much food or water, and I am all alone.  I would have cut the line and turned back.  The old man shows his determination by   persevering through the pain and fighting against the fish.  If you have not caught a fish for eighty-four days I guess you would not want to lose the biggest you have ever hooked(Hemingway, 9).  Faithful is usually thought of as having faith in God, but the old man was a faithful fisherman.  He continued on fishing, even though he was going on a "cold streak."  His life was fishing and he loved doing it, so he stuck with it.  He looked forward to each day(Hemingway, 10).  Evan though the luck was not his he stuck with it and persevered. The author writes the story in third person, even though much of the time is stuck talking about one character. 

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.