10:25 AM
Mr. B-G
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a novella involving the main character, Santiago, going through many struggles. The elderly fisherman goes on a four day long fishing adventure chasing after an eighteen foot long marlin. Manolin, the boy who was now forbidden to go fishing with the old man by his parents, was good to have around but with his absence, he is suffering from lack of help and support.
Santiago is represented as an unlucky fisherman in a small fishing village. He has a meager amount of money and an inadequate skiff but he tries to make do with what he has. He was expecting to go out at sea for just the day and come back at night, but his plans changed when he hooked the marlin. Because he wasn’t planning on a four day trip, he didn’t bring along the extra food, harpoons, or rope he needed. As he says, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is” (110). While at sea, he is constantly thinking of what he forgot or what he could do if he had brought something along. It’s almost like he’s tempting himself by saying that and it just makes it harder to get through the long days. Being without enough supplies, Santiago was affected greatly because if he had had everything he needed, he might have been able to catch the marlin in half the time it took him without enough supplies. Also, he had to work extra hard to make up for not having enough materials.
Another struggle Santiago endured was his cramped hands that were getting cut up by the rope. The cramping began when he hooked the marlin and from then on, it switched hands. “He tried to keep the cutting across the calloused parts and not let the line slip into the palm” (83). Swapping which hand held the rope still didn’t help. At the end when Santiago finally arrives back home, the boy notices his hands, telling him to ‘get them well.’ As much as this fierce fisherman tried to keep his hands in good condition, the rope still ripped them up. It affected the old man because it made it difficult to operate with only one hand. Fishing is an activity where you need both of your hands. It must have been hard when he caught the marlin with just one hold on it because his extremities were being cut by the fishing line.
The final struggle that the old man goes through was his unending fatigue. Fishermen, as it is, get tired from being out in the sun all day long and putting forth all their energy just to catch fish, the only earnings they receive. Santiago being aged on top of all that adds to his exhaustion. “He had felt faint and dizzy and that had worried him” (87). I think that he wants to catch the marlin so badly that he will do anything for it, even if it means risking his life. He just keeps going and going, never giving up on this catch. His fatigue altered his character because although he was a good fisherman, his tiredness overruled great talent. It made him see black spots and he felt nauseous. At times, he didn’t even feel like he was still alive. The only thing that made him realize he was still conscious was the coppery and sweet taste of blood in his mouth.
All in all, The Old Man and the Sea told the story of a veteran fisherman and all the struggles he went through to get “the fish of his dreams.” It didn’t matter that he only brought back the skeleton of the marlin; everyone was still in shock and amazement because he went through so much to get it. Through his fishing expedition, he had a lack of supplies, was so drained of energy that he barely thought he was alive, and his hands were in shooting pain. But, he survived. And that’s all he ever really asked for.
Santiago is represented as an unlucky fisherman in a small fishing village. He has a meager amount of money and an inadequate skiff but he tries to make do with what he has. He was expecting to go out at sea for just the day and come back at night, but his plans changed when he hooked the marlin. Because he wasn’t planning on a four day trip, he didn’t bring along the extra food, harpoons, or rope he needed. As he says, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is” (110). While at sea, he is constantly thinking of what he forgot or what he could do if he had brought something along. It’s almost like he’s tempting himself by saying that and it just makes it harder to get through the long days. Being without enough supplies, Santiago was affected greatly because if he had had everything he needed, he might have been able to catch the marlin in half the time it took him without enough supplies. Also, he had to work extra hard to make up for not having enough materials.
Another struggle Santiago endured was his cramped hands that were getting cut up by the rope. The cramping began when he hooked the marlin and from then on, it switched hands. “He tried to keep the cutting across the calloused parts and not let the line slip into the palm” (83). Swapping which hand held the rope still didn’t help. At the end when Santiago finally arrives back home, the boy notices his hands, telling him to ‘get them well.’ As much as this fierce fisherman tried to keep his hands in good condition, the rope still ripped them up. It affected the old man because it made it difficult to operate with only one hand. Fishing is an activity where you need both of your hands. It must have been hard when he caught the marlin with just one hold on it because his extremities were being cut by the fishing line.
The final struggle that the old man goes through was his unending fatigue. Fishermen, as it is, get tired from being out in the sun all day long and putting forth all their energy just to catch fish, the only earnings they receive. Santiago being aged on top of all that adds to his exhaustion. “He had felt faint and dizzy and that had worried him” (87). I think that he wants to catch the marlin so badly that he will do anything for it, even if it means risking his life. He just keeps going and going, never giving up on this catch. His fatigue altered his character because although he was a good fisherman, his tiredness overruled great talent. It made him see black spots and he felt nauseous. At times, he didn’t even feel like he was still alive. The only thing that made him realize he was still conscious was the coppery and sweet taste of blood in his mouth.
All in all, The Old Man and the Sea told the story of a veteran fisherman and all the struggles he went through to get “the fish of his dreams.” It didn’t matter that he only brought back the skeleton of the marlin; everyone was still in shock and amazement because he went through so much to get it. Through his fishing expedition, he had a lack of supplies, was so drained of energy that he barely thought he was alive, and his hands were in shooting pain. But, he survived. And that’s all he ever really asked for.
4 comments:
Clare, your theme is relatively strong. It could use more emphasis I thought but it was concise and to the point. It was also enticing. My personal favorite quote is the one found on page 110,"Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is”. That is because it is representive of not only your thesis but the points you were making in that paragraph. It was also explained well and went along with the essay accordingly. I also liked it because I thought it was introduced well within the paragraph.
Your essay has good word choice. Your words flow through teh essay and are descripitive and are well used in teh context. Your choice of quotations is also very evident throughout the essay. The only piece of criticism I have to offer you is that I thought your introduction did not provide enough background information. That is because in the second paragraph you provided background information that I felt was necessary to put in the opening paragraph to give the reader a better understanding of what your essay is going to be explaining. An excellent essay though.
Clare, I really loved your essay though your opening paragraph only summarized the story and did not explain your thesis. My favorite quote was “He had felt faint and dizzy and that had worried him” because it really emphasized Santiago's fatigue. I also really liked your choice of words to enhance your point. For future advice I suggest you work on your thesis statement in the opening paragraph. In general it was a very good essay.
I really like your essay. You used lots of details and it was enticing. The thesis statement was strong and clearly stated. I like how you described the struggles that Santiago faced. You used really strong vocabulary and it made your essay interesting. The quotes you included fit really well. I think your essay was strong and well written.
Clare, I really liked your story. It was enticing and made me want to read on. You included lots of details which made it easy for me to get into. Your choice of quotes made it very interesting. Well written =]
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