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The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and The Sea

List Price: $18.00
Your Price: $12.60
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: the old man and the sea is a shipwreck
Review: After reading the old man and the sea, I found myself wondering what exactly Hemingway was trying to do. At first I found it extremely hard to actually get into the book. I mean how much can you say about a fishing trip the last 84 days with no luck. I did find that i sympothized with Santiago, especially when Manolin's parents force him to leave Santiago's boat. I feel that there wasnt enough action in this book to keep my interest going. Hemingway goes into such great detail in all that he says, that i find that it gets boring. Once I had finally gotten to the 85th day of Santiago's unlucky streak, I found that I was rooting so much for him the whole time. I was much more intrigued once he caught hold of that big marlin. I continued to read because I was afraid that he would give up after all that he went through. I fell that the most exciting part is when the sharks lured by the blood of the marlin. I felt bad that Santiago didnt get to enjoy his fish, although by this point Santiago has grown so much I dont think he minds. I enjoyed how he finally did something for himself instead of trying to impress others. I enjoyed the end of the book when Manolin and Santiago see eachother once again. The end of this book gets much better, but i found it didnt compensate for the rest of the book. I would not recomend this book to anyone who seeks action thrillers.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Old Man and the Sea
Review: The Old Man and the Sea is a great book written by Ernest Hemingway. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and also the Noble Prize in literature in 1954. Santiago an old Cuban fisherman does not have the best of luck and has fished for 84 days straight and has not caught one fish, but on his 85 day his luck seems to all change.
Santiago decides to travel out further into the sea then any other fisherman has ever done before to see if he can caught a big fish. He is not out there long till he gets a fish on his line. A marlin is on his line and he has to struggle with it for two days. Till finally the marlin gives up. Now Santiago is lost in sea and does not have enough strength to go back but some how he is able it make it home.
However on his way back to land he runs into some troubles cause the marlin is so huge and left a blood trail form when Santiago speared the fish. Sharks are coming up to the boat and are eating part and almost all of the fish that Santiago caught.
This was a great book with some long dragged out details that could of being taken out. It shows the struggle between man and nature, and the wiliness of one human and how nothing can drop his sprits. Even when the other fishermen make fun of him for not catching any fish. This is a great book and I do suggest that any high school student should read it. It was is a nice easy read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A True Pulitzer!
Review: This is another work of Fiction that I put off for years to read. I enjoyed it from the first to last word. It's not genre fiction for sure. Hemingway tells one man's battle in life as it often truly occurs. The protagonist achieves his goal, but the elements of nature take the most from him. Great fiction! I think, sometimes, I see a hint of this writer's dynamic impact of simplicty within the pages of today's popular genre novels.
Hell, Old Man And The Sea won a Pulitzer!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better than I remember from high school
Review: There's just too much minute fishing detail going on in this story, and not enough of it is interesting. Hemingway writes well here, even though I've never cared for his style, the almost staccato short, declarative sentences. It's certainly more elegant here than in "The Sun Also Rises," (I've never cared for his dialogue), but we're talking about more than 100 pages about a fishing trip and all the interior monologue that goes with it. There are only two characters in this story, the rest are window dressing, and barely that. The old man (Santiago is his name, it took me a minute to remember it -- that should tell you something) is the central character, the boy (can't even remember his name, Manolo or Manolin, something like that) is the other. But, actually, the fish, a huge 1,800-pound marlin probably has a bigger role than the boy. There's almost no dialogue, it's all the man speaking aloud while he's alone in the boat. Just not that interesting, mainly because it takes so long for the man to really have to fight with the marlin and with his fate. I actually expected to be less interested, having read this in high school a million years ago, but once the old man starts bringing the fish up it gets more interesting.

A good place to start if you've never read Hemingway. Quick, easy read. But maybe I need to be an old man to really appreciate the messages here. To me it seemed obvious. I'll have to pick up the Cliff's Notes to see about underlying symbolism, I'm sure there's a lot more to it than just a fish story. Man fights off loneliness and death, becomes a hero despite failure; fish represents death, old age, etc., whatever. But as an entertainment, it's just average. I'm sure "Jaws" is probably a lot more entertaining, and I know "Moby Dick" has far more layers of meaning and symbolism. You might consider one of those two instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Enough to finish
Review: This book is about an old man named Santiago, who has been down on his luck. He has been fishing for 84 days and has not had a catch. On the 85th day, he decides he will fish out farther in sea than any fisherman has ever done before. His has faith that he will make a big catch by going out that far. After being out at sea for some hours he has a bite. For two days he let the marlin (big fish) pull him out farther in to the sea. The marlin finally gives up and Santiago harpoons it in the heart. The blood from the marlin is leaving a mile trail behine the boat. Sharks begin to come and demolish the marlin. Santiago kills off each shark that takes a bite at the marlin but by night fall it is to late to save the marlin. When he returns to his island, he tries to carry the mast out of the water. He falls 5 times the he just leave it on the beach after that. The scene reminds you of when Christ carried the cross and continues to fall because of the weight. Santiago makes it home, and his good friend Manolin is glad to see he's home safe. Manolin tells Santiago he saw the skeleton of the marlin he caught and the size was 18 feet. Santiago would be reconized forever for his catch although he feels he have been defeated.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Another "epic" high school have to read...
Review: A decaying old man goes fishing for three days nonstop. If you wanna read that, be my guest.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Old man and the sea
Review: Old Man and the Sea
By Ernest Hemingway
Reviewed by Edward Ro
p.5

This book is about a old man who fishes for fish everyday. This isn't regular fishing as people would think. He was hunting for Marlins, a fish that could be 20 feet long. However, he was going through bad time. He hasnt caught fish for 40 days now. Also there was a boy that helps him in the book. They never name the characteres for some reason. The boy helps the old man carry items,and gives him food and shelter. The boy sometimes even had talks with him about baseball. The old man was very thankful of him. He later went out fishing again hoping to catch a fish. He sailed out of sea , and waited for a Marlin to take his bait. Suddenly, a Marlin came to the old man's boat and took his bait. The Marlin fought and the old man fought for control, but the Marlin got loose.The old man waited for a another marlin and kept waiting. He ate soem turtle eggs and dolphin meat and went to sleep a little. When he woke up,he found a giant marlin that took the bait. The Marlin fought for freedom, but the old man stabbed him with his harppon and the fish died. He was later attcked by sharks,because of the blood that the Marlin gave out, but bravely fought them off .He later ended up on shore,all tired and the fish on shore. Everyone was amazed of this and the old man got fame.Next time the though old man decided to take the boy along to help him out in the sea.

This book was great. It had exciting moments like battling sharks and hunting for that Marlin. It also shows how an old man could do things even though he is brittle. It shows that everyone could do things they like as long as they try. That is a very important lesson to me. I think it made everyone think the same who ever read this book.

Also the quote, "I wish the boy was here" says to me that sometimes he was too tired to do things and was about to give up and give his job to the boy, but however decided to keep going without him. Also the quote," I shall give him the belly meat of the fish" tell me that he is considerate to give a person something because that person has given you hospitality or items that you relly need. These quotes are very powerful to me. It really tells the action of the book and helps me understands how his life was like out in the sea.

My favorite part of the book was when the old man fought
the sharks. There was 5 sharks and the old man killed them all with his harpoon. The sharks were gigantic too. It is amazing that if you keep in mind what you can do, you could do it. That is what the old man did and killed those beasts like it was one easy task.I think everyone should read this book, it is a great book to read, I'll guarantee it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Why two stars
Review: Cause two stars? because two stars need more play! If you want to read an increibly boring book about a feable old man who goes fishing for three days, be my guest. How this one a nobel prize I will never know.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Summary & Response
Review: Any fisherman going eighty-seven days without a catch would be considered by many as unlucky. But when the old fisherman Santiago managed the feat not just once, but twice, he rightfully earned the dubious distinction of being outright salao-the worst form of unlucky. However, when he sets out on his eighty-fifth day for the deeper reaches of the sea he remains as determined as ever. This passion and determination beam forth from his eyes, "Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated" (10). His pride long lost, he sails on, deeper and further than ever.

Perhaps he is merely fulfilling his duty to a task he was born to, or perhaps a debt owed to the unflagging loyalty of a young boy named Manolin who continues to believe and care for him. But most likely, it was Santiago's unbridled belief that la mar would once again open her arms and embrace the fisherman she had known and loved for so many years. Irregardless, Santiago sets sail hours before sunrise fatally optimistic, "Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready" (32). Santiago captures the adage that success is achieved where opportunity meets preparation. But it is this blind faith in his ability and the righteousness of the universe that blinds him to the fact that his odds are really no better than Sisyphus'.

Santiago's fishing expedition begins auspiciously after catching a ten-pound tuna. It is perhaps one of life's greater ironies that man is so deceived by such a token gift that his faith is restored in himself and that of divine justice moments before it was to be thrown overboard. Yet the fisherman's years have made him quite attuned to nature as he immediately realizes the significance of a man-of-war bird circling above him. He sinks his line deep in the ocean and hooks an eighteen-foot fifteen hundred pound marlin, thus beginning an epic struggle between man and beast that would last two days.

The fisherman's line wound taught and on the verge of snapping, parallels that of his physical and mental suffering. Alone and fledgling, Santiago realizes how lonely he is, and perhaps how life is more enjoyable when you have someone to share it with. Santiago says aloud, "I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this" (48). His determination is as resolute as that of the marlin, or any being of nature left desperate and bereft, "Fish, I'll stay with you until I am dead. He'll stay with me too, I suppose..." (52). Their fates have become entwined both in life and death.

The fisherman realizes the sorry predicament that life has put him and all God's creatures in, "Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him" (75). Finally, the marlin weakens and Santiago is able to harpoon him. He proceeds to tie the marlin to his skiff and begins the long journey home to the Terrace. The struggle weakened the fisherman sufficiently to make his catch vulnerable to an onslaught of hungry sharks. Fending them off the best he could, his efforts were no match for the relentless number of sharks.

After finally seeing the lights of his beloved Cuba in the distance, Santiago experiences a moment of clarity after reflecting on the loss of his marlin to the sharks while journeying home, "It is easy when you are beaten. And what beat you, he thought. Nothing, I went out too far" (120). He is to blame for his misfortunes. His pride led to his downfall, but presumably he is somehow a better and wiser man for taking on nature and living to tell about it. Reminiscent of Sisyphus rolling his rock up the mountain for the first time, Santiago will inevitably try again, and again will be left with nothing more than the experience that must ultimately end in failure.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Interesting, An American Classic
Review: Just prior to reading this book, I decided to start reading American 'classics'. This is one of the first books I read. I enjoyed the story, Hemmingway brought me into the story by making feel the disappointment of Santiago.

Many of us have dreams, plans, and big futures. What we don't realize is obtaining the dreams is just the beginning. As Santiago said after hooking the big fish (his dream), "Now the work begins." This was a great account of perseverance, and how obtaining our dreams is secondary to keeping our dreams.


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