ANALYSIS ON 'THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA'

‘The old man and the sea’ written by Ernest Hemingway is based on the qualities of will, courage and determination. It is basically about how ‘Santiago’ who is the old man has an epic battle with and ridiculously large fish that he hooked in. The old man hasn’t caught a single fish in 84 days. As a result is looked down upon by the other fishermen. He hence lives a very quiet life and also isn’t eating that well. The story begins with the old man talking to his apprentice, a young boy named Manolin, who he had taught how to fish. In return the boy would get him some food. The boy is very enthusiastic to be on this fishing expedition but the old man strongly refuses. As the night came by the old man goes to bed, dreaming of the lions he once seen in Africa. It soon turns morning and having an alert mind of a fisherman, wakes up with the early morning breeze. Slowly, calmly and without much of a noise he gets his boat ready along with all the tools required for this trip and sets off into the deep ocean. He soon sets his hooks at different depths of the ocean. In no time does he hook in this really large fish, a Marlin, and there begins the struggle between man and fish. This epic battle lasts for three long tiring days. As the old man is all alone, he begins to talk to his hands and legs, as if telling them not to give up on him in his battle with the fish. Time passes by and as he is a poor eater, hunger doesn’t bother him much. His mind is only fixed on his oversized trophy which he wants to achieve at any cost. His determination is exceptional. He looks at the fish to be his brother but doesn’t twitch from the solution of killing it. He finally manages to kill the fish but then runs into a big problem, literally! The fish happens to be bigger than the boat and hence the old man is unable to bring the fish in it. As a solution he ties the fish alongside the boat and begins his long journey to homeland. On his way back, he is faced with a terrorizing problem. Sharks! The blood from the fish flowing into the deep blues attracted a number of sharks. They began to hit one by one ripping away mouthfuls of flesh off the large fish. But the old man wasn’t ready to give up. He tries hard to beat them off with first a harpoon, then a club and finally a simple knife. However he fails to drive them away and sits helplessly and watches his catch being robbed away. When he reaches his home all that remained of the fish was its skeleton. In tiredness and some disgust he calls it a day and goes to sleep while his fellow fishermen stare in astonishment at the skeleton of that large fish. The old man returns to his land of dreams where he is once again reunited with the lions and other animals of Africa.

Nigel D’Souza

Roll No. 08

ENGLISH LITREATURE ASSIGMENT 1

THE HANDSOMEST DROWNED MAN IN THE WORLD
"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" opens with a group of children playing on the beach of a small village. In the waves a dark and slinky bulge is approaches. It turns out to be a drowned man, covered in seaweed, stones, and Dead Sea creatures. The men head to neighboring villages to see if the dead man belongs to one of them, while the women clean off the body and prepare it for a funeral. The village is a coastal, cliff-side town, a "desert like cape" "with no flowers," and so little land that the inhabitants have to throw their dead over the cliffs and into the sea rather than bury them in the ground. The inhabitants are a simple group of people, who believe in myths as strongly as what they see with their eyes. It's such a small village, that all the men combined fit into seven boats, and there are only about twenty houses among them all.
Later, while the women work on the drowned man's body, they quickly find that he is the biggest, strongest-looking, most virile, and handsomest man they have ever seen in their lives, or could ever imagine. They conclude that he is a man named Esteban, and when the men return with the news that no neighboring towns can claim him, the women weep with joy that he is now "Theirs." The men don't understand what all the fuss is about until the women show them the drowned man's face. Then they, too, are in awe at his handsomeness, his masculinity, and his size. While they admire the drowned man, they think that he must have been ashamed of his size in life, and must have felt awkward about himself.
The villagers prepare a splendid funeral for the drowned man. When they finally let his body go over the cliff and back to the waves below, they all know that their lives have been permanently changed. They know that they will build their houses stronger and bigger, so as to be big enough for a man like Esteban. They will paint their walls brighter and plant flowers, so that some day, when the ships pass by their town, they will look at the bright, beautiful, fragrant town and say, "that's Esteban's village."
Name:- Trishi Dua
Roll No:-10

Wren: Thoughtful, Intentional Tweeting and Nothing Else

6 years ago, we had never heard of anything like Twitter, but today Twitter is something millions of people can't live without. Not just that people use Twitter to tweet news and stuff they like, but its also used by millions of business all over the world to keep in touch with their customers and as powerful marketing tool. Twitter, no doubt is the best social networking tool out there. But a lot has changed over since Twitter initially launched. Now we have so many advance features like “tweet,” “retweet,” “follow,” and of course “hashtags”. Twitter used to be a lot more simpler before. If you are a person who tweets a lot, its obvious that you use some Twitter client. But to be honest, all those Twitter clients today are so much complicated and feature heavy, if you are looking out for something simple and easy to use Twitter client, then Wren App is something you may want.

The App itself



Wren is the most simple app you can ever use. The developers who made Wren, took off all the basic features of Twitter like the main Timeline - the place where you see the latest tweets of all the people you follow, the retweet button that helps you tweet someone else tweet and of course you cannot check out any other profiles and stuff, since there is no timeline. Wren's basic idea is to just focus on one thing - that is TWEETING.

The User Interface is really interesting. Wren just exists of a small window with three main components. The Tweet space, the Draft space and finally, Your latest tweet space. The tweet space is where you can write your tweet and publish it. Also a useful feature of Wren is that it automatically shortens any link you post. To the right of the Tweet area is the Draft space, where you can view your saved tweets that are yet to be published. You can easily write a new tweet in the Tweet space and simply click on the Save for later button to save your tweet. Then whenever you are ready to publish that Tweet you can do so from there. And finally below all that is a little space where you can read the last Tweet that you published and also see when you had published it.

Thats all! There is nothing more in this app. Wren will keep you focused on your Tweet only. It removes the timeline so that you don't get distracted by reading what others have posted. Wren is all about what you want to write and not what other have written. Wren's interface is one of the most minimalistic UI's I have ever come across.

A Little Egocentric?

Ok, I can hear you. You’re saying that this app seems little egocentric! After all, it’s just about tweeting what you have to say, not caring about what others say back. What happened to conversation? Isn’t that what Twitter’s so famous for?
Well, I’d like to kindly say, “I think you’re looking at this all wrong”. No where did I, or the creators of Wren for that matter, say that this should be your one-and-only Twitter client or that this is “the best way” to use Twitter. It’s not. It’s inherently lopsided, but that’s also the point.

Wren is a utility. It’s meant for select scenarios and certain circumstances. The workflow that I’ve been using is this: when I sit down at my computer with the goal of working, I quit Twitter for Mac or any other client and launch Wren. Then, if I feel the need to tweet, I can, in quiet and peace. Once I’m done “working” I relaunch Twitter for Mac/other client, and see what I missed.

Wren really does allow to have the best of both worlds.

Now just go and buy it!

Wren is the best tweet focused Twitter client available for the Mac. Just for a measly Rs. 250 Wren can be yours. So just visit the Mac App Store and grab a copy of Wren and start tweeting!


Rating: 10/10
Wren is a timeline-less Twitter client with one job: letting you tweet.


- Rahul Sharma
Roll No. 34

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

The Old Man and the Sea" is a heroic tale of mans strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the "Old Man and the Sea" strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.

The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago's feelings. He even offers to go against his parent's wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore "unlucky". Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend.

Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for their whole lives. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith.

In the story Santiago's bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the "great fish" that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago's actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his "luckiness" and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself. This is perhaps his greatest attribute because without it he would never have had the strength to persevere and defeat the giant Marlin.

Faith is not the only thing that drives his perseverance. Santiago also draws upon his past victories for strength. After he hooked the Marlin he frequently recalled his battle with a native in what he called "the hand game." It was not just an arm wrestling victory for him it was a reminder of his youthful days. His recollections of this event usually proceeded a favorite dream of his in which he saw many lions on a peaceful shore. These lions represented him when he was young and strong and could overcome any challenge. Although he was an old man and his body was no longer like it used to be his heart was still great and he eventually defeated the Marlin. Santiago's perseverance and bravery are further illustrated when he tries to fight off the sharks. He was a fisherman all his life and therefore he knew that the fate of his catch was inevitable yet he persisted to fight the sharks. The battle between him and the sharks was about principles not a mere fish. Santiago was still a great warrior at heart and warriors fight until the end.

One of the greatest and most obvious symbolisms in the story is Christianity. From the beginning of the story the reader is shown a unique relationship between Santiago and Manolin. Their relationship parallels that of Christ and his disciples. Manolin is Santiago's disciple and Santiago teaches Manolin about fishing and life. One of the greatest lessons that Santiago gives is that of a simple faith. "Have faith in the Yankees my son." This type of faith reflects the basic principles of Christianity.

Hemingway's description of Santiago further illustrates Christian symbolism. Hemingway gives a reference to the nail-pierced hands of Christ by stating that Santiago's "hands had deep creased scars." Hemingway also parallels Santiago's suffering to that of Christ by stating that "he settled . against the wood and took his suffering as it came." Even more profound is the description of Santiago's response when he saw the sharks, "just a noise such a man might make, involuntarily feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood." Further symbolism is shown when Santiago arrives home and carries the mast across his shoulders as Christ carried the cross to Calvary. Also, like Christ, Santiago could not bare the weight and collapsed on the road. When he finally reached his cabin "he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up."

Hemingway puts these themes together in such a way that they do not conflict with each other. He does allow Christianity to be a more dominant theme than the other but instead makes it more symbolic than intentional. He does not smother the relationship between the old man and the young boy but instead separates them for a large part of the story. Finally, he does not make Santiago's bravery a central them by highlighting his weaknesses. In the end the old mans perseverance and faith pay off. He finally gains the respect of the village and succeeds in teaching Manolin the lessons of faith and bravery.

Karensa Lobo

Roll No:22

F.Y.B.M.M.

Money V/S Love

MONEY v/s LOVE

Belonging to the era where money talks, money walks AND MONEY is sweeter than honey; the survival of man is nothing but his bank balance. Man has become monotonous in the race of earning or rather stocking up money. The power of one is judged by his money. The richer you get more respect you earn in return. With money not only comes respect but a sense of pride; that makes you feel superior to other, a feeling of greed; that is to want more and more and the thought of selfishness; that is to always be on top, above everybody without acknowledging anyone’s needs. Money also brings in EGO; Egoism has brought one to this point where it is difficult to distinguish between a man and a machine, a person has more respect for a Mercedes than the man who drops milk at his doorstep without fail. Money can buy man a fine dog but its only the love that can make the dog wag its tail.Marriages have been arranged based on bank account, instead of one’s qualities, feelings and emotions. This scenario has brought man to a lower lever. A level where he wants nothing but his greed, his pride and his lust over his emotions, feelings and most of all his conscious. Man gets so busy with is work that he hardly makes time for his family, friends and other relations, he prefers staying in nuclear families instead of joint families, feelings have been degraded and the art of sharing and caring has vanished.

Imagine life as a game and we have five balls juggling in the air; one ball is for work and other four are health, spirit, friends and relationships, the work ball is made of rubber so once it falls it bounces back in due course of time and the other four are of glass, once fallen cannot be the same they shatter into tiny pieces.

so a LOVE CARE AND UNDERSTANDINGS SHOULD to be given equal OR MORE importance than money because in the battle o f MONEY AND LOVE, love surely has hi gher degree of respect.

Karensa Lobo

Roll No:22

F.Y.B.M.M.

(P.S- Sorry Ma'am for the late post. Karensa sent it to me on time but I forgot about it.)

Memoirs Of Geisha.

There's a reason why this book has been added to BBC's Top 100 must read list.And after you finish this book, you know why. It starts off with the story of Chiyo, the fisherman's daughter from Yoroido and how she goes on to become a renowned Geisha, the best of her time. The way the character has been potrayed is very convincing. Tackling the hardships, she unravels the mysteries of life. She falls in love, gets teared up between friendship and her dreams. The transformation from Chiyo to Sayuri is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. At parts, you can't help but feel bad for the main character losing her childhood. With nobody to turn to and nothing to hope for, she carries on with her tasks of being the best(Geisha) in Japan. The tasks are everything but easy and while you read it, only you can imagine it. As, it has been stated, serving tea is also an art which must be expertised. The funny character of the book would be Pumpkin, but as it goes on you come to know of her dark side but then again she'll have your sympathy. Hatsumomo is one suck wicked character, whom you curse till the book ends. Mameha, is one such strong lady who keeps on gaining respect throughout the book but of course she has her reasons for helping Sayuri, which are quite evident from the beginning of her part. It's more than a tale actually, it's like a beautiful painting which leaves you spellbound and you just know that this is one story that's gonna remain with you forever. Arthur Golden has weaved a remamrkable masterpiece in paper. It teaches us that life is not a bed of roses even for the pretty and beautiful people. You can relate so much to the main character, Sayuri, her pain, her dreams, her love, her longings. The last pages of the book makes you smile and leaves you with so much hope in your own self.

vritti vaswani 37
FYBMM

literature

Literature:

A Haunted House.

It is a short story written by Virginia Woolf. There are two couples living inside the house, one is the ghost couple and the other is living couple. On reading the story, very less clarification is mentioned and difficult to understand it. You will finish with no idea of what just happened.
There was live couple who now lived in the house and they were watched by the dead ones. The couple-ghosts think that the present living occupants of their former house have already found the buried treasure that they are looking for. The ghosts are still searching for their treasure and they are wondering whether it is in the garden. Realizing that the treasure was not found by the house’s present occupants, the ghosts are relieved that it is safe, and such treasure is really theirs. Finally, the ghosts know that the treasure is really safe, and theirs, and such treasure is not tangible things, but intangible, found in the light in the heart.
I was taken aback by her influential use of the paranormal and how she explored each and every attribute of the story with her unique way of writing. The ghosts and title are ironic because people associate haunting with evil or bad things. I thought this was going to be some kind of scary short story. However, it is a calm and peaceful one that sends a message of cherishing life.


Name : Janhavi Ghodekar.
Roll no: 14