There once was a Rhinoceros named Ricky, he was Ricky the Rhinoceros. Ricky was always trying to meet girls. Ricky was girl crazy and was always hanging out with some elephant bimbo or the new giraffe in town. Ricky had a very big problem though. No matter how many leaves he bought the girls or how shiny his horn was none fot he girl would ever go on a second date with ricky. This made Ricky very sad he was crying to his friend Alfred the Ape one day when Alfred finally decided to tell Ricky something he had never told him before. Alfred sat Ricky down and in a very serious tone told Ricky "Your a super duper jerk and no one likes you." Ricky was devastated, "Why"? He quietly asked. "I am always nice and I always buy people lots of stuff and I impress them with my shiny horn." Alfred told Ricky that he should go talk to all of the girls he had gone on dates with and see what they said. Ricky went to the first girl, Patty the Platypus, and asked why she did not call him back. Patty said " All you did was try and impress me with your shiny horn, you never even asked about me." After Patty told him that Ricky went to the next girl, Betty the Baboon, she said "You were so rude, all you did was talk about yourself!" Finally it began to dawn on Ricky that it was not that people did not like him or his horn for that matter but that e could not only talk about himself. Everyone want to be heard and that if he wanted people to like him more he would have to talk about them more. Later that night Ricky went on a date with Darla the Duck. Rather than talking about himself for the whole time Ricky asked her what she thought about things. He asked what she wanted to do with here life. Darla called Ricky back the next day and they went on more dates. Ricky became a better person, always placing others before himself.

Native American Culture

I know a fair amount about Native American culture. I know for instance that the Indians have lived in North America for like 20,000 since they were nomadic people who lived in Asia and decided to follow the animals that they hunted for their livelihood. As the animals migrated the nomadic tribes followed the animals to the Americas. Indians were pretty cool, they had a lot of technology that the Europeans did not have and they did not have a lot of things the Europeans did. The Indians that the Europeans met were pretty normal Indians, there were all kinds of Indians in America. In the south the Anasazi and other cool Indians were really good at farming even though they lived in like a desert area and farming was hard. They got really good at irrigation and the Europeans were surprised about how sophisticated it was. There are still a lot of Indians left alive now but there used to be more. Lots of Indians live on reserves, that is land they the government gave them for killing all the rest of them. Indians also get to have casinos now on their reservations. They have a bunch of cool laws that say they can gamble as much as they want or something since the U.S. was so mean to them a long time ago. Native American culture is pretty cool and contains a lot of fascinating things form the Cahokia mound builders to the Pueblo to the Iroquois. Native American culture has been lost to time for some time but a lot of fascinating rituals and ceremonies are still performed by the descendants today and will probably go on to fascinate people for a long time. Indians are really cool and I wish that I could learn more about them and their culture so that when I have to type another journal about them I can put a lot more cool information in it.

Summer Novels - Symbolism

This summer I read the Old Man and the Sea and Fahrenheit 451. Both of these book were chalk full of symbolism. From a fish standing for trials and tribulations to a wall-to-wall television screen representing societies indulgences. In the Old Man and the sea I felt their were a lot of symbolic meanings having to do with life. The fish's life ending, Santiago's life ending, the fight before his life ended. It really seemed to me that everything sort of came back to life and death.

In Fahrenheit 451 there was not as much symbolism but still quite a large amount of it. I got the feeling that the Firemen represented the fear and prejudices of society, rather than learning about the books and embracing them they simply burn them and hide. Something else I sort of felt the whole book was symbolic for was racism. In the same way a lot of people hated books, some people seemed to have an open mind and be willing to learn about. Others were willing to die for the books believing they were wonderful. In the end the hatred and fear killed them by destroying their life. Both these books were full of symbolism for sure and I could probably keep going but I am pretty tired right now.

My Final Blog

Well it is finally here. The long awaited long anticipated final entry. To say I have been working towards this is an understatement. After writing a lot of words about both Ray Bradburys american classic Fahrenheit 451 and Ernest Hemingway's nationally acclaimed The Old Man and The Sea I am finally on my last blog. This blog will be about why I am glad I read both of these extremely unique novels, and even though I may not have like both of them I am still happy I read it. Like I said I am glad that I took the time to read these two novels and very glad these were the two novels that I read. The Old Man and the Sea was not my personalty favorite book as I am sure any one who read my blogs can attest to. Even though I disliked it I still am glad to have read such a classic novel. When I was in preschool I was taught the expression I liked it but it is not my favorite. We were told to us this for something we disliked and it was a nicer way or saying it. So I must say I like this novel but it is not my favorite. next up is the best book to ever be put on a summer reading list. I am thoroughly glad I read this awesome book. I positively loved it as well as the message. I thought it was just such a cool book to read. I am overwhelmingly happy that I chose to read this instead of any of the other novels as I heard from several people that they were exceedingly boring and tough to read. It was the exact opposite it with this novel. It was easy as pie to read and very hard to put it down! Well that wraps it up for my blogging. It has been a very interesting experience though I think I prefer essays to blogging as they seem to be much quicker. In parting I will just say See you tomorrow.

Fahrenheit 451 - Final Thoughts

As the end of my blogging draws ever nearer I figured it would be a wonderful time to say the final thoughts I had as far as the book Fahrenheit 451 goes. In my own opinion I thought that Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was a pretty sweet book. I really loved all of the plot, the settings, all the small details and I adored the character development. This was really my kind of book, a lot of information, some action and tons of cool stuff. I must say my favorite part had to be how everything was different than one would think it would be in the future. The technology was better, the living was better but... The people were worse and more oppressed than ever. It seems like society as a whole regressed backwards towards more primitive times. Another really cool fact was how bent on figuring it all out for him self that Guy Montag seemed to be. He really understood that be self aware you can not really ask people how to do it. You mostly have to do it and deal with your mistakes as you do it. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes to red. It is really a fantastic story that can appeal to all types of people old and young. Do not take my word for it, take the millions and millions of copies in print and how loved the book is around the world. Movies have been made about it, cultural references and much more have been spawned from this gem of a book. In closing I would just like to say that this is a great book and most likely my favorite book I have ever had to read for English summer reading and I am immensely glad that I chose this rather than any of the other options which I think would have definitely not been as good as this book.

The Old Man and the Sea - Final Thoughts

Sadly, well not really sadly, this will be my last blog on the Old Man and the Sea. As after this and two other I shall be done with those fifty blogs I was assigned. Do not be sad for someday I will probably be assigned to blog about something again and I very well may come back to the old man and the sea. As for my final thoughts on the book there really is not a lot I have not already discussed but a few parting words might be... I thought this book was really really dumb and boring. I did not like the story line, the ending or the characters. I found few redeeming qualities about this book. BUT, that does not mean I would tell other people not to read it Inf act I strongly suggest that everyone reads this book. Just because I did not like it or it's message in no way means that you would not like it either. That is something you rally should find out for yourself. There is a reason this book has become so popular and that is because a lot more people like it than people who dislike the book. How knows maybe you will get something out of the book that I did not. Maybe you read it and it clearly addresses you and your own personal issues. You could instantly fall in love with the book. Even though I did not like the book I still appreciate the message that this book tried to convey. I understood and respect the message, why I may even like the message that the book tries to get across. Millions of people all over the world love this book. I know I would trust millions of people over one person any day. The choice ultimately falls to the reader. In my own opinion I would suggest you read this book and decide whether or not you like it for yourself.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Other Countries

In the story Fahrenheit 451 at one point Guy mentions the fact that his country had already been in two nuclear wars since like 2000 or something like that. What caught mt attention was the fact that there were other countries. It really got me wondering what the other countries were like. What I came up with really resemble 1984 by George Orwell. In that book there is totalitarian government that control every single part of every ones life. This government run state is always in war. They are in war with two other countries who you get the idea that they are fighting for freedom. In my own opinion I get the same feeling when reading about the other two countries that Guy's country is fighting. Would it not make sense that if there is an evil government there is probably also a good government fighting to stop the evil one? My guess is the evil government want to control more and more land and it started messing with the good governments. Finally the good governments had no choice but to declare on the evil government. Most likely they figured hey while were at it we may as well free all these people who are lied to by their government. In all probability I am reading in to this story way to much. It was probably something used by the author as simply filler. It just happened to be something that really caught my attention and I figured I could expand on it a little more as well as draw some parallels to a story I feel is very similar which is 1984. Maybe Guy's government is the good one though and the other ones are even worse than Guy's or maybe it is a best of the worst sort of situation where all the governments are bad but one is less bad than all of the others. I do not really know either way.

The Old Man and the Sea - How Manolin Reacted to Santiago Dying

In one of my previous blog I explored whether or not I believed that Santiago died at the end of the book when he came home and laid down to go to sleep. In my own opinion I really think that he did die at the end. Now I will discuss what probably happened after Santiago died. I do not think anyone would have known that Santiago died until the next morning when Manolin went to check on him and the old man did not wake up. I think the very firt thing that happened would be Manolin double checking to make sure the old guy was really gone. Then he would pull the covers over my head. Afterwards he would run off to tell his boos that he would be busy for the day taking care of this dead guy do he would not be able to come out and fish today. After that he would start to dig the grave. Slowly but surely, most likely it would take him most of the day to dig a proper grave. By the time he finally got the right size hole dug most of the fishermen on the island would have come home for the day. Almost all of them would turn up for the funeral. With Santiago being so respected especially by the older men. Even more people would have shown up when they realized that Santiago had died making the catch of a lifetime. There would be a really touching ceremony. He would get buried and then that would be that. The ending of the whole issue would be the next day. Manolin would really dramatically go to the old mans boat. He would set sail and begin fishing much like Santiago would have. Manolin would use all of Santiago's things and this would be Manolin's own certain way of keeping Santiago alive in his heart and immortalizing the old fisherman. Three More words.

The Old Man and the Sea - Santiago's Wife

In the book The Old Man and the Sea we learn something pretty interesting about Santiago. Even though he only mentions it in passing while he was monologuing he mentions that he has a wife. It is very briefly and easy to miss the quote says " He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women , nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy. " Now even though he only mentions it one time and he mentions it very quickly that quote shows that Santiago had, at one time, a wife. This leaves the obvious question of where she is now. In all likelihood there are two possibilities. The first and most obvious one being the fact that she most likely died. The story did say Santiago was old so she could be dead. The second more out of the box solution has to be the idea she got fed up with him being so obsessed with fishing that she finally decided to leave him and find a better life. In my own opinion I think the first option is the more likely of the two. For several reasons, one being that Santiago seems like a family first type of guy who would never let anything come between him and his family. The other reason is the fact that he talks about her with great pride and love still. You get the feeling that he loves her still and she passed away naturally rather than hurting him by running out on him. Santiago's wife was probably very near and dear to his heart. Someone he loved unquestionably, willing to do anything for her. He probably misses her very much but believes she is in a better place now.

Fahrenheit 451 - Irony Pt 2

Welcome back to my amazingly interesting blog. I know you must have been in suspense waiting for this next installment in the Irony series. Now to our feature presentation in the Irony series. Fahrenheit 451 Irony part 2!! Last blog we explored how the first two ironies of the book had to do with people and with firemen. The next irony has to be the fact that there is a mechanical beat called the hound. Most fire houses have a dalmatian type of dog you know the kind we all knew as kids the stereotypical fire dog. well in the sorry they have a machine the call the hound in a sort of tribute to the now extinct fire dog. The real irony is that the hound differs from a real fire dog in the fact that rather than saving people like a real fire dog may the hound is made specifically for killing people. With high tech sensors that allot he contraption to keep track of 10,000 different smells at once and a hypodermic needle for killing it's prey the hound is vastly different from the average fire dog. Another glaring irony is the fact that the wall to wall television Guy's wife, Mildred, likes so much is called the family. It insinuates that technology is taking the place of the family. Something that is supposed to give us more time to be with those we love by making less work is giving us more enjoyment than other people. we are becoming recluses in to technology.Fahrenheit 451 is a short novel full or ironies and funny situations. When you are reading this book you can not help but wonder what if something like this was real and you without even thinking about it compare your life to the story. Well I hope you enjoyed my small blog series on the ironies of Fahrenheit 451 there is much much more but to much to cover while blogging.

Fahrenheit 451 - Irony

Fahrenheit 451 was a very ironic book. With tons and tons of examples all over the place, I really do not even need to explain the but I will anyway because school starts tomorrow and I still need to blog a few more times. Alright there are so many examples of irony in this book I really do not know where to start. I guess I will start with the most obvious one. That being the fact that firemen, who when we think of them are people bravely running in to burning buildings heroically saving young children and dogs alike. Now the ironic part of this story is that in the book Firemen are people who start fires. Rather than being courageous and heroic they are cowardly and agents of terror, always keeping people scared for their lives. They are the exact opposite of what we might expect a fireman to be. This is the very first little piece of irony that I personally noticed during the book. The second irony is how people have seemingly regressed backwards as far as a morality is concerned. I know whenever I think of the future I think of people smarter than me, better morally and really cool technology. In this book though people have become more and more jaded towards other people. Rather than being more humane, more perfect than those that cam before them they are less of a utopia society. That may really be the ultimate irony in this story. the fact that the one thing we believe in, progress, humans becoming better and better may not always be true. This book really uses ironies very effectively, making you think about certain things and making you think about possibilities. There quite a few other ironies in this book. I will have to cover them in my next blog as I am quickly running close tot he 325 mark for words wait for my next blog.

The Old Man and the Sea - Irony

When you first think of The Old Man and the Sea quite a few things may come to your mind. I would be willing to bet money that one of the things that you think of most likely would not be that it is an a very ironic book. Sure on the surface it is very easy to take very thing at face value. You really really really have to try in order to pick up on a few of the subtle ironies inside this book. The biggest and most glaring one is obviously the fact that even after spending so much time fighting the fish so that he could sell it. After all his work and effort, everything that Santiago had been fighting for for three whole days. Even after all that his catch of a lifetime gets eaten by sharks on the way to the shore. This is the epitome of irony. Something you work and work for, believing that once you have this thing everything will be better. All of your hard work will be worth it as soon as you have this one simple thing. Then you finally get your treasured item and you realize it is pretty cool but just ok. Finally you realize all of your hard work, all of your sweat and toil was for nothing. As you do not even like the new item much less love it the way you seemed to think you would while you were working for the object. That is exactly what happened to Santiago, he worked and worked and worked so that he could catch this thing he just knew would make everything better. Then he finally catches the fish and what happens? It gets eaten on the way to the shore. So that everything he did was for nothing. He is even worse off than he was before he hooked the giant fish. Now he is hungry, fish less and sleepy. Oh the humanity Oh the Irony!

The Old Man and the Sea - What the Water Means

I realized that I never talked about what the boat and the water mean. During the story Santiago is trying to catch an unbelievably large fish. The fish keeps dragging him further and further and further out to sea. This whole time Santiago in a rather small fishing boat. Two of these things are very important. One being the ocean, in the story the ocean is the provider for Santiago, giving him small fish to eat so he may keep his body strong enough to fight the great beast. Though at the same time the ocean or sea is also something to fear. Capable of smashing his little boat like a toy. Killing Santiago even, all this with a single wave. Santiago seems to respect the ocean and to know what it is capable of. Mainly he knows that the ocean can be a great friend or a fierce enemy. The second important thing I originally happened to over look was the boat. It was only after someone asked me what it represented that I began to think about it. Some of the things I came up with are that the boat represents home. In the swirling unknown of the ocean and even under great the pressure Santiago's home at sea is always his very own safe haven. The other thing I think the boat represents in time, at in in conjunction with the ocean moving around it. I feel like the ocean swirling around Santiago represents all the time that has passed for Santiago during his life while he was at sea. I am not positive on my interpretations of these two things and of course everyone sees things differently. These just happen to be what I believe they stand for during this novel. Perhaps people see them as something completely different. The important things is that you decide for your self and not just take some other persons opinion and say you agree.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Old Lady That Died Pt 3

So once again I find my self needing another blog to properly convey my thoughts on such an interesting topic from this book. I am surprised at how long this blog has become. The main reason the old lady makes such an impact on GUy is the simple fact of her willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for some crummy old books. Guy finds this hard to wrap his head around, in his life there is almost nothing he would be willing to give his life fore. Perhaps he might for his wife of ten years or perhaps he would not. Recent discovering that the two did not know each other nearly as well as the thought. TO make the ultimate sacrifice is the biggest thing someone can do with their life as well as the most impacting thing. A martyr will always be more popular than someone who is living and breathing like you and I. A martyr paints an almost god like persona around the person and people instantly become more interested in some thing someone would be so dedicated to. Personally there is int o a book pile big enough in the whole word that I would consider going up in flames with it. There are a few people I would be willing to die for, like five tops. But to die for something that can be remade or something that can be reinvented even is a bit to far for me. I value my own life way more highly than I value several pieces of id paper. But who knows maybe the old lady did it on purpose that way so that she could put some doubt inside the Fireman's head and were she to just simply talk to the men she would have been simply ignored with would be worse than deaht some times. I really do not think i would have done the same thing if I was in the shoes of the old woman who decided it would be better to burn with her books rather than to watch them burn

Fahrenheit 451 - The Old Lady That Died Pt 2

My earlier post was on the same subject but it had gotten to be over three hundred and twenty five words so I decided to split it into two blogs rather than just one. Any back on track. The old lady undoubtedly died in the blaze that took down the whole building. Guy becomes bothered by the simple question of why. As he begins to think about it he realizes this was not just some crazy person but it must have been something about the books. This only piques Guy's interest in books. Leading him to wonder what could possibly be so interesting in those dusty old things? The Old lady was really important in the story because she helped set Guy along the path that eventually made he realize that he had been living life completely wrong and that he wanted to change. This woman really helped to awaken his conscience almost as much as Clarisse did in the very begging. The old lady did it in not as much of a direct way as Clarisse did though. Changing Guy's opinion through actions and character rather than through words and innocence like Clarisse does. Guy realizes that something must be really important in books if people are willing to die for them. Then he realizes hat why is the government forcing them to burn books if such an amazing message could be inside something so small. Should they not be learning form these books and find out what secrets these ancient tomes hold? Guy realizes all of this thanks to the old lady who decided to die with their books rather than to see them be burned indiscriminately. I do not know how much she must have loved those books for her to die for them. There are not any things that come to mind when I think of non person objects I would be willing to die for. Continued on next blog entry.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Old Lady That Died

Right before Guy Montag goes nuts and loses it. He is about to burn down this house full of books. Walls and walls and walls of books. All of these belong to this little old lady. She is absolutely horrified he precious books are going to be burned. This is not not crazy cat lady type of person but a regular person just like you and me. But she has a ton of books. Any way shes so sad that her books are going to burn. As the Firemen spread gasoline every where and prepare to burn the house down to a crispy pile of burned paper she begins to do something very odd. Rather than running to get out of her house and save herself she pulls out a lighter. All the firemen get really nervous since there is gas every. One false move and the whole place could go up in flames with each and every one of them along with it. This is the point where the scene begins to take on the symbolic qualities that make it stand out so much in the book. The old lady tells all of the firemen to get out of the house unless they wish to die along with her and her books. At first the firemen try to reason with her. Telling her she would only be in custody for a short while and she could be back out in the world again. But she has stopped listening to reason at this point she becomes almost hysterical. I am pretty sure at one the firemen even say she an keep her book if she really wants to but she still says that they need to get out because pretty soon she is going to drop the lighter and the whole house is going to go up in flames. The firemen finally oblige with her wishes, jsut as they get out of the door the whole place goes ablaze with her inside of the old building surely dead by now.

Fahrenheit 451 - If I Were Guy

Guy Montag makes a lot of tough choices that would really stop a normal person in their tracks as far as decision making goes. So that really got me to wondering how would I react if I was in Guy's situation myself? I decided to think about it a little more here are a few I cam up with. If I were in Guy's shoe when Clarisse walked up to me I do not think I would have stopped and talked to her. I am nota big on talking with random people I do not know. I probably would have ignored her and kept walking. I may have started to listen the third or fourth day though, if she kept pestering me enough. Next up, when that old lady refused to leave her house when we had to burn it. I really do not think I could have done that. I would have had a major issue with someone willingly dieing for their books. I probably would have been forced to carry her out kicking and screaming. I just do not think I could live with myself if I allowed someone to die because I refused to act. The other decision I think would have had an issue with was pulling out all of the book in front of his wife Mildred and then again in front of all of her friends she had over to our house and reading them poetry. Man that was a dumb choice, I would like to think I would make smarter choices than that. Like maybe hiding the books and reading them when no one else is around. Definitely under no circumstances would I ever pull out my books and start reciting poetry t o my wife and her friends who already think that I have lost it. That is just a completely terrible idea and I am sure one that right after you do it you sit there and go Ooo bad idea.

Fahrenheit 451 - Alternate Ending

After I finished this book I went online to a get a few varying opinions on the book and something pretty cool I found out was that in the movie that was made about this book there is an alternate ending in which Guy finds Clarisse living with all of the Hobos. I thought that this was a pretty cool alternate ending though I am really interested in how she go there. In the story it says she got hit by a car and died. I would love to hear them explain that one. I think it would go some thing like... My uncle and I needed to trick the government so we pretended I got hit by a car and he moved away in anger. Then we came out here to live with these Hobos so that we could be happy and live in peace with nature. I think that would be pretty funny. In all seriousness though I thought that the alternate ending was a lot better than the normal one. Even though I loved the normal ending the alternate one seems to be a lot more happy than the first one. What can I say, I am a sucker for happy endings. I would still want most of the book to go the same way, especially the ending part where he remembers where him and Mildred met as I think that is a pretty stinking sweet ending to the book with just the right amount of drama and just the right amount of awesome. I do not really know how they would tie that in with the alternate ending but that would be for someone with writing skills to worry about. Something else I think would be cool is like an epilogue where it shows the group a year or two later and how everything has changed and what progress they have made in beating the mean government if any. Whether or not Faber made it to his friend who runs a printing press or whether or not he died as is probably more likely.

Fahrenheit 451 - Had Faber Not Been There

Faber was arguably the most important factor in Guy Montag deciding to rebel against his current life and against the fire station. Faber is an old man, once a prestigious professor at a university. He has now been reduced to an old hermit, just a kindly old man who does nothing but stay in his house all day reading and dreaming of revenge. Guy met him almost a year ago in a park. They had a very strange conversation in which Faber seemed to hint that he had books. It seemed almost like an invitation to a sort of underground resistance group. When Guy began to question everything around him, people, places, rules, society. He needed some one he could turn to for answers and direction. He went to Faber as a sort of instinctual way of seeking out those with more knowledge and experience. It took a while to gain Faber's trust but once he did Guy did not look back. Faber told him that he was right to want to start thinking for himself. Guy asked what he should and Faber told him the most amazing thing. Guy should do whatever he wanted, nobody can tell you how to live your life but yourself he said. Faber set Guy on to the path of thinking for him self. Rather than telling Guy how he must do it he let Guy figure it out on his own. A vitally important step to Guy deciding he wanted to live with the Hobo's. If Faber had not been there Guy may have gotten the courage to change everything he stood for. He may not have even began to question his own life and the way he was living. Faber changed the entire story for the better without him the story would have been about a guy who burned books and nothing more. Faber made everything in the story happen. Faber was vitally important to the story.

Fahrenheit 451 - Where They Met Pt 2

My other blog on this subject ran over the three hundred and twenty five mark and seeing as I need a whole lot of blogs still I shall make it two. Who knows how the fact that Guy and Mildred both forgot such an important fact could have affected his decision to change his life. In my opinion I think it greatly contributed to his change of heart. It most definitely made him realize that the person he had slept with for years was an almost stranger to him. Some one he thought he knew and loved turning out to be completely different sure can put a spark under your butt. Another really interesting sort of twist to this part of the story is at the very end of the book. While he is with the hobos Guy suddenly remembers where he and Mildred met, Chicago. I thought this was a pretty cool thing for the author to add. It signified that the reason he could not remember where they met was not because it was unimportant, but rather because he had changed as a person and so had Mildred. This sort of ended the story when he remembered. In my opinion it was a great ending to this novel. It really seemed to wrap every thing up as, in my professional opinion, it signified that Guy had gone back to what he really was. Not what everyone else thought he was or should be. Who he was as a person, what kept him at peace within himself. This is at least what I think all of the whole can not remember where they met thing represented, the fact that he was at odds with his own being. Sort of in an everlasting internal conflict with his brain on what and who he should be as a person. His heart knew what was right but his brain wanted what was best for his body and his material life.

Fahrenheit 451 - Where They Met

In the first part of Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag ask his wife, Mildred, where they met. Guy is unable to remember where they met, for a moment Mildred can not remember either. Then she decides that it really is not a very big deal and forgets about. Something about the fact he can not remember where he met his wife troubles Guy greatly. All this is during the time where Guy is beginning to think about the things that Clarisse, a young girl, has been saying. Guy is incredibly torn between the life he has known for his entire existence and the strangely interesting and different life the he feels Clarisse is offering. Guy is reluctant to go at first but as realization of how fake is life is dawn on him he feels the urge to join in with Clarisse. I think the point where he wife and him were unable to come up with where they met was of huge importance to how Guy eventually decided to change his life. Imagine, the one person you should love unconditionally and should love you back without pause or thought about it. That one person is unable to recall how you even met each other. A moment celebrated in our reality by many couples. It is not rare to see two people late in their life, possibly even close to death fondly recalling the exact day an moment they met each other. Where they were, how they met, what they said everything is clear as day to many people. So why is it then that Guy is completely at a loss for figuring out such an important thing, and his wife is at a loss for it as well. It is rather sad to read about, it seems as if Guy is realizing he barely knows the person he has lived and loved with for almost ten years. They can not even remember where they met each other. They seemingly are almost complete stranger, trophies on their respective mantles.

Fahrenheit 451 - Why Did Mildred Turn Him In Pt 2

Continued form my other blog which had reached the 325 word mark. Finally, he lets you go to bed. The next day Captain Beatty, the captain of the firemen comes to your house looking for Guy. In an almost eerie manner you feel Beatty knows that you have books in your house. Guy is absolutely terrified of Beatty now. You finally manage to convince Guy that he must go back in to work if only to show Beatty that he has nothing to hide and certainly does not own any books! You try to go on with your normal day. Doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Then when you finally feel normal again you decide that you will have some friends over to watch the family. Every one is enjoying them selves having a wonderful time. Then Guy comes home and you can immediately tell something is wrong. He seems to gives off a sort of bad vibe. Of course he instantly kills all conversation in the room. Then he really begins to act strangely beginning to yell at you and your friends. Making no comprehend able sense he then does the unthinkable. He pulls out a book and even begins to read in front of you and your friends. Reading some nonsense poetry he evens tarts screaming. All of a sudden your friends are crying, and demand they go home for the night. You stay awake that entire night wondering what happened tot he man that you married as this is obviously someone entirely different than that man. Finally you realize that there is only one thing you can do. Even though it makes you feel empty inside you realize you must turn in Guy for having books. He needs help you reason and the government can help him better than anyone else can. Finally the time comes. You pack your bags and belongings, call the fire station and report your husband has books.

Fahrenheit 451 - Why Did Mildred Turn Him In

In the book Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag is turned in for having books. Not surprising seeing as pulled a book out and started to read while his wife had guests over. The surprising and rather sad part of the whole ordeal was who turned him in. Not only did his wife's friends all call and turn him in for having books but so did his own wife. The person that is supposed to love him no matter what happens, no matter how bad the situation is or how mad one is. His own wife called the fire station, and basically sentenced Guy to life imprisonment. Obviously Guy is devastated by the fact that his wife turned him in. It is easy to say the wife is at fault and to condemn her but why don't we try looking at it from her perspective. Imagine if you can that your life is going marvelously and all is well. Then one day your husband begins to act strangely. He comes home talking about this odd young women named Clarisse, you shrug it off but he continues to act different. Finally one day he seems to have lost it. He absolutely refuses to go in to his work which he has always loved. Then he pulls out boxes of books! In your house hidden away from you! He begins to seem almost hysterical claiming that their is something important in them something you must see. You finally decide to calm his nerves and read a book with him to calm his nerves but you find nothing but words. He begins claiming they are of utmost importance and that you must at all costs read these books almost as if it is life or death. So you stay up long in to the night reading those darn books, you find nothing of importance and yet he still claims to know something important that the government is hiding is in them.

The Old Man and the Sea - Why I Didn't Like It

I personally did not like this book very much, at all. I sat in my room and read this book from front to back all in one go. It started off very interesting I mean who does not like a good fish chase? But then he catches it, the fish gets eaten bam end of story. I mean what!? The whole story just ends, no warning no nothing. There was positively no closure to it, nothing is resolved, we never find out what happens to Santiago. Nothing, just ending. I was really mad when I finished the book, I felt like I had been cheated out of the ninety minutes it took me to read the book. I remember thinking did I really just read this supposed American masterpiece or did I buy the wrong book.surely this could not be the same book that had sold millions of copies all over the world. Not the same critically acclaimed book. But sadly it was and this left me with the elephant in the room. How could anyone like this book? There is positively no character development, not single bit interesting dialog, not even one surprise in the whole book. I have no idea how so many people like this book. I thought it was downright terrible. I understand the message and how the book and everything in it is supposed to represent life and all that jazz. But still it felt like the author just got tired of writing and decided to simply end the book rather than to continue on with a normal ending. I mean he just goes to sleep, does he die, does he wake up. What happens? I will probably never understand why so many people in the world seem to like this book, which I think is a giant rip off. Maybe someday when I am older I will understand why everyone loves it but probably not since it was a dumb book.

The Old Man and the Sea - If the Fish had Won

This whole story was about the great hunt and battle of wills between Santiago and the massive fish he was trying to catch. In the end Santiago finally out lasts him after being pulled out to sea for day and days by the huge fishy. In the story Santiago says several times that if the fish had just jumped or tugged at a certain time he would have easily won. That got me thinking, what if the fish had won? What would Santiago have done? Would he of fought until the very end. Plunging in to the icy ocean trying with all his strength to catch the beast. Would he have gone back to shore with day 85 under his belt? Would he have simply just stayed out to see and let himself pass on?Personally I think that had the fish pulled at the exact moments that woud have meant safety for it Santiago would have accepted the defeat with grace and humility. He most likely would have began talking to himself, saying how strong and beautiful the fish was. How much better than him it was. Most of the same stuff he does in the story when he wins. Never gloating or bragging always the humble one and always quick to compliment. Next I think he would have turned around and gone back to shore with day 85 under his belt. He probably would not have told anyone except for Manolin who was the only person he really talked to anyway. Finally I think the day after he would have gone on his routine just like normal, going fishing and hoping to break his streak or bad luck. The story definitely would have been a lot different had the fish won. I do not really know whether it would have been better or worse than the original, just very interesting. Maybe I will write an alternative ending to the story someday where the fish wins.

The Old Man and the Sea - If the Fish had made it

Something interesting to think about is what would have happened if the fish had made it to land with Santiago? A lot of things would have changed. Santiago probably would have been up all night cleaning it or showing it off. Manolin would have come to fish with Santiago again, with his parents now realizing that Santiago would be a great trainer for young Manolin. Would Santiago, who in my own personally opinion died in the end of the book, still have passed away after he came ashore. Or since h did not have to fight off all of those sharks would he have not been so tired that he died. Perhaps he would have lived through the night so he may see his fish the next day in the sun light. I think that if the fish had made it back to the shore with Santiago, avoiding all of those super deadly sharks, Santiago would have been so happy that he would have not died like normal. Rather he would of been up all night partying it up. Now for the ending of the story I think keeping with the dramatic surprises Santiago would have given all the money he got from such a big fish to Manolin, for a college fund of course. But really I think he probably would have ended the story with like a flash forward where Santiago dies and leaves Manolin everything that belongs to him. Except a few things for Joe DiMaggio. I think the ending what have been a lot more emotional than it was. With a big speech by Santiago about Manolin and their friendship. In my opinion I think that if the fish had made it to the shore it would have taken the wonderful quality in this book of disappointment. It really would have messed everything up and made it a really odd book. The book is better the way that it is now.

The Old Man and the Sea - Why it Became so Popular

The Old Man and the Sea is an American classic. Critically acclaimed and loved by millions all over the world this book has truly passed the test of time. One must wonder why this book has remained so popular throughout the world and through so much turmoil and change in the planet. In my opinion it is certainly not because of all the people who took the book at face value, which a book about a fish. Rather the fact that millions of the people who have read it chose to interpret the book in the way they best saw. As shown by all the varied opinions on the book no two people read in to it the exact same way. Some feel touched by the message others feel robbed of their time for reading it. In general it has become and stayed popular because of the fact that it lends itself to people translating the story message in to their own life. Sort of like a horoscope, the message is very general and the human mind draws the parallels to your current situation. So that it feels like the message was made specifically for you but in reality it is just a general message. Many people feel that The Old Man and the Sea represents their own life. Like the book was written just for them to help them deal with their own troubles. What is really happening is they so desperately want help with their own problems that they morph their own situation to fit with that of the book so hat they con feel the connection. I am not saying that every single person who reads this book is someone in dire need of a comparable situation. That case is the minority rather than the majority. Most people enjoy the book for the simple and easy to understand moral the story provides and how they believe that moral applies. This book will certainly be wowing generations of readers for years to come, if for no reason than our English teachers.

The Old Man and the Sea - Why it Should Have Stayed a Short Story

Originally the story The Old Man and the Sea was a short story written by Hemingway and put in to to Time Magazine. The story instantly became a hit with millions of people connecting to it's strange and dumb message. Hemingway felt compelled to turn the short story in to something more substantial. He then expanded it in to a short novel. Much longer than it had been but still rather short for a novel. Now it is the story millions read and love. Though in my worthless opinion I think that Hemingway should have left it a short story rather turning it in to a small novel. U really think that there is just not enough substance for this tale to be made in to a novel. I think it would make a fantastic short story. I really hot the feeling that Hemingway stretched it out to make it fit in to what he wanted it to be rather than simply writing from the heart. I have not read ther abbreviated version of the tale but I would make a bet on the fact that when he expanded it in to a novel he expanded the chase of the fish more than any other part. It really seemed to me as if Hemingway tried to make the novel longer by giving random pointless fact and random pointless fact over and over. It honestly felt like one of my middle school essays where I had said all I had to say but it was not long enough so I began to ramble until I got to the end of the page. I was bored out of my mind while reading the part about Santiago fighting with the fish. Every page I turned I hoped it would be the last. It all seemed forced and rather bland by comparison to the rest of the book. I think this story should have stayed short. Three more words.

Old Man and the Sea - Did Santiago Wake Up?

When i read the vastly disappointing ending of this story. The very first thing I wondered after Santiago went to sleep is whether or not he died. I mean the story never really says. It just states that he went to sleep. It sort of leaves the question of whether or not the weathered and tired old man wakes up. In my own opinion I do not think he wakes up, or in other words I think Santiago dies that night. Its pretty obvious in my own opinion. Basically the whole book was a sort of symbol for life. Now, the fish is the easiest one to compare to live, fighting and fighting but eventually dieing. I think the fish was also supposed to represent Santiago's own life of high and low points. That makes it very obvious that when Hemingway had the fish fail to reach the shore intact. That meant Santiago will fail to make it as well. Aside from all the reading to in to it stuff there is also the medical part. Santiago had been cramped up in a boat at sea for several days. The whole time exerting himself furiously and trying to reel in the fish. Not to mention that he did not get very much fresh water or even food in general having only a few fish in a fair amount of time. As people get older their bodies begin to become frail. Thats the reason why old people move slow and have to be really careful when they exert themselves not to over do it. Why hundreds of people die from heart attacks every year while shoveling the snow from their driveway. Much less being in a small boat and fighting a thousand pound animal for days on end. It only makes sense that when Santiago went to bed with Manolin that night he did not wake up the following morning. There is also the spiritual side to it. Catching that fish was sort of a culmination of his whole life. The legendary fish people will talk about for decades to come. What would be a better time to go then while he was on top with the largest catch probably ever. Much less in the small town he had lived in.

The Old Man and the Sea - Manolin's Parents

In the story The Old Man and the Sea Manolin is young boy who is dear friend with the old man, Santiago. Usually Manolin and Santiago will fish together, mostly enjoying each others company more than the fishing. But Santiago has not caught a fish in nearly three whole months. Manolin's parents who supposedly need the income Manolin provides tell him he can no longer fish with his good friend Santiago. I am here today to ask if there was something more sinister behind Manolin's parents not allowing him to fish with Santiago. It seems rather odd that a full grown man and woman would rely so heavily on a young boy's measly income. Especially in a business that is so unpredictable as fishing. Perhaps Manolin's father is also a fisher and is having a few bad days. What of the mother though? Surely she was not a fisher person. I am also sure she had some kind of job. Why a family could not support itself if the father was the only provider. How did they manage all those years when Manolin was to young to fish? I do not believe the sad excuse his parents would not allow him. Rather I think Manolin's father was jealous of Santiago. He most likely began to miss his son and feel threatened by this newcomer. Who is Santiago to spend more time with Manolin than even his own father. The boy was obviously obsessed with Santiago. No, I think it is much more likely that Manolin's parents were afraid of Manolin running away to live with Santiago. So while they still had some form of control over the young boy they made a last bid effort to keep him. They said they needed his money and he needed to go fish with someone else who was actually catching fish. This si probably the largest scandal having to do with novels since Mogli was abducted by jungle creatures in the Jungle Book.

Fahrenheit 451 - Could It Happen

Something that I have been wondering since Is tarted this book is whether or not something like this could happen in real life. I have sat and pondered this for a long time. After much meditation I have decided that yes. A situation like this could very well be conceivable. Seeing as in our world has only two fatal flaws. One being never start a land war in Asia. The other being never go up against Sicilian when death is on the line! Going by this logic it is easy to realize that such a government state does and could exist. In China the government doe not quite go to the lengths that the government n Fahrenheit 451 goes to but they been known to censor the media as well as even the internet. Requiring all internet searches to go through the government approved sites. In my opinion telling people what they can or can not think is the same as taking away their independence of though. Or the ability to create their own thoughts like burning books would do. In Germany the Nazis would burn books, this unified the country as well as helped Hitler control the youths. It seems the same in Fahrenheit 451 as Guy mentions at one point boys who love fire are always the ones to become firemen. This shows that the Fahrenheit government monitors children at a young age to decide what they would be suited for and how they could best serve the government. Hitler would take children from their homes at a young age so that all they knew was patriotism for their country. They would gladly sacrifice themselves for the better of the country. So in conclusion I do believe that it would be very possible for a government like the type in Fahrenheit 451 to come in to existence in the current time but they would have to also censor the internet which can be incredibly hard in today's modern and connected global system.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Hound's Prey

Out for a simple midnight stroll. This particular victim has no idea what will soon be coming his way. No way of knowing that a dangerous man, Guy Montag, is on the loose. This criminal is busy with his own attempt at fooling the hound. Moving towards the river. This ex fireman probably has the best chance out of any would be victim to escape the death that is the hound. He smartly knows that his best and only chance at avoiding the hound is to quickly make it tot he river where the moving water will take his scent downstream with him. Thus making it impossible for the hound to track him. Guy has no idea what lengths the government will go to keep its self from looking bad in front of the public. Which they have awoken to watch Guy be murdered by the mechanical beast. The whole city watches in suspense waiting for the hound to strike. The chase does seems to become a little peculiar when the hound goes to the river and seems to have no idea what to do. But things are back to normal when he gets his bearing. Off he races towards the city. Having apparently realized his mistake and coming to correct it. The hound seems to have gotten new life. Following a more direct pattern than it previously had been. All of a sudden the victim has been found Guy Montag has grown careless and is walking. The hound leaps, seeming suspended in mid air. The needle surges forward. Piercing cloth then flesh as it kills the man. Little do the viewers at home realize they have been had. Fooled by the corrupt government. Rather than a dangerous criminal dead they have just a normal man who enjoys walking around at night. They most likely would not care, all of them will sleep soundly knowing they got their entertainment for the night, something worthy of being woken up for.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Hound

In this book there is nothing quite as scary as the Hound. This mechanical demon is sort of like a bad nightmare brought to life. With spidery like legs that make rather unsettling noises as it slowly creeps towards it's next potential victim. Though treated as a machine this monster kills without prejudice, evenly giving death to any who may give it reason. The sinister way this thing locks on to a person is by smell. Once given a piece of sample clothing the mechanical monster can begin to hunt it's prey. Tracking the soon to be deceased by a sense of smell exponentially greater than that of even dogs. The hound does not make a mistake, moving ever faster along the trail it's victim has traveled verbatim. Step by step always coming closer, never straying. With the ability to keep track of 10,000 different scents at one time the hound will never run out of space. Neither will it ever forget someone who may have miraculously gotten away. Back to the chase. As the bringer of death comes ever closer to it's prey everything becomes easier for it. With the scent more fresh than ever the hound knows in it's mechanical brain the time is near. Finally at long last the victim is within sight, suddenly gaining momentum the mechanical hunter launches its self in to the sky. Automatically determining the proper angle and velocity. While in mid air everything seems to slow down. The hound extends the needle that will be used to kill the man. This needle is packed with enough morphine inside to kill a large man. The average sized middle aged man in front of the beast stands no chance. The hound lands on it's victim, injects the venom it carries and kills the man all withing a split second. Barely discernible to the human eye. The man slumps over, falling to the ground dead before he lands. Most likely not knowing how he died. His last sense of feeling probably being of cold metal on his bare skin.

Fahrenheit 451 - Symbolism Pt 2

Since I could not fit all this crazy symbolism in just one mere post I simply had to create a new one. So I will jump right in to it I guess. The next thing I felt was symbolic was Clarisse, I think she was meant to represent everyones inner child as well as our instincts. Many people forget that humans were not made to live in skyscrapers and high rises. But rather out in the jungle or the forest. Our natural instincts are to live with nature in harmony enjoying it's beauty, not trashing it and shaping it. With Clarisse's simple child like nature she show Guy that he has forgotten his instincts and gotten to accustomed to city life. Mildred represents those in life who have been completely and utterly fooled by the government in to believing their lies. Mildred believes in the government so much that she reports her own husband simply for having books. Abandons her life and decides that the government is more important to her than her marriage, which was a pretty cruddy to being with, is more important. Lastly I think Guy is supposed to represent not the majority of people as most people will be like Mildred. But rather the minority, those hwo feel that even though their whole life has been this way something is a miss. Something is simply not right. Humans were not meant to live this way, their mind should be tested and tried every day not melted. Guy by changing his beliefs and life is showing how some people will realize what is wrong and will do everything for the simply pursuit of knowledge, something that we may all take for granted. Fahrenheit 451 has more symbolism than I ever would have imagined in a book of it's length. Maybe I am reading to far in to it but I think Ray Bradbury meant for the novel to be so easy to apply to anyone's situation.

Fahrenheit 451 - Symbolism

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel absolutely brimming and overflowing with symbolism. From people to ideas everything represent something else. A good place to start is with the main part of the book. In my opinion burning books should be taken more as a symbol for government oppression than literally burning books. Like burning books government oppression keeps the public occupied and dumb. Busy with it's free bread shows like the ancient romans, the public is unable to realize how completely in check the government has them. Firemen in the story in my opinion are like the agents of the government. Carrying out all of the work, tricked in to believing their work is patriotic and for the good of the people they mindlessly do atrocity after atrocity, every action furthering the broken system of government they not knowingly work for. For example Beatty is the government crazed nut case, willing to kill in a heart beat. Beatty knows more than the average Joe and still believes he is doing the right thing. Always looking for the best way to keep his men under control and to help the government continue with the acts that got them as far as they are. I think the hound is suppose to represent two things, one is the sneaky creepy people in society. The really weird ones, who often go around and torture small animals for the enjoyment. I also believe that it represents the governments ability to kill heartlessly, even if simply to save face with the unwitting public. The hound is a pretty easy one to figure out. I mean it is a pretty menacing thing in the story. Made solely to find and kill people in the primitive way of stalking it's prey tirelessly. It is a tool of the people who work to help the government remain in power by keeping the public inf ear, knowing that if they do something wrong it will be only a matter of time before they die, with the precision and terror of a machine hunting them.

Fahrenheit 451 - Theme

I think the theme of the book was a bit tricky to define exactly as a theme. I see the theme as a sort of warning by Ray Bradbury against allow the government to gain enough power that they could begin to control the public so easily. Though this book was mainly about burning books I felt there were a lot of underlying ideas as far as warnings went. Bradbury warned against such a powerful government with his example in the book. As Guy was being chased by the hound he jumped in to the river, the hound lost his scent. But the government, not wanting to look bad, seeing as it had woken everyone up in the middle of the night so that they could watch. Rather than saying Guy got away they instead gave the hound orders to kill some random dude who happened to be out for a midnight stroll. I felt this was a warning against a too powerful government as well as against a really secretive government as the one in this book seemed to be. The second warning I thought was a little less obvious was the one about technology. In the story people seem to work for and towards technology. Mildred tells guy they simply must buy a fourth TV wall, it seems as if all she has to work for is another TV wall rather than anything more substantial. Bradbury is saying that rather than becoming so fascinated with technology as many people do that we should use it and use it to help our selves but under no way should we become slaves to it as they have in the story. Technology should always be used to further people not to control them. The hound is another example where people have began to be afraid of their own creations, scared that the technology behind the device is smarted than we are. But yeah there are lots of warnings.

Fahrenheit 451 - Clarisse Pt 2

OK I felt that since Clarisse is such a large part of the story that describing her would take more tan 325 words and seeing that I need as many blogs as I can get she is going to need two parts. Ok., back to Clarisse. Her biggest effect on the story. Is not how she begins to make Guy appreciate the smaller things, though that is important. Her biggest impact comes in her death. Had she not died Guy never would have gone down the long path that led him to live with the hobos. While she was living it seemed as if her very presence was enough experiencing the world for Guy. It seemed as if she experienced it enough for the both of them. But, when she died Guy suddenly lost the euphoria he enjoyed around. He stopped being exposed to all the small things eh showed him. Guy, being cut off cold turkey wanted it more than ever. This led to him taking drastic measures to achieve the same sense of discovery. So he turned to books, illegal and mysterious. Had Clarisse not died he never would have felt the need to go further than he had been. Especially in the gruesome way that she died. Ran down by her own young peers. I think this also led to Guy choosing the path that he did. It only gave him more reasons to believe that the world he was living in had few positives among it. With people running down each other for a brief moment of enjoyment. All of these factors made Guy realize he had to change what he was doing and change what he was becoming. I think Clarisse played the largest role out of everything in helping Guy decide to take the final plunge that he did. Deciding to leave his life and live with the hobos. If Clarisse had never been there he would have gone on living his life the way he was: unhappy, dreary, worried and quickly.

Fahrenheit 451 - Clarisse

Clarisse, or the little girl as I usually call her. Anyways Clarisse is the young girl who Guy meets on his way home one night. She begins to talk to Guy, at first it seems like Guy is going to simply brush her away like a fly. But she keeps pestering him, she asks questions which in her mind are innocent but disturb Guy greatly. She asks the seemingly innocent question of whether Guy knew there was dew in the morning and Guy had to honestly answer to himself that he could not remember if he had known that. For some reason this really bothers Guy. For several more days Clarisse is their when Guy comes home. Every day she talks to him about what seems like innocent things and facts. Like that her uncle told her that billboards used to only be 20 feet and not two hundred but because cars had become a lot faster and people were driving faster they had to stretch billboards to two hundred feet so people could read them. Guy is also rather disturbed by this even though he can not quite figure out why he is. Sometimes he would see her just sitting down enjoying the day, other times he would see her knitting or even playing with trees. Then some nights she would leave him some walnuts or other nights she would leave him a bouquet of flowers at his front porch. Guy finds all these things odd as he has always been taught to go go go in life and never to stop and appreciate the little things. As Clarisse helps him appreciate the little things more and more he realizes how unsettled his life and work are beginning to really make him. Clarisse does a lot of more important things than just show Guy the little things. In my next blog post I will talk about how her death impacted Guy the most of all the factors leading to him living with hobos.

Fahrenheit 451 - The Hobos

The Hobos are a group of guys that travel the railroad lines outside of cities. These are the people Guy so deperately wants to get to. Guy had this idea that they will make everything clear to him as soon as he sees them. After Guy is washed down the river he does meet up with the hobos but they are nothing like he expects. Rather than a band of rag tag men in crappy clothing. Guy finds a group of men who are well dressed for living on a railroad, as well as men who are clean, but the most surprising part is the fact that they are so intelligent. Each man could be a professor or had been a professor somewhere. Guy begins asking them how they keep all the books and where they keep them. Then it gets really cool, rather than lugging around books that could get them in trouble they all memorize either the whole book or just certain, when someone is coming close to dying they pass along the book so that it wall never fully be lost to humanity. I think it would be pretty damn hard to remember a whole book or even a chapter or two. I have a hard time remembering homework I can barely imagine trying to memorize something so large and varying. You would also have to memorize it word for word so that your positive you don to change the story in any way. Guy decides he is going to become a hobo, he decides on what book he has that he will memorize. I am pretty sure it was the poem one but I am not positive. I do not know how realistic the hobos were. I mean there just are not that many people out there who would be willing to give up their life in order to memorize a book no one ever really enjoys reading. I am sure that there would be a few but I do not think there would be as many people as the hobo told Guy there was.

Fahrenheit 451 - Faber

Faber was the old man who Guy met a year before the story took place. They met in a park where Faber seemed to hint to Guy that he had books and he could help Guy become more elightened. Faber is an old man who use to be a professor for s university that i do not remember. Anyway, he was a professor and so he is extremely well read compared to every one. But in his age he has become weak and to afraid to do anything worth while with what is left of his life. All he done for years is sit inside his house and read and invent things. Guy meets back up with Faber after he has to burn his house down. Faber at first is very nervous to talk to Guy about anything thinking that it is some kind of trick. Finally Faber begins to tell Guy all sorts of things. That life was not always like this. People use to read freely and as they wanted to. Guy and Faber begin to plot on how they will overthrow the government. They decide the best way to start is by systematically burning down the houses of firemen, thus starting a panic that the very people who are supposed to be protecting them are the ones who are bad. Guy coems back to Faber's house while he is running from the hound. Luckily he was only there for a brief time and Faber is able to wipe away all the scent of Guy that Guy has left. He instructs Guy to go tot the river and find the magical hobo guys who travel around and could help Guy. Faber then goes out on his own to see an old friend who used to run a printing press so that they can start distributing books to everyone. Faber is a pretty cool character overall as he really changes int he short time he is in the book.

Fahrenheit 451 - Similarities to 1984

While I was reading this book I could not help but notice a ton of similarities to the book 1984 by George Orwell. In the George Orwell's book the future is a bleak existence where "Big Brother" controls most every facet of people's life through fear and hate. In Fahrenheit 451 there are a lot of similarities, one being that the government is trying to keep the public in control by keeping them dumb and easily manageable. In 1984 the way they do it by iron-cald control of education and everything the pblic does. Though done a little differently than 1984, in Fahrenheit 451 they accomplish the same thing but rather by fooling the public in to thinking they are much smarter than they really are. They give the public a false sense of security in both books. Second resemblance I found in both books was the governments use of unbelievably extreme for ce to keep themselve from look bad. In 1984 they simply kill people who oppose them or people who talk out against the government. In Fahrenheit 451 at the very end when Guy is running from the hound he jumps in to the river tog et away and to hide his scent. The government rather than actually saying he got away simply tell the hound to kill a random man who just happened to be out walking so that all the people at home will think that they caught Guy. In both books there is one character who along with the main character feels something is wrong with the world. It was a girl in 1984 and Faber in Fahrenheit, both were co conspirators with the main character. Often plotting grand ways to overthrow everything and to fix what they feel is worn gin their own worlds. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both very interesting books that have a lot of parallels, but who knows maybe I am jsut rationalizing a small insignificant similarity in the books.

Fahrenheit 451 - Captain Beatty

Fire captain Beatty was a strange character, at times he seemed a positive person even relating to Guy in some areas. Then he would go on his prepared speeches about how people should not read because it makes them question things. When people start questioning it leads to changes which are bad. Beatty is the guy who comes to Guys house, and talks to him about books. Beatty says that every fireman at some point in his career feels the need to steal a book and read out of curiosity. Beatty says that the rule on it that the fireman has a 24 hour period to destroy the book. He seems to be extremely educated in many manners, talking to Guy in an almost salesman like way, selling the idea of their life. Then when Faber is talking in to Guys ear they began to exchange quotes with Beatty going verbal jab for verbal jab with Faber, who has read more books than most people. I think Beatty is supposed to be the polar opposite of Faber, in some ways atleast. Beatty appears to be very well educated, very smart and intelligent. But the worst part is he is evil, his views are that everyone should be happy with what they have and their current life. Faber is the opposite int he fact that he believes everything is wrong with the world. They are almost like little people on Guy's shoulders, like in the movies when there is a devil and an angel. Beatty would be the Devil and Faber would be the angel. Both are telling Guy how to life and what is right and what is wrong. Beatty is a very interesting character, I read online that one version of the story showed Beatty's house filled with whole rooms of books. Even though he still believed they should be burned so that people can live contently and happily in the warped little world that this book is.

Fahrenheit 451 - Guy

Guy Montag is the main character of the story. Guy is a fireman. That is, he starts fires rather than putting them out. Guy burns books the people keep illegally. In the beginning of the book Guy was very content with his life, at least he thought he was. He meets a young girl who changes his whole outlook on life. I think Guy was meant to represent how society has become more concerned about making good time rather than helping others. As our world becomes more and more advanced we find our selves becoming more and more distant from our fellow human beings. Guy represents those ideas. He has been going through life happy and contented until one day he realizes that life is going to fast. He has become to worried about keeping up with the Joneses as the sayng go. All he cares about is working until he can buy that new gadget he simply must have. Just like his young friend was saying there is a difference between socializing and really talking to people. When you socialize all you do is talk about the petty and unimportant things. Though when you talk to someone you shares your thought and feeling and you discuss things. Guy had been going through life just socializing that is until his little friend showed him the right way. Throughout the book we see as Guy begins to question his job and even his own place in the world. Deciding that books are a tool for expanding the mind not for burning. He decides that he no longer wants to lead the same life he has been ashamed off. Form that point on Guy is a changed person, he begins to see the atrocities in every day life. See how wrong people have become. Finally Guy is on the path to true enlightenment when he meets the hobos. Guy grows as a characters and becomes someone we can relate to in the book.

Fahrenheit 451 - Thoughts

So I am all done with Fahrenheit 451 and overall I thought it was a pretty good book. I really liked the main wow factor. Like how everything seemed so out of sync with our modern day. It must have really been tough to think of a world so messed up rather than a future that is better than today. Especially so long ago. If I was imagining the future I think that anything I imagine would be distinctly more enlightened than anyone s today not the opposite. Another cool thing about this book how warped society is. Between his wife overdosing and the kid trying to kill Guy experienced a lot of nut cases. How disconcerted do you have to be when you are a paramedic helping someone who overdosed and your cracking jokes while you pump their stomachs? This book really does raise a lot of questions about if our own society is headed down such a path. Parallels can already be drawn as every day people are becoming less and less caring about someone else's issues and problems. I was reading about the book online and I saw that a alternate ending had been made in to the movie that was produced. The ending of the story involved Guy finding the young girl who had made him first question his life. But he found her when he met up with all of the hobos. I think this is a much better ending than them walking in to radioactive debris. It also end the story in a much nicer family friendly way. Though the story would have been a whole lets less dramatic if it had ended that way rather than it's original ending which was pretty good I guess. So overall I thought it was a very good book and I think that if anyone asked me whether or not they should read it I would definitely tell them to read it.

Fahrenheit 451 - Part Three

The third and final part of the book Fahrenheit 451 was really great. Basically what happened is Guy ran away when they burned his house. He found this old guy that he had met a long time ago who he thought could help him. This guys name was Faber, Guy figured his only chance at living peacefully or learning more about his new moral sense was to find Faber. Guy figured Faber could tell him everything he needed to know. So he started running. He knew his time was limited because the firemen he had ran from were getting the hound. Which was a mechanical killing device that could track people by scent and DNA. Guy had a small radio or TV with him as he was running so he knew exactly what was going on. As he was running through the streets he saw a car coming towards him as he crossed the street. It started to speed up and tried to hit him. Guy narrowly got away. This one of the more disturbing parts of the book in my opinion since how messed up do you have to be to just decide your going to run someone over simply for walking across the street. Any way, guy finally made it to Faber's house and Faber told him to run away from the city and look for group of travelers who lived away form most civilization. Guy also figured these people could help him learn about books at other cool things. So Guy keeps running form the hound and jumps in a river. He floats for a while until he comes upon some like hobo people who he talks to. They tell him all about how they keep books alive, which is by memorizing them. Then a nuke goes off in the city, Guy and the rest oft he hobos go to the city to see if there are any survivors. Thats the end.

Fahrenheit 451 - Part Two

Psrt two of Fahrenheit 451 was not very long compared to part one. Not a whole lot happened except for the fact that Guy Montag's fire chief is clearly on to him about his books. I think his chief knows that his has a few and has been reading them during his own time. I also think his chief knows that Guy is having some doubts about his job as a fireman and whether or not it is right morally. His chief almost seems to be toying with him. Prodding Guy's new conscience and telling him from an intelligent perspective that burning books is for the best. That it helps society rather than hurts it. Guy really misses the little girl that helped begin to see the world in a new perspective. He feels that it wa sunfair she got him to start thinking like this and now she is gone. He really wants someone to tell him how to feel. Another interesting part is that the hound. Whoich is a sort of mechanical stalker thing that you can put DNA sasmples in to and it will chase people around to kill them. Anyway the hound does not like Guy, seems like it is a bit of foreshadowing that something bad will happen with this really scary looking machine. Lastly at the end of that chapter Guy is at work and has to go on call. As he is riding in the fire engine he is really nervous and does not thing that he can burn books anymore. He feels that it is very wrong to do so. While lsot in his thoughts they pull up to the house that is harboring books. As he looks up he realizes that this house belongs to him. He is going to have to burn his own house and his own books. Then part two ends. I thought it was a pretty good ending overall. Pretty interesting and intriguing.

Fahrenheit 451 - Part One

Part one of this book was pretty interesting. Guy Montag is a fireman. Now when I say he is a fireman I do not mean the kind who heroically jump in to buildings to save people. In the warped future of this book firemen start fires. They find people who have books and they burn their books. Guy is just an average fireman when one he meets a young girl on his way form work who makes him reevaluate his life and how he has been living. After some soul searching and going back and forth GUy decides that he wants to know what tis so important in a book that people would die for them. He locks himself in his house and starts to read so that he may understand. So far this a pretty good book. I like how different things are. How everything seems almost right. Like in a find the difference picture you know something is different but you can not quite put your finger on it. Some things are pretty cool like a wall to wall television. Though something I can not help but wonder is do they stand and like spin around to watch TV or sit? How does that work. I am also thinking that Guy is a little nuts. Who all of a sudden hates their life so fervently that they want to risk it by doing the exact thing their job is to stop? One of the more disturbing parts was when Guy cam home and found his wife had overdosed on sleeping pills. He did not know whether it was on purpose or if it was an accident. The paramedics cam to his house and were ridiculously calm and made it seem like this was one of the more routine parts of their job.Then when she woke up his wife did not remember a single thing and thought he was the one who was acting strange about everything.

The Old Man and the Sea - If I wrote it

If I wrote the story or even edited The Old Man and the Sea there are a lot of things that I would change. First off I would definitely give the story more of a conclusion. Such as Santiago dying, or something. Anything with more closure than him just falling asleep. In all the books I read I like closure. Next I would definitely shorten up the whole I am going to reel this fish in for five days thing. Way to much of the book was focused on it. Perhaps cut it in half and add some more information about what happens when he finally gets home. Maybe how he feels and what not. Another thing I would change is Manolin would go fishing with him.. This would have a huge impact on the story. As Manolin could help him pull it in as well as get it to shore then everyone would have been able to live happily ever after. That one thing would probably be the first and foremost change I would make. I really feel that the author did not go in depth as much as he could have in the case of Manolin. Manolin could be a massively complex character rather than a sort of lame duck one that is sort of just there to move the story a long. Something that would have made the story more interesting would have been a little more information about Santiago's past. Some thing like that would help give background on the character and add more depth to Santiago. Another change that would be huge would bet he oh so simple act of adding more characters! There is a grand total of like four characters. I understand all these things would take away from the mysterious aspect of the book but I think it would make it a much more fun read over all. My book probably would not have become an American Classic so what do I know though.

The Old Man and the Sea - The Fish

Even though the fish could technically be considered not a character since it does not really talk or interact. I still think that it plays such a big role in the story and a great portion of the story has to do with the fish. This beast is a giant fish that drags the old man deep in to the sea for several days, tugging both the man and the boat far against the current. As I said in an earlier blog I believe that the fish represents life and the undeniable power behind life. Just as the fish tugged the old man around and around for days relentlessly life will tug you around forever with no break. The fish fought and fought for the last few moments of freedom and life that it could have, never giving up until there was positively nothing left in it to fight with any more. During life as people are dieing that is when they are truly the most alive, realizing how few moment they have left and trying to make the absolute best of what little time they have left on this world. People often have such epiphanies about race, religion, family and life in general when everything is so close to ending. They want to hang on for as long as they can and never give up. Lastly I think the fish was also supposed to reflect Santiago in a way. The fish and the old man both had a near unwavering strength of character and physically. The type of attitude that if something needs done they lower their heads and do it gladly. The old man dutifully goes on with his daily activities even when after eighty four days he has not caught a single fish. Just as the giant fish keeps struggling harder and harder even when it certainly must know that there really is no hope for it. There are doezens of more comparisons that could be made.

Old Man and the Sea - Manolin

Manolin is the old man faithful friend. Manolin sticks with Santiago through thick and thin. Always willing to be at his side even as Santiago is going through nearly three whole months of not catching a single fish. Just a young boy Manolin is not only friend with Santiago but also views him in a sort of fatherly or grandfatherly way. Caring for Santiago when he needs it with tender love and care. Manolin is not allowed to fish with the old man during the story due to the oldmans terribly long dry streak of no fish. Manolin's parent need the extra income the boy provides for the family and therefore require Manolin to to work for another fisherman, one who is actually catching fish. This make Manolin terribly sad as he loves the old man and working with him. Still even though they are separated Manolin still cooks the old man food at night and chats with Santiago after the fishing has been done. Going as far as to give the old man some bait he had caught so Santiago may have better luck at catching some fish finally. Manolin seems to be the only thing the old man has left resembling family. The only person in the whole wide world that stills cares about the old mans health and worries about what might happen to the old man. after the old man comes back to shore with the fish carcass that had been eaten by the sharks Manolin cares for nothing but Santiago's health, laying him down and fetching him some food and drink so that Santiago may replenish his health. I believe Manolin represents family in the book and how he cares so lovingly for Santiago is only further proof of the fact. Family is the only thing we can ever really count on, the only people in the whole world who will love you unconditionally, and not just blood family, family can mean many different things in many different ways

Old Man and the Sea - Santagio

Santiago is the old man in the Old Man and the Sea. A weathered and tired fisherman nearing the end of his days he has not caught a single fish in eighty four long grueling days. Nearly three months without a catch to sustain his livelihood. His young friend Manolin is no longer allowed to go fishing with Santiago by order of Manolin's parents. They need income from Manolin and no fish means no money. Manolin is forced to work for another fisherman but all the same he remains loyal to Santiago. Who every days believes his streak will break having encountered long dry streaks before. In previous times he had broken the drought of fish with a large large fish that payed well. Santiago goes out on his eighty fifth day believing today will be the day. When he finally gets a bite, this fish is historically big, bigger than anything he has ever seen. To strong to reel in by himself Santiago must stay with the fish in order to tire it out. After days and days of the strong beast dragging him to sea Santiago finally is able to reel in the fish. Santiago is the typical old man with a anything is possible attitude. Never letting his age affect what he believes he can do. Many people laugh at Santiago because of his dry streak but he does not get angry and takes the ribbing in stride without letting it affect him to much. He has an inner strength about him that is hard to define other than he is the type of guy who would take the whole load without complaint, a sort of iron-man. Santiago does not do much in the book other than sort of talk to himself about fishing and day dream about Joe DiMaggio. Few things are learned about his past or his feelings on many topics. Overall the lack of information about Santiago makes himj at the same time interesting and annoying. Knowing there could be so much more yet the reader is cut off.

The Old man and the Sea Theme

The Old man and the Sea has an arguable theme. In my personal opinion I believe the theme is life and how the time passes. I think the young boy, Manolin, represent family. He is still there for the old man even after 84 days of not catching anything. Family is always there for you no matter how bad it seems to get. I think all of the other fishermen represent all of the negative people we all meet during our life. Everyone who says your not good enough or you can not do something. None of them seem to really tell Santiago he can catch a fish, but rather just laugh at him. Next we come tot he mot important symbolism in the book, the great fish Santiago is trying to catch. This beast represents Santiago's own life. He fights and fights and never grows tired, never gives up. But eventually just like the fish he will be caught. One day, which Santiago knows is soon, he will not wake up and will have been caught by the hook of death. After he has caught the fish Santiago is unable to pull it into the boat. He must row back to shore with his prize catch int he water. Soon sharks begin to tear at the great beast. By the time Santiago has reached shore nothing is left of the fish. This part is a little tricky but I believe that the fish getting eaten represent how in life we can have our biggest dream and aspiration snatched away at any time and that nothing in this world is really certain. Although there are many schools of thought on what the symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea is and means I think everything int his story has in one way or another a comparison with life. Hemingway did write this book close to the end of his life maybe he was reflecting on his life or life in general.

The Old Man and the Sea Summary

The old man and the sea was a book about a crazy old guy and him trying to catch a big fish. He gets a bite and stays with it for days on end. Thats basically the story. I thought this book was really really dumb. I finished the book and was pretty mad I had just read it. I mean I understand the message and all. Which is how the fish is like life and the old man is tying to hang on. But come on. It was so dumb, he goes through all that, finally catches the fish, and it gets eaten by sharks. Then he gets home and just goes to bed. I felt robbed by the book. There was no resolution, no actual character development, it was just horribly dumb. One of the most annoying parts of the whole book was how he incessantly said the great Joe DiMaggio. As if the guy was some sort of myth or legend. When I started the book I was optimistic that it was going to be a good read since it started off pretty interesting. Then he went fishing which again was not all that bad. But once the giant fish bit his line it all went down hill after that. Theres only so many pages any author can or should write about someone catching a fish and Hemingway far surpassed the limit. At one point there was something like three pages of him eating a tiny fish he caught. The book definitely should have stayed the short story it started out as when it was first written. There just was not enough story to make it in to a novel, albeit a short novel. I think it was overall a good message it was just way to much filler in the story. It seemed like the author was just passing time and trying to stretch it out more than he should have. All in all I thought The Old Man and the Sea was a cruddy book, I did not care for it, I think it had a fine message in it but a bad novel all the same.