I. Introduction & Thesis
A. “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” by Chuck Swindoll. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway describes a character named Santiago who goes on an impossible journey to catch the biggest fish of his career.
B. In the novella, Santiago is portrayed as Christ-like character. Similarly to Jesus, Santiago has a form of stigmata, has a faithful follower that is dependent on him, and was in a situation where he was defeated but not destroyed.
II. Body Paragraph One
A. Santiago and Jesus are similar in that they both have some form of stigmata.
B. Stigmata is marks on the hands and feet as a result of crucifixion. Examples of stigmata in both men, are when Jesus was nailed to the cross through his hands and feet leaving stigmata. Also Santiago shows stigmata when his hand is hurt from trying to hold on to the fishing line. One example in the novella that expresses this, is when it states, “The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go. He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding,” (42).
C. From the examples, we see that both Santiago and Jesus have marks on their hands from struggles they have faced. Both of their marks are a sign of selflessness. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and Santiago went on a three day journey to catch a fish whose main purpose was to feed the town. Both these men have visible scars from trying to help the people around them.
D. Jesus and Santiago both have evidence of selflessness in the form of stigmata.
II. Body Paragraph Two
A. Both Jesus and Santiago have at least one faithful ...
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... fish and he has the respect of all the other fisherman. When Jesus was crucified on the cross and died, he was physically destroyed. However when Jesus rose from the dead three days later, he was not defeated. Even if Jesus had not risen from the dead, he still would have not been defeated because he died for what he believed in and he died with many people loving him.
D. Jesus and Santiago are similar in that they both have been destroyed but not defeated.
IV. Conclusion
A. In conclusion, Santiago is similar to Jesus because they both have a form of stigmata, had a faithful follower that was dependent on him, and was in a siuation where he was defeated but not destroyed. Although both Jesus and Santiago lived in very different times and had very different lives, both men have gone through a challenging experience which gave them many similarities.
Finally, the last similarity was being great at writing. Both authors were able to show strong
The Birthmark is in the shape of a hand because it is the work of God, done by God's own hand and will.
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
Santiago guides his flock throughout the fields of Andalusia. He finds an old abandoned church and churchyard where he and his flock can spend the night. He sleeps on the stone floor using his book as a pillow. He anticipates his approach the Andalusian village where, one year prior, he met a merchant's daughter. Santiago and his flock approach the town. He has been herding this flock for two years. He often reflects about what he has learned from his sheep and what they have learned from him. He observes that the sheep depend fully on him to lead them to food and water. Not having to forage food for themselves, they have forgotten their instincts.
...ins. “He had before him a chest of spanish gold coins”(166). Another apotheosis Santiago received was finding his personal legend. “Its true; life really is generous to those who pursue their personal legend”(166). Santiago is an archetypal hero because he received his apotheosis at the end of the novel.
Abraham Lincoln and Hector both lived centuries apart, despite having many contrasts, especially in the beginning stages of their lives, their final results were that they had several astounding similarities. Hector lived as royalty whom was willing to live, fight, and die for his country. Lincoln lived as a poor, young boy until he became the leader of a country that was in desperate need of help. Even though they may have died for diverse reasons, they both died as heroes for many.
The term ‘tattoo’ was dubbed after James Cook’s journey to Polynesia in the 18th century (Fisher, 2002). However, it is known that the art of inking or marking one’s body dates all the way back to the Greeks. In fact, the Greek word ‘stigmata’ actually indicated the act of pricking one’s skin with ink (Caplan, 2000). Making connection to the contemporary idea of tattoos in our society, the word ‘stigmata’ was used in terms of the marking of ‘others’, such as felons and slaves. The association of the meaning behind stigmata was later spread to the Romans, who treated this act of marking as a state control mechanism (Caplan, 2000). This also touches on Michel Foucault’s outline on social control in his book Discipline and Punish:
Santiago’s journey is influenced by the Crystal Merchant because the Merchant not only gives Santiago the skills, knowledge and money to keep going, but also inspires Santiago to continue on with his journey. The Crystal Merchant supplies Santiago with
Santiago is a shepherd trying to pursue his personal legend. His personal legend is the recurring dream about the hidden treasure at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. In his dream he starts playing in a field with his sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. This was strange to him because sheep are afraid of strangers, but the sheep and children play along just fine. Then a child grabbed his hands and took him to the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. He begins his journey locally trying to find answers from a gypsy and a man named
When santiago was tested to turn into wind, he began to reach into the sandstorm and communicate with all the naturistic attributes.This represented his death. Santiago getting robbed for his gold & finding a solution to where his treasure was represented his rebirth in my opinion. “Tents being blown from their ties to the earth and animals were free from their tethers. The boy stood up shakily and looked once more at the pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him and he laughed back, his heart blasting with joy. This stage in santiago’s life represented resilience in its finest form, causing santiago to glide across this stage so profoundly. Santiago’s victory was a long time that was in deserving of coming. He deserved his treasure for believing in
... the character of Santiago. He is not as determined as Ahab when it comes to his own nature. He is able to accept that humility and love do not take away his pride and in fact they are life sustaining. Ahab cannot give up the only thing he knows, his passions. Knowledge does not come in the face of a world that remains as mysterious and evil when we leave it as it was when we entered it. For Santiago, there is some measure of relief from the indifferent universe through the interdependence of human beings. Ahab never finds this measure of relief. Yet, they both retain some measure of dignity because they know they cannot conquer the universe but they do not let it conquer them either.
Santiago can be compared to a Christ figure on the basis of his relationships with other characters in the novel. People look up to Santiago, as would a follower to Christ, hereby setting up a comparison between the two. (transition) Since the age of five, Manolin has aided the old man by working alongside him as an apprentice. Manolin is loyal to Santiago and looks up to him as if Santiago was his real father. According to Delbert Wylder, "Santiago has, in a sense been the boy’s spiritual father" ( 219). Manolin is in awe of the old man, who the town recognizes as an honorable fisherman. The boy states, "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you." Like Santiago, Christ was also a spiritual father to his town; the town of Bethlehem. He performed miracles to heal the sick, and fed thousands of starving people. As Jim Auer says, "This demonstrates Santiago’s relation to Christ. They are both extremely unique, and were father figures in their communities" (15). ?The people of Bethlehem looked up to Christ as a father figure, and they had love and admiration towards him.? Likewise, "The love of Manolin for Santiago is that of a discipline for a master in the arts of fishing, it is also the love of a son for an adopted father" (Wagner-Martin 307). Through Manolin’s caring of the old man, he shows his love for Santiago. Even though Santiago is not Manolin’s biological father, he cares for him as though he was. "The old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down. The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders… and when he woke up he fed him supper" (...
similarities that are inevitably beyond mere coincidence. One could surmise that both of these stories might have a basis in common historical occurrence. However, despite the fact that both of these works discuss a common topic, the portrayal of this event is quite different. Like identical twins raised in different cultures, the expressions of these works are products of their environment.
Santiago is, undoubtedly, crafted as a Christ figure, from his innocence to his crucifixion. His innocence is derived from the narrator’s doubt and the doubt invoked in the reader, that Santiago deflowered Angela prior to her marriage; he is murdered for this reason. In the novella, Santiago attempts to flee from Pedro and Pablo Vicario once he realizes that they are out to kill him; unfortunately, he does not make it into the safety of his home. As the stabbing progresses, Santiago stops defending himself and lets the brothers continue “knifing him against the door with alternate and easy stabs” (Márquez 118). With the surrender of Santiago, the entire town became horrified “by its own crime” (Márquez 118).
The image of Jesus nailed to a wooden cross by the palms of his hands and with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head is one that has transcended all time barriers. It has inclusive been replicated into figure form that is utilized in various ways but whose primary function is to serve as a constant reminder of the physical suffering endured by Jesus. In The Dream of the Rood however, the perception of Jesus Christ as not only the son of God and savior of mankind but also as a human with the capacity to feel pain, is subverted when through the perspective of a personified cross he is conveyed as a warrior in the midst of combat. The portrayal of Jesus in this way immediately evokes the image of an ideal stereotypical hero who is strong, courageous, and unrelenting in appearance. Nevertheless, it can be said that this type of hero is more inclined towards fantasy than it is based on reality because these idealized heroic figures have only ever truly existed in a fictional universe. The depiction of Jesus as a warrior thus, undermines forms of heroism that stem from explicit suffering that is not concealed but rather expressed by the individual.