Monday, April 28, 2014
Old Man, Half-Way Through . . .
Please write down your reactions to the first half of The Old Man and the Sea
in the comments section below. Pay particular attention to objects or
actions in the text that could have symbolic meaning, given their
contexts. For instance, what can you make of the lions, the beach, the
contests of strength, etc.?
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So far I think the book is pretty interesting. This book has a lot of symbols throughout it because of the objective style the book is written in. An important symbol I have noticed is the sea. The sea is where the old man spends the majority of his time and it is practically his second home. The sea to me symbolizes mysteries and the unknown, not knowing what may come next or what is in the darkness below you. The sea also makes me think of being unsure of things. The roughness of the sea may represent the hardships of the old mans life, but he seems to like the hurricane weather while out at sea because after the rough water of a hurricane the water is smooth. This is like after many hardships in ones life things will get better and easier. Also, along with this hurricane weather and the roughness and the smoothness, it connects to the peacefulness of the sea and the destructive side of the sea. The sea can also represent freedom. When the old man goes into the sea it seems as though it sets him free. The sea can set anyone free because it is so large and there are so many places you can go. The Old Man and the Sea has many symbols with lots of meaning.
ReplyDeleteThis book compared to all the other books we have read this year, and throughout high school is by far my favorite. Mostly because it’s not Shakespeare. But also because it isn’t that many pages, the words are a good size, and it is very easy to understand. The way Hemmingway writes, it’s so easy to understand the meaning of the book where as if I was reading Shakespeare I would have no clue what I was reading. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemmingway often uses symbols. The biggest one I have found so far is the sea. It pretty much is his home because he spends the majority of his time out fishing. Also it represents the thrill and pride of bringing in a big fish. Although the old man is almost always on the water, his favorite time is in between hurricanes because the ocean is calm and smooth between storms. The next big symbol is the marlin. To the old man, it symbolizes hope, courage, and accomplishment. To him it is the ultimate prize. And even though he knows he has no hope of catching it, he still relentlessly tries to reel in the mighty fish.
ReplyDeleteI love this book! The literal meanings are so easy to understand, unlike most of the other books we have read. In Old Man and the Sea there is much more hidden behind the simple language that needs to be deciphered by the reader. I like this because there isn’t frequently a terrible interpretation. In the book, there are many similar objects repeated over and over again. Many animals are in the book and the Old Man does a great job of giving his perspective and adding understanding to the reader. The great marlin is a symbol of power, hope, pigheadedness, fear, and courage. It’s interesting how the Old Man will not back down to the powerful and huge fish, yet he knows he has very little chance of actually capturing it or even bringing it back ashore. I believe this same goal is often faced in life and people have a certain feeling of self-respect, which makes them feel as though they must do it, or at least try. The beach is a symbol of hope, history, regret and faith in my opinion. I believe this because it’s an old memory the Old Man has but doesn’t have any real literal significance. It’s a very powerful symbol that can be portrayed in various ways. The symbol I connect to best is baseball. Joe DiMaggio is the Old Man’s idol and he actually comes from a fishing family. He can connect his life to DiMaggio’s because of that one similarity. DiMaggio is a symbol of life and greatness, whom everyone respects. He is one of the sole figures that keeps the Old Man connected to life back at home.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first half of The Old Man and The Sea, I have left the text with a full comprehension of the plot. However, some strange and reoccurring topics have begun to appear. The topics are not critical to the plot, random in arrangement, and seem to have special meanings behind them. Some examples of the topics are turtles, lions on African beaches, the boat, baseball, and being alone. By evaluating these topics with no context to the book, they seem fall flat and do not have much of any connections among each other. In the book, the old man seems to add the random topics with a purpose and connection among them and his life. The old man is the character who usually references these topics. I believe this is critical to the book because the old man is the icon for wisdom, self-pride, and truth of the book. With the old man’s positive and respected qualities, as a reader I feel for the old man when he is in the fight and also try to make sense of the old man’s random topics of thought. Not yet fully realizing why the old man is referencing these topics, the task of interpreting them is quite difficult. By piecing some of the facts and common qualities of fisherman, I have begun to roughly interpret some of the topics. For example, the topic of baseball is often seen in the text. Baseball and other sports are always an easy, yet argument provoking topic of conversation for men. The old man who as a fisherman most likely is not the most outgoing, will often partake in a baseball conversation. By conversing baseball, the old man has become interested in it as a sport.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Man and the Sea is written in a very unique style. It took me some time to get used to it after reading books filled with such rich language, especially since we just finished Macbeth. The writing is very simple, which is good considering there are a lot of symbols to analyze in the book. The sea could represent so many different things in the book. When I think of the ocean I think of things that are unknown, as well as challenges, and discoveries. The old man's adventure on the sea, could represent the story of his life as a whole. Especially since he has faced many challenges and hardships during his life. The arm wrestling stories that the old man remembers from when he was younger, is closely connected to his battle with the marlin. The idea of a struggle for power is very prominent in the book. The old man knows that either himself or the fish will die, and this is related the arm wrestling he mentions because of the idea of winning or conquering something. The topic of baseball and Joe DiMaggio also comes up several times in the book. It is clear that the old man admires him and he seems to stand as a symbol of success. The old man works hard and is very dedicated to his work, a lot like an athlete is. DiMaggio seems to be someone who the old man strives to be like, and an ideal that he is trying to reach. These are only a few of the symbols that are prominent in The Old Man and the Sea and when you begin to look for them and analyze them, the book takes on a whole different meaning. The connections between some of the symbols really give life to a book that has very simplistic writing.
ReplyDeleteSome far I have really enjoyed reading The Old Man and The Sea. Just about half way though the book the story is very good and is developing very well. I can tell that something big is coming but right now I am just waiting for it. I really enjoy Hemmingway’s style of writing. After reading some of Shakespeare’s work over high school it is nice to read something a little more simple and easier to understand. I have understood this book much more so far then another book so far this year. I also like how Hemmingway uses many different symbols in the book. One very big symbol in this book is the sea. This whole revolves around the sea and all the life the sea contains. To me the sea could mean positive things such as peace, beauty, or grace but the sea can also represent negative things such as loneliness, destruction, or power. As of right now I believe the sea represents loneliness the most out of all of those options. I believe this because the old man is alone on a small ship in the middle of the sea. The old man also keeps mentioning how much he misses the boy and all the different ways that the boy could have helped him. The sea could also represent power because the old man is battling a very powerful creature that the ocean created. The old man in this book also symbolizes things. He symbolizes strength, wisdom, experience, and pride. The old man is strong because he is enduring this battle with a massive fish even though the odds are stacked up against him. He is wise and experienced because he knows all the tricks to fishing, the book does a very good job of showing this. He represents pride because he lied about having food for dinner because he was to proud to admit that he didn’t. So far I have really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to the end.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Man and the Sea, at first, was kind of difficult to get into and to read because it in written in a way that I have never read before. I do really like it, and I find it very interesting the way the old man reacts and interacts with the fish and the other parts of the sea. I do think that the more we talk about different possible meanings for things in class, I will start to love the book. It is just a reading style that I have not yet adjusted to. The old man’s dream about the lions takes place in Africa, where he grew up as a kid. I feel that the lions in the dream are something that he associates with strength. Physical strength and dignity are something extremely important to the old man and I think that the lions that he remembered from being a child were creatures that he associated with strength and dignity when he was a child. Often times things that we see when we are small, stay with us throughout our lives. But, when the lions start playing as ordinary house cats that suggests a more child-like, playful nature. Which could either symbolize the fact that he remembers being a child in Africa, or he is thinking of the boy while dreaming.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Man and the Sea is very different from most books that I have read, it is simple, the words are plain but you have to use symbolism to determine the meaning of some of the things the author put in the book that comes up a lot. I feel like strength and wisdom is something that the old man has a lot of and is made known through out the book so far, he tells about his arm wreastling matches against people in the bar and he shows the boy all he knows about how to be a good fisherman and how to be a good man. The old man lives a pretty simple life he lives in a shack and goes fishing every day he does the same thing everyday over and over again. He dreams about lions on the beach, he's taking something with strength the lion and putting it on something he holds dear the beach the sea., it's the two parts of himself. The Old Man and the Sea shows many examples of symbolism because it uses simple language.
ReplyDeleteI find this book very interesting because of the simple yet effective way that it’s written in. The words, writing style, context is quite easy to understand, but the meaning hidden behind all this reveals an entirely different side to the story. The symbols that Hemmingway includes add definition to the story and make it more unique. For example, one reoccurring object is the marlin. This fish, that the old man is trying desperately to catch, symbolizes hope, defeat, success, and hard work according to me. It symbolizes hope because the old man is risking his life and health while at sea, just for the hope and pleasure of catching his dream fish. It symbolizes defeat because the old man feels that while in the means of catching that fish, either he will die or the fish will, leading to his defeat. The fish also symbolizes success since the old man wishes to accomplish one thing and that is catching that fish. Finally, the fish also represents hard work. This is because the old man works day and night and puts his every last bit of effort in to try to get what he wants. The fish is connected to him mutually, and in a way, represents the old man himself. The sea, another reoccurring object, stands for freedom, and is like a home for the old man and actually represents his life. The old man spends days and nights there and experiences his good times and bad times at sea, which is what life actually is. Hemmingway’s book is so simple and easy to understand, yet it contains so much more than expected, which is why the book is interesting.
ReplyDeleteHemingway's style of writing had me interested in The Old Man and the Sea from the beginning. His simplistic but vivid use of imagery was easy to understand yet held deep meaning. Santiago first comes off as someone who is alive but not quite living. He goes by each day trying to get what he needs to survive almost like a cycle. But as the story continues, repeated ideas start to suggest differently. The ocean plays a big role in the book. It is unpredictable and holds many struggles for all fisherman alike. It can be gentle yet rough and light but dark. The vastness of it shows that anything can happen. The old man believes this wholeheartedly and ventures every day to get lucky with the fish. Lions comes up rather frequently in the old man's dreams. Lion can be connected to strength and power. To some extent, this could be a reflection of the characteristics he desires. Baseball is also another repetitive topic. He looks to DiMaggio as his idol. A famous athlete with a lot of success, the baseball star lives a completely different life from the old man. This may be the reason why Santiago is so fond of him. DiMaggio is like hope for him. Because the author writes so plainly, it gives the readers a chance to interpret the insight of his words.
ReplyDeleteThe book The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, is a much different style than books that I have read not only this year in english, but books i have read throughout high school. This book requires you to think deeper and put your mind in a huge symbolism mode, even though the language is very easy to comprehend unlike other books such as Macbeth where the plot is so hard to understand when you can't even get past the meaning of the words. Some of the biggest symbols used in this book are the sea. The sea is referred to many times in the book to this point. Personally, when i think of the sea or the ocean, I think of unexplored things and unknown territory, most of the ocean is unknown because of how large it is. In this book I feel like the sea stands for the old mans life and how he doesn't really know what hes doing with it. He has nothing to do with his life besides go out every day and try to catch the marlin. Another item that is referred to a lot in this book is the large fish, or marlin. The old man is adamant about catching this fish no matter how tired he is or how his hands are cramping up, he wants to bring home the fish. I feel as if the fish stands for something more, like wanting victory. For the old man, catching the large fish on his own stands for a huge victory and glory in his life. Overall, this book has many things that stand for such a deeper meaning and can allow your mind to think deeply about it.
ReplyDeleteOld Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway is one of the most unique books I have ever read. His writing style makes this book far different then any books I have read. Its language is simple, yet it is packed with layers of symbolism beyond the ordinary lines of text. For instance, throughout the book the Old Man talks of baseball very frequently, he also speaks about Joe DiMaggio, who he seems to idolize. The Old Man seems to think of Joe DiMaggio as a symbol of triumph and success,he works hard, as DiMaggio does, and he seems to strive to be like DiMaggio. Also, the newspapers he sleeps on can also be considered symbols. When I think of newspapers I think of sports, funnies, and obituaries. It seems more often then not that newspapers are filled with bad news, I think that the newspapers symbolize that the Old Man is not far from death, that he soon will be written about in the obituaries. This book by Hemmingway is by far the best we have read all year, this is because with its simpler writing style it becomes easier to focus on the symbolism in the book, unlike Shakespeare were you have to decipher the literal meanings before you can figure out the symbolic meanings.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Man and the Sea is one of my favorite books that we have read so far this year. This is for one main reason: it is easy to read. The first thing you need to be able to do to understand a book is to be able to interpret the language of the book, and this book is very straight forward and doesn't really get too in depth about certain things. To me, it sort of reflects the objective style of writing that we have been learning about in the past week of school. The story and meaning of this book are very powerful. It seems as though everything has a symbolic meaning behind it. For example, the book makes many references to animals such as marlins, tuna, and lions. I think that all animals are a symbol of strength, and life. In the book when the old man catches the big marlin, it drags him out to sea and doesn't stop. He just keeps swimming further and further out. This represents strength and not giving up. This can relate back to the old man because he doesn't give up as well. He just lets the fish drag his boat out into the open ocean and not once does he consider cutting the line and letting the fish go. He is a very stern, determined man and once he has his mind set on something, it must be accomplished. The old man also talks about his favorite baseball player, Joe DiMaggio whom he sees as a role model. DiMaggio was involved with fishing before baseball came along, so he can compare to the old man. The less complex writing of this book makes it much more capable to seek the symbols in the book (and there certainly are many of them).
ReplyDeleteThe Old Man and the Sea is simply written yet the main character is quite complex even though his life seems quite banal. The Old Man and the Sea began with little to no point until the reader is introduced to the conflicts that the old man faces on a daily basis. The concern of Manolin for the old man is very enduring. Manolin who is simply a boy plays a somewhat fatherlike role in Santiago’s life. Manolin also have deep respect for the old man who taught him how to fish. Santiago has an ambivalent attitude towards the sea. He both fears and respects the sea and the things that it provides. Santiago also has a dream about a lion on a beach, the is dream could signify the strenght and courage that it takes to face the sea, attributes which he shows daily. The sea also seem to encompass the life of the old man. The sea is a part of his routine and without this he will have no purpose. His determination to catch the gaint marlin may be his only way to prove that he is still able to keep the routine that he has nurtured for many years. Perhaps this determination is linked to his dreams of the lion who stalks his prey until he has success. The determination of Santiago to catch the marlin is similar to the determination of a lion who attempts to catch his prey, and perhaps this determination will lead to his demise.
ReplyDeleteSo far I am enjoying “The Old Man and the Sea”. It’s a lot easier to understand compared to the other books we've read. This book really makes me feel bad for the old man because he wants to do things by himself and be independent but he is getting older and can no longer preform the same physical tasks he used to be able to do. This book is filled with symbols. In my opinion, the lions playing on the beach represent the former Santiago. Lions are associated with strength and power which the old man once had. In his mind the old man is still youthful and strong. I think it is important that Hemmingway focuses a lot on Africa and the lions because it shows Santiago’s desire to be young again. The old man desperately longs to go back to his youth where he was capable of doing more. He now needs help with things he normally could do on his own. You can tell how much the old man misses being young when he thinks back to his old arm wrestling competitions. The old man thinks back to his past quite often and it shows how much his body has declined. He used to be able to defeat anyone in an arm wrestling competition but now he can barely keep his hand from cramping up. The old man is struggling to accept his mortality and goes on one last quest to prove his strength. Santiago’s internal struggle causes him to take one last battle that tests every aspect of his being. He’s borderline crazy for pushing himself this close to death but his struggles are understandable.
ReplyDeleteThe book The Old Man and the Sea is a very symbolic book. So far, I have enjoyed reading it. I like that it is straight forward. Although the text is generally easy to read, you have to pay close attention to all the symbols in it. A symbol that really stuck out to me was the ocean. The whole book is based around the old man and the sea (that is the title of it). I can interpret that the ocean symbolizes the old man’s life. For example, when the ocean is smooth and easy the old man is having a good day and is catching fish. When the ocean is rough and wavy, the old man is struggling with what other people are saying about him and all the other problems in his life. The sea is what the old man lives for. It is the center of the whole book. The sea is brought up in almost every page of the book. I look at the sea as the old man’s future as well. He will always have good and bad days. The sea also represents the old man’s “best friend.” There is a sense of peace and happiness when he is out in the water. Even if he isn’t catching fish he still lives to get back in the water everyday and continue to fish. The Old Man and the Sea is a good book with many symbols that are extremely important.
ReplyDeleteI find complexity in the simple writing of Hemingway in The Old Man in the Sea. The book is so simply written that while reading it your mind goes into "symbolic mode." Your mind looks past the simplicity and looks for underlying symbols or hidden meaning in the details. Just form reading the beginning of the book I have seen a repeating mention of sharks. In the very beginning Hemingway vividly describes the butchering of a shark, later he mentions how the old man drinks the shark oil. To me this symbols something that could come further of sharks. Sharks are the kings of the sea. Sharks have power and are very strong creatures. Similarly to the lion the old man dreamt of. Like sharks, lions are strong, powerful, brave animals. This might represent the old man's desire to remain strong even in his weaker days. There is nothing the old man wants more than to be strong. Strong enough to catch this fish, strong enough to continue to go out and fish every day in his age, strong enough to live on his own without accepting the help he needs from others. The lion and the shark represent what the old man longs to be. Finding the connections and the deeper meaning of simple concepts in the book is like a game to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading The Old Man and the Sea I found is very boring and almost too simple, but as I kept reading I found that the book made a person really think and maybe even find it symbolic. Something that someone could find symbolic was the old man himself. He is a very strange old man and the way he acts and the choices he make could be seen as symbolic. For example the old man catches a huge marlin and is struggling through enormous pain and loneliness out on the sea. Yet why does he keep going and pushing through the pain? Is he trying to prove something to himself? Or maybe he is telling something to the reader? Maybe the old man is a symbol for hope and never giving up when the odds aren't in our favor. Yet the old man could also be a symbol for something completely opposite. He must know that the fish he has caught is far too large to pull back to shore. He could never bring it back or even fit it on his boat. Is this a suicide mission? Does he have just too mush pride to stop and return to land empty handed again so he goes on this battle with this enormous fish to the end? As you can see this book really makes you think about hidden meanings and symbols. Now that I am almost finished with this book I am really enjoying it and find it every good. This is my favorite book we had read so far!
ReplyDeleteErnest Hemingway writes very differently than many others. The Old Man and the Sea was a very simple book to read, this made it easier to enjoy and to understand the book. Although, at times I felt like the book was too simple and I was missing something. However, that is just the way the book was written. I also liked that this book wasn’t dark or sinister. Most of the books we read about in school can be hard for me to read because I don’t like the dark and sad topics. While the story at times got sad with the old man’s determination and loneliness, this book was actually kind of relaxing to read. Some of the sentences sounded like they were mistranslated or just written awkwardly but the book as a whole was written very well and there was a pretty good flow. The Old Man and the Sea contained many symbols including lions. In my opinion the lions represent dignity, strength, and ability- all of which the old man desires to have in his old age. Another important topic is that of the young boy. Manolin is an important part of Santiago’s life. Santiago is like a father to Manolin. The young boy demonstrates youth, innocence-the old man talks a lot about sin throughout the book, and freedom. It was so much easier for me to pick out symbols in this book then it has been for me in the past with stories like Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the lions on the beach was a fantasy of Santiago's that he never got fulfilled... the contest of strength are probably attributed to how he was as a young man, but also how he is in old age. He is still very strong, both emotionally and physically, even as he stands on death's door. It's kind of sad if you think about it, but at the the same time hopeful.
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