The Old Man and The Sea
Unit Study Guide
Ortiz/11R
"I tried to make a real old man, a real, boy, a real sea and a real fish and
sharks. But if I made them good and true enough they would mean
many things."
-- Ernest Hemingway, 1952
Name: _____________________________________________________ Block: _______
Reading and Writing Assignments
Due Date
What is due
Additional Notes:
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Hemingway Style Journal
Hemingway is famous for his ability to pack meaning into a few simple words. While reading the novella,
complete a journal assignment. Follow the guidelines below.
Guidelines:
1. You are to pick 2 of the 6 quotes below.
2. Then find and discuss at least 1 more. Think about statements that contain symbols, motifs,
or relate to the theme. Select a quote that could represent Hemingway well. You will have to
be thinking about this while you are reading…DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS AFTER
READING!!! I will not be happy if you come to me at the end of the project and tell me that you
don’t know what to do.
3. In your journal entry, explain the context the quote was said in, possibly giving plot
information.
4. Explain what the quote means. Consider what significance it has on the entire story (literary
elements?)
5. Explain what makes this quote so meaningful and so typical of Hemingway.
6. Use at least 2 meaty paragraphs for each entry. The paragraphs must represent analysis and
in depth thinking about the quote.
7. Make a collection of the entries with a cover.
1. “They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.” (pg. 10)
2. “But the old man always thought of her as feminine as something
that gave or withheld great favours.” (pg. 30)
3. "I'll kill him....in all his greatness and glory. Although it is
unjust. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man
endures" (pg. 66).
4. “But man is not made for defeat…A man can be destroyed but not
defeated.” (pg. 103).
What is a Journal Entry?
A "journal entry" consists of two parts:
The first part is a direct quotation of the part you marked in the text, copied word for word, and enclosed in quotation marks. Be sure to write the
author's last name and the page number of the quotation in parentheses after the quotation. (MLA format requires that you use the last name, a
space, and then the number--no "pg.")
The second part of the journal entry is a paragraph of 5 or more sentences that explains why you found the passage to be important or interesting.
Sometimes students make predictions about what will happen in the text, they ask questions about the reading, they wonder about the reading, or
they explain it or relate to it in some way. Whatever you do, DO NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZE the contents of the passage. Go beyond it somehow,
analyze it, offer thoughts about why it seems important to you. In essence, by writing about the importance of the passage, you will give it meaning-and that is what reading is all about!
It is also helpful to explain what is going on in the story at the time of the passage (the context). Some students like to write (1) what is happening in
the story, (2) what the passage says, and (3) why the passage is important or interesting. This structure is not necessary, but sometimes it helps you
organize your responses.
The quality of your thinking and the energy with which you attempt to analyze your reading are the most important in this assignment.
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More Journal Help:
Did you answer any of these questions?
What literary technique is the author using?
How do you know it’s that literary technique?
Why is it what you say it is?
What proof do you have?
What would the author want you to think?
How does this affect the story?
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Vocabulary Words
Literary Terms:
Allegory
Verisimilitude
Realism
Archetypes (characters)
Motif
Code Hero
Hero Quest:
Journey:
Taken in search of something valuable:
Tests:
“Helper” friends:
Success:
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Reading Check Questions
Pages 9-28
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Who is Santiago? Describe him.
Who is Manolin?
Why is the boy not fishing with the old man anymore? Does he want to?
What did the other fishermen think of the old man?
Describe Santiago’s house.
What’s the point behind the conversation about yellow rice with fish and the cast
net?
7. Why is there so much talk about baseball, specifically DiMaggio?
8. “There are many food fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you.” What
does the boy mean?
9. What is Hemingway’s point to having the old man say, “I may not be as strong as I
think…”
10. What did the old man dream about?
Pages 28-41
1. How did Santiago think of the sea? (To what does he compare it?)
2. “It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes, you
are ready.” Explain.
3. What fish did the old man catch first?
4. “If the other heard me talking out loud, they would think I am crazy…But since I am
not crazy, I do not care.” What does this tell us about the old man’s character?
Pages 41-63
1. What happened when the old man first tried to pull in the big fish?
2. What does the old man think of porpoises and flying fish, and the pair of marlin he
had hooked before?
3. Santiago often wished the boy were there. Why?
4. “His choice had been to stay in the deep dark water far out beyond all snares and
traps…My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people…in the world” (50).
Explain the importance of this passage.
5. Why did Santiago want the fish to turn and swim with the current?
6. Explain the significance of “Take a good rest, small bird…Then go in and take your
chances like any man or bird or fish” (55).
7. What happened when the fish lurched?
8. What was Santiago’s problem with the left hand?
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Pages 63-95
2. How big was the fish?
3. “But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them, although they are
more noble and more able.” What’s Hemingway saying?
4. He settled comfortably against the wood and took his suffering as it came…” is one
of the many religious references in the novel. To whom is Santiago compared in this
one?
5. Santiago feels he must “prove himself” to the fish and to the boy. “Now he was
proving it again. Each time was a new time…” What is the implication in broader
terms; do we EVER stop having to prove ourselves (according to Hemingway)?
6. Who was El Campeon? How did he get that name?
7. What second fish did the old man catch, and what will he do with it?
8. Santiago tries to justify killing the big fish by thinking of how many people he will
feed. What does the old man conclude?
9. Santiago sleeps again. What does he dream of now?
10. What woke him up?
11. When did the fish start to circle?
12. How did the old man kill the big fish?
Pages 95-End
1. How did Santiago intend to take the fish back to port since the fish was bigger than
the boat?
2. Santiago asks himself, “is he bringing me in or am I bringing him in?” What does he
conclude?
3. What problem did the old man have getting the fish home?
4. What are the old man’s arguments with himself about whether or not killing the big
dish is a sin? (What arguments does he make for and against it being a sin?)
5. The old man apologizes to the big fish. (“I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined
us both.”) Why?
6. What of the big fish is left by the time Santiago reaches home?
7. With the mast on his shoulder, Santiago had to stop and rest five times in his way
home. What is the symbolic reference?
8. What does Manolin cry?
9. What is the conclusion of the story?
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Characterization and Notes
Santiago –
Manolin –
The Marlin
The Sea
Shovel-Nosed
Sharks
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Themes
Defeat/Death
Heroic Struggle
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Motifs
Manliness
Femininity
Unity
Baseball
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Additional Notes:
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Additional Notes:
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Grammar
Parts of Speech
Student Notes
Noun (Singular and Plural):
Pronoun:
Adjective:
Adverb:
Subject-Verb Agreement Rules:
Clause:
Independent Clauses:
Subordinate/Dependent Clauses:
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Grammar Practice
Directions: Next to each clause, identify if it is independent (I) or dependent (d).
1. the train pulled into the station
2. if the Senate accepts the treaty
3. as the rope broke
4. several chairs were missing
5. which she has studied carefully
6. may I borrow your pen
7. the boat was eighteen feet long
8. since they depend on us for help
9. this clock is slightly fast
10.because the last flight has already departed
Directions: For the following sentences, revise the sentence to be sure that subjects and
verbs agree.
1. Several pieces of an ancient statue was found in the cave.
2. A screwdriver, in addition to a pair of pliers, are needed to assemble the table.
3. The glare from the spotlights were almost blinding.
4. Here are the book of short stories that you must read.
5. The children has a tree-house.
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