Old Man and the Sea
Caitlin Couch
Period 4
Old Man and the Sea
1. Symbols a. The Marlin is a major symbol in the novella. It stands for Santiago’s ideal opponent; his worthy challenger. He feels lucky to be able to fight this challenger, as it is his equal. Having bested your equal is much more satisfactory than whipping some amateur’s butt. I think that he feels that by facing the Marlin, he is giving the best of himself to his cause. He’s going full throttle, and by facing his Marlin, he is enhancing himself. b. Another major symbol is the sharks. I think that to Hemingway, the sharks represent his audience, or his criticizers. Santiago is to Hemingway as sharks are to critics. Santiago finds the catch of a lifetime, his truly worthy opponent, to have it torn to shreds before anyone can fully recognize and appreciate it. He says the sharks teeth are like “human hands”, which makes me wonder if he is trying to parallel to naysayers dragging him down. I feel that Hemingway might have trying to draw similarities between life and the story for his audience. That to finally find the thing worth finding, to lose it to your pride, is one tough piece of crow. 2. In this novella Hemingway’s style is very matter-of-fact. He states facts. However, he shows a great affinity to Santiago. 3. appeals 4. The appeal that is most prevalent in the novella is emotional. 5. 6. Figures of Speech c. Hemingway uses understatement noticeably, and one especially memorable instance was when he said: “The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.” (pg. 10) This one sentence manages to cover the entirety of the man and boys relationship. 7. I did not have any trouble understanding the text. 8. I think that I did not have much trouble understanding the text because I know somebody who resembles Santiago. Through his struggle with the Marlin, his most epic battle, Santiago wins and loses his prize, which gained through pride was lost
Period 4
Old Man and the Sea
1. Symbols a. The Marlin is a major symbol in the novella. It stands for Santiago’s ideal opponent; his worthy challenger. He feels lucky to be able to fight this challenger, as it is his equal. Having bested your equal is much more satisfactory than whipping some amateur’s butt. I think that he feels that by facing the Marlin, he is giving the best of himself to his cause. He’s going full throttle, and by facing his Marlin, he is enhancing himself. b. Another major symbol is the sharks. I think that to Hemingway, the sharks represent his audience, or his criticizers. Santiago is to Hemingway as sharks are to critics. Santiago finds the catch of a lifetime, his truly worthy opponent, to have it torn to shreds before anyone can fully recognize and appreciate it. He says the sharks teeth are like “human hands”, which makes me wonder if he is trying to parallel to naysayers dragging him down. I feel that Hemingway might have trying to draw similarities between life and the story for his audience. That to finally find the thing worth finding, to lose it to your pride, is one tough piece of crow. 2. In this novella Hemingway’s style is very matter-of-fact. He states facts. However, he shows a great affinity to Santiago. 3. appeals 4. The appeal that is most prevalent in the novella is emotional. 5. 6. Figures of Speech c. Hemingway uses understatement noticeably, and one especially memorable instance was when he said: “The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.” (pg. 10) This one sentence manages to cover the entirety of the man and boys relationship. 7. I did not have any trouble understanding the text. 8. I think that I did not have much trouble understanding the text because I know somebody who resembles Santiago. Through his struggle with the Marlin, his most epic battle, Santiago wins and loses his prize, which gained through pride was lost