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.