Analysis of Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea

Analysis of Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea A Five-Point Plan Analysis + Theme Description The novel The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway. It focuses on Santiago, an ageing and skilled fisherman who battles with a colossal marlin in the GulfofMexico. The motifs in the story include: the lions on the beach and crucifixion. In the novel, Santiago frequently dreams about lions on the beach: The first time is on the eve of his fishing expedition, the second one happens when he sleeps amidst his tussle with the marlin, while the third occurs at end of the novel. The lions appear as cubs, symbolizing his youth. When they later appear as adults, they signify great nobility and strength. This provides Santiago with motivation, ambition and vitality that lead him toward accomplishing his purpose. These dreams suggest life’s circular nature: The harmony between opposing forces of nature, which are love and hate, life and death, and destruction and regeneration. The crucifixion imagery is an evident way in which Santiago is equated to Christ.Similar to Christ, Santiago is patient and humble. Moreover, the illustration of the old man struggling uphill with his mast on his shoulders resembles Christ’s walk toward Calvary. There is a clear reflection of Christ on the cross when Santiago eventually lies down on his bed, with his bleeding arms stretched out. The author employs the crucifixion of Christ to exemplify transcendence by reversing defeat into triumph, loss into gain, and death into renewed life. The main theme of the story is heroism. Santiago makes up for his age with his endurance to withstand hunger, pain and isolation. He does not blame the sharks for snatching the marlin, but he acknowledges that it is his mistake to have ventured far inward into the sea. As a fisher who has caught no fish in 84 days, Santiago is fighting against defeat. However, he does not yield because he moves further into the sea than he has ever sailed before. He struggles with the marlin despite his exhaustion and pain. After catching it, he hopelessly fights off the sharks. Whenever the situation gets difficult and he is threatened with despair, he uses various tactics to stimulate his opposition to defeat: He recollects memories of his strength while he was young through dreams, and sometimes prays to God. Santiago has unlimited potentialities in the presence of danger. His potential is realized when he manages to get the giant marlin. However, the outcome is less significant than the struggle as he also chooses to battle with the sharks. As a result, it is not really important that he brings the marlin home; the important thing is he wins the battle, and after the struggle he becomes a hero. The story’s black hole is â€Å"a man can be destroyed but not defeated†. Santiago symbolizes every mans battle to survive. Just like Santiagos attempt to take the marlin to the mainland intact is unsuccessful, no man can escape death. However, through Santiagos struggle, the author illustrates that escaping from death is not the major concern. Santiago sees the words, a man can be destroyed but not defeated† close to the end of his tussle with the marlin. That is to say, victory over the unavoidable does not define a man. Rather, it is his struggle against the inevitable that defines him. Annotated Bibliography Melling, Philip. Cultural Imperialism, Afro-Cuban Religion, and Santiagos Failure in Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea.† Hemingway Review 26.1 (2006): 6-24. According to the Melling, the struggle with the sharks is a significant moment, as Santiago uses a wrecked oar to beat them. Santiagos wish to use a baseball bat instead is crucially important. This source is resourceful, because instead of dramatizing the symbolic and sacred wooden tool of the Afro-Cuban culture, the author uses Santiago to relive the actions of Joe DiMaggio who was an American baseball hero. DiMaggio was a fisherman’s son, and as a child he used to sneak from home to practice with a broken oar at nearby sandlots. Although Santiago does not possess DiMaggios skills, his mind works like that of a baseball player. DiMaggio was popular during the World War II, and his importance was reminded to Americans through a song sung by Lee Browns band. Santiagos interest in DiMaggio was deep, and was the outcome of numerous media coverage during the post-war period. Burhans Clinton S. The Old Man and the Sea: Hemingways Tragic Vision of Man. American Literature 31.4 (1960): 446. According to this source, out at sea, Santiago as a fisherman gains deep insight of himself and of his relationship with the world around him. He views the sea as a woman who gives or withholds great favors. He develops friendship and love for all creatures around him who share dangerous and unpredictable lives. His deepest love for the marlin arises when he recognizes that he must capture it for his profession and pride, and not for his physical need. The author is comprehensive and uses vivid imagery to show that unlike any other fish, the marlin was more of a spiritual entity in Santiagos eyes than a mere physical necessity. He shows that the marlin is Santiago’s worthy opponent. Santiago ultimately kills the marlin because he feels that they are now equals and that the marlin is his brother. The author claims Santiago has a sense of guilt and loneliness for sailing inwards into the sea, only to kill fish that he loved dearly. He believes he betrayed the fish and goes home with an empty sense of victory. Baskett, Sam S. Toward a Fifth Dimension in The Old Man and the Sea. The Centennial Review 19.4 (1975): 269-286. Baskett gives a detailed analysis of The Old Man and the Sea starting from biblical allusions to the aura of strangeness possessed by Santiago, which he claims contributes to Hemingway’s fifth dimensional prose. Baskett lists several examples of how Hemingway uses fifth dimensional prose, such as how Santiago is rarely referred to as â€Å"Santiago† but often referred to as â€Å"the old man†. This source is detailed because he begins to explain the biblical allusions found in Hemingway’s novel. Many comparisons made are between passages in the bible and the Santiago’s dreams about the lions are clear. Psychoanalytic Critical Theory Analysis The Old Man and the Sea is a simple story, but has a deeper message. It speaks of a man’s existence, where tenacity, pride, respect and dreams drive his mission to prosper in the presence of struggle. It is about Santiago’s unconquerable spirit because he stands as a representation of a mind-set toward life, and his expedition offers many lessons. Firstly, a man is not made for defeat. The old man has nothing but a dilapidated shed and a feeble skiff. His skin illustrates his hardships as it is marked with scars, wrinkles and blotches from the sun. Instead of giving up after 84 days of not catching any fish, he sails farther into the Gulf. A man continues to do whatever he must do to the best of his ability, no matter what tribulations befall him. While challenges and setbacks can strip a man of all outward signs of success, still his spirit can remain undefeated. For it can will a man to never give up and to keep on trying. Secondly, a man should not depend on luck. In Santiago’s small Cuban fishing village, he is called salao, which is the worst kind of bad luck. This makes him an outsider and it costs him his partner, Manolin, whose parents prevent him from fishing with him. While Santiago suffers from hunger and poverty, other fishermen successfully have good fish harvests every day. The story shows that anyone can have luck, but not everybody can have perseverance, skill and determination. Santiago knows this and he believes in his ability and not chance. Santiago believed that it was better to be lucky, but he preferred to exact. Thirdly, a man must bear hardship and pain without complaint. At sea, Santiago is faced with the greatest challenge that comes in the form of a huge marlin. Near the edge of his fatigue, his left hand is deeply cut. He washes the cut using the sea’s salt water and lets it dry in the sun. However, the hand refuses to heal and he is compelled to only use his right hand, against the marlin that is longer than his skiff. Santiago simplytakes his suffering as it comes. He is comfortable but suffering, even thoughhe does not acknowledge the suffering at all. Finally, a man seeks inspiration from others. For Santiago, Joe DiMaggio is the person who motivates him. He has traits that Santiago admires and he reminds him that to be successful one has to put all of oneself into a task and endure under difficulty. Review The Old Man and the Sea is a quick and easy read, with outstanding characters and excellent plot.Written in 1952, it is one of Hemingway’s most interesting works. Written in a language of great simplicity, it is the tale of an old Cuban fisherman, who is down on luck and in great suffering in a relentless and agonizing battle with an enormous marlin in the Gulf of Mexico. The author, Ernest Hemingway, recasts in a strikingly modern approach, the classic theme of courage in the presence of defeat. While it is impressive that the entire book tells a story that would usually just take a chapter in an ordinary book, it is also a great way to move the reader who wants something to take place outside of the boat. I would recommend this novel to my peers because of it is enjoyable to read. Pop Culture Connection Old Man and the Sea, is a rich showpiece of literature that is full of intended and assumed symbolism. It is a resource of pop culture: The novel reflects a universal pattern of socioeconomic transformation familiar even today amongst developing countries. In rural Cuba during the 1930s and 1940s, the customary fishing culture that was isolated from the developed world and bound to extended families and closely knit communities started shifting to the material advancement of a fishing industry that was reliant on the modern world for its livelihood. This modern fishing industry was dependent on mechanized methods to guarantee profit, and was less bound to local communities and extended families.Inthe novel, the author depicts Santiago as a devoted fisherman whose expertise is fundamental to his identity, code of conduct, and natures order. However, Hemingway presents the younger fishermen as suppliers of shark livers for America’s cod liver oil industry, who utilize their prof its to buy motorized boats and mechanized equipment, and approach their fishing as a way to progress their material circumstances.

Violent Video Games Might Be to Blame for Violent Behavior

Violent Video Games Might Be to Blame for Violent Behavior Is Media Violence a Problem? ,  2010 ————————————————- Top of Form Bottom of Form Mark and Keisha Hoerrner, â€Å"Video  Game  Violence,†Ã‚  Children's Voice, vol. 15, January/February 2006. Copyright  © 2006 Child Welfare League of America. All Rights Reserved. Reproduced by permission. Mark Hoerrner is a writer and the author of several articles on the media's effect on children. Keisha Hoerrner is department chair of Kennesaw State University's First-Year Programs and a researcher who specializes in children and media issues.While many parents scoff at letting their children watch violent movies, they often consent to buying violent  video  games for their teenagers without checking the industry ratings. Researchers contend that a link exists between violent  video  games and real-life  v iolence  in teenagers and young adults. Violent images don't necessarily create violent children, but gamers learn that  violence  is an accepted means to solve problems, and they perfect shooting skills as though they were handling real weapons.Even though games can teach children valuable coordination skills, parents and caregivers need to make sure that their children only view age-appropriate content and are made aware of the difference between on-screen actions and socially acceptable behavior in the real world. Thomas has a 21-inch flat-screen monitor and an optimized computer with a 4 GHZ processing speed. His hard drive is fast and large; he's packed in close to three gigabytes of RAM and has a  video  card with dual 512K processors. It's all about speed and graphical processing. He's jacked in to a high-speed Internet connection, and he's off and running.Thomas isn't a programmer or a network engineer, though he's considering that as a possibility for the future. He doesn't have to worry about that now, though—he's only 13 years old and has a long time to make up his mind about a career. For now, he's content with the fact that in the next three hours, he'll commit 147 felonies including aggravated assault, murder, attempted murder, robbery, arson, burglary, conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, and auto theft while violating just about every section of the RICO Act, the nation's nti-organized crime law. He'll even be so brazen as to gun down bystanders and police officers and will personally beat someone to death with a golf club. All without ever leaving his room. ————————————————- A Link to Violent Behavior Retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a former [U. S. ] Army Ranger and tactical trainer, asserts that  video  games are actively training children to kill. Learning, he says, happens all the time, especially during active play.The subject of that active play, however, can be negative or positive. Grossman has authored two books on the connection between violent media and actual  violence. He argues that children learn to use weapons and become sharpshooters through simulated games the same way soldiers use simulations to improve their shooting precision. Just as children can improve their phonics withLearn to Read with Winnie the Pooh, they can learn to shoot with deadly accuracy playing  Doom,  Splinter Cell,  Hitman, and other first-person shooter games.Grossman has been a consultant to a number of school systems following deadly shooting incidents, assisting with grief counseling and understanding what brings children from what should be a carefree time in their lives to the point of committing multiple murders. In his book,  Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill[: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie &  Video  Game  Violence], Grossman says that in 1997's high school shooting in Paducah, Kentucky, the 14-year-old who opened fire on a before-school prayer group landed eight out of eight shots on eight different targets.Five of those were head shots [gunshot wounds to the head]. According to the FBI, in shootouts less than three meters from their targets, trained law enforcement officers land, on average, one out of five shots—these are trained officers who are familiar with their weapons. The teenage shooter had never held a real gun before his shooting rampage, Grossman says. He had, however, spent long hours playing first-person shooter games that simulated killing with the same weapon he used that morning.Grossman, who now travels the country talking to police departments and educators, asserts that the combination of playing these games and watching violent movies taught the youth how to load, actively target, and shoot as if he had been watching an instructional  video. ——————— —————————- Making Right or Wrong Choices Unlike watching a  video  or television show, a child is actively making choices and weighing options when playing  video  games. He or she is rewarded for certain behaviors, which, depending on the  game, may range from solving a puzzle to opening fire on a group of bystanders. In a violent  video  game, you rehearse the entire aggression sequence from beginning to end,† says mediaviolence  researcher Craig [A. ] Anderson, chair of Iowa State University's Department of Psychology. â€Å"You have to be vigilant, looking for enemies, looking for potential threats; you have to decide how to deal with the threat, what weapon to use, and how to use it; and then you take physical action to behave aggressively within the  game. It's society, not science, that must decide how to deal with the negative effects of violent  videogames.We have considerable evidence these games cause violent behavior,† Anderson says, pointing to hundreds of scientific studies on  video  games, and more than 3,000 on the effects of other violent media, that he says all suggest a causal link between violent behavior and the consumption of violent content. This isn't an overt link, he cautions—a child isn't likely to go out and commit a major felony after playing a violentgame  for an hour—but children will act more aggressively and show more negative social action, such as the intent to do  violence  to another person, over time. ———————————————— Positive Aspects of Video Games Anderson is quick to note, however, that games have positive aspects. He bought his son a copy of the flight simulator  game  Flight Unlimited  and a realistic joystick and foot pedal. His son spent considerable time learning to fly, which pai d off when the child went to a NASA summer camp and was assigned the role of pilot on a space shuttle mission simulator. Anderson's son was able to land the craft on the first try, something camp organizers said had never been done.Anderson credits the flight simulator as the catalyst for helping his son develop the necessary skills. In a study at the University of California, Santa Barbara, diabetic children who received a  video  gameshowing them how to better manage their illness had improved blood sugar control and fewer emergency room visits. â€Å"Video  games are great teachers and great motivators,† Anderson says, â€Å"but they can be misused. It's society, not science, that must decide how to deal with the negative effects of violent  videogames. To this end, the  video  game  industry helped create the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to develop a system of ratings for  video  games to define content for parents and allow them to make i nformed purchasing decisions. ESRB ratings include six age-based rating symbols, ranging from â€Å"EC-Early Childhood† to â€Å"AO-Adults Only,† and more than 30 content descriptors (such as â€Å"Mild  Violence,† â€Å"IntenseViolence,† â€Å"Sexual  Violence,† â€Å"Partial Nudity,† â€Å"Drug Reference,† and â€Å"Simulated Gambling†) that indicate elements in a  game  that may have triggered a particular rating or may be of interest or concern to the buyer.Full Text:  Ã‚  COPYRIGHT 2010 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. Source Citation: â€Å"Violent Video Games Might Be to Blame for Violent Behavior. †Ã‚  Is Media Violence a Problem? Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. Document URL http://ic. galegroup. com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow? displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&a ction=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010187219&mode=view&userGroupName=lemo21048&jsid=dbc3cbe328c3b8eaa54c12c32c45bb32 Gale Document Number:  GALE|EJ3010187219

Fight Club Essay

The 1999 film, Fight Club, is controversial in the sense that it can be interpreted at a superfluity of angles. However, the effectiveness of the final scene to reflect the narrator’s catharsis is indisputable as it is accompanied by the song â€Å"Where is My Mind† by The Pixies. The song itself is vital to the ending scene and ultimately the entire film. The lyrics are significant to the narrator’s inner turmoil, not only throughout the film, but also at the concluding moment and the auditory elements parallel the events and emotions of the concluding scene. Fight Club centers around an unnamed narrator who projects his unconscious identity as a separate character, Tyler Durdin. Tyler frees the narrator from his former pretenses of life regarding society through self destruction. The narrator burns his house, quits his job, and beings to live recklessly, seemingly by coincidence. He subconsciously rids himself of all worldly possessions. Together, Tyler and the narrator form Fight Club – an underground group that thrives on destruction of themselves and government establishments. As the narrator gets weaker and less powerful, Tyler gets stronger and better looking, symbolizing his strengthening id. Towards the end of the film, the narrator comes to the realization that he is Tyler. The ending scene puts the narrator and Marla, a woman with whom he has an on again-off again relationship, at the highest story of a city building, holding hands and watching the city collapse around them. The music as it appears in the final scene is essential to the conclusion of the film The lyrics, â€Å"where is my mind,† plays at the very closing moment. The words reflect the state of the character’s mind during the entire film and especially at the final scene. As he rids himself of all superficiality and society’s values, he is freed from his dangerous alter ego and his apparent schizophrenia and left with an open mind. â€Å"Where is my mind,† speaks to the separation between his conscious and subconscious into two people as well as his newfound freedom from materiality. The narrator experiences a â€Å"rebirth† from his prior lifestyle into pure existentialism, a state of being where he is now able to award meaning to his life, rather than society assigning meaning. The auditory elements of the song run parallel to the occurrences of the concluding scene. The song features loud, aggressive, and disharmonic music which is comparable to the city’s crashing buildings and demolition. There is a melodic undertone of chorus voices singing which is reflective of the narrator and Marla’s calmness and almost happiness, it seems, during the outside devastation.

Want To Pursue Education Abroad Here’s Why Singapore Is a Great Option

A popular tourist spot, comprising of 64 islands and a pluralist heaven, Singapore is crawling its way up when it comes to education. No, it’s not like everybody there is great at Math, as memes on the cyberspace have you believe; but it is certainly true that Singapore is one of the top choices of students aspiring to study abroad. Quantum Physics or Veterinary Degrees: Singapore is the place! Singapore has a number of schools, colleges and universities providing courses in areas which you probably don’t even know exist. Whether you want to be the next Valentino, or dream about outshining Richard Dawkins, you can get a number of courses with comprehensive syllabus, at affordable prices. A Cultural Hotspot If you have lived in one place all your life, you know, holed up in one place, same old faces and features, it is time you go to Singapore! No, exaggerating, Singapore is an exciting amalgam of a plethora of ethnicities and faiths, literally a melting pot of various cultures. You’d come across people from India, China and Malaysia and many other countries. Interacting and talking to people from all across the globe will truly change your whole outlook of the world. At the end of the day, education doesn’t mean being good at academics only; being a tolerant, pluralist and a responsible citizen of the world is actually what matters more. In the Top Ten Singapore happens to be among the top ten educational destinations in the world. It is flocked by students for high school as well as higher education degree programs. Holistic Excellence That’s right. Singapore’s education system boasts of a highly competitive education system, right from the primary to higher education. The education system provides learning which promotes thinking out of the box, polishes analytical skills, and encourages research. Public or Private: Choose the One Which Sits Well With Your Requirements The country has a number of excellent public as well as private educational institutions. Moreover, around 16 leading foreign universities had campuses providing degree programs and various other courses. Forget Three Wishes, All I Want Is a Kick-Ass Degree at Affordable Prices Admittedly, quality education comes at high costs. But you really need not worry now. Singapore offers superior quality education at affordable tuition fees. Of course, there is lot of packages which you can choose from. Â  There are a number of educational scholarships available for bright foreign students wishing to pursue education in the country. You can also apply for bursaries and study loans. Availing financial assistance in Singapore is relatively easier than in other countries. A Growing Job Market Singapore is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. It offers a broad range of career opportunities for students belonging to all fields. You can pursue your higher education and apply for a work permit for excellent job opportunities. If your degree course requires undergoing practical training in organizations in Singapore, you get a work permit in that case as well. Complete your studies, live like there’s no tomorrow, and get an awesome job! Head to Singapore now!