The Old Man and the Sea #3

This book has a few universal themes. One of the themes has to do with defeat. Nobody ever wants to be defeated. Santiago does not want to be defeated either. He puts up a fight when he tries to catch the big beautiful marlin. He does not want to come home defeated but the marlin is also putting up a fight because it doesn't want to be defeated either. Santiago is almost setting a new record for himself, going eighty-seven days without catching a good fish, so you can imagine his determination. When he finally hooks the marlin and ties him to the side of the boat, there is a glimmer of hope that his bad luck streak is over. Eventually though, sharks begin to smell the blood of the fish and after one comes, more begin to come as well. Santiago knows that there is really nothing he can do, but he fights anyway because he does not want to be defeated.

Another thing that Santiago does alot in the book is compare himself to the animals around him. (Hemingway, 37) By doing this, he makes himself apart of nature. When he is apart of nature, he does not have to compete with it, which means he will not be defeated by it.

I believe Hemingway understands alot about human nature. He understands people and the things that they feel. He understands the fear of failure and also the struggles that come with age. Also throughout the book, you can learn values like strength, courage, and patience. Hemingway shows all of these things through the character Santiago.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scibner Paperback

Fiction, 1995. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea #2

I thought the main conflict in the book The Old Man and the Sea was kind of hard to point out. At first, I thought the main conflict was between Santiago and the sea or the marlin. I thought that because all this time Santiago was having bad luck and not catching any fish. Also in the book Santiago describes the sea as harsh even though it is beautiful.(Hemingway,29) Catching the marlin in the first place was a challenge. Every time Santiago put up a fight, so did the fish. However, once he caught the fish and tied it to the side of his boat a new set of problems began. The sharks smelled the blood of the fish and were beginning to gnaw away at the marlin. So, by the time the old man got to shore, there was just a skeleton where the fish would have been. The other conflict that I thought of was internal, and it was between Santiago and himself. Because Santiago is becoming older, he is becoming limited in what he can do. The reason I think he fought so hard for the marlin is so he could prove to himself that he is capable of bringing in a fish that big. If he could prove that to himself than he wouldn't feel so old.

The cause of the first conflict I think has to do with Santiago and the marlin being too much alike. Part of the reason it was so hard to catch the fish was because he wouldn't stop fighting. Santiago would never stop fighting either. (Hemingway, 63) The second conflict was caused just by old age I think. Getting older must be kind of hard. Eventually, you realize you can't do all of the things you used to and that's a bummer. That is probably how Santiago felt. He always stayed strong and calm, but deep down, he knew he was getting older.

The gains of the conflict are that you learn patience, courage, and strength. Santiago has all of these things and keeps them throughout the book even when things get hard. The losses of the conflict is that he didn't end up getting a big fish, despite all his efforts. (Hemingway, 126)

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scibner Paperback

Fiction, 1995. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea #1

The Old Man and the Sea was an enjoyable book to read. I liked it because it was not only short, but it was simple and straight to the point. I like books where you don't have to over analyse everything, but you just read it and understand what its saying. Well, in the story, Santiago loses his luck in catching fish. He goes out to sea everyday for hours and hours and still catches nothing. Many of the other fisherman make fun of him and give him trouble because he continues to waste his time fishing. The only one who really believes in him is his friend Manolin. Manolin is a young boy who also fishes. Manolin loves fishing with the old man because he learns alot. Santiago however, wants him to stick with a lucky fishing boat so that he will not get in trouble and he will continue to catch fish. So day after day the man fishes, when finally one day he hooks a big fish. The fish and him continue to fight for hours, and the hours lead to days. Finally Santiago catches the fish and hooks him to the side of his boat. But Santiago's troubles don't stop there. Smelling the fishes blood sharks start to surface and after beating one off, others come. Santiago finally returns back to shore with nothing left but a skeleton on the side of his boat. Tired and weary he still returns with no fish. Manolin takes care of him and says he must get better so that they can continue fishing together.

The author's values and attitudes in this book I believe, are courage, strength, and patience. Santiago was courageous because he would fish even though people laughed at him and he would go far out to sea, knowing that it probably wasn't the safest thing to do. This book also portrays strength. It portrays strength because even after hours of fighting with the fish, the old man would keep going, despite his cramping hands and back.(Hemingway, 58) Last but not least, this teaches patience. Santiago ends up still without a fish to show off in the end. Even though he has no fish, he always keeps a good attitude and doesn't ever get mad or frustrated. Santiago decides he will still continue to fish with Manolin. (Hemingway, 126) This book is written in third person because the readers know what the characters are feeling and what is happening in the book.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scibner Paperback

Fiction, 1995. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath Characters 2

Grandpa and Grandma Joad are not very different from each other. Grandpa, in his younger days, used to have a terrible temper, but now because of his age he is limited in what he can say or do. Grandpa also loves to torment grandma and delights in shocking people with his sinful talk. When the Joads decide they are going to move to California Grandpa refuses to leave, so the family drugs him in order to move him from his home.(Steinbeck, 113) Grandpa passes away soon after leaving home. Grandma on the other hand is a devoted Christian and loves to get on Grandpa for his talk and his temper. She also passes away shortly after Grandpa.

The other children in the Joad household include, Noah, Ruthie and Winfield. Noah is Tom's older brother. He has always been a little deformed since birth and tells Tom that their parents have always loved the other children more than him. Instead of going with them all the way to California, Noah decides to stay back and live by a stream on the border of California. (Steinbeck, 209) Ruthie is the second and youngest daughter in the family. She has a fiery personality and is very dependant on her little brother Winfield. Winfield is the youngest child in the Joad family. He is ten years of age, and Ma Joad worries that he will grow up to be wild because he does not live in a proper home.

The Joads encounter many other people on their journey such as Ivy and Sairy Wilson. The Joad's meet the Wilson's while traveling on route 66. The Wilsons let the Joads borrow their tent so that Grandpa can have a descent resting place and in return the Joads fix the Wilsons broken down car. The two families decide to stick together for awhile and help each other out. Eventually though, the Wilsons have to stop due to Sairy's health. There are also other important characters in this book, but I decided to just cover some of the main ones.

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

The Grapes of Wrath Characters 1

Tom Joad is the main character in the novel The Grapes of Wrath. He is also the protagonist in the story. Tom is a very thoughtful person and even though he killed a man, he does not live with a guilty conscience. He lives in the present day always. Because he lives this way, it helps the family worry less and stay positive. Tom is loved and respected by his family and is very moral throughout the book. Ma Joad is another respected character. Ma excepts her role in the family and like Tom she stays up beat and optimistic throughout their journey.

Unlike Ma Joad, Pa Joad feels out of place in his weaker position while in California. He leans on Ma Joad for strength while trying to find steady work. Pa is very kind and also very respected. Another character that is very important in the novel is former preacher Jim Casey. Casey decided to stop preaching because of his belief that the whole human experience is holy. (Steinbeck, 24) He helps the Joad family out alot and even gets arrested for a fight that broke out between laborers and the California police. He also helps organize with the migrant workers.

Rose of Sharon is the Joad's oldest daughter. She is a helpless romantic and sometimes impractical. Rose of Sharon and her husband Connie are expecting their first child. They both have dreams of settling down in California and becoming a cute little family.But when the harsh reality of life sets in, Connie abandons Rose of Sharon and the baby. (Steinbeck, 277) Later after being in California for awhile, Rose of Sharon has her child, but it is stillborn. I think Rose of Sharon grew up and matured alot throughout the book.

Another Joad sibling is Al Joad. Al Joad is Tom's younger brother. The only thing he is interested in is cars and girls and although very cocky, he looks up to his older brother Tom. However, by the end of the novel he decides to stay with the women he loves and becomes his own man.

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

The Grapes of Wrath #8

I would say that the novel The Grapes of Wrath reflects events in history pretty well. Like I said in an earlier blog, even though the Joads were a fictional family, they represent many real families that lived in that time period. The struggles they went through were the same struggles that many real families went through as well. The Dust Bowl did really happen and the people being kicked off of their land happened as well. Then you have all of the people trying to find work in California, and that really happened too. So overall, I would say yes, this novel does reflect the events in history pretty well for the most part.

Well The Grapes of Wrath was written in 1939 and the events in the novel were taking place in the 1930s so I am assuming that he lived during this time. Because he lived through this period, it probably influenced him to write about what he may have witnessed. Friends and family of his could have influenced him to write this novel because they themselves could have been going through things that the Joads had to go through.

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

The Grapes of Wrath #7

John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, used many techniques throughout the book. Techniques are mainly used by authors in order to keep the readers interested. Techniques can include humor, mystery and suspense. Steinbeck on the other hand, used alot of imagery and short narratives to describe what it was like living in that era and to show what the people were doing in the book. Steinbeck also uses alot of foreshadowing. For example, starting in chapter three Tom sees a little land turtle on the side of the road. A truck passes on the road, jusy barely missing the turtle. Tom picks the little turtle up deciding to bring it home for his little brother. (Steinbeck, 18) On the way the way to his home Tom meets Jim Casey. While talking to Casey the turtle almost escapes several times and is very persistant, but Tom catches it every time. The readers cant help feel a little bad for the turtle because you see how hard it is struggling to get out. Once Tom and Casey reach the house and find that it is abandoned. Tom finally lets that turtle go with a sigh. The turtle's struggle to get away foreshadows the events that will happen to them and all of the struggles they will have to go through. Like the persistant turtle, the Joad family will not give up.

Steinbeck also repeats phrases throughout the novel. He does this so it adds extra emphasis to the phrase and it gets the point across to the reader. For example, in chapter 12 a migrant family is on their way to California. The migrants are arguing back in forth on what they think California will be like and whether their car can hold up and take them all the way there. Meanwhile, their little boy in the backseat is complaining about how thirsty he is. (Steinbeck, 121) About four different times Steinbeck interrupts his descriptive words about the trip with the phrase "Danny wants a cup of water." He does this so that its almost as if the migrant is telling the reader to get Danny water but they are helpless in doing so. These are just two of the many techniques Steinbeck uses in The Grapes of Wrath.

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