What you think about this Old Man and the Sea

I have talked enough; now it is your turn to show me you have intelligence worth sharing. We are well past the half-way mark in The Old Man and the Sea, and as you get started on your blog, I’d like you to take a moment and tell me what you can about this book. [...]

The American Man - What does he look like?

In a short blog article (7-10 sentences), I’d like you to explain what the archetypal American man is.
Consider all stereotypes and characterizations that you know, and then form what you would consider to be the definitive character sketch of the American man.
We’ll continue to study Hemingway and his work, and then we’ll look back [...]

Defending the old man, the sea, and me

A former student recently saw a copy of The Old Man and the Sea sitting on my desk and asked whether we were reading it. After I answered affirmatively, he began to berate the book, informing me how dumb it was, how boring it was, and how pointless it was. A guy in a boat [...]

Finishing The Old Man

Okay, we have finished The Old Man and the Sea. I would like you to focus on three areas for this blog article, and I’d like you to extend to at least 250-300 words. Be sure to quote the book at least once. The areas are these:

Your initial reaction upon reaching the finish.
Questions that remain [...]

Questions about The Old Man

After reading to page 109, we have stopped to collect our most pressing questions about the book to this point. Below I’ve listed many of these questions, and I’d like you to write this blog article by answering these questions. The requirement is for you to write 10 to 12 sentences in the article, and [...]

Questions, Symbols, and Observations

For this section of The Old Man and the Sea, which goes until page 87, we encountered some of the more difficult themes and ideas in the book. Please write a minimum 10 sentence article reflecting on the book. Quote the book at least one time, and allow your reflection to be driven by questions [...]

Old Man Symbols

I would like to you to think more about symbols as we read The Old Man and the Sea. A symbol, by definition, is something that stands for (represents) something bigger than itself. Thus, the US flag stands for the proud history of the United States, and for freedom.
Finding symbols in literature is difficult, but [...]

The Old Man Hooks a Fish

The second stretch of The Old Man and the Sea went from pages 30-50. We’ve read enough to react a bit to what is going on, so please comment in 7-10 sentences what you think about what we’ve read. Pick a line from this past section that stands out and quote it in your article. [...]

Old Man and the Sea: Initial reaction

Having read the first 20 pages of The Old Man and the Sea, please explain your initial reaction to the book. I realize you will not have too much to say yet, so if you run out of things to say about what we already read, extend into the future and predict where the story [...]