journal - 2

Once upon a time, there was a badger family that lived in a quaint little home in Louisiana. They lived in a burrow Under a great oak tree. The tree was located on the property of a pig farm and it grew right by the door of the great pig barn. In the badger family, were three small badgers. Their names were Gertrude, Gregory, and Granger. The three badgers were triplets and they were best friends. Granger and Gregory were the boys, and they loved playing and wrestling with each other. Gertrude was the little girl, and the baby of the family. Gertrude always tagged along with Gregory and Granger, and they even got in trouble together quite often. The three kids were always on adventures together and used their imagination to explore the world every day.

One day, the three badger kids were out in the tall grasses of the field chasing groundhogs in and out of their holes. Gertrude pawed at one and slid it over to Granger, who pawed at it and then it got away and went back down one of their holes. They played like this for quite some time, until the groundhogs stopped popping out of the holes, and the badgers grew bored. Granger stopped his playing to watch a butterfly. He was memorized by its bright yellow wings, so he kept watching it. The butterfly flew up by the barn and went up by the roof. It disappeared into a small hole in the top of the barn. Granger had never noticed the hole before, and suddenly became very curious. He told his brother and sister that he had an idea and told them to follow him.

Granger scampered from the field back to the barn and climbed up a tree, making sure their mom did not see them, then jumped onto the roof of the barn, and waited for his siblings to follow. "What are we doing up here?" questioned Gregory. "You'll see", said Granger. Gertrude followed close behind Granger, and Gregory hesitantly followed after Gertrude. The three of them inspected the opening that the butterfly had come out of, and then slid through tho hole. The hole led to the rafters in the top of the barn. The pigs were in the barn having a meeting. the badgers were spying on the pigs. As they were listening, they heard the pigs planning a surprise birthday party for the three badgers. This ruined the surprise, and the pigs learned to never to eavesdrop in someones house again.

Journal - 1

Back in the day, when your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather's uncle John was a youngin', his father told him a story of when the trees were young and were only a few years past sprouting. The leaves on the trees were the most brilliant color of green and they stood out tall and proud among all of the other plants and grasses that grew native to the country. The leaves on the trees were so young and brilliant, they stayed a blazing green color all year round. They never grew tired, the trees were proud of their colors and they kept growing bigger and stronger every day.

There was one tree that stood taller and broader than the rest. This tree was known as "The Great Tree". This tree was teeming with animals and creatures that congregated in and around the tree for fellowship. Every evening the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the beasts of the forest would congregate around the tree to meet together and discuss their progress of that day and the upcoming tasks of the following day.

The old and wise owl was the leader of the meetings. He was voted in as their leader, because he was, after all, the oldest and the wisest. Owl started off the meeting by asking for reports on every one's progress that day. The rabbits told him they had collected two big piles of edible leaves and berries- enough to last them for three days. The moles reported that they had made a new mile of tunnels in unmarked territory to the East, and they think that the land is safe for exploration. The coyotes said they were patrolling the territory lines all day and had warded off three intruders, but were careful not to hurt them. All of the other animals made their reports to the owl, and the owl was pleased. But then the owl noticed that the group of squirrels had not yet reported to the owl.

The owl demanded of them, "Squirrels, how have you been productive today?" All of the other animals grew silent as the three squirrels trembled with fear. The smallest squirrel cuddled his red tail around his body as he boldly proclaimed, "Today we collected nuts." The owl looked at the squirrels questioningly for some time before he answered, "How many nuts were collected, young squirrels?" The smallest squirrel started stammering in his reply, and finally whispered, "we ate them all, sir."

"As you know", replied the owl. "To be part of our family, you must put in your share of work, just as all of the other animals have done today. I will give you one more day to make up for today's blunder. At this time tomorrow, I will decide if you may stay with us any longer or not. But be sure that you do not collect all of your nuts from the same tree, as I have told you before." And with that the owl ended the meeting by assigning work to all of the other animals for the following day.

The next day, all of the animals rose with the sun and began performing their duties. The birds collected twigs for fires, as the large hawks patrolled the territory from above, and the eagles along with the cougars scoured the unknown territory to the East. The beavers were working hard on making a bathing hole for the animals, as the raccoons and badgers were catching fish for the group dinner in the evening. All of the animals on the territory were hard at work, except the squirrels. Nobody else knew it, but the squirrels were in the great tree gorging themselves with acorns. They were making a small pile of acorns to collect, but for every acorn they put in the pile, they ate another one. The squirrels were too lazy to spend the day collecting from many trees, so instead they only collected acorns form the great tree. In doing this, they directly disobeyed the owl, which was their authority.

When the group meeting came together in the evening, the owl saw the small stack of nuts the squirrels had collected and saw how sluggish and gorged they were, and decided to ask them to leave the group. After the squirrels left, everyone else was very hard working and they had a great system going. The squirrels, however, did not leave the land for good. They snuck back in and slept in the great tree. They spent the rest of the summer eating the acorns only from the great tree and lived in its limbs every day. This caused the great tree much stress. By the end of the summer the tree had no acorns left. this caused the tree to lose its pride. Because of the lazy squirrels that had disobeyed, the tree was no longer proud and strong. The tree became sad and slowly its leaves started turning dismal colors and eventually all of the leaves fell off of the tree. The great tree is still depressed, to this day, and because of how strong and mighty the great tree was, every year all of the other leaves get sad in remembrance of the great tree and change the colors of their leaves and drop their leaves. We have come to call this season of the trees fall.

Old Man and the Sea - 16

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a book that is much different than the other two summer reading books. The other two books I read were Fahrenheit 451 and The Grapes of Wrath. All three of the books were written about different time periods and are much different. A big difference in the three book is the ton of each of them, the tone is different in all three because there are three different authors for the three books.

The Old Man and the Sea is much different than The Grapes of Wrath. The grapes of wrath is written about a certain and exact time period, and the old man and the sea is more of a relative time frame. Also the grapes of wrath is stuffed with symbolism and most of the characters in the story are allusions to something else that has a greater meaning than just a character. Also most everything that happens in that book symbolizes something that has previously happened in history. Where as in The Old Man and the Sea there is not much symbolism. The thing that holds the most symbolism is when the old man starts sounding like Jesus. But other than that, there is not much symbolism. However, much of the book can be directly applied to the reader's life and the symbolisms in the book is how it symbolizes things in the reader's life and for the reader. The tone of The Grapes of Wrath is very fast paced and demanding. You feel the stress and feel yourself getting overwhelmed and caught up in the frenzy of the book, and this all happens because of the rapid tone in the book and the ground that the book covers. Sometimes one chapter will cover many months of things happening, when in The Old Man and the Sea the entire book only covers five days. Also the tone of it is way slower and more relaxed, as well as much less demanding.

The Old Man and the Sea is also very different than Fahrenheit 451. In that book, it all symbolizes the future and what is going to happen and what is to come. Whereas The Old Man and the Sea applies directly to current life and does not predict the future, but help you to see where you are now and what you need to be doing differently.

My favorite book of the three was The Old Man and the Sea. I did not just favor it because it was the shortest and the simplest, but because it was the most relaxed book. After reading the other two books and digging deep into the books to figure out the symbolism and such, it was so nice to have a book that was straightforward and simple. It was an excellent read and was a comfort to read and I loved the tone of the book and the easy going laid back nature of it.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 15

I think the tale of The Old Man and the Sea is a tale that can teach the reader about life. I think it is a story that you can take and compare it to your life. The old man in the book struggled. He struggled for three days with one fish. It seemed like he was struggling to no avail. It seemed like the sea was going to destroy him, just as sometimes it seems like life will kick us down and destroy us. But if we hold fast like the old man did, then we can prosper too, just as he did.

This story teaches much of life. We learn to keep fighting and to never give up. This is something that is so very important. Also, the old man refuses defeat, which is something that we need to each learn how to do for ourselves and can each learn what the benefits are of refusing defeat. The benefits of the old man were that he prospered. He conquered the fish an overcame it, which is what he tried to do for three days! And he finally proved to himself that he could do it. That is something that we all need to learn for ourselves; we need to learn how to not give up and not to accept defeat.

Just like in the novella, our world is also filled with predators, just like the old man's world. During the three days of battling with the fish, the old man was being tested and be tried the whole time. The fish wanted the man to give in and the fish just waited for him. It would have been so easy for the man to give up. The man would have every excuse as to why he should give up. The fish was bigger than the boat, he could not feasibly bring the fish back it. And the waves, oh the waves of the sea, they cried out to the old man. They looked so relaxing and calm, but they taunted the old man the whole way.

This is all just like in our own lives. It is so very easy to give up at times. Most of the time giving up is the easiest option and is the easy way out. However sticking to in and persevering is the more honorable thing to do, just like the old man did. Yes, it is often much more difficult, but it is the honorable thing to do and will be most beneficial to you in the end, just like it was for the old man.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 14

Santiago, the old man in the novella The Old Man and the Sea is a very classic hero. Classic heroes have two similar traits about them. They want to understand things that are greater than themselves, and they have something in their life that leads them to their downfall.

The old man did try to understand things about the world that most people disregard. The old man was grateful for life itself, and spent much of his time focused on things of this world that he could learn about- like grappling with death. When the old man was out at sea battling the huge fish, he was grappling with death. The old man had decided that it was alright with him if he died in the process of trying to catch that fish because he would know that he died doing everything that he could to defeat the fish and that would mean that he was just an unworthy opponent.

Also, it was the old man's pride that led him to his downfall. It was because of his pride that he had his greatest loss, which was the loss of the fish. He felt that it was him that was the reason for the fish dying and him that lost the life of the fish and then he did not even get it back to shore in one piece. He killed the fish for it to become shark food. The old man felt guilty of this, as he rightly should.

The old man would never have killed the fish in the first place if it was not for his pride. I even venture to wonder if it was worth it. If taking that journey and killing that fish was worth it to the man. He did not have to prove anything to himself. The man knew that he was a good fishermen, and he did not care what the other men thought, so catching that fish was only for his own satisfaction. But I wonder if it was worth it. The old man sliced his hands while he was trying to catch that fish, and he will have permanent scars from it. The old man was so weak and weary and tired after catching the fish. It would take an old man like that weeks to recover from that fishing excursion. I wonder if it was worth it. The man ached all over and hurt his back badly. These aches would not just go away with one night's rest. The man was going to hurt for a very long time after. And I wonder if all of that was worth catching that fish just to prove to himself that he can do it.

Hemingway, Ernest. "The Old Man and the Sea". New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 13

In the book The Old Man and the Sea there is a n anonymous narrator. The narrator is unknown throughout the novella. The tone of the narrator is not a demanding tone. The tone is not frantic or heavy, but the tone is very light and easy and delicate. The writer seems to write almost as if writing in a carefree journal for no specific audience but is writing for pleasure.

Reading through this book can be done with ease. This book just rolls right along, unlike some other books. It is light hearted and care free. This book is easier to read because it is not tangled up in details. The book somehow seems to be more simple. The tone of the book is also more relaxed and soothing, almost like that of a good bedtime story. So this book is easier to read.

The book takes place during only five days, so it seems like the author must give immense details to cover only five days in one book, but he does not. Actually the book seems to be quite simple and is lacking in many details. The details that the book is lacking are unnecessary. You do not feel like you miss out on any details, you just feel like the fishermen truly lives a very simple life, and he does.

This book also is not very long compared to other books. It is a novella, which is comparable to a short story. It was extremely refreshing to read such a short book. It was also very refreshing to read such a light hearted book that was not heavy or condescending and that did not have very many motifs, symbols, and allusions. It was nice to read a book and it be that it is what it is and that the reader can feel free to apply the book to his life in any way possible, but that there were not other deeper meanings behind the book and it did not have to do with many other things without you even realizing it.

The simplicity of this book seemed almost childlike, and I loved that aspect of this book. I love the tone at which the author is writing. The tone is almost indiscernible because it is so mellow and relaxed. This book was a great book and such a relief compared to many of the other heavy and deep books.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 12

The old man in The Old Man and the Sea has a lot of desirable characteristics about him. The old man is someone that I would like to try and like like, even though he is a man and I am a girl. The old man stands out above all other people and has traits that not very many people possess.

What stands out to me the most about the old man is that he does not care what others think of him. The old man does not live for the glory of others. What I mean by that is when he does things he does not do them with others in mind and wonder what people are going to think of him. Many people do this, and especially younger people. But the old man does not do this at all. In fact he is almost a complete outcast and he is not hurt by that. It does not bother him, it is perfectly OK. When the old man catches the big fish he does not bring it back and boast. He instead goes home and sleeps and thinks of fishing with the boy in the future. The other fishermen see the old man's fish and are very impressed, bu the old man did not catch the fish so that others would notice him. He does not need that to make himself feel good. He already is confident in himself and his abilities.

Another way I would like to be more like the old man is having his determination. The old man is extremely determined and nothing can stop him. Sometimes, especially as a girl, it is good to not always be as determined as the old man was, but I can still learn to be more determined. The old man did not back down and he did not stop until the end, and that is something that I can learn.

Who I also want to try to live like is the boy. The boy is so caring. The boy cares for the old man in his old age. Nobody asks the boy to care for the old man, yet he is a companion to him. The boy is very loyal to the old man and he takes care of him. The boy does things to help the old man even when the old man does not want him to. That is a very courteous thing of the boy to do and it shows of his great character.

Another thing about the boy that is very impressive to me is that he does not care of worldly things like so many other boys do. This boy is not worried about what the other kids will think about him for helping the old man, but instead is concerned with helping the old man. That is very mature of the boy to realize that not everything is about him and life is not all about serving himself, as many boys his age think.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 11

Throughout most of the book The Old Man and the Sea there are no parallels from the novella to the Bible or any spiritual or religious things like that. Sometimes the old man swears that if God does something for him he will pray a certain prayer one hundred times. But i feel that he says those things mostly out of a ritual and not because the prayer means anything to him.

Honesty the old man treats Demagio, a professional baseball player, more like a god than he does God himself. The old man compares everything to Demagio. He thinks and wonders what Demagio would think of the old man doing a certain thing and thinks Demagio is the greatest man that ever lived. He compares everything to him as if Demagio is the ultimate person that is the highest up to compare things to. The only one anybody should be comparing themselves wit his God. People should compare themselves to God to see if they meet his standards and are doing what He wants them to do. The old man clearly does not respect God, if he believes in God, and he respects a baseball player more.

The story has hardly anything to do with God, and is almost sacrilegious, but then things change. While the old man is on the boat, he endues many hardships and overcomes them in a loving manner and with a determined heart. This man does not give up. He continues to keep pressing forward. How he handles the stress and the strain of the fish is utterly impressive and seems near impossible for someone to do that.

Eventually the old man's hands get sliced and cut open by the fishing line. The old man's hands begin bleeding. when this happens, the reader cannot help but think of Jesus and his hands being pierced by nails. The old man, despite the sliced hands keeps going. He keeps fighting for the fish. The man does not give up. The man seems to be almost inhuman in what he endures for a fish. The man's back hurts and he aches all over. His hand cramps up and it takes much time to get his hand uncrampped. So many negative things happen, yet the man stays positive. this man starts to seem Christlike. After the man finally gets back to the village, he is exhausted. The picture of the old man carrying his sail up the hill on his shoulders and falling down in exhaustion reminded me so much of how Jesus had to carry his cross up to his death.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 10

There are many lessons to be learned by reading the book The Old Man and the Sea but the theme of the book is the struggle against death and defeat. This is portrayed by an old man out at sea grappling with the biggest fish he has ever caught. It is a fight to keep the fish, and the fight lasts for three days. The old man seems almost defeated in physical appearance but mentally he does not let himself become defeated.

The old man was very determined to catch the fish and not give up. For three days he struggled with the fish and would not stop. The old man had slashes on his hands from where the fishing line had cut him. He also had a back that ached terribly. The man put the fishing line around his back on his shoulders and held it with one of his hands. This gave the old man more leverage and he could hold onto the fish easier. But this caused the old man's back to hurt. The old man was also very thirsty. He had only one glass of water for his entire three day journey. Because of his thirst and hunger the man grew weaker and his mind became more confused. All of these physical ailments the man had against himself, but he let none of those things stop him.

The man was so determined. He did not let any physical ailments defeat him. He wanted to defeat the fish. The man wanted to defeat the fish because of pride. He wanted to prove to himself that he could beat the fish. The man wanted so badly to prove this to himself and he thought it was so important, that he determined it was OK if he lost his life in battling the fish. The old man was willing to give his life up to prove that he could fight until the end in a battle with a fish.

Just as the old man did not want the fish to defeat him, the fish did not want the old man to defeat him. The fish swam for three days at a steady level. The fish did not swim deep nor high, where the man could harpoon him. The fish stayed right in the middle and stayed at that level for three days. I think the fish did this to prevent the old man from killing him. I think the fish knew that the old man was hunting him and the fish was not going to go down without a fight, just as the man was not going to either. Both the man and the fish were willing to die so that they could defeat the other and have that pride of defeating them.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 9

The old man in the book The Old Man and the Sea is the main character as well as the protagonist of the story. When you read the novella, it is obvious as to why the old man is the protagonist in the novella. The story is focused on him, revolves around him, and he does things that make him deserve the right to be called protagonist. It also helps that there are only two human characters in this story that have a speaking role in the book, so one of the two characters is the protagonist, and I am certain that it is the old man, Santiago.

The old man has many character traits about him that make him the protagonist of the story. In the beginning of the novella we see the old man's determination to catch a fish even though e had not caught one since eighty-five consecutive days prior to that day. This old man's determination is something that the reader takes note of when reading this book and is a quality that helps the man to catch the biggest fish that he has ever caught in his entire lifetime.

The old man is also very independent. The man lives alone in a shack, and no longer has a wife. He is very self-sufficient and lives off of the fish he catches, unless the boy brings him other food. the man does not need others to books his confidence and does not need to rely on others for anything. Even though he does not need others, he lets others help him, which shows his humility. Humility is something that many people struggle with and him having humility is so neat and also helps him to learn the lessons that he learns while out catching the big marlin.

While the man is out at sea he does not get discouraged easily. Although it seems like he should give up, he does not. He keeps pressing forward and remains determined. This is a trait that is so hard to have. When times get tough, it is so easy to give up. This man, did not give up. He pushed himself beyond the point of what he thought he could to, to catch the fish. He wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. He was even willing to die to do it.

After he catches the fish and brings it back, it is disheveled and had been eaten by sharks. The fish is still a trophy and something worth gloating about because of how big it is. However, the old man sees past this and is not proud of the fish so he does not show it off. Instead the old man finds glory in his determination and pride that allowed him to catch the mighty fish.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 8

Why do we still read the book The Old Man and the Sea? I think that this novella is definitely a timeless novella that can be read from when it was written and will still pertain to life in many generations from now. One does not have to be familiar with the time period to be able to read the book and enjoy it and understand it. This novella is about character, conquering human nature, pride, and determination. Those things are all things that can be learned about today and are quite relevant to this generation.

I think this book pertains to all people today, but is especially geared towards men. I think it is geared more towards men because of the struggles in the book. The struggles are against the flesh. The battles in this book are about pride and determination, perseverance, hardship, struggling and those are all things that everyone can relate to, but I feel like they are more masculine of struggles than they are feminine. Men in our time can certainly relate to this book and learn from it and change because of it.

In this book we learn that pride can either destroy you, or if it is a healthy pride it can define you. The old man in this novella was defined by his pride. His pride pushed him and helped him to not give up and it pushed him to victory over the fish.

Another thing we can learn from this book is the importance of mentors. Many people overlook mentoring and think it is something that is not necessary, but truly it is for the growth of the mentor and the mentoree. Everyone should have a mentor and mentor somebody. This is shown in the book by the relationship between the old man and the boy. The old man acts as a mentor to the boy, and as a result the boy is not like other boys. He focuses on more important things than the other boys, because he has a different perspective on life because the old man has shared with him new perspectives.

There are many things that can be learned from this book and it definitely pertains to our generation.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 7

The old man in the book The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway caught the biggest fish of his life and it was a complete trophy fish. Nobody had ever seen a fish as big as that before. Prior to the old man catching the huge fish, the town mocked him and laughed at him. They questioned his ability as a fishermen and thought he was a crazy old man. When the old man caught the fish, however, he proved hem all wrong. After catching the big fish, the man had reason to gloat and be prideful in his catch and his fishing abilities, but he did not. He could have been proud of the fish that he caught, but he was not. That is not where the old man's glory came from.

Where did his glory come from, then? The old man's glory did not come from the fact that he caught the big fish but his glory came from the pride that it took him to catch the big fish and the determination that he had to have in order to bring the fish in. The man waited for three days for that fish to grow weak. The old man ached all over by the time the fish became weak. His hands had been sliced and gashed by the fishing line and he was weak from lack of water and food. The man's back was wrenched and hurting as well as his hand that had cramped up during the fight with the fish. That old man had much determination and had good reason to take glory in the pride and determination that it took for him to catch that fish.

Many men would take pride in the actual fish that they caught. They would come back from the sea and gloat about the fish that they had caught. Many men would showcase the fish take pride in it and find their glory and worth from that fish. Many men in our society today do that, just not with fish. Men showcase their thin wives, their fast cars, and their large houses. However, it is not much to have those things. As we learn from the old man, it is how you got those things that counts. What you should take glory in is the hard work that you put in to get that thing, that is what actually counts for something.

For the old man to realize that it is not about the fish, but about his determination, it took much character. It shows that this man is a man of character and he cares more about the important things than the things that look good that he can show off. This man you can tell is experienced. He no longer cares of what others think of him, as the young men do. This man is not living to gain glory from other men, and that is something that is very respectable.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 6

One thing that the old man proves in this novella is his unwavering determination. He proves it throughout the entire book. He proves it when he is fishing and when he is resting. He proves it when he is out at sea and when he is back in the village. He proves it when he is with the boy and when he is alone. This old man is one determined guy, and he proves it in this book.

The old man in The Old Man and The Sea is very determined. When he is at home, he talks with the boy about fishing and how he will eventually catch fish. He is so determined, even after eighty-five days of not catching any fish, that he will indeed catch more fish. So many people would give up and give it a rest and try later. But this man goes out every day to catch fish. This man is so determined and sure in his ways that he does not even change his fishing routines and habits. He keeps them exactly the same because he is determined that it is not his fault that he has not caught any fish, it is just luck; he proves this right at the end of the book when he catches the biggest fish anyone had ever seen.

While he is out at sea fighting with the big fish, the man is still determined. While he is fighting the big fish the man is more determined than the reader ever sees him anywhere else in the entire novella. This man becomes more and more determined by the fighting fish instead of more afraid. The old man is so determined to catch the fish that he decides he is willing to give his life to catch the fish. He decides that even if he has to die to try and bring the fish in, he will do it to prove his determination and not let down his pride.

The old man's willingness to die helps him to avoid defeat. If he was not willing to die, then there would be a certain point where the man would try no longer because of the uncertainty of life or death. But this man was so determined, that he decided he could die in the fight. Because of his determination and willingness to die the man experienced great victory. Without the man's vulnerability and willingness to die, he could have not conquered the fish as he did and come out with such a victory and a confidence booster as he did.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 5

One thing that can be learned from the novella is that pride can motivate men to greatness. This is illustrated all throughout the book and especially during the old man's fight with the great fish.

The old man had not caught any fish for eighty-five days, yet he still went out everyday and tried to catch one. Why he did not give up was because of his pride. The definition of pride is "a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self respect, self esteem" The man thought that it was due to himself to keep trying to catch more fish.

When the man finally had a fish hooked, it was so big that he could not pull it in. The man had to hold his ground and wait for the fish to become tired and weak. While the man waited for the fish, it took much strength out of the man. Most men would not keep trying. Many people would give in when they got tired, hungry, weak, and hurt. But not this old man. He kept fighting. Why did he keep fighting, you may ask. Well he kept fighting because of his pride. He could not let the fish go because he wanted it so much and it would hurt him and make him think lesser of himself if he did not keep fighting. He even guarded his pride so much that he decided he was going to keep fighting until the death- either of him or the fish.

Sometimes pride can be a very bad thing, but in the old man's case I think it proved good. If it were not for the man's pride, he would not have caught the fish. He would have given up on the fish and let it win. Honestly, if it weren't for his pride he most likely would have never caught the fish in the first place because he would not be so far out in the sea. The man would not have conquered that fish had he not had his pride, and if he had not conquered that fish and given up, he would have lost his entire sense of pride and who he was as a man. And that is something very hard for a man to recover from.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 4

There was a boy that followed Santiago around to learn from him. The boy's name was Manolin. Nanolin cared for the old man and liked to learn from him. He spent his time with the old man instead of doing thing that other boys his age were doing. Manolin was a very special boy.

Manolin is such a sweet young man. Manolin earnestly cares for the old man. Most boys would not even think twice about talking to an old outcast man like Santiago, but not Manolin. He loves the old man. He cares for him and takes care of the old man. When the old man is cold Minolin covers him with a blanket. When the old man is hungry Manolin brings him food. The boy even helps the old man every single night to carry the old man's things to the old man's shack. The boy is caring and loving.

The boy almost seems too good to be true. It seems like there could not exist a boy so caring and concerned for an old man. the boy is a boy of character and that is rare to find. The one thing, however, that does point to the fact that the boy is not perfect is that the boy despises his father. Although the boy thinks his father is wrong and the boy does not agree with his father in most circumstances, he still respects his father by obeying him. His father tells him that the old man is unlucky and that the boy must not fish with the old man. The boy however sees fault in this assumption and sees the old man for who he truly is and sees that the old man is quite a remarkable man and actually is an excellent fishermen. Since the boy sees all of these things but his father thinks other things, the boy obeys his father by not fishing with the old man during the day, but at night the boy helps the old man carry his things to his shed, the boy keeps him company, brings him food, and spends quality time with the old man.

The boy is a remarkable boy, even though he has issues with his dad; everyone has their own issues and those are the boy's. The boy is actually quite a catch, no pun intended, and is a very honorable young man with great character.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 3

The old man in the book The Old Man and the Sea was a very reputable man. He is someone who is a good example to others as to how one should live. The old man was someone that was a very good example for the boy and was a good person for the boy to learn from and to model his life after.

The old man was a very hardworking man. Every single day he was out in the sun all day on his sailboat fishing. He fished non-stop every day. It was what he did. The man had gone one time for eighty-seven days consecutively without catching a single fish, yet he remained hopeful for the future and went out every day and worked just as hard with a good attitude even when he did not catch a single fish. This happened again, and where the story picks up is that the man had gone eighty-five days without catching a fish and he went out yet again but this time went farther out beyond the point that any other fishermen go. The old man was extremely diligent in his work and always worked hard with all his heart.

The old man had very good character. He always worked hard. He looked old and beat up and weathered, but the book describes his eyes as "still cheerful and undefeated". And the man was for certain still cheerful and the man carried himself everywhere undefeated. He did not and would not give in. When he was struggling with the fish, he struggled for three days and did not stop. This old man had extreme perseverance.

This man was also very strong. Physically his body seemed to be failing him, but he remained mentally strong; because of that his body remained strong as well. Along with mental strength, the old man had moral certainty. He was brave and courageous and always was certain of himself and that he could accomplish anything.

This man was also a tender-hearted man. His best friend was a boy, and that did not bother him at all. He was an outcast in his village and people did not treat him right, and that was OK with he. He still did what he did. And when he was out at sea with the huge dying marlin, the man apologized to the fish and said he was killing the both of them. This man was so tender. He apologized to a fish. He also talked to himself. Some may say that him talking to himself makes him crazy, but I say it makes him tender. He becomes more vulnerable when he talks to himself, and that is why talking to himself makes him more tender.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Mand and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 2

In the novella Old Man and the Sea the old man has a boy that follows him around. The boy learns from the old man as well as helps the old man and keeps the old man company. The man is somewhat a mentor to the boy, as he teaches the boy all about fishing and teaches him about life as well.

The boy is extremely loyal to the old man. The boy cares for the old man and watches out for him. The boy brings the old man food when the man has no food. Every night the boy helps the man carry the sail and boom up from the ocean to the old man's shack. He still helps the old man even though his father told him that he could not sail with the old man anymore because he was an unlucky fishermen. The boy always helped the old man out and would come to his shack and cover him with a blanket if it was a cold night and would make sure the man was alright. When the man finally came back from sea after catching the huge marlin, The boy came to the man's shack to make sure the old man was alright. When he knew the old man was safe the boy wept. He was so moved by the sight of the old man that the boy wept. Then the boy went and got coffee for the old man and gave it to the old man when he woke up. Then the boy and the old man decided together that they would be fishing partners again, despite the boy's father who told the boy that the old man was unlucky.

I believe that it is important for every young man and boy to have a mentor. I think it is something that is very important. It is also for every young lady as well. As a kid or teenager it is so great to have people to look up to and to model your life after theirs. It is also so helpful to have someone older than you checking in on you and making sure you are on the right path and they can help you not get caught up in unimportant things and they can help you see the bigger picture.

On the flip side, I also view it as very important for every older person to have somebody that he mentors. God gives people life experience, so they should use it to help someone younger than them succeed. Also, it is a huge accountability for the older person to have someone looking to you for advice. You would be surprised to see how much you can see that needs to be changed about yourself and your lifestyle when there is someone living to model after you.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - 1

In the book The Old Man the Sea by Ernest Hemingway there are many conflicts. Some of the conflicts are man versus animal, man versus himself, man versus nature, and man versus an opposing will. This novella certainly has many conflicts, especially since the book itself is rather short in length.

One of the main conflicts in this novella is between Santiago, the old man, and the marlin. Santiago has gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish, and he finally hooks one and it is the biggest fish he has ever hooked. In fact, it is the biggest fish he had ever seen or even heard of. The marlin was longer than the man's sailboat. The fish was so big that the old man could not pull him in. The man had to wait for the fish to become weak and tired. The man battled with the fish for three days while he waited for the fish to give in. The fish however, was not about to give in. The fish was waiting for the man to give up, however the man was not about to give up. Both were very stubborn. It eventually came down to a waiting game. Both the fish and the man had to wait until the other would give in. This was the major conflict in the book.

Another conflict was the old man versus himself. The old man was very old and his body seemed to be failing him. He would forget to eat, and become weak and tired. Atone point,his left hand cramped up while holding the fishing line, and he could not use his hand for quite some time. The man's mind, however, was strong. The man had predetermined that he would not give in. He was going to fight until the death; whether it was the death of the fish or of himself. As the days went by, the man's mind started to flee from him a little. Just as he was at a strong and mentally stable point, his mind would doubt him and second guess himself. He would then have to think again and correct his thoughts and tell himself that he could do it and that he was fully capable of enduring the pain, because pain was nothing to man.

The last major conflict in this novella is the old man versus chance/luck. The man went eighty-four days without catching a fish prior to the giant marlin. That is almost three months of fishing without any luck. And it was not because the old man was a bad fishermen, he actually was the most precise fishermen all around. The reason was just chance. No fish happened to bite any of his hooks. The conflict of chance is also seen later in the novel with the man and the marlin. It is lucky that the fish even went for the old man's bait.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 19

Naturalism can mean being caught in forces bigger than yourself. If you use that definition of naturalism, then there certainly a lot of naturalism in the book The Grapes of Wrath. The entire novel deals with the Joad family fighting naturalism and trying to press on and push forward to their future.

In the early parts of the book, a man tries to explain to the Joad family why the bank is taking away their land. The man says, "well, it's too late. And the owner men explained the workings and the thinkings of the monster that was stronger than they were. A man can hold land if he can just eat and pay taxes; he can do that." (Steinbeck 32) He later goes on to say "The bank is something else than men. It happens that every man in a bank hates what the bank does, yet the bank does it. the bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it." (Steinbeck 33) This is a perfect example of naturalism and how people get caught in forces that are bigger than themselves. People created the bank, but then it became something that nobody could stop. People were caught in it and there was no way to stop it. That is a great example of this kind of naturalism.

A small farm owner said to Ma Joad, "A little fella like me can't do anything." He was referring to the price at which the farmers pay the workers who pick their cotton. He says that he cannot choose what price to pay the cotton pickers, the The Association sets the rate. (Steinbeck 421) This is also an example of naturalism. The farmer was caught in a force greater than himself, which was the Farmer's Association. Earlier in the book, another farmer comments that the bank of the West owns the Farmer's Association and he also has no control of what he pays his workers. He too is caught in a force greater than himself. (Steinbeck 294)

Naturalism is seen throughout the entire novel. Naturalism is a problem in this book and it is a force that the Joad family was up against many times. From this novel we learn that something like naturalism cannot be faced alone. Just like when the people at the government camp stuck together and the police officers could not defeat them, if people stand up against naturalism they cannot face it alone if they want victory. Tom also realizes this and at the end of the book leaves the family to form unions so that he does not have to face the greater forces alone.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 18

In the book The Grapes of Wrath there are many parallels, allusions, correlations, and allegories to Jesus Christ. All throughout the book there are subtle things that nudge the reader to think of Jesus as they read it and things that remind them of them of the stories of Jesus, and I think Steinbeck, the author did that so that the reader would realize that many things in the book point to Jesus.

I think that in this novel, Jim Casy the ex-preacher is an illusion to Jesus. Casy has many mannerisms similar to those portrayed of Jesus. One time Casy even says, "I been thinkin', I been in the hills, thinkin', almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles." (Steinbeck 81) There is also a river outside of California where the Joads stop and rest. It describes the river as "lovely water flowing by" (Steinbeck 202) and I think that this river is an allusion to the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized. In the book, it is the same river that Noah flees to when he leaves the family. Noah leaving is a parallel to some of the Israelites staying behind before they enter the promised land. Even though Jesus and Moses never existed together on the earth, I still think that both parallels are accurate and that the book The Grapes of Wrath alludes to Moses as well as Jesus.

When the Joad family finally arrives in California, there is a scuffle between Casy and Tom and a police officer. Casy immediately turns himself in and takes all of the blame so that Tom will not get in trouble. This is a very Christ-like thing for Casy to do and inspires the reader to view Casy as an allusion to Jesus. (Steinbeck 265)

Like Jesus, Casy is a leader, a thinker, and an honest man. He also taught people and preached without intending to. When he spoke, he inspired thought in other people. These things all help the reader to see Casy in a way that is Christ-like, but what really seals the deal are Casy's last words before he dies. Casy said "Listen, you fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids." To this, a police officer replies "Shut up you red son-of-a-bitch." And to that Casy says "You don' know what you're a-doin." To some people, this may not seem like a big deal, but for those people who know what some of Jesus' last words were, it helps a lot. One of the last things that Jesus Christ said to His Father as he was dying on a cross was "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." The last words Casy speaks are remarkably similar to some of Jesus' last words. After Jesus said those words, a man mocked him and laughed at him, just like the police officer did to Casy.

Near the end of the novel, Rose of Sharon delivers a still born baby. First off, Rose of Sharon is a name that was used to refer to Christ, so it already has the reader thinking about Christ. Also, however when Ma asks Uncle John to bury the stillborn baby, John instead puts the baby in a basket and sends it floating down through the flood waters. The image of a baby floating in a basket is an allusion to baby Moses floating down the Nile river. Moses led people to freedom and saved them from slaver, just as Jesus later does. In the Bible, Moses is a foreshadowing of Jesus. And in the novel, the baby Joad floating through the flood waters reminds us of Moses, which foreshadows the coming of Jesus, especially because if that baby would not have died, Rose of Sharon would not have been able to save the starving man's life in the last scene. Just as if Jesus had not died, God would not have been able to save us.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 17

In the book The Grapes of Wrath there are many parallels, allusions, and correlations to the Bible. In fact, much of the book is an allusion to the Bible and the life of Moses as well as Jesus. There are also many other random things in the book that point the reader to the Bible and refer to things in the Bible. I think the author did that to have the Bible on the reader's radar, so that they might pick up on the fact that most of the book is about Moses and the Exodus.

A police officer unjustly killed preacher Jim Casy, and because of that, Tom was angered and killed the police officer. Tom had no right to kill the police officer, but the police officer had no right to kill Casy either, and that set Tom off. This incident is a direct parallel to Moses. After Moses found out that he was indeed an Israelite, but raised an Egyptian, he saw an Egyptian man beating an Israelite slave. This angered Moses extremely and he killed the Egyptian man, just as Tom killed the police officer. After Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to the wilderness in hiding, just like Tom did. (Steinbeck 386-390)

After God called Moses out of hiding, he freed the Israelites from Egypt and began leading them to the promised land- Canaan. Canaan was the promise land to the Israelite people just as California was the promised land to the migrant people of America in the 1930's. In the Bible, the Israelite people were complaining were grumbling and complaining on their way to the promised land. They wanted to turn back and go home, where it was safe and they knew what to expect. Every day, God blessed them by giving them manna, enough to sustain them. He also provided water for them and sent a pillar of fire during the night and pillar of cloud during the day to guide them. God was clearly leading them and protecting them, but they still did not trust him and they complained. Because of this, God let the Israelites wander for forty years in the wilderness and he let most of that generation die off and not enter the promised land. This is just like granpa and the group of people he represents. Granpa complained the whole trip and never had faith about it and wanted to go back. In turn, he never made it to California.

Also, the "Rules of the Road" are established during the migrant's journey to California, just as the Ten Commandments are established for the Israelites on their way to the promised land. (Steinbeck 193) When Ma is speaking to Tom, in one instance she says "We're the people that live. They ain't gonna wipe us out. Why, we're the people-we go on" (Steinbeck 280) That quote is a parallel to the Israelites, which were God's promised people.

Another example, is after the forty years of wandering, there was a group of men right before arriving to the promised land decided that they wanted to settle outside of the promised land because they knew it was a safe place. This is a direct parallel to Noah and how he left the Joad family right before entering California.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 16

There were many characters in the book The Grapes of Wrath and I believe that each character represented something particular. I think each character stood for something other than themselves, they represented a people group, a generation, or a movement.

I believe that Ma Joad represents the women's rights movement. As Pa was not stepping up to his position of authority in the family, Ma filled in by stepping into that position herself. For that time period, most women did not have the audacity to make such a bold move, bud Ma did. During the 1930's more and more women started stepping up in their positions of authority at home and started to want more power and more of an official role of authority, and I think that is what Ma Joad represents.

I think Ruthie and Winfield represent all of the poor children in the country at that time. There were many migrant children that could not go to school and get an education because their family was migrating. And when the families did finally get to California, out of the kids that actually did get to go to school, most of them were bullied and not wanted in the schools because they were poor "Okies". Ruthie and Winfield represented all of the poor children in the United State of America.

I think Al represented teenagers during the 1930's. Al was a common teenage boy. He did not want the Great Depression to happen and he spent most of his time wishing that it would not be happening rather than facing the facts that it was happening. Al also spent a lot of his time chasing after girls. Al would rather go off with a girl than help his family. He wanted an escape from the Depression and did not want to have the responsibility of helping his family. Al represents most American teenagers.

I think granma and granpa represented the elderly and weak people. They were both very old and grandpa did not want to leave his land. He was very stubborn, just like many of the people in the older generation during the Depression were.

Pa Joad represented the farmers during the depression. There were thousands of small farm owners who got their land taken away from them by big farms with tractors. Pa was not in control of this situation and it left him in a place where he could not provide for his family. This was the same situation that thousands of men around the country were in. Pa represents all of those men.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 15

A universal theme throughout the book The Grapes of Wrath is hope. Hope is written between the lines of every single page in the book. You can sense the great presence of hope as you begin every new chapter. Hope is what keeps the book going and as well keeps the Joad family going.

Without hope, the Joads would have given up long ago. The book starts with hope, as it says, "And the women came out of the houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this time the men would break. The women studied the men's faces secretly, for the corn could go, as long as something else remained. The children stood near by, drawing figures in the dust with bare toes, and the children sent exploring senses out to see whether men and women would break." (Steinbeck 3)

When their world seemed to be ending, the women stood beside their men to see if things would still go on. They stood beside their men to see if the men had hope. If the men had hope, the women knew everything would be alright because as long as the man has hope, the household will still function. They studied the men's faces to see if the men would break, to see if the men had lost hope. The children stood near their mothers. They stood near their mothers to read their mothers body language, to see if their mothers still had hope. For the children knew if their mothers still had hope, life would go on, and everything indeed would be alright.

Throughout the entire book, the Joad family clings to hope, as well as the rest of the Americans that were traveling West. If hope still remained, the families had a reason to go on. They had something to look forward to. Hope was all that they had, and they clutched at it with everything they had because they knew that if hope was lost, their lives would be lost.

At the end of the book, all hope seems to be lost. Granpa had died, Noah had left the family, Tom had left the family, and Al was soon to leave. Their temporary box car home was about to be completely flooded, and they had nowhere else to go. And Rose of Sharon had delivered a still born baby. The baby was where all of Rose of Sharon's hope was. All of her hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future were wrapped up in that baby. That baby was her everything, but it did not live. All hope seemed to be lost for the Joad family, until they entered the barn on top of the hill. In the barn was a young boy standing over his dying father who had almost starved to death. It was that sight that brought hope to the Joads. It was not just that the man was worse off than them that brought them hope, but that Rose of Sharon could help the man by giving him milk. This was the ultimate gift of hope to the man and to Rose of Sharon, who now got a new perspective on her life.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 14

It seems fairly obvious to me as to what events influenced this author to write this book. It is clear that the book is written about the Great Depression and specifically is referring to the Dust Bowl in part of it.

Steinbeck uses many things that point to the reasoning that the book is on the Great Depression. When hundreds of families were "tractored" off of their land, that actually happened. Most of the families fled to the West in hope for a better future.

There is a chapter in the novel that tells of Route 66, which is the route that many Americans traveled in the 1930's to go to the West. Route 66 ran across most of the country, and the facts about Route 66 in this book are very accurate, which also indicate that the Great Depression is what influenced this author.

While the Joads were traveling along the road to California, they would have to have somewhere to stop at night. All of the other families needed to stop as well, so they made camps for the migrants to sleep at every night. After more than half way through the book, the camps soon are called Hoovervilles. The name Hooverville refers to Herbert Hoover, the president at the time. Herbert Hoover was blamed for all of the country's problems, especially financially. The fact that they called them Hoovervilles in the book just shows more detail of the time period and proves more accurate the events in the book and historical background.

Also many of the characters and events in the story represented big ideas, themes, or changes during the 1930's and that was a huge influence to the author of this novel. During the 1930's many things were changing and many things were being disputed. Besides the drought and the financial issues, women's rights were being debated. Native American rights were being debated, as well as children's rights. All of these issues played into the story that John Steinbeck created, and played major roles in creating the story.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 13

In the novel, the reader is exposed to many different bosses and workers. We see the boss of the peach farm that is very nonchalant, but does not pay very well for such hard work. We see the boss of the cotton field, who is fast paced and does not care about the workers, but cares only about how quickly his cotton gets picked. We see the worker of the junk yard lot trash talk his boss and disrespect him, and we see the boss who cares about his employees, informs them of trouble, tells them the inside scoop on things, and wants to pay his workers fair wages for the work that they put in.

I know that Steinbeck puts in so many varieties of workers and bosses so that we can see how they differ and decide for ourselves which we think is the best circumstance. Many of the bosses simply do not care about their workers and care more about themselves and their own families. It is understandable to care for your own family, but when it gets to a point where providing for your own family means letting hundreds of other families die, I do not think that is right. And Steinbeck put that in there to show us that. Tom learned by the end of the book that caring for others is as of equal importance as taking care of his own family.

Another boss/worker relationship that we see is the attitude that the man in the junk yard has towards his boss. The man despises his boss and does not care if he screws over his business because he does not like his boss and actually would love to see his boss' business fail but he does not want to get himself into trouble and wants to keep a job. This paints a nasty picture for the reader and helps the reader see that they do not want to get into a boss/worker relationship like the junk yard worker has with his boss. It seems like they are in a vicious cycle of anger, deceit, and evil deeds.

The last boss left that was portrayed in the book was the kind, compassionate, and caring boss. This boss made sure that work got done and that the men were working hard, but he payed them wages that were equal to the hard work that they put into the job. This boss took care of his workers and told them of the troubles that he was having so that they would realize that the problem is bigger than their boss, it is a national problem of not paying workers enough money. This boss also tipped off the men that the police were going to rig a fight in the compound so that they could come in and shut it down. He did this not because he was a tattle tale, but because he cared about the well being of his workers and was telling them to protect them, their families, and their home.

Steinbeck had multiple pairs of workers and bosses to teach us what the valuable work situation is and what kind of boss we want and what kind of workers we need to be.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 11

John Steinbeck is the author of the novel The Grapes of Wrath and he has shared his views in his book through the characters he created and how they interact with each other. Steinbeck values certain things more than others, and I think one thing that he sees as important is the relationship between children and their parents.

Ruthie and Winfield are the youngest children in the Joad family. They are expected to be responsible and have a sense of self control. Back at home they would play, but they were still to be polite and help out some. After the family started going through the hardships of traveling West, they were expected to step it up some, and become even more mature and be more responsible than before. Every camp they came to they were expected to fill up a bucket of water and collect kindling for a fire, without being asked. During the days of the long journey, they were not to complain, they needed to be mature just like everyone else because everyone else had to endure the hardship as well.

As the book went on, Ruthie and Winfield began receiving more responsibilities and were expected to be more mature and responsible. By the time they reached California, they each had to help pick peaches and the family counted on them to help make enough money to feed the family. They also had to help pick the cotton in the cotton fields, and their ma even made a bag for each of them to collect cotton in.

I believe after reading this book that Steinbeck believes children should obey their parents and always be respectful to their parents and of their parents. I also think he believes that children can handle responsibility and should be given responsibilities and should have a standard that they should meet and goals to try to attain. I also think that Steinbeck think that children need to help their parents. He knows that children will play and have fun, and he is OK with that as long as they contribute to the family and do their share of work.

On the flip side, parents need to set a good example for their children. They also need to be there to protect and comfort their children, just like Ma does with Ruthie after Ruthie told about Tom being in hiding. Steinbeck believes parents need to set their kids up to prosper, and not to fail by leading them down a good path and always do things with their child's best interest in mind.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002, Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 11

The author of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, does indeed think that certain responsibilities exist between males and females. The book incorporates many confrontations between men and women. Men and women are seen within the Joad family, in camps on the journey to California, and in California.

In the novel, while Granpa was still alive, he was given the head position of the family. Whenever the family had meetings or important things to discuss, Granpa always had the first say, even if he was not quite in the right state of mind to be having logical input. The family still regarded him as the head of the family, because they valued males as the rightful authority of the family. After granpa dies, Pa is to become the leader of the family because their culture views males as the head of the household, as does John Steinbeck.

While on the road to California, the family is overwhelmed by many tragic things, and because of this Pa spends most of his time in thought, rather than leading and guiding his family. Since Pa does not step up to the role of leadership in his family as he should, Ma steps in. She gets quite aggressive and lets her family know that they are not going to quit on each other and are going to keep pushing through. She eventually gets to the point where she tells her husband what to do, tells her kids what to do, and is the rock of the family whom everyone looks to for direction. I think Steinbeck believes it is right for a mother to intervene if a father is not being a leader, but I think he shows by the dysfunction of the family that it is ideal for the father to be the leader of the family. God designed men to have dominion over women, and that is how it is. I believe Steinbeck used the joads as an example family, with faults, to coax us to realize how the family dynamic should be between man and woman.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - 10

There are few novels that are timeless and you can read in any era, generation, or time, however this is one of those books. This is a great book and it really helps us to learn from the past. As well as helping the reader learn from the past it also helps the reader to focus on the present things that are of importance, as well as look toward the future.

The book The Grapes of Wrath gives the reader a glimpse into the past, and helps us learn from the past. It shows the value of pulling together through hard times and never giving up. It also is a great novel for my generation, as well as others, in that it encourages to not get down on yourself and spend time sulking, but instead be proactive, like Tom and actually do things that help the situation you are in. This book shows, by revealing the past, that together people can accomplish so much more than trying to do things alone. Just as the people in the government camp that the Joads stayed at worked together to form unity that nobody could break, we can learn from that and apply it to our own lives.

From the book The Grapes of Wrath we also learn to focus on things that are in front of us in our present. As Tom says, "I'm jus' puttin' one foot in front a the other." (Steinbeck 173) We see that Tom does not worry about the future. He knows that worrying will not solve anything and no matter how hard he worries, his situation will not change, except that he loses time that he could be doing something productive with. Instead of worrying about the troubles ahead, Tom focuses on his family, others, building character, and his core values.

As well as learning from the past, and being proactive in the present, we also learn from this book to keep the future in mind. We see not to be worried about the future, but it should be of some concern and on every one's radar. As we learned from Tom, it is not good to worry about the future, but it is good to take steps toward the future you want and to think about the future and start preparing for it in the present. There is always a bigger picture, whether we see it or not. Sometimes it is hard to look outside of yourself and think about the future and others in the future, but we learn from Tom that it is an important thing to do.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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The novel The Grapes of Wrath has so many things that can be learned from it, and it offers so many life lessons. From reading this book you can learn to stay together. You can also learn to do what you think is right. You may even gain from this book the realization that there is value in good character. Grapes of Wrath is a superb book that teaches many life skills and lessons.

Staying together with other people is so important. This book presents to the reader the value of other people. The Joad family stuck together through many hard situations. Because of it, however,they were able to appreciate each other more and learn to care about each member of their family more than they could before. Also, at the government run camp that the Joads got to stay at for a little while, there were no authorities. The people all lived together and made decisions together and all helped each other. Police officers were not even allowed in the compound. The police officers tried to shut it down, but because all of the migrants in the camp were united and working together, the police officers could not shut them down. It is very clear after that, that working together for a common good can be so much more beneficial than one man fighting alone.

From this book, we can also learn to do what we think is right; to listen to our instincts. An example of this in the book is Tom. In seeing that working together can make such a difference, Tom realized that he needed to use his leadership skills to organize people to stand up against the people that were in their way. Tom knew that his instinct told him not to let other people starve so that his family could eat. After he realized that, he decided to take action. Taking action is something that a lot of people struggle to do. Many people are convicted by things and realize that they should change, but not many people actually take action and initiative and change, like Tom did.

Tom is the protagonist in the story, and his character is attractive. In reading this, you feel like you want to spend time with a guy like Tom and get to know him, because he has great character and just seems like an all around likable guy. This attractive and respectable character in Tom is an encouragement for the reader to want to live like Tom lives and have character like his.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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John Steinbeck is the author of the novel The Grapes of Wrath. He uses many techniques to engage the audience and to make the story more effective. Engaging the audience is important in a book, especially one that has so many life lessons as this book does.

In the novel, Steinbeck tells the story of the Joad family in every other chapter. In the opposite chapters, Steinbeck gives details and background of the time period in which the next chapter on the Joads will tell of. This method helps the reader stay focused, by switching gears back and forth between both so they do not got bored of one or the other. This also makes the story of the Joads much more effective, because the reader receives background information on the time period, before the read about what happens with the Joads.

Another technique that engages the audience is the very realistic viewpoint that Steinbeck writes the novel in. He shares many details that sometimes are downright sickening. But it is those details that keeps the reader engaged and focused on the book. An example of that is chapter twenty five. The whole chapter tells of the surplus of food that the rich farmers have. They get rid of the food so that the price of it will go up, while there are people that try to get to the food but can't and they starve and die. Another example is the last scene of the book. The last scene is very graphic and quite disturbing, but it clearly gets the message across to the reader.

The language used in the novel The Grapes of Wrath is the language that the people in the story would have actually used. Much of it is very improper grammar, but that is what gives it character and makes it more realistic. It also paints a more vivid picture of what the people were like and it helps the reader understand them more and it is more engaging to read.

The author also depicts things quite dramatically. That may seem like an annoyance, but actually it helps point out the true irony of many things in the story. The Joad family has to make many life altering decisions in the book, each one which directly changes their life drastically, depending on what they decide. That also gives the book a more engaging component to it.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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There are many things that can be learned from the book The Grapes of Wrath. Author, John Steinbeck, wrote the book about the 1930's Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Although the book is Historical Fiction, there is still much we can learn from it. The past is full of things to learn so that we may guard our future and protect it from letting the past repeat itself.

In the novel, Tom Joad teaches us a great lesson. Tom starts by always looking directly in front of him and just focuses on his next step. He always stays positive and does not worry, because he has learned that worrying does not solve any problems. When Tom was in prison, all he could think about was himself. But outside of prison, he must think of his family and other hurting families, as well. Although Tom still focuses on his next step, Tom learns to look toward the future and make decisions now that will benefit his future and the future of others. Tom learns the value of stepping back and seeing the bigger picture of things, rather than seeing from a small scale, selfish view point.

Another thing that can be inspired within us from this book is unity. After reading this book it is so easy to see that we cannot live alone. We need other people, it is a part of life. There is a yearning within all of us for fellowship with others. There was just something about reading about the Joad family all working together for each other that made me want to help out too. Working together is such a great thing and it really makes a huge difference in peoples lives. If you work together in a positive way, it can make you so much happier.

Something else that can be inspired in someone after reading The Grapes of Wrath is hardwork. In the book, the Joad family is extremely hard-working, and the reader gets to see their hard work pay off. Many times in the book the Joad family works extremely hard and gets nothing in return but fifteen cents an hour. But even in circumstances like that, the reader still sees their work pay off in the satisfaction that the family gets from working hard and the closeness that the family shares after working hard together for each other.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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The hero of the book The Grapes of Wrath is Tom Joad. The book begins with Tom getting out of prison and coming home. Because of being in prison, Tom is used to thinking about himself and thinking about one thing at a time. In prison, as a coping mechanism, Tom thought only about what was right in front of him, he did not think about the future. If Tom were to begin thinking about the future, and when he might get out of prison, it overwhelmed him and he would be on the edge of going mad.

After Tom got home and was informed that the family was moving West, Tom had to make many adjustments in order to survive. In one instance when Tom was heated, he told Casy,

"I'm jus' puttin' one foot in front a the other. I done it at Mac for four years, jus' marchin' in cell an' out cell an' in mess an' out mess. Jesus Christ, I thought it'd be somepin different when I come out! Couldn't think a nothin' in there, else you go stir happy, an' now can't think a nothin'. This here bearing went out. We didn' know it was goin', se we didn' worry none. Now she's out an' we'll fix her. An' by Christ that goes for the rest of it! I ain't gonna worry. I can't do it. This here little piece of iron an' babbitt. See it? Ya see it? Well, that's the only goddamn thing in the world I got on my mind." (Steinbeck 173)

As you can see, Tom stayed positive. Everyone else was worrying, and Tom chose not to worry, because worrying will not solve anything. Throughout the novel, we see Tom's good character and see that he is helpful, faitful, hard working, good-natured, wise, and protective. He is a great man and does everything in his power to take care of his family.

In Tom's last appearance in the book before leaving, his ma is worried about Tom. She is worried that he will leave and she may never see him again and may never know if he is dead or alive. Tom decided that when he left he was not going to live for himself. Instead, Tom was going to help other people. He viewed it wrong to get a job to feed his family, if it was starving another family. Tom was determined that he could help solve the problem of hunger and was going to lead others to help as well. When his ma was worrying if she would ever see him again, Tom told her,

"Then I'll be all aroun' in the dark. I'll be ever'where-wherever you look. Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. If Casy knowed, wh, I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks wat the sruff they raise an' live in the houses they build-why, I'll be there. See?" (Steinbeck 419)

Tom is giving himself up for a greater purpose. Through the book we see a huge transformation in Tom. Although he always had good moral character, by the end, he finally realized that he needed to be living differently, and he acted on it. He did not just think it, he acted. That is completely respectable, and we could all learn some things from Tom Joad, and that is why he is the protagonist of the novel.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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As well as understanding the need for others, author, John Steinbeck, also realizes many other components of human nature. Steinbeck sees that trials bring people closer together and make them stronger. He also sees that people are designed for so much more than just surviving. Humans are designed to thrive. People are made to live for a greater purpose, other than just eating and sleeping.

In the 1930's, many American families had been kicked out of their homes, were forced to find other work, other places to live, and figure out how to get food. The poor people of America were struggling. However, they came together through it all. Steinbeck illustrates how people come together through tough times. Talking of migrant camps that migrant workers set up, Steinbeck says,

"In the evening a strange thing happened: the twenty families become one family, the children were the children of all. The loss of home became one loss, and the golden time in the West was one dream. And it might be that a sick child threw despair into the hearts of twenty families, of a hundred people; that a birth there in a tent kept a hundred people quiet and awestruck through the night and filled a hundred people with the birth-joy in the morning. A family which the night before had been lost and fearful might search its goods to find a present for a new baby. In the evening, sitting about the fires, the twenty were one. They grew to be units of the camps, units of the evenings and the nights." (Steinbeck 193-194)

Steinbeck says in chapter fourteen, "The last clear definite function of man-muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need-this is man." (Steinbeck 150)

As you can see, Steinbeck realizes that humans are made for more than simple things. We have an aching to do more. He says we ache to create beyond the single need. That is saying we want to do more than just live off of our basic needs. We have an aching to live for more and live for a higher purpose and a greater calling.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath understands much of human nature. Throughout the entire novel, he shows human nature. He shows the characters battling against their own human nature to do things to help others and do what they know they need to do even when they do not want to or if it is not in their nature to do.

One point of human nature that Steinbeck really hits on is our need for others. We were not created to go about life by ourselves. Steinbeck understands the yearning and the need for fellowship with others. Being with others is how we learn more about ourselves, others, and how learn skills and other things that are important in life. Through this entire book, Steinbeck shows people helping each other through the hard times.

It is often such a great thing to have others that can identify with a struggle that you are having to go through, and in this book the majority of the country is struggling together, and it makes it so much more manageable and comforting for the Joads to have others to do life with and identify with their problems and encourage each other.

In one scene, Ma says, "Learnin' it all a time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need-go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help-the only ones."

It seems sad that the people who have enough money to help do not help, and the people that are starving help each other. But that just goes to show that they help because they can identify with the people they help and are doing onto others as they would want done to themselves.

An example of the Joads need for others is that they bonded so quickly with Ivy and Sairy Wilson. All it took was one night together, and the Joads asked the Wilson's to be their travel companions, and the Wilson's accepted. That just shows that fellowship with others is a basic need.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

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John Steinbeck incorporated many themes in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. However, the theme that really stand out to me is hope. Much of his book talks of unity, although I do not think that he ever uses the word 'unity' in his book, but he eludes to it all throughout the novel. Hope is also something seen throughout this entire book and it is hidden within the words of every page. The reader can see hope shining through and can sense hope as they turn each page.

The book begins with unity when Tom Joad returns home from four years of prison. His family is happy to see him and welcomes him back in as if he was never gone. Immediately after Tom returned home, the twelve members of the Joad family, as well as the preacher, left to travel to California. All throughout their journey on route 66 to California, the family remained together as one unit. Along the way, grandpa died, Noah decided to make a living on his own, and Grandma died, but overall the family remains in unity throughout the journey. At times, it is not easy for them to remain in unity. It would have been so much easier for them to make the money to each feed themselves, but instead they stayed together as a family and took care of each other.

After a police officer killed Jim Casy, Tom was enraged and struck the police officer. After this, Tom had to go into hiding, or he would have been sent to prison. Word got out that Tom was hiding by one of the camps, so Tom had to flee. Before he left, Tom quoted part of a Bible verse to his ma. Tom told her,

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lif' up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up." (Steinbeck 418)

That verse shows how Tom feels about unity. He thinks people should stick together and pull through together to help each other out. After all, it was one of his last words before he left his family.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.