Signpost Notes:
•Contrasts and Contradictions:
When a character does something
that contrasts with what you would expect or
contradicts his earlier
acts or statement, STOP and ask “Why is the character doing
that?”
•Aha Moment:
When a character realizes, understands, or finally
figures out something, STOP
and ask yourself “How might this
change things?”
•Tough Question:
When a character asks herself a very difficult
question, STOP and ask yourself
“What does this question make me
wonder about?”
•Words of the Wiser:
When a character (probably older and wiser)
takes the main character aside and
offers serious advice, STOP and
ask, “What’s the life lesson and how might it
affect the character?”
•Again and Again:
When you notice a word, phrase, or situation
mentioned over and over, STOP and
ask yourself, “Why does this
keep happening?”
•Memory Moment:
When the author interrupts the action to tell
you about a memory, STOP and ask
yourself, “Why might this
memory be important?”
One recurring theme that popped up in my signpost notes was the respect that Santiago has for nature. Santiago looks at the animals of the sea as equals and friends. He realizes how much the creatures help him and sacrifice for him. Santiago sees the connections between all creatures. While many fisherman see the ocean as a source of income Santiago sees it for what it truly is: a home. Santiago has a respect for the ocean that most do not. He tries to take only what he needs to survive. It is Santiago's job to fish, it is his way of survival. Yet under the "Tough Questions" section of my notes I recorded how Santiago was struggling to figure out whether what he was doing should be considered sin or not. It is because of the respect that Santiago has for the environment that he is questioning the morality of his job. While on the boat Santiago often refers to the fish and the birds as his friends or brothers. He marvels at their beauty and respects the fact that he is in their environment. Santiago sees the interconnectedness of the world around him. He realizes that while we must take in order to survive, we cannot take more than what is needed. There is a line between man and nature, there is a line between give and take. Throughout "The Old Man and the Sea" Santiago contemplates these lines and the importance of not crossing them.
ReplyDeleteIn my observations, one of the patterns I kept noticing was Santiago’s inner conflict in finding the harmony between man and nature. The old man wasn’t accepted by his community except for Manolin, the boy, so he created this life for himself out at sea. All the sea creatures were his friends; he considered them to be his brothers, his family. But he knew that he needed to kill them in order to survive, and this was where the conflict lied. While he was on boat, he talked to himself quite often, and at one point, he said, “‘I’ll kill him though… In all his greatness and his glory.’ Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures” (66). When addressing the marlin, Santiago told himself, “‘The fish is my friend too… I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars’” (75). He has a great respect and admiration for these animals, and they brought out his qualities of strength, honor, and courage. Santiago treated them as equals like they were human beings. Throughout the novella, Santiago had to accept that either he was going to be killed or the fish was going to be killed. He told the marlin, “You are killing me, fish… But you have the right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who” (92). He saw nature in a way not very many people did, and he appreciated everything they gave and did for him. There was an apparent love the animals and the sea that no other fisherman had. When the others fished, they were selfish about it, and the only reason they did it was for their own personal gain. But when Santiago fished, he was patient, he interacted with the animals, and he only took what he needed to survive, and this was shown in his financial situation in which he was poor, and the fact that he had gone 84 days without catching anything. This theme was recurrent in my signpost notes in the Aha Moment, Tough Question, Again and Again, and Words of the Wiser sections.
ReplyDeleteOne observation I made that I think is significant is the repetition of Santiago’s dream of the lions on the beach. Santiago seemed to associate the lions with his youth back in Africa, and this displayed the circle of life, because during this time in his life, he was an old man, and his life was nearing the end. He knew that this was true, and he had embraced the thought of death admirably. “Besides, he thought, everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive” (106). Santiago was a wise man, and he knew that he was going to die eventually, and he would’ve thought of it as an honor to be killed by the marlin. Also, the fact that lions represent strong and powerful animals, and Santiago saw them lounging in the sand may have portrayed the conflicts in nature like life and death and love and hate. These contrasting ideas go hand in hand, and Santiago was always looking for the balance between them.
A major theme throughout The Old Man and The Sea is the recurring honor and respect used and portrayed by Santiago, especially regarding the fish. Santiago is a character with a lot of reasons to feel anger or be bitter but instead of behaving in a way that expresses his frustrations, he instead channels it into creating a quest to capture the impossible. Who knows, maybe he was just an old guy who really wanted to capture a big fish. Or maybe, Santiago was feeling defeated because of his old age and eighty-four days of not catching any fish and subconsciously made a connection with the marlin and the days of his youth. Battling the marlin made him feel powerful and respected again. It also gave him honor and made him feel like a hero, which he wasn’t feeling from the village people because he was old and unlucky. Anyway, Santiago was a respectful and honorable man who created an unnecessary battle with a force of nature to give himself the feeling of being treated in with the honor and respect in which he deserves.
ReplyDeleteIn The Old Man and the Sea, one recurring theme that I found in my notes was Santiago’s fight against defeat. Throughout the entire novel, the old man battles with the constant feeling of failure and defeat. But even with all these negative feelings, Santiago always finds a way to push through and never give up. Whether it be the eighty-four days of fishing with no catch or the hopeless chasing around of a marlin, Santiago never gives up his fight. Maybe he does this because if he fails at fishing, there is no way of him surviving. Or maybe he possesses the qualities of a strong fighter who will always strive for success. Whatever way it may be, Santiago never gives up in anything he does, even if he experiences pain. In one “Memory Moment,” Santiago remembers a time when he was younger when he arm wrestled all night and eventually ended up winning. This is just one example of how the old man never gave up, and how he did what he needed to do to be successful. Another Signpost that connected with this theme of never giving in to failure or help was an “Again and Again.” The boy always tried to offer the old man his help, yet the old man never accepted any of his offers. If Santiago allowed the boy to help him, it would be going against the morals of the old man of never giving up. In my opinion, the old man never let the boy help him because that would be showing a sign of despair and weakness, which are both signs of giving up. The idea of never showing a sign of defeat is demonstrated by Santiago countless times throughout this novel.
ReplyDeleteIn the book The Old Man in the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, a pattern that is shown a lot throughout the book is Santiago’s constant determination. The old man had shown quite a bit of his determination through the book, for instance in the beginning of the book when he is talking to the boy, Santiago has not caught a fish in months yet still goes out fishing every day with a positive attitude. On page 16, Santiago says to the boy, “Eighty-five is a lucky number.How would you like to see me bring one in that dressed over a thousnad pounds?” This shows that he still has faith that he will catch a fish the next day.
ReplyDeleteWhen Santiago is out at sea he shows a different type of determination. When he hooks the fish, he knows it's big but can't see it and can't pull it up. So instead he stays calm and lets the fish tire itself out by pulling him out to sea. This scene shows how much he wants to catch a fish and how he sticks with it longer and harder than any other fisherman would have.
The third scene is when you really see his true dedication and unnerving will when he finds out that the fish is too big for the boat but instead of cutting the fish loose or giving up, he still stays with the fish until the last minute when he kills it. The old man has no where to put it but still was determined to catch the fish and bring it home.
The last scene that I feel shows true dedication is when he is bringing the fish back to Havana. The fish is to big for the boat and is leaving a blood trail in the water. He knows that sharks are going to go for the fish but he still fights till the very end to try and preserve what beauty he can. He fends off the sharks even when his harpoon is lost and though he is only left with the skeleton when he returns, the people in the harbor know how hard he fought and saw how big the fish was.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago shows constant determination throughout his journey, making it a constant pattern and trait throughout the book.
A big theme in the Old man in the Sea is his respect for the fish or for many fish as a species. Santiago has a love and respect for the fish he often mentions in the story how he loves the fish so much but he must kill it and he also mentions the fish is his friend. This is an example of an again and again were he says this multiple times during the battle with the marlin that is two feet bigger than the boat he says through the thick and thin he wants that fish more for pride than anything else he pushes and pushes and when he finally succeeds the fish is eaten by the sharks. This did not upset the man at all he fishes for the love of the water and its majestic creatures. Another thing he does is he classifies the creatures that are in and surround the sea for example he loves the birds he calls them his best friends because they circle where the fish are there are like guidance and then there is the jellyfish which are the whores of the sea that leads to why he loves the turtles because they eat the jellyfish. The old man in the Sea is an interesting novel and a cute little tale but also inspirational.
ReplyDeleteA major recurring theme throughout “The Old Man and the Sea” was Santiago’s relationship with nature. While it is true that Santiago was somewhat isolated from society on land, he was always accepted on the sea. Even after eighty four days with no fish, Santiago still had utmost trust in the ocean. The creatures of the ocean were his friends. In the “Again and Again” section of my signpost notes, I noted several times that Santiago enjoyed talking to the fish and birds. They were his only form of companionship and he possessed a deep respect for them. More importantly, he respects the ocean as a whole, and refers to it in feminine terms. However, I also noted that this respect sometimes hindered his need for survival. Because Santiago saw the fish as his friends, he had a tremendous amount of difficulty killing them. He saw it as a sin. Santiago soon realized though, that if he loved them then it was not in fact a sin to kill them. In the “Memory Moment” and “Again and Again” sections, I noticed that the old man dreamt of Africa quite often. He always saw the lions basking on the rocks. I also connected this to his relationship with nature. Most people envision lions as big, frightening, ferocious animals, but Santiago envisioned them peacefully. This further proved that his bond with nature was strong enough for him to feel safe around all creatures.
ReplyDeleteIn the book “The Old Man and the Sea” written by Ernest Hemingway, a theme that has occurred the most was how Santiago had so much respect for various things in the book. For an example, Santiago knew that Manolin’s parents no longer wanted their son to fish with Santiago due to Santiago’s bad luck and low success. Santiago respected their decision. Secondly, Santiago has a lot of respect for nature. Santiago always talks about how he views different animals as his “friends”. When Santiago caught the marlin, he specified on how he respected the marlin, but he also capitalized that he must also kill it. I believe that Santiago values nature so much is due to the fact that nature is all he has and loves its presence and enjoys it as well. Santiago is single and lives in a small shack and sleeps on newspapers and with a limited amount of food. Therefore, he does not have necessities at home nor a wife. As a result, he reverts to nature for comfort and happiness, because it is all that he has. Also, Santiago frequently dreams about nature as well. Santiago’s dreams of nature (Lions in Africa, ect.) also happens constantly in the story, meaning that he even values natures in his dreams. To sum it up, Santiago’s value and and respect for nature is an important aspect of the book, it very much shapes the book and puts a spotlight on how Santiago reverts to nature for happiness and comfort.
ReplyDeleteOne pattern throughout the novel was Santiago’s determination in chasing the fish and never giving up. No one believed in Santiago’s skills except for the little boy Manolin. The old man did not let anyone’s doubts slow him down which portrayed the characteristic of determination. The village people made him feel old and useless because of the fact that he was unlucky with catching fish. Santiago never snapped even though he knew that all the people had no faith in him. Whenever he felt like he was losing to the fish he tried harder and pushed himself, which showed his resilience. Most people would not have the determination or resilience that Santiago had.
ReplyDeleteAn example of his determination was when he would go fishing everyday even though he had not caught a fish for months. The old man knew giving up was not an option. Another example is when he had caught the huge fish and realized it was bigger than the boat. He didn’t cut it loose though; he followed it till he eventually beat the fish. When Santiago did this it really showed his strong determination and resilience
Two patterns i noticed throughout the book was determination and his love for the ocean. No matter what challenge faced him he never gave up. Even though he hadnt caught a fish for months he still went out day after day trying to catch a fish and put an end to his drought. Also, at the end of the book, after hooking the big fish he realized that every odd was against him because of the oure size of the fish and yet he still didnt release the hook. He took the fish to its end and finally was able to "catch it".
ReplyDeleteAlso in this book I noticed the pattern of his love for the ocean. Unlike most, he thought of the ocean as something greater then just a place to fish. He considered it his home. He would often refer to the fish he saw and caught as his friends or even brothers. He just had a great connection to the ocean and everything in it.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the most important observations that I noticed while reading The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway was the bond that Santiago had with nature. Santiago had great respect for nature and in particular for the marlin. As Santiago talks to himself on the boat he said, “never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother” (92). The fact that Santiago refers to the fish as “brother” proves how much respect he has for the fish. Santiago saw the fish as his equal and he said, “the fish is my friend too … I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him … but is it good that we do not try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our brothers” (75). Santiago calls the fish a brother, and a friend. The fish is put on an equal level with himself, Santiago does not look at the fish as inferior. An observation that I found the most meaningful, and interesting was Santiago’s view on sin and how he he justified the killing of the Marlin. Near the end of the story, Santiago starts talking about sin and most importantly what is sin? In my own opinion the most interesting thing that Santiago said throughout the entire story has to do with the topic of sin and this is, “You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?”(105) The way that Santiago views sin is unique. The pride of fishing and loving what he killed for the sport of fishing, and loving the fish he caught before and after its death makes it not a sin to kill. I also observed throughout the book the pattern of showing willpower and how the old man perseveres. The old man alone has many conflicts in his head and his confidence and willpower fights off doubts at stressful times during his time at sea. The old man’s hand gets cut by the line in the fight trying to catch the Marlin but the man’s willpower makes him push on. At one point there is a mental conflict in which he asks himself,“who is going to die first?” referring to himself or the fish. The old man's willpower, and confidence pushes out the doubts to answer that question as he eventually catches the marlin.
ReplyDeleteAgain and Again, Santiago struggles with defeat and death. In the beginning of the book, Santiago has not caught a fish in a long time. He is determined to not be defeated. He fishes day and night with little breaks. His hands bleed and his back cramps, but he is still determined. All throughout the book he struggles with defeat. Once Santiago has accomplished one of his goals, he still continues to struggle because he knows that sharks will come after his fish. He kills them knowing that more will also come. By the time he gets to shore, all is left of the fish is its skeleton. He shows the people of his town that he did succeed, but not in the way he wanted to.
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