The Old Man and the Sea essay assignment
When there is defeat, a yearn to try harder is born with it. After losing a game, the team has a motive to practice harder than ever, because they now have a goal to reach. After getting a bad grade on a test, one has the drive to study longer, and harder. In the novella, Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago has not caught a fish in 84, and has been defeated by the sea. Throughout the book, there is a theme of determination. Santiago’s determination was fueled by his previous defeat, and it makes him try harder to reach his goal.
In the beginning of the book, on page 10, we learn in the first paragraph that Santiago is “definitely and finally Salao, which is the worst form of unlucky.” Although it is true that Santiago was unlucky or that you could argue he was unlucky, this doesn’t defeat him, and he continues with the activity that he loves. Also, Santiago accepts his "unluckyness" and believes that he will be lucky again, when the time has come. Instead of being defeated by this, he turns it around to make himself more determined to defy what others are saying about him. Although in the book it is emphasized that this is what he loves doing, he is pushed further by this defeat.
It is not only Santiago, but the Marlin and shark that are determined to survive, and refuse to be killed, whether that is not being caught (the marlin) or claiming food (the shark). "If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able." This quote explains the intellectual difference between hunter and hunted, and that the hunted are usually not as intelligent as humans, but still as noble. I have noticed, and think that it is almost entirely true that animals never immediately give in to a threat, and will keep their pride throughout the struggle for life.
Fish, you are going to have to die anyway. Do you have to kill me too?" Santiago says on page 111. As well as knowing his death will come, he knows that other species are certainly not immortal. In this quote he fights for his "survival" (really meaning financially in this quote. or being knocked into the sea) and pushes the fishes life aside. this quote explains how we can often rank a species importance by how long it lives, as well as their asset to the world. But what asset are humans to the lives of fish? I answer this by saying that our superiority makes this question not matter.
In a famous quote by Hemingway, he says "the fish is a fish, the old man is an old man, and the shark is a shark. The symbolism you hear is [crap]" And i agree that there really is no allegory whatsoever in the story. The struggle for life in this story may be shadowed by the plot, but when it does come up throughout the book, it is not a metaphor for something else. A fish is a fish, and survival is survival for any living animal. Being one of the most prominent themes in the story, we learn how even with the fullest knowledge of knowing our downfall, we still use every ounce of courage we have to stay alive. Fascinating, isn't it?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
third quarter outside reading book review
Third quarter outside book review
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Little brown and Company, 2008. Fantasy fiction.
Breaking Dawn is the four books in the twilight saga, continuing and perhaps concluding the story of Edward and Bella’s romance, and the Journey they have been through together. The book is written in three sections; in Bella’s point of view, then Jacobs, and then back to Bella’s. It starts off with Edward and Bella’s wedding, which Alice plans, although Bella is reluctant to let her. They leave for their honeymoon that night and end up at Isle Esme, a private island on the coast of Brazil that Carlisle bought Esme. They arrive at the home they will be staying in, and fulfilling his promise, Edward makes love to Bella. After a long stay on the island, Bella realizes her period is late, and feels a bump in her stomach, which she thinks to be a baby, but realizes that it couldn’t have grown so much in this amount of time. She calls Carlisle who tells them to come home immediately, and learns she is pregnant. The baby grows very quickly and is a vampire hybrid. Because it is so strong it is hurting Bella from the inside. After just a month, the baby is born, by tearing its way out through Bella’s stomach. Bella loses so much blood that Edward can only save her by turning into a vampire. She sees her child for the first time, and names her Renesmee. Soon, the Cullen’s got a visit from Irina, who misunderstands Renesmee for being an immortal child and goes to the Volturi, who then try to kill Renesmee and the Cullens. The Cullen’s go around the world in search of other vampires to stand as witnesses that Renesmee is not a threat. When the Volturi confront the Cullen’s and their witnesses, they realize that they have been mistaken and execute Irina for her mistake. When they are still deciding whether Renesmee is in fact a threat to the discovery of vampires, Alice and Jasper show up with a hybrid named Nahuel, who demonstrates that she poses no threat.
“A near-genius balance of breathtaking romance and action…” –VOYA
Stephanie Meyer has an incredibly descriptive writing style that shows throughout her series. Love is also a prominent theme in all of the books. In this book, however, she used two different perspectives of the story, something she has not done before. She references the bible several times, and also uses Shakespeare’s books to compare with events or struggles in the story.
“Though the fire did not decrease one tiny degree-in fact, I began to develop a new capacity for experiencing it, a new sensitivity to appreciate, separately, each blistering tongue of flame that licked through my veins-I discovered that I could think around it.” – pg. 378
Yes, I am one of those crazed Stephanie Meyer fans. The ones who come home from a long day of school and pick up the book right as they walk in the door. But the reasons for this are her amazing use of description, and getting to know each and every character and event so well, as well as her emphasis on the power of love, that everyone, including me can relate to and strive for.
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Little brown and Company, 2008. Fantasy fiction.
Breaking Dawn is the four books in the twilight saga, continuing and perhaps concluding the story of Edward and Bella’s romance, and the Journey they have been through together. The book is written in three sections; in Bella’s point of view, then Jacobs, and then back to Bella’s. It starts off with Edward and Bella’s wedding, which Alice plans, although Bella is reluctant to let her. They leave for their honeymoon that night and end up at Isle Esme, a private island on the coast of Brazil that Carlisle bought Esme. They arrive at the home they will be staying in, and fulfilling his promise, Edward makes love to Bella. After a long stay on the island, Bella realizes her period is late, and feels a bump in her stomach, which she thinks to be a baby, but realizes that it couldn’t have grown so much in this amount of time. She calls Carlisle who tells them to come home immediately, and learns she is pregnant. The baby grows very quickly and is a vampire hybrid. Because it is so strong it is hurting Bella from the inside. After just a month, the baby is born, by tearing its way out through Bella’s stomach. Bella loses so much blood that Edward can only save her by turning into a vampire. She sees her child for the first time, and names her Renesmee. Soon, the Cullen’s got a visit from Irina, who misunderstands Renesmee for being an immortal child and goes to the Volturi, who then try to kill Renesmee and the Cullens. The Cullen’s go around the world in search of other vampires to stand as witnesses that Renesmee is not a threat. When the Volturi confront the Cullen’s and their witnesses, they realize that they have been mistaken and execute Irina for her mistake. When they are still deciding whether Renesmee is in fact a threat to the discovery of vampires, Alice and Jasper show up with a hybrid named Nahuel, who demonstrates that she poses no threat.
“A near-genius balance of breathtaking romance and action…” –VOYA
Stephanie Meyer has an incredibly descriptive writing style that shows throughout her series. Love is also a prominent theme in all of the books. In this book, however, she used two different perspectives of the story, something she has not done before. She references the bible several times, and also uses Shakespeare’s books to compare with events or struggles in the story.
“Though the fire did not decrease one tiny degree-in fact, I began to develop a new capacity for experiencing it, a new sensitivity to appreciate, separately, each blistering tongue of flame that licked through my veins-I discovered that I could think around it.” – pg. 378
Yes, I am one of those crazed Stephanie Meyer fans. The ones who come home from a long day of school and pick up the book right as they walk in the door. But the reasons for this are her amazing use of description, and getting to know each and every character and event so well, as well as her emphasis on the power of love, that everyone, including me can relate to and strive for.
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