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The Old Man and the Sea literature essay


spectre21230 1 / 2  
Jul 1, 2013   #1
Hello,I would greatly appreciate some reviews of my literary essay about the novel, The Old Man and the Sea.
Since I am not a native english speaker nor am I very experienced with writing literary analysis essay, I would like to apologize if my essay makes you cringe.

The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway tells a tale about an old fisherman named Santiago and his struggle to catch a single magnificent fish. Naturally, those who only give a cursory glance at the summary of this book would wonder how can a book with such simple plot be considered one of the best works of literature ever written. But once they part the cover and peer into the beautiful narrative Hemingway have crafted, it would become clear that the elegant words on each page and the profound lessons of life woven into them transform this simple story into a masterpiece. Indeed, throughout the narrative, metaphors and themes edify the readers about life, nature of both man and his surroundings and defeat.

The main character, Santiago, is a luckless fisherman. While skilled and experienced, he is unable to catch a single fish for eighty days straight, causing those around the old man to this distance themselves from him. Even his lifelong friend and companion, a boy by the name of Manolin, is ordered by his father to fish with someone else.

Determined to finally catch a fish, the old man sails farther than any other fisherman and meticulously sets up four baits for fish.It was at this point that the old man ruminates about the nature of the sea. Here, he refers to the sea as la mar, which is the feminine form of the word sea in spanish, and considers it as something kind and beautiful yet also cruel and capricious, but some of the younger sailors called the sea el mar, the masculine form. They consider it as a mighty opponent, something to struggle against.

It could not be more apparent that the sea represents life; sometimes it gives but other times it takes. After setting up the baits, Santiago witnesses a flying fish fleeing a dolphin and a bird, which are competing for it. This scene illustrates that every

creature, from man to the smallest beast, must constantly contend with each other for survival and that nature itself is sometimes malicious and apathetic rather than constantly benign as some people imagined. Later on, as the old fisherman waits patiently, one of the baits begins to furiously bob up and down prompting Santiago to pull in the line only to discover that the fish that have taken the bait is far larger than he expected.

So large, in fact, that it manages to tow the old man's skiff seemingly without much effort. For three days and two nights, Santiago holds on to the rope attached to the eaten bait letting the fish drag him into the unknown far away from the safety of the shore.

Similar to how the fish directs the course of Santiago's journey, what each person desires determines the course of his or her journey through life. On the third day of his battle with the fish, a gigantic marlin, Santiago vanquishes his worthy opponent and finally has a chance to relax and enjoy knowing that he has caught the fish after such arduous journey. Soon after, the old man ties the silver marlin to his skiff, as the fish itself is larger than the boat, and sails back home fatigued but content.

However, the blissfulness felt by the old fisherman doesn't last long for the blood spoor emanating from the dead fish attracts sharks from all over. First came a blue and white mako shark which bites a chunk of flesh from the dead marlin before being killed by Santiago's harpoon.

In the aftermath of his struggle against the mako shark, Santiago laments killing a noble creature that is just following its instincts but he also rationalizes that he is defending his hard-earned prize from the shark and that such acts are perfectly normal in nature, similar to the clash between the bird and the dolphin for a flying fish.

While he managed to fend off the mako shark, this is not his last battle in his journey home. Soon, shovel-head sharks begins attacking, each time taking a large piece of marlin flesh with them. Unlike the mako shark which Santiago considers an elegant noble creature, the shovel-noses are described as savage and lowly beasts that attacks everything they see. But despite their differences, both the mako and the shovel-noses hunger for what Santiago worked so hard to catch. This demonstrates that success often attracts those who wish to claim it as their own no matter how noble or lowly they are.

After fighting wave after wave of sharks and loosing all of his weapons, first the harpoon, then the knife, Santiago could not help but despair for the fish, the opponent he has fought so hard to capture, will surely become nothing but bones bereft of even a single shred of meat before he reaches the shore. Nevertheless, the old man battles the assailing sharks bludgeoning them futilely with wooden oars and his club.

No matter how futile, Santiago fights on to the bitter end. After many battles, the fish is striped bare of its flesh causing the old man to weep over his decision to sail so far from the coast, the now meaningless hardships he faced, and the wasteful death of the marlin he considered proud and honorable. This event exemplifies that aiming too high begets suffering and grief. Sometimes it is best to stick with what can be accomplished easily rather than what is beyond our abilities. Still, no one can deny that Santiago does not possess courage and determination. Instead of bowing his head and accepting his fate, the old man chooses to cry out against it proclaiming, "Man can be destroyed but not defeated." This powerful statement means that when facing death, as all living creatures eventually do, man can remain undefeated by keep on fighting with dignity and honor until his last breath.

Overall, while simple, the significance of the lessons taught in this book can not be stressed enough. Too often are people blinded by their goals and too often do they forsake common sense.

Therefore, it is necessary to remind them of these simple facts of life.
And while I am quite sure that there are many ways to interpret the messages Hemingway left behind, I still believe firmly in what I have deciphered from this book.
jkjeremy - / 380 72  
Jul 1, 2013   #2
What are you trying to prove here? (What's the essay question to which you're responding?)

Your writing doesn't make me cringe, but this isn't an essay so much as it's a plot summary. There are just a few sentences in which you analyze anything.

Well over half of a literature analysis essay needs to be analysis; well under half should be fact.

You have it the other way around.
OP spectre21230 1 / 2  
Jul 1, 2013   #3
Well, like I told you I don't have much experience writing literature analysis essay, and my teacher is more obsessed with an essay with varied sentence structure and correct grammar rather than the content of the essay.

Frankly, he is a terrible teacher.
So I would appreciate it if you could give me some suggestions on how to write an literary analysis essay.
jkjeremy - / 380 72  
Jul 1, 2013   #4
So I would appreciate it if you could give me some suggestions on how to write an literary analysis essay.

I'd love to, but that's like asking me to give you suggestions about life because literary analysis can take many forms.

I'm going to assume that this was your primary goal:

there are many ways to interpret the messages Hemingway left behind

If so, you need to do the following:

Write an introduction. (I can help you if you'd like me to.)

Write three paragraphs of about 150 words (each) in which you identify and discuss Hemingway's "messages." (You'd write one paragraph per message. (In literary writing, "messages" are called "themes.")

Do these three paragraphs and post them. I'll look them over and then we'll talk about the introduction and conclusion.

Grammar and punctuation come last.
OP spectre21230 1 / 2  
Jul 2, 2013   #5
Thank you for you suggestions. I'll post the new essay soon.


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