Reflection Blog 1

I have read A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. This was a pretty good story to me. It had a lot of talk about God and how Mary would look to him in order to decide her fate. The writing of this story was kind of like how the Purtian writing. They were alike by their characteristics. Mary Rowlandson would always look up to God to tell her what to do next. When her baby died, she looked up to him and asked him what should she do next. When she wrote, "I repaired under these thoughts to my Bible (my great comforter in that time) and that scripture came to my hand..." (Rowlandson 85). She speaks in this quote about how her Bible was her comforter during this hard time. Her son was sick and she needed help from God. The Puritan writing was just like this because that they also used the Bible as a model to the story. When Mary had nowhere else to go she would look at a verse in the Bible in order to guide her to her way. She would look up to god as of what to do. This story also was written as a diary which was how the Puritan's wrote some of their stories and the workings of God. Mary would put her faith into god and write it as a journal. She would take the path that God had given her. She knew that if she would die, she would have salvation. When her son was ill she wrote, "and no Christian friend was near him to do any office of love for him, either for soul or body" (Rowlandson 84). This means that when her son was ill no Christian was around him in order to pray for him and his soul. It was only her to keep him company. She said that their was nobody to give any "love for him, either for soul or body. Their was no Christian their in order to give love for his soul or body. Overall, this story was a lot alike towards of how the Puritan's writing was.

The other story that I read was the story Upon the Burning of our House. This story was about a girl who's house gets burned down. The thing is though that she is not mad that her house was burned down. Of course she is sad about all the stuff she had lost that she loved and all the things that made her happy, but then she realized that if God had given her all that stuff, he should be able to take that away. She understood that this was God's will. His will was to make her realize that none of the stuff she used to love really mattered to her anymore. He wanted to make her realize that she had to trust him. When Bradstreet wrote, "The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above" (Bradstreet 91). She says this because she realized that all the things she thought that she loved before her house burnt down were really not that important to her. What really was important to her was that she could trust God. God had given her those important things and he could just take them away. This story's characteristics were just like the Puritan's writing characteristics. They both used writing to explore their inner and outer lives for signs of working of God. Just like when her house was burned down she understood that that was the working of God and she let it go. Both of these stories showed characteristics of the Puritan writing.

Bibliography

Bradstreet, Anne. "Upon the Burning of our House." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffery D. Wilhelm.

American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Co, 2009. 91. Print.

Rowlandson, Mary. "A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson."Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Co, 2009. 82. Print.

Journal 2

One day a young cheetah was going to his first day of school. This cheetah's name was Timmy. Timmy was not well-mannered at all. His mom and his dad were not teaching him the right way with manners. He was heading into his first day of school and he was not prepared at all for what was coming at him. Well, once he got to school he headed into his first class. Once he got in this class, which was english, he sat down in his seat. The bell rang and the teacher came in and started to talk about what was going to go on in her class. She was in the middle of speaking when Timmy blurted out something about him. The teacher realized it was Timmy, but she ignored him and kept on talking. She was busy talking again and he blurted something out once again. Finally she moved him into the hall in order to think about what he had done. After school Timmy went over to Greg the giraffe's house. He did not think about what had happened at school today and was still the same person he was. Once at Greg's house, Greg's mom had made them some milk and cookies. They started to eat the cookies and milk and then Timmy spilled. Greg's mom did not see the accident and Timmy decided that he was not going to tell her about it. So then Timmy and Greg went upstairs and played while Gregs mom was going to head around the counter in order to cook dinner. When she was going around she slipped on Timmy's spilled milk and hit the ground hard. She realized what happened and got mad at Greg even though Greg did not do anything. She sent Timmy home about an hour later and Timmy felt really bad. He came home and told his mom about what had happened. She told him that he needed more manners if he wanted to have friends. The next day he went to school and he was very polite to the teachers and once he was at Greg's house he made sure not to spill or do anything wrong. He knew that if he had done something wrong he would have to admit that he had done it and clean it up. Timmy had a lot of friends and he learned to have good manners.

Journal 1

One day a cheetah was born and was loved by his mother and father. Once he was able to get into school, everybody else noticed that something was wrong with him. Cheetah's have always been known for their speed. Even the little cheetah's that were just born are pretty fast, that is one big trait that a cheetah has. Anyway, Jim, the little cheetah, had a physical education class that first day of school. Everybody was supposed to run as fast as they can for five laps. Once they started Jim found out that he was not as fast as all the other cheetah's. He was not really bothered with it because he knew that he was very little compared to all the other cheetah's. Once they were done running Jim came in last by at least one and a half laps. After he was done, all the cheetah's were making fun of him telling him he was short and very slow. After hearing all this, Jim went into the bathroom and started to cry. He stayed in the bathroom until their next class had started. After school was over Jim went home and told his mom about the whole story as to what happened to him. She felt sorry for him and Jim said that he wanted to try and get faster. He said he was ready to train or practice in order to be as fast as he could be. His mother agreed and started to train with him. Everyday Jim would get faster and faster and his mother would see that he was doing better. During school though, Jim would still be at the end of the line. He figured that once he was done with his training he would be very fast and be first in his class. A couple months later Jim was done training and it was Jim class. All of the cheetah's were lined up and ready to go. The horn went off and everybody started Jim and another cheetah named Steve were head and head throughout the whole race. At the last one-hundred that they had Jim and Steve were so close. At the finish line Jim won the race by a hair. He was so excited and everybody was so surprised. Jim felt great and after that nobody ever made fun of him about being slow.

Imagery- Fahrenheit 451

The imagery in Fahrenheit 451 was a little bit ironic. The imagery in this book were animals and nature. In this society everybody hates nature, except for a select few. Nobody really wants to go outside and enjoy it. They would rather stay inside and watch television. They would rather follow orders of the society rather than just go independently and think on their own. Anyway Bradbury puts Clarisse into the book who loves nature. When Clarisse was outside tasting the rain she saw Montag and asked him to try the rain with her. The experience that Montag had changed him throughout the whole story. It made him realize that he did not really mind nature that much. Clarisse made him think that way. When Bradbury wrote, "And that awful flower the other day, the dandelion! It had summed up everything hadn't it? What a shame! You're not in love with anyone" (Bradbury 44). As you can tell, Clarisse loves nature and that is the kinds of thing that made Montag think about his life. Also another example of nature is when Montag gets caught with the books and he is headed into the country where he has never been before because nobody likes nature in the society. Well the country showed him freedom. Freedom was a thing that he had never experienced before. Being couped up in that society for so long he was able to think on his own and do things on his own. He did not have to have things watching him twenty-four seven.

Another part of the imagery were the animals. The animal imagery in this book was ironic. Even though the society hates nature and loves technology, many of the mean mechanical devices that they use are named after animals. Just like the Electric-Eyed Snake machine which the society used in order to pump out Mildred's stomach after she tried to kill herself. Also another machine that they used animal imagery on was the Mechanical Hound. The Mechanical Hound was used for attacking people or to scare them in order to follow the law in the society. The Mechanical Hound came in the book once Montag burnt Captain Beatty to a crisp. Imagery played a big part in this story and it even had a little irony in it also.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Granger- Fahrenheit 451

Granger does not show up until the end of the story, but it seems like he has the most effect on Montag. After Montag gets caught with all the books he has his wife left him and then he burned his own Chief! While he was running away from the Mechanical Hound that was after him he met a guy out in the woods and his name was Granger. Granger was the leader of the "Book People". The "Book People" were a group of hobo intellectuals who were once professors that enjoyed reading and had bits and pieces of classic books that were stored away in their memory.

While Montag was on the run he met up with Granger and even though Granger knew who Montag was since he was all over the news he still invited him to stay with them. While the group of intellectuals and Montag were watching the news while they were trying to find Montag, Granger started talking about how they were going to wait until the society gives up and let people read books again. Granger had confidence and strength in the human spirit. He felt that once everything ends bad, the society will let people read books again. He said that they were in a network of thousands of people all over the country that had the classic books stored in their memory. They are waiting for humanity to let books back into their lives and Granger said that they will wait as long as it takes in order to be useful for the society. Even though if it does not happen in Granger's lifetime they will still pass it down from generation to generation if they have to.

Granger shows his dedication to books because he feels that he will waste his life if he has to just to get books back into humanity. When Granger says, "Welcome back from the dead" (Bradbury 150). After the man that the society decided to catch instead of Montag was dead, Granger gave Montag basically a welcome back joke. Granger became a real friend of Montag and was a good person overall.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Clarisse McClellan- Fahrenheit 451

Clarisse McClellan stood out in this society. Everybody had heard of the girl who was very weird because she liked things that nobody else liked at all. Clarisse ran into Montag while he was on his way to work and asked him a question that he will never hear again. This is what she said, "Do you ever read any of the books you burn" (Bradbury 8). Montag had never heard a question come out of anybodies mouth especially to a fireman. Montag's answer was a straight no, but it did make him think about why people in their society were not able to read any books.

Clarisse was a person that enjoyed hiking, playing with flowers, and asking questions that normal people in this society would not ask. She was a very happy seventeen year old though. She like talking to Montag and she was not scared to talk to him about books and other personal questions. She was the whole reason that Montag even considered reading a book or even looking at one. She was known as an outcast from society because of the odd habits she had like loving nature and asking a lot of questions. It did not really seem like she was a person from that same society. She was much different from everybody else. Her family were equally as weird as her. They enjoyed the same things she did, but they were all happy as a family. During the book though, Montag finds out that Clarisse was hit by some children that were driving a car. He goes around town and he talks to people about her and they said that it was probably better off that she was dead just because she was so weird and unusual.

Clarisse McClellan was a one of a kind girl according to this society. Montag was sad to see her go, but he did listen to her advice about reading books and how they make you smarter.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Groups in Society- Fahrenheit 451

The novel Fahrenheit 451 reflects history pretty well. In this book they have people who do not want to have the books burned and want to keep their society intelligent and well spoken. Then their is another group who just wants to burn all the books and do what the society says to do. This book is kind of like the Holocaust. The Jews who were captured were to afraid to say anything or just to stand up to Hitler. They did not want to go out and be independent so they decided to stay with Hitler and follow his orders which got most of them killed. Another example is the war that is going on right now between Iraq and the United States.

Most of the people want the war to go on so that we can just get it over with, but then their is a small group of people who really want the war to stop so more troops do not have to die. These examples are events that happened in either the past or the present to this day, but since this book is in the future, all these events are history to the book. The various groups in this society was the ones who listened to the societies directions and then their were the ones who did not go by the societies directions. The ones who went by the societies directions like Captain Beatty, and the other firemen were just trying to keep their society the same. Then there were the ones who did not follow the directions, like Granger and his friends, they were just trying to keep the society intelligent and not act like robots who followed every order.

When Bradbury wrote, "So many people are. Afraid of firemen, I mean. But you're just a man, after all..." (Bradbury 7). When Clarisse is talking to Guy she said that a lot of people were afraid of firemen, but she was right that they were just firemen. They were not bad people just because some people did not like them. They were just men that were doing what they were told by the government. There are a lot of events that influenced this author just like the Holocaust.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Captain Beatty- Fahrenheit 451

Captain Beatty was known as the the captain of the fire department where Guy Montag was stationed. During this novel, Captain Beatty thinks that books are "treacherous weapons", but you can tell that during this time that he lived he was once a book reader too. You can tell that he did read a lot of books because he was well spoken when he was talking with Montag. While he was talking he would use the tones of irony, sarcasm, passion, and regret in the same conversation. I had always wondered why Beatty would use those tones when out of all people he hated books. He hated books and he hated people that read books which does not seem right.

When Bradbury wrote, "But many of those who sole knowledge of Hamlet (you know the title certainly Montag; it is probably only a faint rumor of a title to you, Mrs. Montag) whose sole knowledge, as I say, of Hamlet was a one-page digest in a book that claimed: now at last you can read all the classics; keep up with your neighbors" (Bradbury 54 & 55). Beatty is explaining how the firemen came to be. As you can see Beatty has a vast majority of knowledge that he uses in his sentences. He sounds like he is very intelligent, but he acts like he does not care about what happens to the books. Just like when he was talking about Hamlet, a fireman should not talk about poetry, firemen just sign up to burn them. Beatty was a very intellectual guy, but decided that he did not want to be like that and hates anything and everything about books. By the language that Beatty uses you can tell that at one point in his life he would of had to care about books. Captain Beatty did not want to step out and become smarter by reading, instead he decided to go with society and become somebody who he really was not.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Techniques- Fahrenheit 451

I think that the technique that the author used for this book was suspense. Suspense keeps stories like this interesting. An example is when Guy montag was going to burn down his house and he got arrested. Then his captain started talking to him in a way that he did not like and then all of a sudden burned him to a crisp. I did not see that coming at all because Guy did not seem to be the person that would do that kind of thing.

When Bradbury wrote, "Get up! he told himself. Damnit, get up! he said to the leg, and stood" (Bradbury 123). This quote is said when Guy gets numbed in the leg by the mechanical hound that has been watching him for a long time. Guy already killed Beatty and after that your mind does not know what is going to happen next. Is Guy going to give up and surrender, or is he going to fight his way through and escape. Another quote from the book, "I might be dead by noon; use this" (Bradbury 132). This happens when Montag is trying to escape from society after killing Beatty. He is at Fabers house and he does not know if he is going to be able to make it out alive. Knowing the Mechanial Hound is on his tail, he has to figure out a way to fresh up before the mechanical hound tracks him down by his smell. This is another showing of suspense because you do not really know what is going to happen. This is basically the climax of the story because it is at the top of the suspense in the book.

Suspense in books really do engage the audiences and makes the story more effective. Say if you had a book that had no techniques used in it like suspense, mystery, or humor people really would not find that very interesting. If your book does have techniques used in it people would enjoyit more because it makes the story effective.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Message- Fahrenheit 451

I think that the reason people still read this book is because it talks about the ongoing crisis that goes on between people and their social life. People do not want to make a change, they just want to follow in other peoples footsteps. They are not willing to stand up for what they believe in. That is the point that Bradbury is trying to get across to people is that do not be afraid to make a change. Just because people think that you are doing something wrong does not mean it is wrong. The thing that makes the message timeless and it's characters is the fact that they are going through the same kind of crisis people today are going through. The social life in this book is not good at all. People decided that they are going to go with society and just watch television and do not talk meaningful conversations.

When Bradbury wrote, "Most of us can't rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven't time, money or that many friends. The things you're looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book" (Bradbury 86). This quote is saying a lot. According to this book people around this society do not get out very much. They do not have many friends, they do not go to very many places, or have much money. So Faber is telling Montag that books hold ninety-nine percent of the intellectual knowledge that people need. Books hold many different places, people, and other things that people need during anytime of the day.

Books hold a lot of things that people do not really think about. We can learn a lot of things from reading this novel. We can learn that books hold a lot of knowledge. They hold much a lot more knowledge than any person. You can learn so much just from reading than you would do from somebody just telling you things. The message and the characters in this book made it very interesting to read.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

History- Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 is taken place in futuristic America. Which means it does not reflect the history of the time period and setting. However, you can talk about the social issues of this era. Like I said before in this novel people do not want to go out on their own. They do not want to make their own decisions, go out on their own, they do not want to take charge. They are followers which mean that they get nowhere in life. Guy Montag tries to stop following and take charge on his own. He is tired of people telling him what not to do and what to do. The society during this specific futuristic America is controlling. They do not want people to read books, they do not want people to like nature, or have normal conversations. Instead they would rather have them burn books, stay inside and watch television on wall-size T.V sets.

When Bradbury puts in, "You reading up on fireman theory? Theory, hell, said Montag. It's poetry" (Bradbury 97). This is when Mildred, Guys wife who spends her day watching television, is having friends over and they spot out that Guy has a book. They think this is the worst thing in the world because a fireman out of all people should not have a book. So when Mrs. Phelps, Mildred's friend, says, You reading up on fireman theory, she means that he is going against the law with reading this book. Guy shows that he is very strong to go against the law.

The symbolic significance in this book was that Bradbury was showing us how our future was going to look. If we keep going downhill from reading and social life the future would look like this. That is the point that Bradbury is trying to get across to readers. If we could just slim down the amount of television we are watching these days we would be a whole lot better off in the long run.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Hero- Fahrenheit 451

The "hero" in this book would definitely be Guy Montag. A hero is not only a superhero who could fly or destroy bad guys. A hero could be as big as a police man or firefighter, or as little as an accountant. Guy Montag portrays a big hero. Guy is a fireman who starts fires rather than stops them. He has always followed the rules in being a fireman. Then he realizes instead of burning these books why don't we read them? He decides that he is going to go against society in order to figure out why the society decided to burn books. Guys traits are very important to the book. His first trait is that he is honorable. Guy wanted to do the right thing for his society and he wanted to step out. He thought that hiding books from his society could get him killed, but he did it anyway. Once the other firemen found the books, Guys honor went away and he killed the captain of their "squad."

The last trait is bravery. Nobody ever during Guys time stood out against society and went against the law. It was very brave of Guy to go out on a limb and go against the law, even though he knew he could die or go to jail for trying it. Guy accomplishes a lot of things while going against society. He accomplishes his fear that he had against the society. He also accomplishes his fear against the mechanical hound that was watching him twenty-four seven. Guy is portrayed as a man that wants to do good things, but he does bad things while trying to do good. Just like when he killed Beatty, he was trying to save the books, but he ended up killing someone.

When Bradbury says, "It was only the other night everything was fine and the next thing I know I'm drowning" (Bradbury 131). Guy knows that he wanted to do a good deed for society, but he said it himself that he was "drowning." Guy represents an abstract idea of courage. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your society and tell them something different. It was basically Guy against the whole society. Guy Montag showed that he was the true hero in this novel.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Themes- Fahrenheit 451

The universal theme that this book addresses is the struggle between right and wrong. Guy struggles with this when he asks himself is it right to stay with society and keep burning books or is it wrong to burn the books and stay with society. That question always pops up in Guys mind whether to stay or not. He is deciding whether to stay with the life he has now which is he burns books all day and has a wife that does not listen to him and just watches television. He could take the other route and try to make his life a little more interesting. He could get better at reading and writing and learn more about books. Throughout the book Guy struggles with that question, but in the end he finally makes an answer. Bradbury understands a lot about human nature. Their are a lot of people in this world that would take the road that everybody else is taking. That is what this book is about, it is about how people do what the society tells them to do. Nobody ever stands up to the government and says no, they all sit back and take the road that has been traveled on many times. Bradbury believes that people need to take the "road less traveled." They need to go in their own direction instead of going with the flow and following everybody else. Guy portrays a great portion of that because he used to follow everybody, but now that he realizes that their is more to life than burning books and so he takes the "road less traveled."

When Guy Montag says, "We never burned right..." (Bradbury 119). Guy Montag says that the firefighters were never supposed to burn stuff they were supposed to let stuff not burn. This is a big step for Montag because nobody ever talks to their superior that way. It shows how Montag wants to do the right thing and take a different route than everybody else.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Conflict- Fahrenheit 451

The conflict that Guy had to deal with was whether to keep on the track with society and burn the books or go the other way and go against the society and do not burn the books. The conflict in this book was internal because the character had to deal with his inside forces. The causes of this conflict is just the fact that Guy was seeing all these people watching their books go up in flames. He also had to watch an old woman burn with her house just so she could stay with her books. Also just him thinking of what life would be like with books. He could have such a better life with books than without. I mean if you see somebody who burns with books just so she can be with them, that has a pretty strong meaning especially to Guy.

The gains in this book were he was able to be on his own without anybody else telling him what to do. He was able to think on his own and be independent. Also he was able to think outside the box and not do what society told him to do.

With all these gains their were a lot of losses that came with this conflict. When Guy turned on society he was able to think on his own, but he also lost his job because the firemen found out about how he had books hidden in his closet and backyard. He also lost his wife which was a very important loss because then he knew that he could not trust her anymore. Another loss is he became a criminal. After burning Captain Beatty, Guy became a criminal to society. It is funny how Guy was one of the firemen who everybody thought he was great and then he burns his own captain. Guy had turned from being with society to being against it just from this one conflict. When Bradbury says, "all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him" (Bradbury 119). This shows that Guy had changed so much that he turned a flamethrower on his superior and burned him to a crisp. The conflict in this story had a lot of causes, gains, and losses that Guy had to deal with in order to survive.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Attitudes- Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury, in this novel, compares a little bit of himself to Guy Montag. Bradbury is a very intellectual guy who enjoys reading and writing, and in this book Guy is a man who also enjoys reading books and does not like how people watch television all the time. I think that the authors values are that he is displeased about how a lot of people are mesmerized watching television compared to learning and reading books. He believes that if people would read more books than watching television that the world would be that much smarter than they are now.

His attitudes that were shown throughout the book was basically the same thing as his values. He would like people to be more intellectual than to just sit and watch television for most of the day. Also his attitude is that people are waiting for other people to tell them what to do rather than just deciding what they have to say. He shows that he is not happy at how many people are just sitting and watching television. If people would do that the world would be a lot better off if people would stop watching so much television. Bradbury does a great job to get that point across by putting that situation in this book.

When Bradbury wrote, "Happy! Of all nonsense" (Bradbury 10). The quote shows after Clarisse and Guy talked she asked him if he was happy. That is what Bradbury is asking people through this book if they are happy with watching television everyday and not going outside, looking at nature and reading books. They still can watch televsion, but instead of wasting your day watching it take some time and go outside to enjoy life. Bradbury writes in third person throughout the book. Which also helps the reader realize what his values and attitudes are. Bradbury had shown the readers what his values and attitudes were by putting them in this novel.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Professor Faber- Fahrenheit 451

Professor Faber became a very well-known character to readers in this novel. Professor Faber was a retired English teacher who came across Montag a year before the book opened. When Guy wanted to know more about the books and why people did not read them any more he turned to Professor Faber. When Montag called Professor Faber, knowing that Montag was a firefighter, Faber was scared that Montag was trying to trick him into telling him where the books were. Once Faber knew that Montag really did want to know more about books he decided to help him. Professor Faber admits in the story that the current state of society was due to the cowardliness of people just like himself, because they would not speak out against the book burning when they could of stopped it from happening. He still hates himself for letting that go, but he decides to help Montag and put himself in a position that could potentially kill him.

When Faber says, "We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam" (Bradbury 83). This saying is very important that basically explains the whole book. It is saying that the people that are in that city are trying to live off of each other rather than trying something new. That is what this book is basically about people like Faber were afraid to stand up to the government and say no to burning books, but instead just stayed behind and look what happened. That saying really does have a lot of meaning to this book. Faber really proved himself to be the only person that Guy Montag could really trust. If Guy turned to Mildred she would just rat him out. If he went to Faber, Faber would help him the most. Faber knew a lot about the books and why people were unable to read them. Professor turned out to be a really good friend of Guys.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Mildred Montag- Fahrenheit 451

Mildred Montag showed that she was small-minded and childish throughout the novel. While Guy is out burning houses or trying to figure out why people are not reading books, Mildred is at home watching television with either herself or her other small-minded friends. Throughout this story Mildred refuses to engage in regular conversations with Guy, who is her husband, and her feelings on their marriage. Which shows that she really does not need to be with Guy especially if she is going to just watch T.V all day. Instead, she would rather talk about the "family" on television. Mildred had shown throughout the story that she was not a good, and loyal wife. Once Guy had all the books he needed she burned them because she would rather go with the government than to be with her husband.

When Bradbury said, "Why, it was at--? She stopped. I don't know, she said" (Bradbury 42). Guy had asked her a simple question as to when they first met and she stopped and thought about it and she could not remember as to when they first met. Guy was very sad to hear this because he knew that she was not very loyal to him at all. Mildred had also struggled with suicide earlier in the book. She took a lot sleeping pills and Guy came home and luckily pumped out her stomach. Even after Guy saved her life, he asked her if she can help him with reading the books in order to figure out why they can not read books. She agreed, but in the end she ratted him out and called the firefighters to come and burn them. After all that, she ran out of the house and left Guy with all the firefighters and Guy got under arrest. This shows that Mildred does not deserve to be Guy's wife and I am glad that she left Guy so that he can be able to live on his own. Mildred had shown throughout the novel that she was childish and did not deserve Guy's trust.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Guy Montag- Fahrenheit 451

It is easily said that Guy Montag is the protagonist in this novel. In this story Guy, at the beginning, thought his life was the best. He had a wife and a great job to go along with that. He was a firefighter, who instead of putting out the fires, they would actually start them. The government instead of liking books and nature, decided they hated nature and books so they would burn every book they could find. Guy was a part of burning these precious books. One day when Guy was on his way to work he saw this beautiful seventeen year old and started to talk to her. He soon realized that she was not like every other person that he ever met. She was different in a way that he thought it was interesting. She would talk about how books were good things, and Guy never thought books as a good thing and then he thought that that could be very well true.

When Bradbury puts in, "They still walked farther and the girl said, Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them" (Bradbury 8). This shows how this girl was very unorthodox during this time. She seemed crazy to everybody else because of the things she said, like liking books, and accepting nature and other things that were banned from doing. Guy Montag liked the ideas that this girl thought of which showed he had a lot of respect especially for being a firemen which was probably one of the worst jobs to have during this period of time. Once he stops talking to Clarisse, he started to like books a lot and wanted to know the real reason as to why they were not able to read books. He started to hide books from everybody which was not good and it got him in big trouble. Throughout this novel, Bradbury portrays Guy as a man who wants to change his life, he wants to renew it. Guy Montag was basically portrayed as the hero in this book.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Rose of Sharon- The Grapes of Wrath

Rose of Sharon had a very important role in the Joad family. That important role she had was that she gave the Joads hope. Rose of Sharon was pregnant when she was heading to California. She was the oldest of Ma and Pa's daughters and she was Connie's wife. Connie and Rose of Sharon have high hopes in the future when they were heading into California. Little did they know that the life in California was not as what they saw it as. They were thinking they were going to have their child and going to start a family in California. In the middle of the book Rose of Sharon's husband, Connie, abandons her and leaves her with the unborn baby. Luckily, Rose of Sharon has Ma in order to keep her from leaving also. Now Rose of Sharon is very scared of what is going to happen to her baby. Now that it has no father, she knows that the life she thought it was going to have was not going to happen. When Steinbeck says, "But I felt it hurt. I felt it kinda jar when I yelled" (Steinbeck 130). Rose of Sharon realizes after the Joads dog gets hit by a car that something happened to her baby. She said in this quote that "I felt it kinda jar when I yelled" she is explaining what happened inside her stomach when the dog got hit by the car and she yelled. In the beginning of this book, Rose of Sharon was a lady that was high spirited and a dreamer. Towards the end of the book, Rose of Sharon became a women who finally came into reality. After her baby died and after her husband left her, she still went on and became a women and gave another man and her family hope. It was very easy during a time like this especially after losing your husband and your "unborn" child to fall into a depression state, but Rose of Sharon proved that wrong and went on helping a man who was about to die of starvation and gave him a new beginning as well as her family.

Bibliography

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

Pa Joad- The Grapes of Wrath

Pa Joad throughout the story of The Grapes of Wrath showed a lot of leadership in his time. That is what families like the Joads use to look up to, the men. When Pa Joad was evicted from his farm he did not know where to go. He knew that in a matter of time that his family wanted to know where to go next. He decided to go to California where he knew that jobs were plentiful and you got a little bit of wage. Pa was a good-hearted man and he cared for his family very much. Throughout the trip to California though he started to get a little bit scared of what might happen next so he turned to Ma Joad who took control. Even though he did not like the position of listening to his wife making the decisions, he decided it was best for the family. When Steinbeck says, "Pa shook hands gravely. You're welcome here, sir" (Steinbeck 72). This shows how welcoming Pa was in order to let Jim Casy and Tom stay with them. After all the time that Tom was in jail for killing a man, Pa still realized that he was family and that he deserved to stay with them and still take them on their trip to California. Pa's values to his family were caring, loving, and conservative. Pa showed much appreciation that he had a family and a loving wife. He did not take life for granite considering living in these times when he was an old man. He decided not to give up on his family and take them west to head into California. At the end of the story once the Joads could not find any work in California Pa got lost in his thoughts and could not be a leader any more for the Joad family. He became less and less as a leader towards the end. Until the ending of the novel Pa showed much leadership and strength for the Joad family.

Bibliography

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

Motifs- The Grapes of Wrath

Back when the Great Depression was around the men would usually make all of the desicions. In the Joads' family that was their family structure. The men would make all the desicions while the women stayed back and just did what the men said. Usually Pa would make all of the decisions when the Joads' were around, but when the Joads' were on their way to California Pa just started to think about things that did not really matter about the family so Ma had to step in and make the decisions. Pa was not used to somebody else making all the decisions so he got mad at Ma for making any decisions at all. When Ma made decisions it made the family structure go way off. In my opinion, people back then should of listened to anybody who had ideas because in the Great Depression people needed help and the men could not do it all. When Steinbeck says, "She said, Tom, I hope things is all right in California. He turned and looked at her. What makes you think they ain't? he asked. Well -- nothing. Seems too nice, kinda. I seen the han'bills fellas pass out, an' how much work they is, an' high wages an' all; an' I seen in the paper how they want folks to come an' pick grapes an' oranges an' peaches. That'd be nice work, Tom, pickin' peaches. Even if they wouldn't let you eat none, you could maybe snitch a little ratty one sometimes. An' it'd be nice under the trees, workin' in the shade. I'm scared of stuff so nice. I ain't got faith. I'm scared somepin ain't so nice about it" (Steinbeck 90 and 91). This is showing all the say that Ma is able to talk about. She is talking about all the jobs that are in California and all the nice things she has heard about it, but she is scared about heading to it because it sounds to nice. Throughout the whole trip to California the Joads' family structure went from being the leadership of men to the leadership of either the men or the women.

Bibliography

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

More Symbols- The Grapes of Wrath

Their are a lot of symbols that are shown throughout the novel The Grapes of Wrath. Even though I have already done a blog about symbols here are some more that are shown throughout the book. One of the symbols are Rose of Sharon's pregnancy. In the book, their has been so much despair about death and starvation. Her being pregnant is showing a new beginning in life. It brings the family hope and confidence heading into California. Sadly, she delivers a still-born baby, but the Joads still move on in their quest to find a job. Even though they do not find a job, Rose of Sharon still tries to give a new life to another man. The next symbol in the novel is the death of the Joads' dog. While the Joads' were trying to get gas to head into California, their dog gets ran over by a car. This death shows the up coming of all the death's that the Joads' are going to have to live through while heading to California. Not only deaths', but also everybody leaving and separating from the Joads' family. When the dog got hit, Rose of Sharon was scared to think that this death could do something bad to her baby. In the ending she was right about something bad happening to her baby. When Steinbeck says, "A big swift car whisked near, tires squealed. The dog dodged helplessly, and with a shriek, cut off in the middle, went under the wheels. The big car slowed for a moment and faces looked back, and then it gathered greater speed and disappeared. And the dog, a blot of blood and tangled, burst intestines, kicked slowly in the road. Rose of Sharon's eyes were wide. D'you think it'll hurt? she begged. Think it'll hurt? Connie put his arm around her. Come set down, he said. It wasn't nothin'" (Steinbeck 130). This shows how much Rose of Sharon went through when she saw this dog die. She was very scared to think that something bad could happen to her baby. The symbols had a lot of meaning and meant a lot to many people in this novel.

Bibiography

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

Tom Joad- The Grapes of Wrath

Tom Joad was basically the supporter in the whole Joad family. Even though he was in jail for four years for killing a man, he still gained the trust of his family. Whenever you hear the quote, "when life gives you lemons you make lemonade" that quote is basically what sums up Tom Joad. When the Tom realized his family were not a his farm he decided to take the chance to head to California in order find work. When Steinbeck says, "The squatting men raised their eyes to understand. Can't we just hang on? Maybe next year will be a good year. God knows how much cotton next year. And with all the wars -- God knows what price cotton will bring. Don't they make explosives out of cotton? And uniforms? Get enough wars and cotton'll hit the ceiling. Next year maybe. They looked up questioningly. We can't depend on it. The bank -- the monster has to have profits all the time. It can't wait. It'll die. No, taxes go on. When the monster stops growing, it dies. It can't stay one size" (Steinbeck 32). This quote is showing farmers who are getting their land getting token away from them by the landowners and the banks. These are just other farmers, but this is what Tom Joad had to deal with when he got "home". He had to deal with it and move on. This is what every farmer back in the Great Depression had to do. Whenever Tom and his family got laid off from a job in California it was always his turn to find a job that would fit him and his family. His family trusted him even after being in jail for killing a man. It takes a lot of guts in order to let a man back into your family after killing someone, but it takes more guts in order to trust him. Although Tom Joad did kill a man, he showed himself as a respected, well-rounded man for helping his family make it to California in order to live.

Bibliography

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

Ma Joad- The Grapes of Wrath

There were a lot of characters in the novel The Grapes of Wrath, but there are only a select few that had a big impact. Ma Joad is the first of many characters, but one of the major characters. On their way to California the Joads do not have any idea as to what they are getting themselves into. They just set out to find a job in California. Once they get there some of the family members of the Joads were either leaving or they died on the way to California. Once they all left the family it was very easy for the Joads to go insane and just give up on life itself. Not for Ma Joad though she was the one who kept this family sane and she kept them together for as long as she could. When Steinbeck says, "It ain't no use, Noah said. I'm sad, but I can't help it. I got to go. He turned abruptly and walked downstream along the shore. Tom started to follow, and then he stopped. He saw Noah disappear into the brush, and then appear again, following the edge of the river. And he watched Noah growing smaller on the edge of the river, until he disappeared into the willows at last. And Tom took off his cap and scratched his head. He went back to his willow cave and lay down to sleep" (Steinbeck 209). The quote shows that Noah is leaving the family because he does not want to be their any longer with them. Ma Joad has to take charge in order to keep the family together and not just let their family separate. Throughout the novel Ma Joad shows courage, love, care, and trustworthiness towards her family. It could be very easy to go insane during the Great Depression, but Ma Joad showed the strength in order to keep her family as well as herself together. Ma Joad was a huge character when it came to this novel.

Bibliography

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

Techniques- The Grapes of Wrath

There are a lot of techniques that the author uses in order to make the story effective and keep the readers interested. The first technique he uses is suspense. Throughout the whole story I did not know what was going to come next. It seemed like the Joads were never going to find a job they were going to stick with and then the next thing I know they found a job that pays very little. Also you do not know if the Joads were going to make it to California with all the troubles they had been having. When Steinbeck says, "Tom said, You got nothin' on him. The deputy swung around. 'F you'd like to go in too, you jus' open your trap once more. They was two fellas hangin' around that lot. I wasn't even in the State las' week, Tom said. Well, maybe you're wanted someplace else. You keep your trap shut" (Steinbeck 263). This shows the kind of suspense that Steinbeck showed readers between the deputy and Tom. Although the suspense was a very big technique in this novel symbolism was another big technique that happened frequently throughout the novel. Steinbeck wrote, "Then slowly she lay down beside him. He shook his head slowly from side to side. Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and bared her breast. You got to, she said. There. Her hand moved behind his head and supported it. Her fingers moved gently in his hair. She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously" (Steinbeck 455). The symbolism in this quote is renewal. This shows that people still had hope and were still trying to push through the Great Depression. Even though she had lost her baby she still thought of a way to keep this man alive. The techniques in this novel made it much more interesting to read and made the story very effective towards readers.

Bibliography

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

History- The Grapes of Wrath

This novel reflects history very accurately because this book was placed during the Dust Bowl. The various groups in society such as the workers and the bosses were portrayed as the bosses get the money and all of the workers ran around trying to find a decent job or any job at all. That is how it was all the time during this Great Depression. People were out of work and the bosses really did not give any money away unless the workers were working for them and even that the workers would only get the slightest amount of money. The author also portrays another group of society in this novel which is the men and women. The men during this time were basically the ones that had to find jobs in order to keep their families running. The women on the other hand had to take care of their families which was probably one of the more difficult tasks during these harsh times and conditions. The author really does a good job with putting in different groups of societies into this novel. When Steinbeck says, "The eyes of the whole family shifted back to Ma. She was the power. She had taken control. The money we'd make wouldn't do no good, she said. All we got is the family unbroke. Like a bunch a cows, when the lobos are ranging, stick all together. I ain't scared while we're all here, all that's alive, but I ain't gonna see us bust up" (Steinbeck 169 & 170). This shows on how much family had to rely on each other to stay together. The men had to go out and find jobs while the women had to keep their families together. The women had a very important role to take care of while the men were away trying to find jobs. I think that the author influenced himself because he lived through these hard times and he wanted to make a story that taught people on what it was like growing up during the Great Depression.

Bibliography

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

Message- The Grapes of Wrath

People in these modern times still read this book because it has so much history involved with it that it is so interesting to readers. It is interesting to see what people just like us had to go through in order to make a living for themselves and their families. The timeless part about their message and their characters is that their were people just like us who went through a huge drought and had to change places daily! It is just like today with people struggling with life or just with other people. It is not the same situation, but it is around the same idea. When Steinbeck says, "They came painting up to the rain-soaked barn and staggered into the open end. There was no door in this end. A few rusty farm tools lay about, a disk plow and a broken cultivator, an iron wheel. The rain hammered on the roof and curtained the entrance. Pa gently set Rose of Sharon down on an oily box. God Awmighty! he said" (Steinbeck 453). This shows that the Joads were just trying to find shelter for their family and how it was a struggle at the time to find one. The shed that they found was basically a broken and run-down barn. Steinbeck does a great job with showing or telling us how hard it was in order to just find shelter when you had no money. We can learn a lot from reading this novel, we can learn how hard it was for large or small families just like the Joads to find or meet the needs for themselves. It was a rough time to find money so some families would just starve to death. We can also learn that people just like us went through a lot struggles especially during the Dust Bowl. The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, showed readers that everyday people go through struggles and they have to stay strong and live with what they have got.

Bibliography

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

Themes- The Grapes of Wrath

The themes in every book are always important to look at. Like in The Grapes of Wrath, the theme was the struggle with people and nature. To this day, everybody has struggles whether it is with nature or it is with people or socially. During this specific time in human life, people were struggling with nature with the Dust Bowl. Everyday farmers would go out to there crops to check out what is going on, the dust bowl just became a big drought. For farmers they would have to go and seek better places in order to make a living. Especially the farmers in this novel they do not want to see themselves fail because nobody in this world wants to fail. So in order to try to make life better they go and find a job somewhere else. When Steinbeck says, "Jus' let me get out to California where I can pick me an orange when I want it. Or grapes. There's a thing I ain't never had enough of. Gonna get me a whole big bunch a grapes off a bush, or whatever, an' I'm gonna squash 'em on my face an' let 'em run offen my chin" (Steinbeck 83). This shows that people were so excited to go and head out to California to just get away from all of this struggle whereever they were living. The author understands all of the struggles that go on throughout life that you have stay strong for. People during the Dust Bowl could of just stayed home and starved to death instead of heading to California, but people decided that they were not going to fail and head to California. That is what the Joads did in this situation, but instead of finding a job they were unable to live in the harsh conditions of these times. The universal theme in this novel told a lot about the history between people and nature throughout the Dust Bowl.

Bibliography

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

Setting- The Grapes of Wrath

There was a rough patch that hit in the nineteen thirties and that is where the Dust Bowl came into play. This novel reflects history because during the nineteen thirties there was a huge drought which was called the Dust Bowl. People would leave their homes and head out to California. This novel shows a family that is going through this drought. Tom Joad is a farmer and a big drought does not help with all of his crops. The behavior of this time was sort of like a depression. People did not really feel like doing things or it was very quiet during this time mostly because of all the people leaving their homes to head into California. The social issues of this time were very bad. People fleeing homes to head into California, or people just staying at home and just starve to death. When Hemingway says, "She gazed at him, and she closed her eyes slowly. "Funny ain't it. All the time we was a-movin' an' shovin', I never thought none. An' now these here folks been nice to me, been awful nice; an' what's the first thing I do? I go back over the sad things-- that night Grampa died an' we buried him. I was all full up of the road, and bumpin' and movin', an' it was'nt so bad. But I come out here, an' it's worse now" (Steinbeck 322). This quote shows all the hard decisions they had to make during this tough time. People would look over the sad things rather than look over the good things that were happening to them. That is what Steinbeck wanted readers to realize is people really did not think like they usually would during a time like this. This book symbolizes the depression and the perservierence of the men, women, and children that had to go through this tough, hard, time. The setting in this book was not only a hard time, but it was also a tough time to work in.

Bibliography

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

Hero-The Grapes of Wrath

The hero in this book had a lot of courage and bravery, this man's name was Tom Joad. The traits that Tom had throughout this book was that he had courage, and bravery. Tom held a lot more traits, but these were his big ones. Tom showed courage throughout the story because starting out in Oklahoma at this specific time in life was not easy. Tom had to make a decision whether to stay at home and have no job or travel all the way to California and see if you can find a job. Tom made a decision that put his family's well-fare in jepordy. When heading to California you could not take planes or jets, you had to drive. While Tom knew that California may have to many people working there, he still took the route that seemed promising for him and his family. When Steinbeck says, "Ma cleared her throat. It ain't kin we? she said firmly. As far as 'kin,' we can't do nothin, not go to California or nothin'; but as far as 'will,' why, we'll do what we will. An' as far as 'will'---it's a long time our folks been here and east before, an' I never heerd tell of no Joads or no Hazletts, neither, ever refusin' food an' shelter or a lift on the road to anybody that asked. They's been mean Joads, but never that mean" (Steinbeck 102). What this says is that Ma Joad is getting scared about moving out to California. The decision that Tom Joad made is having a huge impact on the family itself. The second trait that Tom Joad had was bravery. Tom had a lot of bravery in order to fulfill the task of going to California. Tom and the family headed out into California looking for a job. They did not know what that job was going to be, but they were going to find a job. Throughout the story Tom Joad fulfilled his duties and became a "hero."

Bibliography

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

Causes, Gains, and Losses- The Grapes of Wrath

The conflict in The Grapes of Wrath was basically the Dust Bowl. The cause of this conflict is the fact that it is the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a very long drought. People from all over the place all headed towards California for jobs. Since California got some rain they were able to work over there. The only gain of this conflict is the hope that people were able to get while traveling to California. A lot of families had hope and they were ready to work. Once they got over to California they did not find any jobs around. They were all already filled up. So once this happened they lost all of their hope which they once had and they ended up starving to death because they had no money for food, which brings us to the losses of this conflict. There are a lot of losses that are in this type of conflict. The first lost is that people have to leave their homes and travel all the way to California whithout knowing what their life is going to be like over there. When Steinbeck says, "Where'll we go? the women asked. We don't know. We don't know. And the women went quickly, quietly back into the houses and herded the children ahead of them. They knew that a man so hurt and so perplexed may turn in anger, even on people he loves. They left the men alone to figure and to wonder in the dust" (Steinbeck 34). This quote states all of the questions people had of where they were going when they had to get off of their property. All of the times that people were kicked off of their farm they were told to go to California because they had more jobs, little did they know, once they got to California all of the jobs were filled up. Another loss is all of the people that were in the state of California which led to no jobs and starvation of a lot of people.

Bibliography

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

Values and Attitudes- The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck showed a lot of his values and attitudes through the writing that was in The Grapes of Wrath. His values and attitudes were pretty much be the best that you can. The Joads were only one of the many families who were affected by the dust bowl. The dust bowl was a long drought and it made many farmers move to California in order to seek work. The Joads were one of those families that had to move to California in order to work. Throughout their journey they were told by many people that they were not going to find any jobs in the state of California because they were all taken. There were so many people in California that it was impossible to find a job. Despite hearing that the Joads still went on with the trip and got into California. When Steinbeck says, "The preacher sighed. I'll go anyways, he said. Somepin's happening. I went up an' I looked, an' the houses is all empty, an' the lan' is empty, an' this whole country is empty. I can't stay here no more. I got to go where the folks is goin'. I'll work in the fiel's , an' maybe I'll be happy" (Steinbeck 94). In this quote Jim Casy, who is a preacher, is heading to California with the Joads. He has seen that all the houses are empty and it seems like everybody is in California because of this Dust Bowl. In this story, it is written in third person. The Joads like every other family without a job headed into California without any idea of what kind of job they were going to get. This family though had the most important thing heading into the state of California which was hope. Hope was a big thing to have during these rough times because it kept the families together longer than if you had no hope. The writing reveals a lot about Steinbeck's values and attitudes throughout the book.

Bibliography

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

Day five- Old Man and the Sea

Santiago is now at the end of his trip. He is almost back to his "shed" and the fish is now gone. All there is left of it is the carcass. Sadly, he thinks that nobody is going to believe him that he caught this giant fish. All he has is this carcass that he could of picked up out of the water! Also, he knows that he could of gotten a lot of money with this fish for all of its meat. Now since there is no meat on the fish its worth nothing. His hope has gone down the drain since he got back to his home. When Hemingway says, "He unstepped the mast and furled the sail and tied it. Then he shouldered the mast and started to climb. It was then he knew the depth of his tiredness. He stopped for a moment and looked back and saw in the reflection from the street light the great tail of the fish standing up well behind the skiff's stern. He saw the white naked line of his backbone and the dark mass of the head with the projecting bill and all the nakedness between" (Hemingway 121). Throughout the story Santiago had so much hope and was very courageous. Now he is looking at the negatives at the fish. He notices all of the nakedness on it, he also notices the backbone of the fish where there should be meat. He should be saying to himself, hey I caught the biggest fish anybody has ever seen. Even though there is no meat on it, you can still see how big it was. That morning everybody was so astonished of how big it was they mistaked it to be a sharks carcass. Santiago had showed a lot of strength, courage, and bravery throughout the whole trip. Even though he did not bring back home the prize possession, he will still be the old man that caught the biggest fish ever.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Day four- Old Man and the Sea

Santiago is nearing the end of his trip. He has battled this huge fish for so long and he finally was able to spear it. It was to big to put on his little boat so he decided to hang it off the side. When Santiago was coming back into shore he knew what was going to happen to him. He knew that there were going to be some hungry predators waiting for him to get into their territory. He decided to take the risk of hanging the fish on the side of the boat and he knew what the consequences were going to be. When Hemingway wrote, "When the old man saw him coming he knew that this was a shark that had no fear at all and would do exactly what he wished. He prepared the harpoon and made the rope fast while he watched the shark come on. The rope was short as it lacked what he had cut away to lash the fish. The old man's head was clear and good now and he was full of reslution but he had little hope. It was too good to last, he thought" (Hemingway 101). As you can see Santiago had so much hope that he was able to bring home this huge fish to show the boy and he knew that it was to good to last long. Even though there is still some meat still on the fish he knows that more sharks are going to be coming this way especially since the fish is ripped open. Santiago just wanted proof that his luck had ended in the last eighty-four days. He wanted to show people that he is not unlucky for he is a man of luck. He wanted to show Manolin that he is able to fish with him again, now that he caught a fish. Now nearing the end of his trip Santiago has to find a way to keep the sharks away from his boat and more importantly his fish.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Day three- Old Man and the Sea

Now that Santiago has been out at sea for three days he is starting to get tired. He has been unable to sleep because he was scared that he was going to lose the fish. Sleeping is a big part of life because if you do not sleep then you do not have any energy. If you do sleep then you do have enough energy to carry out daily tasks. Santiago needs his sleep because he is out in the middle of nowhere and he has this huge fish that he is going to have to pull in sooner or later. Three days at being out at sea is a very long time if you think about it. Nothing to do instead of talk to yourself. When Hemingway says, "I must hold his pain where it is, he thought. Mine does not matter. I can control mine. But his pain could drive him mad. After a while the fish stopped beating at the wire and started circling slowly again. The old man was gaining line steadily now. But he felt faint again. He lifted some sea water with his left hand and put it on his head. Then he put more on and rubbed the back of his neck" (Hemingway 88). This shows that Santiago is holding his pain back as long as he can and is focusing on the fishs pain. He believes if he can hold his own pain back he would be able to beat this giant fish because he thinks the fish can not stay hooked for a long time. Even though Santiagos trip is half way done, he still has a lot to get ready for. Day three really hurt Santiago because for an old man holding this giant fish for three days is a long time and it hurts your back and your whole body. Santiago has shown great bravery in the three days that he has been out there. Now his wait for seeing the big fish is almost over.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Day 2- Old Man and the Sea

During day one, the old man had finally caught a fish. He was happy about catching this fish but the bad thing was that he could not actually reel it in. Now onto day two Santiago is still struggling with catching this beastly fish. He is realizing that this fish is going to stay in the water for a couple of days and does not want to come up and get caught. Also, the old man is so lonely that he has come to the conclusion that he is going to talk to himself and the fish. I think that this shows a weakness of the old man. Santiago has been lonely for many many years. The only actual friend that he has is Manolin. When Hemingway says, "I don't think I can eat an entire one, he said and drew his knife across one of the strips. He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his left hand was cramped. It drew up tight on the heavy cord and he looked at it in disgust. What kind of a hand is that, he said. Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good" (Hemingway 58). This shows that Santiago is missing Manolin very much if he has decided to talk to his hand. Throughout day two Santiago finds the strengths and the weaknesses with himself. He finds out that he has very good patience with this fish, but he has also figured out that he is a very lonely old man out in the sea by himself. Day two was a critical day for Santiago because it tested his strengths and his weaknesses throughout the day. Santiago is a very strong man and he is very capable of being able to put together enough strength or whatever strength he has left in order to pull up this fish. Even though it is only day two Santiago still has a lot of obstacles coming his way.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

Day 1-Old Man and the Sea

When reading the beginning of this book, Santiago seems sad in a way I can not describe. I can understand why he was sad because he had not caught a fish in eighty-four days! On the first day Santiago had seemed excited to go out and find a huge fish. He felt that all of his luck was going to change that day. When he got out of the dock he had no idea what was in store for him. All of the tugging and pulling and how much pressure it put on his back and his hands. He came unprepared for this trip. He had no idea that he would be catching this huge fish or maybe he thought that he might not catch a fish at all. Once he had caught the fish he was wishing he had had the boy with him to help him reel in the fish. The fish was way to heavy in order to pull in especially for an old man like Santiago. Once Santiago caught the fish, he had no idea of what the journey was going to be like from that day on. Out in the sea by himself, Santiago struggles to find any food coming this way. He still seems confident in his finding but still a little worried about how he was going to bring in this giant fish. Santiago shows a lot of courage throughout day one because he realizes that he could not reel in the fish by himself but yet he stayed with the fish even though he knew it would take a long time. During day one, Santiago started it off as a confident old man just trying to catch a fish, but then ends up at the end of the day still confident, but worried. When Hemingway says, "I wish I had the boy, the old man said aloud. I'm being towed by a fish and I'm the towing bitt. I could make the line fast. But he could break it" (Hemingway 45). This shows of how much he needs the boy and also all the things that could go wrong with this fish.

Bibliography

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.