Hemingways Themes Essays - The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway's Themes Hemingways Themes by Rachel Spreng Hemingways greatness is in his short stories, which rival any other master of the form(Bloom 1). The Old Man and the Sea is the most popular of his later works (1). The themes represented in this book are religion (Gurko 13-14), heroism (Brenner 31-32), and character symbolism (28). These themes combine to create a book that won Hemingway a Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and contributed to his Nobel Prize for literature in 1954 (3). Santiagos ordeal, first in his struggle with the big fish, and then in fighting against the sharks, is associated by Hemingway with Christs agony and triumph, (Bloom 2). When Santiago sees the second and third sharks coming, he shouts Ay, and Hemingway notes: There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just such a noise as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hand and into the wood (Waldmeir 28). Santiago is often regarded [as] a Christ figure, and his love for all living creatures and forbearance in physical pain are attributes that support this [idea]. However, Santiago shares few traits with Christ (Brenner 38). In his book The Old Man and the Sea: Story of a Common Man, Gerry Brenner states: Christ is a fisher of men, but Santiago is merely a fisherman; Christ is a figure with a divine mission, Santiago one with a secular mission (to bring back an oversized fish); Christ is a martyr who willingly but reluctantly dies for his convictions, Santiago is a persevering champion who is willing to die only to win a battle with a fish; Christ is a teacher of spiritual and ethical wisdom, Santiago is a professional with skill and slogans to impart (38). The Hemingway hero is often religious, but their religion is rarely central to their lives (Gurko 13). Santiago is Cuban, at once devout and credulous (13). However, neither his religion nor his superstitious beliefs play a role in his ordeal with the great marlin (13). God is sometimes prayed to by the Hemingway hero in a time of crisis, but He is never depended upon (Waldmeir 29). When Santiago says his prayers, he also says, I am not religious, even as he says his prayer (29). After forty-five hours of struggle have passed, Santiago says, Ill say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now. (Waldmeir 29-30) For those who see this as evidence of Santiagos Christ symbolism, one must suggest that his not saying the promised prayer provide contradiction to that interpretation (Wagner 117). It is difficult to disentangle Santiago and Hemingway, and it can render a reader quite uncomfortable (Bloom 2). Hemingway, like Santiago, denies his religious values (Linck 1). Hemingway, however, did not turn religious to write The Old Man and the Sea (Waldmeir 33). He has always been religious, although his religion is not of the orthodox variety (33). He celebrates, and always has celebrated, the Religion of Man (33). Along with the Christian symbols woven throughout the novella, numerology also adds to the religious symbols in the book (Waldmeir 28). As the story opens, we are told that Santiago had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish (Wilson 119). If we add this to the three days covered by the books action, we get a span of eighty-seven days. Shortly after, the boy recalls, remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.(119) In this way, Hemingway establishes two separate time spans of eighty-seven days that are important in the old mans life. (119) There is also a more intricate form of numerology in the novella (Waldmeir 28). Three, seven, and forty are key numbers in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible (28). As the story opens, Santiago has fished forty-four unsuccessful days alone and forty more with Manolin. The great ordeal with the marlin lasts three days; Santiago catches the fish on the seventh attempt; seven sharks are killed; and the old man rests seven times from the weight of the mast. To be a hero means to dare more than other men, to expose oneself to greater dangers, and therefore more greatly to risk the possibilities

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Review

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Review Since its publication in 1988, Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers continues to be a book both beloved and banned in school libraries across the country. A realistic novel about the Vietnam War, the day to day struggles of young soldiers and a soldiers view about Vietnam, this book is bound to be offensive to some and embraced by others. Read this review to learn more details about this high-profile book by an established and award-winning author. Fallen Angels: The Story It’s 1967 and American boys are enlisting to fight in Vietnam. Young Richie Perry just graduated from high school, but he feels lost and unsure about what to do with his life. Thinking the military will keep him out of trouble, he enlists. Richie and his group of soldiers are deployed immediately to the jungles of Vietnam. They believe the war will be over very soon and don’t plan to see much action; however, they are dropped down in the middle of a war zone and discover the war is nowhere near being finished. Richie discovers the horrors of war: landmines, the enemy lurking in spider holes and murky swamps, the accidental shooting of soldiers in your own platoon, burned out villages full of old people and toddlers and the children who are strapped with bombs and sent amongst the American soldiers. What began as an exciting adventure for Richie is turning into a nightmare. Fear and death are tangible in Vietnam and soon Richie begins to question why he is fighting.  After surviving two encounters with death, Richie is honorably discharged from the service. Disillusioned about the glory of war, Richie returns home with a renewed desire to live and an appreciation for the family he left behind. About Walter Dean Myers Author Walter Dean Myers is a war veteran who first enlisted in the military when he was 17. Like the main character, Richie, he saw the military as a way to get out of his neighborhood and away from trouble. For three years, Myers stayed in the military and recalls his time served as â€Å"numbing.† In 2008 Myers wrote a companion novel to Fallen Angels called Sunrise Over Fallujah. Robin Perry, the nephew of Richie, decides to enlist and fight the war in Iraq. Awards and Challenges Fallen Angels  won the prestigious American Library Association’s 1989 Coretta Scott King Award, but it also ranks 11 on its most challenged and banned book list between the years 2000 and 2009. Depicting the reality of war, Walter Dean Myers, who is a veteran himself, is faithful to the way soldiers talk and act. The newly enlisted soldiers are depicted as boastful, idealistic and fearless. After the first exchange of fire with the enemy, the illusion is shattered and the reality of death and dying changes these young boys into tired old men. The details of combat can be as gruesome as the description of a soldier’s final breathing moments. Due to the graphic nature of the language and fighting, Fallen Angels has been challenged by many groups.

Introduction to Accounting and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Introduction to Accounting and Finance - Essay Example Hair wax refers to products of hair styling utilized to make a definition of hair into chunks or textual pieces. This would in turn aid in manipulating hair into numerous styles. However, to would be retailers or users, it is vital to realize that everything and in this context- every product, has its merits and demerits alike. Some of the merits in association with hair wax is that different products of hair styling based on wax can help come up with similar styles as well as give a similar shine to that of mousse or gel. However, the persons who utilize the hair wax products will have their hair remain in a state of pliability contrary to the effects identifiable with mousses and gels which have an end impact of having the hair remain in a state of stiffness. Hair wax products are recommended since they allow persons who use the same to restyle and fix hair simply by running fingers through the hair, and it is possible over the whole day subsequent to application. (thehairthread.com, 2011) Normally, hair wax is obtained from soft solids unlike hair gel. These soft solids are obtainable naturally such as bee wax or other wax blended products. However, unlike hair gel, hair wax is not as common. Hair gels’ application are with the inclusion of curly hair, women usage, men usage, long hair gels’ usage among others. On the contrary, hair wax is always recommended for short or medium hair length but it is bound to fail on long hair. (besthairwax.net, 2011) Note that hair wax is a product for hair styling that functions best upon messy type of hair and it is also helpful in achieving flicks as well as layered hair defining. It smoothes and aids in twisting short types of locks and also good for hair strands separation. (thehairstyler.com, 2009) Hair wax is mostly used but not restricted to men and this is since it is more advisable for short cuts such as buzzcuts, and flattops. It is also recommendable for

Environmental Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Management - Essay Example In years 2002 and 2003 approximately 333 million tonnes of waste was created in the UK. This amount does not include the agricultural waste. even though out of this household wastes is only around 30 million tonnes, it is approximated that for every tonne discarded an additional 5 tonnes waste is produced at the manufacturing phase, and 20 tonnes at the level where the unprocessed material is pulled out (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). The Environment Agency calculates that over 90% of the resources we exhaust are either cast off as waste or emptied into the surroundings as waste matter or air expelling. Â  40% of the recyclable material is plastic bottles, glass, cans and textiles or paper. Vegetable shedding and other unprocessed material is about 38%. In spite of the possible 60% waste which can be recycled or converted, presently below than one quarter of the total waste contents are now recycled (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). Waste management in the UK is actually a state approved industry, but still it has to face full competition from private sector investments. Decisions with regard to plans are actually set by the local government based on advises received from the central government. The Government and dropped governances are presently surveying their waste schemes (Vanessa White and Stewart Bell, 2006). The more waste generated the more disposal methods have to be invented. Some modes of disposing of waste actually liberate air contaminants and greenhouse gases into the environment. Waste recycling is one way to reduce the effect of waste discarding into the atmosphere, but availability of other methods which are more environ friendly can be adopted. The most general removal methods, in the UK, are landfill and to a small degree incineration. Every year roughly 111 million tonnes of checked waste that is household, industrial and

Political conditions of the Cold War Era Essay Example for Free

Political conditions of the Cold War Era Essay The Cold War is increasingly treated as a historical period that customarily begins in 1947, when the Truman Doctrine sought to contain communism and the expansion of Soviet influence, and ends with the decline and fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc in the late 1980s. My thoughts are that this event occurred after war world II between the Soviet Union and the United States of America due to a conflict about political, ideological, military, and economic values because the United States was capitalist when the Soviet Union was communist. During this time there was a fair that they were going to destroy each other with the arsenals of gigantic artillery. Germany was separated into 4 sections controlled by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States and the Cold war started because there was a disagreement on unifying Germany. There were events that happened during the cold war the first was the foreign aid policies, which were able to divide the superpowers after that treaty organizations and alliances started forming up again one of these alliances was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the Warsaw pact. The superpower were always involved in a conflict the mayor political crisis was that Soviet blockade on Western Berlin they block off supply routes to Western Berlin so the people were dying because they did not have how to cover the firs needs. Another conflict was the Cuban missile crisis it was the closest the world ever came to all-out nuclear war. Following the first sightings of the missiles being placed by Soviets, additional Russian vessels were seen heading towards Cuba carrying more missile components. Thus began what became known as â€Å"the 13 days,† a period of extremely high tension in which the Kennedy administration tried to find a way to get the missiles out of Cuba without starting World War III. Kennedy and his advisers had to walk a very tight line in order to achieve that end. In the end, Kennedy followed the path of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower as a leader determined to prevent the further spread of Communism in the world by all reasonable means. He had campaigned on the issue of a missile gap  between United States and the Soviet Union, and even his plan to place a man on the moon in the decade of the 1960s was, to a large extent, aimed at defeating the Russians in space. The military implications were obvious. It was during Kennedys administration that the most dangerous point in the Cold War was reached: the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. http://www.academicamerican.com/postww2/coldwar.html Presidents and Prime Ministers on either side came and went but the war never ended. Every President of the United States took the war personally as a Commander in Battle and it became a competition of who would do better. Finally, it was the Republican George W. Bush who called the final shots and that too because Mikhael Gorbachev backed down. http://www.historyking.com/World-War/cold-war/Summary-Of-The-Cold-War.html Explain the specific threats to American citizens One threat that is becoming more severe in the post-Cold War world is the proliferation of chemical, biological, nuclear, and missile technology. The probability of a retaliatory strike on the U.S. homeland by rogue states or terrorist groups using such weapons, however, can be reduced by ending unneeded and provocative U.S. military intervention abroad. Politicians of both parties often tapped into that fear and ran for office based on how strong they would be against communists. Fighting communism always involved the threat of nuclear war since both the U.S. and Soviet Union had nuclear weapons trained on each other. President Dwight Eisenhowers military plan relied on nuclear stockpiles rather than land forces. He hoped the threat of nuclear destruction would restrain the Soviets. http://www.tn4me.org/minor_cat.cfm/minor_id/23/major_id/10/era_id/8 Describe the preparations you would make to protect your family Those are my thoughts , it is important to have things that are going to be necessaries to survive in this situation as water medical and food the family can survive if they go to the close shelter they usually have a wonderful staff to help those who need them. It s important to keep the medication close and accessible. Conclude with one question for further study on the Cold War era What effect did the Cold War have on the political, economic, social, and  military conditions of the world’s nations? Conclusion Cold War as a period which began with the rivalities of the superpowers The effort to contain communism and capitalism (and covertly subvert the other), however, entailed a larger containment or channeling of the flow of possible change in various areas of political, social, and cultural life within its political imagination. The Cold War rivalry sustained an equilibrium which tended to freeze not only the power relations between hegemonic and client states but also the political contours of nation-states in the two camps backed by economic inducements, military power, and nuclear threat.

Pip in Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay example -- Great Expec

Pip in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations After reading the compelling ‘Great Expectations’ by the famous writer Charles Dickens, I can gather that it is based upon his own psychological insight to life. He makes connections in relation to a specific character or event in the storyline, which were critical in his own expectations. Also Dickens moulds his selection of characters very well into the desired settings he’d created, that matched what he knew only too well throughout his childhood. ‘Great Expectations’ not only satires the issues of Victorian society, yet centres on the rites of passage that marks an important change in a person’s life. Dickens’ issue of contentment is something that concerns many human beings; this is what Pip wants most. However he never really accomplishes this until the closing stages of the book. So what exactly is contentment? The dictionary defines it as a ‘peace of mind’, where the person is ‘satisfied with things as they are.’ Therefore contentment means to be happy and in Pip’s case, happy with his life. The purpose of ‘Great Expectations’ is how contentment is achieved, with it being linked to Jeremy Bentham’s answer of this. Bentham was a well-known philosopher and he said: ‘humans strive to achieve self-fulfilment through the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.’ Dickens relates this to Pip, in the sense that Pip wants to become a gentleman, who need not work and who can avoid the certain stresses of life. Dickens’ early life is reflected by his main character in the novel. Through Pip, he presents a young and innocent boy, who changes his aspirations whilst growing up. Pip is often indirected by the themes of identity, love, money and class when ... ...elates Pip’s struggles to the ones he faced in his own life, in order to achieve contentment such as family problems, debt and education. Problems like these are overcome by sticking to a moral set of values, dispelling all the materialistic values which in the end leave a person unhappy. There is a clear message in the novel that the best way to achieve contentment is to live your life and learn from the positive and negative experiences of it. You must listen to the people who are close to you and their advice that they give, because this was one of Pip’s downfalls. Even though ‘Great Expectations’ was written almost two centuries ago; we as readers know how to achieve contentment with our own lives, by controlling and getting rid of our fantasies and phobias whilst being aware that wealth and higher class doesn’t necessarily mean a better way of life.

Language Obervation Essay

Setting: The observation took place in the child’s home. The child’s home is a semi-detached house in a housing estate Immediate Context: This observation took place in the kitchen. TC is seated at the kitchen table finishing his homework. His father is nearby washing up at the sink. The observation took place at 2.30 in the afternoon. An hour after TC returned home from school. TC’s brother and sister are running around the kitchen while another brother is sitting at the table playing Lego. Name of Child: TC Brief description of the child: TC is a male aged 6 years and 5 months. He has been in school since September 12 months ago. He has one older brother (aged nine) three young brothers (twin 3 year olds and a 2 year old) he has  a younger sister also (aged 2 years). Because of the number in his family he is very active and talkative. Aim of observation: The aim of this observation is to observe TC for a period of time of 10 minutes in order to assess his language development. Observation: TC is sitting on a chair at the kitchen table finishing off his homework he is drawing objects that begin with â€Å"I†. He asks how to spell ice-cream, igloo and ice as these are the shapes he’s drawing. He takes out a sheet filled with words to learn. He is now looking at his words and pronouncing them. TC has finished his homework and packed away his bag. He takes out a sheet a paper. TC -> A â€Å"Daddy how do you spell IGLOO?† A -> TC â€Å" I-G-L-O-O† TC -> A â€Å"How do you spell ICE?† A -> TC â€Å"I-C-E† TC -> A â€Å"How do you spell ICE-CREAM† A -> TC â€Å"Well you already have ice on your page copy that first† TC -> A â€Å"but I need to spell ice-cream† A -> TC â€Å" Write down ICE then put a – then put C-R-E-AM† TC -> A â€Å"Okay† A -> TC â€Å"Are you finished now Ois?† TC -> A â€Å"Where’s Mammy Daddy?† A -> TC â€Å"Show me, what it is?† TC -> A â€Å"No it’s for Mammy, not you; you won’t know what to do with it!† A -> TC â€Å"ok she’ll be here in a minute she’s gone to the bathroom† A1 -> TC â€Å"what’s wrong Oision?† TC -> A1 â€Å"this is a letter for you from teacher† A1 -> TC â€Å"what’s it about?† TC -> A1 â€Å"The parent teacher meeting† A1 -> TC â€Å"ok what have I to do with it?† TC -> A1 â€Å"you have to read it and fill it out for teacher† A1 -> TC â€Å"oh right okay you go on and play so, good boy† Evaluation: The aim of this observation was to observe and record the language of TC, a six year old boy, for fifteen minutes as he finished his homework and engaged in conversation with his parents in order to gain a better understanding of his language development. I feel that I achieved this aim very well and that generally TC’s language development appears to be within the normal range for his age. Certainly, TC’s word pronunciation is accurate. He does make little errors tough e.g. he says â€Å"ate† for â€Å"eight†. This is usual for his stage of development. While children between four and five years pronounce most words correctly, they â€Å"may show some immature sound substitutions† (Flood 2010) One of the theorists I have studied is Skinner (1957), Skinner believed â€Å"that  learning, including language learning, occurs as a result of reinforcement.† Another theorist I have studied is Bruner(1915-). Bruner believed first-hand experience allows children to develop their ideas and thinking, he called this â€Å"enactive thinking†. Bruner stress the importance of the child’s environment in language development. He believes â€Å"The adults and more able peers in a child’s life provide what he calls a language acquisition support system (LASS).† Motherese, recasting, expanding and labelling all part of this system . Key stage of language development Gross Motor Skills †¢ Child tries to understand the meaning of words. The child uses adverbs and prepositions. The child talks confidently, and with more and more fluency. †¢ The child uses language creatively. The child adds vocabulary all the time. †¢ The child is an explorer and communicator; he or she begins to be able to define objects by their function – for example, â€Å"what is a bicycle† â€Å"you cycle a bicycle†. Fine Motor Skills †¢ A young child does not learn well in isolation from other children and adults. The child begins to share as he or she learns. Sharing sharpens and broadens the child’s thinking. This helps the child to learn better – for example, he begins to understand book language, and that stories have characters and a plot (the narrative). †¢ The child begins to realise that different situations require different ways of talking. The child establishes a sense of audience (who he or she is talking to). In summary, TC’s language development in terms of both fine and gross motor skills seems to be just on target and have reached the developmental milestones expected for his age. Personal Learning Gained †¢ I learned more about children’s language development. I know understand the terminology of â€Å"labelling†, â€Å"semantics†, â€Å"syntax†, â€Å"recasting† and â€Å" expanding†. †¢ I learned that in order to do so accurately, a tape recording with transcription is advisable. References †¢ Child Care & Education (5th Edition) (Bruce, Meggit, Grenier) Hodder Education †¢ Planning Play and the Early Years (2nd Edition) (Penny Tassoni, Karen Hucker) Heinemann †¢ Child Development for Students in Ireland (Eilis Flood) Gill&Macmillan †¢ Education & Care in the Early Years (4th Edition) (Josephine Donohue & Frances Gaynor) Gill&Macmillan