In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, one of the main characters, Santiago, encounters many obstacles that impede his goal of catching fish. These obstacles are both physical and mental. All of these obstacles disable him from fulfilling his potential in catching fish.
One of first obstacles is poor equipment. He has a very small wooden skiff. This hinders him from doing any really intense fishing, as the skiff is not sturdy enough. With a sturdier skiff, it would be easier for Santiago to reel in larger and stronger fish. Also, Santiago does not have a fishing rod. Instead, he uses his hands and a string. The string batters Santiago’s hands. If he had a correct fishing rod, it would not scrape is hands. Non scraped hands would give Santiago more endurance while fishing. Better equipment would help Santiago’s fishing experience. Quote-“He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding.”PG.55-56-This quote explains the pain Santiago experiences while out at sea. With better equipment, this would not be an issue.
The next obstacle that Santiago endures is a mental issue. First, he is alone on all of his fishing trips. He used to have a boy that he fished with, but the boys parents stopped allowing him to fish with Santiago. If Santiago had a fishing partner it would boost his confidence nd he would have had more fun. Also, a fishing partner would help him physically as he would not have to do as much work. With rest on the fishing trips, he would have more energy to catch fish during the day. Quote-“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” PG.9- This quote explains that Santiago spends long endless days at sea alone.
The last obstacle Santiago encounters is fatigue. Santiago is at sea much to long. It is hard for Santiago to change this as he stays out at sea for weeks alone. He needs to stay out at sea to survive. Although everyone is generous to Santiago by giving him food and drinks, it is still hard for him to make a living. If Santiago had a somewhat bigger boat, like the size of today’s modern boats, it would be much easier for him to fish. He could leave a line out at sea while he sleeps. This would reduce his fatigue. Quote-“I wish he’d sleep and I could sleep and dream like the lions.”PG.66- This quote explains that Santiago needs a break. He wanted the fish to sleep so he could sleep. If the fish sleep then Santiago can let go and not worry about catching the fish.
If all Santiago’s obstacles were overcome, he would be a much better fisherman and a happier person. There are solutions to Santiago’s obstacles but it will take hard work, determination and knowledge.
About Me
- Mr. B-G
- “Man lowers his head and lunges into civilization, forgetting the days of his infancy when he sought truth in a snowflake or a stick. Man forgets the wisdom of the child.” - Jack Kerouac (1922 - 1969)
8 comments:
Well Jake i think this is a pretty good story and you describe the thesis pretty good. My favorite quote is about how his hand is bleeding from the line. I like it because it shows how he is injured and still fights to catch the fish. I liked how you integrated the quotes into the paragraph then explained them it worked nice. Next time you could maybe have a little more supporting introduction and conclusion.
Jake, your thesis statement is very good and I think you started your story off really good, like your intro was good. Another thing that I noticed which I really liked is how you did both, Santiago’s physical and mental struggles. I thought that was cool combining both, instead of writing just about his physical or just his mental struggles.
I liked the quote you picked out for Santiago’s struggle with the equipment. I think the quote on how his hands were torn up because of the lack of good equipment fit that struggle very well. I also liked how you organized the story and it was very clear and understandable.
One advice I would give you is, next time you write, make your conclusion a bit bigger and rephrase the thesis statement a little bit more. Other than that, the story was great.
they jakeee.
your thesis was alright but nott too detailed. your 3rd quote was really good and fit well with the rest of your paragraph. you had some good quotes. next time you should re-word your thesis startement so it is a but more clear..
Jake, I think your thesis statement is adequate. It is very simple, which is fine, but to make it really strong you could have added a little more substance to it. I like your quotation about the lions the most. I think it accurately depicts the theme of the story. Also, I think you used some good words in certain places. I thought that added to your piece quite well. Next time, I would consider proof-reading after you finish, as I found a few spelling and grammatical errors in your essay.
I liked your thesis statement. It was a little unclear at points in the story though. Mt favorite quote was the first one. Because this is when a lot of his struggles begin. I think that it shows his struggles with his hand and the beginning of more to come. I thought that you wrote your middle paragraphs the best, but you did have some spelling mistakes.
I thought that this thesis statement was well written but could be improved. It is clear about what Santiago has to overcome. It is focused but it doesn’t engage me because I think you need more information of what he is trying to do and how he hasn’t caught a fish in over 80 days. I like the second quote you had from page nine. I think this would have been more effective in your thesis statement but it’s good that you got it somewhere in your essay. I like this quote because it gives you background information on the story. I think Jake explains how he is limited in supplies and is not able to perform at the highest rate as he can. I think the next time you right a similar essay to this you should have a stronger thesis statement to get the readers attention.
I felt that your thesis was a little hard to find sometimes but it was okay. I liked the quote on page 9, because it emotionally grabs at you, and makes you sad. I thought it could have been better in the first paragraph or mabe at the end. I think that this essay backs up the quote and explains them clearly. I would make it a little more enjoyable or fun to read. I felt that it was a little boring, and could have definitly had words added to make it more interesting. But good story!
Jake, that was pretty good. The thesis was different from most because you included both mental and physical struggles. I liked the hand quote because it shows all the pain and hardwork the old man encounters. I found it suprising that your vocabulary was so good, it made a better essay. My only advice was to end with a stronger conclusion.
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