When I was a middle school student, I’ve finished this book in when I read it in English,I really gain something new both in the way of expression and the spirit it shows to be different ages to read the same book we will learn different things from least, for my part, that is true.
Firstly,I would like to review some information about this as the background,major characters and the topic of it.
The Old Man and the Sea is a story by Ernest Hemingway, written in Cuba in 1951 and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction to be produced by Hemingway and published in his lifetime. One of his most famous works, it centers upon Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
The Old Man and the Sea served to reinvigorate Hemingway's literary reputation and prompted a reexamination of his entire body of work. The novella was initially received with much popularity; it restored many readers' confidence in Hemingway's capability as an author. Its publisher, Scribner's, on an early dust jacket, called the novella a _new classic,_ and many critics favorably compared it with such works as William Faulkner's _The Bear_ and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.
This book gives me a deep impression especially the description about the man’s braveness and persistence.
In this book, in order to suggest the profundity of the old man’s sacrifice and the glory that derives from it, Hemingway purposefully likens Santiago to Christ, who, according to Christian theology, gave his life for the greater glory of humankind. Crucifixion imagery is the most noticeable way in which Hemingway creates the symbolic parallel between Santiago and Christ. When Santiago’s palms are first cut by his fishing line, the reader cannot help but think of Christ suffering his stigmata. Later, when the sharks arrive, Hemingway portrays the old man as a crucified martyr, saying that he makes a noise similar to that of a man having nails driven through his hands. Furthermore, the image of the old man struggling up the hill with his mast across his shoulders recalls Christ’s march toward Calvary. Even the position in which Santiago collapses on his bed—face down with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up—brings to mind the image of Christ suffering on the cross. Hemingway employs these images in the final pages of the novella in order to link Santiago to Christ, who exemplified transcendence by turning loss into gain, defeat into triumph, and even death into renewed life.
The major characters in this book are also vivid and lively.
Santiago?,the old man of the novella’s title, Santiago is a Cuban fisherman who has had an extended run of bad luck. Despite his expertise, he has been unable to catch a fish for eighty-four days. He is humble, yet exhibits a justified pride in his abilities. His knowledge of the sea and its creatures, and of his craft, is unparalleled and helps him preserve a sense of hope regardless of circumstance.
The marlin?,Santiago hooks the marlin, which we learn at the end of the novella measures eighteen feet, on the first afternoon of his fishing expedition. Manolin?,a boy presumably in his adolescence, Manolin is Santiago’s apprentice and devoted attendant. The old man first took him out on a boat when he was merely five years old. Due to Santiago’s recent bad luck, Manolin’s parents have forced the boy to go out on a different fishing boat. Manolin, however, still cares deeply for the old man, to whom he continues to look as a mentor.
Joe DiMaggio, although DiMaggio never appears in the novel, he plays a significant role nonetheless. Santiago worships him as a model of strength and commitment, and his thoughts turn toward DiMaggio whenever he needs to reassure himself of his own strength. Perico ?,Perico, the reader assumes, owns the bodega in Santiago’s village. He never appears in the novel, but he serves an important role in the fisherman’s life by providing him with newspapers that report the baseball scores. This act establishes him as a kind man who helps the aging Santiago.
Martin,like Perico, Martin, a café owner in Santiago’s village, does not appear in the story. The reader learns of him through Manolin, who often goes to Martin for Santiago’s supper. As the old man says, Martin is a man of frequent kindness who deserves to be repaid.
From the very first paragraph, Santiago is characterized as someone struggling against defeat. He has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish—he will soon pass his own record of eighty-seven days. Almost as a reminder of Santiago’s struggle, the sail of his skiff resembles “the flag of permanent defeat.” But the old man refuses defeat at every turn: he resolves to sail out beyond the other fishermen to where the biggest fish promise to be. He lands the marlin, tying his record of eighty-seven days after a brutal three-day fight, and he continues to ward off sharks from stealing his prey, even though he knows the battle is useless.
Because Santiago is pitted against the creatures of the sea, some readers choose to view the tale as a chronicle of man’s battle against the natural world, but the novella is, more accurately, the story of man’s place within nature. Both Santiago and the marlin display qualities of pride, honor, and bravery, and both are subject to the same eternal law: they must kill or be killed. As Santiago reflects when he watches the weary warbler fly toward shore, where it will inevitably meet the hawk, the world is filled with predators, and no living thing can escape the inevitable struggle that will lead to its death. Santiago lives according to his own observation: “man is not made for defeat . . . [a] man can be destroyed but not defeated.” In Hemingway’s portrait of the world, death is inevitable, but the best men (and animals) will nonetheless refuse to give in to its power. Accordingly, man and fish will struggle to the death, just as hungry sharks will lay waste to an old man’s trophy catch.
The novel suggests that it is possible to transcend this natural law. In fact, the very inevitability of destruction creates the terms that allow a worthy man or beast to transcend it. It is precisely through the effort to battle the inevitable that a man can prove himself. Indeed, a man can prove this determination over and over through the worthiness of the opponents he chooses to face. Santiago finds the marlin worthy of a fight, just as he once found “the great negro of Cienfuegos” worthy. HSantiago, though destroyed at the end of the novella, is never defeated. Instead, he emerges as a hero. Santiago’s struggle does not enable him to change man’s place in the world. Rather, it enables him to meet his most dignified destiny.
While it is certainly true that Santiago’s eighty-four-day run of bad luck is an affront to his pride as a masterful fisherman, and that his attempt to bear out his skills by sailing far into the gulf waters leads to disaster, Hemingway does not condemn his protagonist for being full of pride. On the contrary, Santiago stands as proof that pride motivates men to greatness. Because the old man acknowledges that he killed the mighty marlin largely out of pride, and because his capture of the marlin leads in turn to his heroic transcendence of defeat, pride becomes the source of Santiago’s greatest strength. Without a ferocious sense of pride, that battle would never have been fought, or more likely, it would have been abandoned before the end.
Santiago’s pride also motivates his desire to transcend the destructive forces of nature. Throughout the novel, no matter how baleful his circumstances become, the old man exhibits an unflagging determination to catch the marlin and bring it to shore. When the first shark arrives, Santiago’s resolve is mentioned twice in the space of just a few paragraphs. Even if the old man had returned with the marlin intact, his moment of glory, like the marlin’s meat, would have been short-lived. The glory and honor Santiago accrues comes not from his battle itself but from his pride and determination to fight.
Santiago dreams his pleasant dream of the lions at play on the beaches of Africa three times. The first time is the night before he departs on his three-day fishing expedition, the second occurs when he sleeps on the boat for a few hours in the middle of his struggle with the marlin, and the third takes place at the very end of the book. In fact, the sober promise of the triumph and regeneration with which the novella closes is supported by the final image of the lions. Because Santiago associates the lions with his youth, the dream suggests the circular nature of life. Additionally, because Santiago imagines the lions, fierce predators, playing, his dream suggests a harmony between the opposing forces—life and death, love and hate, destruction and regeneration—of nature.
This book gives me courage of conquering all kinds of difficulties .And I have the belief that the most beautiful thing is the process that we make our best to achieve our dream,and never say give up .
this year summer vacation, i read the american well-known writer hemingways novel _ old person and sea _.i extremely admire in the novel the senior fishermans will, he let me understand one person certainly must have relentle spirit, only then could obtain succefully.
the novel description is one year near sixty years of age senior fisherman, when alone goes to sea in one fishing, fished one big fish, actually did not senior fisherman socialized several days after the fish, only then discovered this was the big marlin which one surpaed the oneself fishing boat several fold, although knew perfectly well very difficult to win, but still did not give and further because in the big marlin wound fish fishy smell brought in several crowds of shark fish _es the food, but the old person still did not hope like this to give up, finally highlighted encircles tightly, returned to the big fish belt the fishing port, lets other fishermen not admire already.
when i read _ the senior fisherman think: here to the seacoast really was too near, perhaps could have a bigger fish in a farther place..._ when, i extremely admire this senior fisherman, because he by now already projected on some fish, but he had not settled to the present situation, but was approaches the bigger goal has a look us, usually meets one slightly is difficult, we all complain will be the motherland future, will be supposed to like this old person same mind lofty aspiration, will even better pursue even better, the bigger goal.
when i read _ the big marlin start fast to gather round the young fishing boat hover, twined the cable on the mast , the old person right hand lifted up high the steel fork, leapt the water surface in it the flash, did utmost throws to its heart, one wail ended the big fishs life, it was static static floats on the water surface..._ when, my heart also liked together the big stone extremely admire old person that kind do not dread, the relentle spirit, although knows the match strength is very strong, but he not slightly flinches, but is welcomes difficultly because had this kind of spirit, the senior fisherman only then achieved this life and death contest also must study senior fishermans spirit in life, handles the matter does not fear the difficulty, only then can obtain succefully.
The old man and the sea is the work of Hemingway. Hemingway is a very unique writer. He has experienced two world wars and created a classic tough man image based on himself.
This book mainly describes an old fisherman named Santiago, who has not caught fish for eighty-four days in a row. On the eighty fifth day, he caught a big fish and dueled with the big fish for two days and two nights. Finally, the big fish was stabbed to death and tied to the ships side. But I met a shark on my way home. The old man fought with the shark to death, but the big fish was eaten up by the shark. At last, when he came back home, he only had a pair of white fish bones.
From this book, we can feel the old mans spirit of never giving in. When the old man faced the sharks, he knew that he could not defeat the sharks, but he still took out all the tools that could be used as weapons to fight with the sharks. Isnt that the noble quality we should have when facing difficulties, life and destiny?
Life is endless pursuit, it is full of ups and downs, but as long as we face it with a confident and tenacious heart like the old man, we will become the ultimate winner!
The old man and the sea _is a novel written by American writer Hemingway, an old fisherman named Santiago eighty-four consecutive days did not catch a fish, although he has grey-haired, but he refused to admit defeat, still full of fighting spirit. At his insistence, finally in eighty-fifth days caught a one thousand and five hundred pound fish, eighteen feet long, the fish pulled the old man boat into the sea to swim, in no water and no food, no tools and peer predicament, the old man is still in the fight with the big fish, two days later he finally killed the fish, but also attracted many sharks, although he waged a fierce battle with the sharks, but he managed to get the big fish eat shark, the old man had to go home with the rest of the fish bones.
After reading the novel, I was deeply moved by the old man, and some people may think that the old mans behavior is very stupid, in the _no harvest_ days can still hold on. Moreover, the old man was fortunate enough to have a big fish after a fierce struggle and was eaten by sharks, and what the old man had done before seemed meaningless to them. But in my opinion, the old man is admirable. First of all, the old man was very patient, and for the long days he did not reap anything. Even if he was laughed at, he persisted. Finally, his perseverance came in, but he had to fight the big fish. In the process, he was the only one on the ship. From the spiritual point of view, he was lonely, and there was no food on the ship, and his body could not support him any longer. In the physical and mental torture, he still persevered, and this is what I admire most of him.
I feel the same about the old man. In junior high school, we have to reform the sports running, long-distance running, for no movement of the cells for me, it is a bolt from the blue. When I first started, I was far from perfect. For me, it is to get out of class to tell some fantastic tales, most students are an easy job to do. If in sports in this regard with others widen the gap, he may also be very sorry. So I decided to practice long-distance running, maybe I could sprint the full score on the day of the exam. So in addition to the provisions of the morning school every day after school every day I ran outside, to walk a few laps around the track and field.
Distance examination and more than a year, long distance is really very strenuous, every time run out in a sweat does not say, for my poor people, running really very hard, from the beginning of the second lap breathing difficulties, when there are half circle of people want to fall to the ground, but also to be speed run, sprinting throat like something off, as if next second there is something to be poured out. But I still insist on, and finally to the examination day, although I tried my best, but still a little bit out of full marks. Know the moment of achievement, tears involuntarily in the eyes of the rotation, in mind, before the efforts are in vain?. Now, Zhang Sijia feels that his efforts are not without progress. At least I have made great progress.
Maybe sometimes, in the eyes of others, you insist on things is meaningless, but not all things can be accomplished, there must be a long process, through the long process, even if not successful, but they also can get to it.
The the old man and the seais a brief but meaningful story. After fishing nothing during the past 84 days, the old fisherman San Diego finally captured a salmon, which weight is over 1500 pounds. After a tough struggle, exactly, three days’ standoff, the old man eventually killed the big fish that came to surface because of being exhausted. However, on the way to harbor, the old man was attacked by many sharks who tracked after the smell of the dead salmon, what he still hold was only the bone of the big fish when he arrived at port.
It is said that the author, Ernest Hemingway who is a great American writer wrote the novel in only eight weeks, basing on one of his friend’s true experience. He created the figure of the old man which was later called by people “tough man” and showed his life attitude and spiritual world. The most well-known sentence of this novel and also the topic of it is that: “man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” These words become belief of many readers.
In my opinion, the whole story is about a battle between an old man and the sea, both of which are considered to ha一ve symbolic meanings according to critics. The old man once was so energetic and strong but couldn’t get harvest from the sea. He used his old body and strong mind to fight against nature and challenge his fate. He did win a bit—he got the large fish, but he lost totally because he carried back only the skeleton of the fish with his hands bleeding. On the other hand, he had done all he could to fight against all unlucky things and didn’t lose his face. He beha一ved like a real man, a tough man.
It’s a tragic novel, but it’s also a heroic symphony. The poor old fisherman was regarded as a failure by other fishers as he had captured nothing during the past 84 days. When he fished that 1500-pound salmon, he determined to fight to death even though he knew clearly that the big fish was much stronger than him, and finally, he succeeded. But the ordeal was not to the end even he had succeeded in capturing the big fish. The salmon was bigger than his fishing-boat, he dad no choices but binding the fish to one side of his boat. During his way home, the dead salmon was attacked again and again by shakes followed after the smell of blood. He had to do everything he could do to protect his victory. Harpoon was taken away by a shark, he tied the knife on the oar to stick the shake; the knife was broken, he used short stick to fight against the shark; the short stick was lost, he fought with rudder···Nothing could destroy his volition though the fish was eaten by sharks. God seems to ha一ve no pity toward such a great old man; he dropped misfortunes on this poor old man time and time again. But the old San Diego never ga一ve in.
The old man’s story is not only a symbol of the relationship between human and nature, but also a symbol of the indestructible spirit of human. In reality, the old man was defeated, but in spirit, he was a winner. The spirit of tenacious fight of him suggested the dignity and perseverance of human people. Even a great successful person has some experience of frustration. There are various reasons of being failed, but even an insignificant failure is an unbearable strike. Going to sea, he would gain another hope of being successful. Maybe, the sinister life environment and the tenacity of life attitude is the reason that this composition is more and more attractive. Life itself is a kind of endless pursuit, just like the old man’s saying“human is not born to be failure, one could be ruined, but he could not be defeated.” These words remind me of the “Destiny symphony_, in which Beethoven says that “I could be destroyed, but I couldn’t be conquered”. They indicate the meaning of a hero, the meaning of life. Also, it’s what this story wants to tell people: human should face the failure bra一vely. From this respect, this book is not an allegory or a fairy tale, but a realistic works. What’s important in this story is not win but the value of a life. The old man dares to challenge the extremity and over the limit time and time again. What he brought to human is not only an attitude of confidence, but also a powerful strength of spirit.
The old man and the seagives me a lot of revelation. What is failure? Failure is the bra一very to get up the courage to climb up when you fell down and to get the courage to climb up again when you fell again and never lose the hope of life and the dream of life. What is hero? Hero is the people who dare to face the frustration, dare to challenge the frustration and defeat the frustration and overcome oneself, they ha一ve the courage to achieve their dream, even they ha一ve failed many times.
What scary us is not the failure, but the weakness and giving in to the failure. Once you ha一ve surrendered, all your dreams will never come true. This thought also has a significant meaning to our realistic life. Life is like the old man’s fishing, even you are failed, but you will not lea一ve regret for life, because you ha一ve struggled and faced to the challenges bra一vely. We’ll be the winner of our life, and our life will be splendid because we ha一ve struggled with our dreams.
Santiago, an old man about sixty years old, fished alone with nothing caught in eighty four days. No one would like to talk to him for his extremely bad luck except a boy who always came to help after the day and finally left to another boat under the pressure of his parents. Ignoring the contempt from the younger fishermen and sympathy from the older, on the morning of the 85th day, the old man started his fishing with determination and rowed his old boat very far in the sea where he believed there would be big fish. Fortunately the old man met with a big fish as he had wished and finally defeated the big Marlin with two days and nights struggle after overcoming great difficulties. But more unfortunately there were many sharks coming after his boat attracted by the smell of the blood of the big Marlin. After death-and-life struggle, when he finally got rid of the sharks coming after the boat, the big Marlin was bare skeleton.
The Old Man and the Sea tells a frustrated experience of the old man who fishes alone in the sea in plain languages. Through the simple lines, a “tough guy” image is shaped and heroism is praised. The whole story starts with a peaceful beginning which is some trivial of life and talking with the boy, and suddenly turns to its climax which is the dangerous fighting with the big fish and sharks alone in the sea, and ends with the old man’s return with the bare skeleton of the big Marlin. Though the boy only appears at the beginning and the ending in the novel, he plays an indispensible role, it is his inspiring and supporting that helps the old man to be “graceful under heavy pressure”.
In the book, the old man prepared his fishing properly and preciously than any other fishermen so that “Then when luck comes you are ready” as the old man thought to himself. In reality, some of us keep complaining that they are born in wrong time or good luck never knocks their doors. In fact, good luck sometimes just comes when they are not ready. Taking Newton for example, if he had not acquired a lot, millions of apples could never make him discovery the gravity. So if we just keep studying as much as we can, good luck will finally find us and a bright future is ahead of us. The old man never gives up hope. When all of people think he is doomed, he still strongly believes that he will get a big fish. And he does. So never giving up hope is very important to us. This reminded me of the sentence in Churchill’s speech “Never give up, never, never, never…”. “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated” has always been inspiring me when I counter with some setbacks in my life. Setbacks are inevitable in pursuit of our goals, but we should never be frustrated and should be “graceful under heavy pressure” like the old man. It is his relentless pursuit that contributes to the victory.
The old man and the sea creates a classic image of a tough guy. Santiago, an old fisherman in Cuba, went out to sea alone and caught a huge Marlin after 84 days of nothing. This is a big fish two feet longer than his boat that the old man has never seen or heard of. The fish is strong and dragging
Why didnt Hemingway let the old man win in the end? In the words of the old man in the novel, _a man is not born to be defeated_, _a man can be destroyed, but he cant be defeated._ This is the philosophy of the old man and the sea. Theres no denying that as long as its human, its flawed. When a person admits this defect and tries to overcome it instead of succumbing to it, whether he can finally overcome his own defect, he is a winner, because he has overcome his own compromise on the defect, he is the winner of his own courage and confidence. The old fisherman is the winner who dares to challenge his own defects and courage and confidence. From the perspective of worldly view of victory, the old fisherman is not the final winner, because although he defeated the great Marlin at first, the great Marlin was finally eaten by the sharks. He just returned to the shore with the white bone shelf of the great marlin, that is to say, the sharks are the winners. However, in the eyes of idealists, the old fisherman is the winner, because he has never been to the sea, not to the great marlin, not to the shark compromise and surrender. As music master Beethoven said, _I can be destroyed, but I cant be conquered._.
Human nature is strong, and human beings have their own limits, but it is precisely because people like the old fishermen challenge the limits again and again, and surpass them that the limits are expanded again and again, placing greater challenges in front of human beings. In this sense, such heroes as the old fisherman Santiago, whether they challenge the limit of success or failure, are worthy of our eternal respect.
Because what he brings us is the most noble confidence of human beings!
_The old man and the sea_ created a classic tough guy image. A man named sangdeya brother Cuban old fisherman，a man fishing alone in the 48 days after，have gained nothing caught a huge marlin. This is the old man never seen nor heard a big fish said his boat was two feet longer than the. Jin also big fish，dragging the boat drift for two days and two nights，the elderly have never experienced a difficult test in this two days and two nights，finally the barb，tied to the bow. But then they met a shark，the old man and the sharks were life-and-death struggle，the big marlin was eaten by sharks，fish skeleton old man finally dragged home only a bare.
Why not let the elderly Hemingway final victory? Novel in the words of the elderly: _a person is not born to be defeated_，_a man can be destroyed，but not defeated._ This is the _old man and the sea_ to reveal the philosophy. Undeniably，as long as one would have defects. When a person recognizes this shorting and tried to overe it and not go to it，no matter finally caught a full marlin or an empty skeleton，which have not really matter，because a person's life has value in the hunt Marlins in the process of fully embodied. Have their own pursuit of the ideal，struggle，he is not a winner? The old fisherman is wrong and the courage to challenge their own courage and confidence. Secular outlook from the perspective of victory，the old fisherman is not the final winner，because even though he began to beat the big marlin，but eventually the big marlin let sharks eat，he just took the big marlin bones house back to shore，that is to say，the shark is the winner. However，in the eyes of idealists，the old fisherman is a winner，because he has never been to sea to the big marlin sharks more promise and not to surrender. As music master Beethoven said，_I can be destroyed，but can never be conquered_.
Human nature is a powerful，humanity itself has its own limits，but it is because of the old fisherman such people again and again to challenge the limits，beyond them，this limit was extended again and again，and again a greater challenge in front of human beings. In this sense，the old fisherman sangdeya brother this hero，whether they challenge limit is success or failure，is always worthy of our respect. Because，he brings us is the most noble human self-confidence!
Life is an endless pursuit. It is the road long，difficult and full of ups and downs，but，as long as he has a brave and confident heart to meet the challenge，he will always be a real winner!
In recent days, I have finished reading the book _the old man and the sea_. And get a lot of insights from it.
The owner of this book is a fisherman named Santiago who lives in Cuba. He fought a huge Marlin in a fishing trip, and finally came home frustrated and defeated.
_A man is not born to be defeated. You can kill him, but you cant defeat him._ This sentence not only praises Santiagos indomitable spirit, but also gives me a lot of inspiration. _The cold sea wind is blowing the horn ceaselessly, and there is a salty blood in the sea wind._ In such a bad environment, Santiago is able to persevere with tenacity, which is actually a kind of tough spirit. It is with this character that Santiago can retreat in the sharks and bad weather and go home safely.
We are also like this in our life. Many things cant be done smoothly. We need to rely on tenacious perseverance and courage to support ourselves, and finally we can reap the fruits of success. Like when we take an exam, if we dont recite knowledge, how can we get better results in the exam? What should we do if we dont finish the homework assigned by the teacher on time and we dont have a solid grasp of the knowledge?
Only with tenacity and hard work can we embroider our most unique style on the stage of junior high school. This is what I learned from the old man and the sea.
Sprint for your final exam this semester!
