I forced myself to think about the priest’s Halloween sermon. It was during that sermon that I experienced my first vison. I was watching the red and blue colors of the stained glass window. In the window was a boatload of apostles. Suddenly, I felt that the fishermen were in need of assistance and found myself standing on the shore of a river in the woodlands near the church. An old fisherman in need of a haircut whittled a twig as he stood a few paces to my right. I tried to tell him that I feared there were fishermen in trouble out on the water, but the old man seemed oblivious to my concern. Under a broadleaf canopy, I heard a distant tremble. A bank of ground fog approached us. I smelled pipe tobacco and fish odors. I looked at the …show more content…
I knew my vision was real. I remembered the stain in Vern’s vest came from years of placing his cherry wood pipe in his waistcoat pocket. I remembered my aunt telling me that Welsh twins made the best fishermen because they spent nine months together in the womb. Their brains grew as one, and from birth the twins acted identically. This commonality made it easier to twins to create a figure eight-shaped wake and fill their nets with fish. Outside the church, I filled my pipe, and as I smoked, I watched the parking lot traffic disappear. I asked myself, am I mentally unstable. Did the fisherman stand for my platoon? Was Vern really Bao? I made my way to my aunt’s house. Her home smelled of fresh cut pine, and she offered me a cup of coffee with a cinnamon stick in it. I accepted, and we went to the kitchen table and discussed our week. As she talked, I looked out her kitchen table. A small oak grew in the front yard. Snow capped the birdfeeder beside her bird bath. “The Welsh word for druid is derwydd,” she said. “Everything I have taught you must be put to memory. “I know,” I answered, “You say that every Sunday when I visit you.” “It is important for you to memorize it. Don’t write it down. The written word can be used against you. We’ve kept our secrets this way for generations.” “I am memorizing everything you tell me,” I said. “That is why I repeat myself,” she answered, “It is
As many of his paintings do, The Fog Warning highlights the omnipotence and the complexity of nature, and how humans interact with nature. The sea acts as both the provider and the adversary for the fisherman that is caught in the ancient struggle between man versus nature. As the fisherman maneuvers his frail dory over the crest of each incoming wave, any slight error or miscalculation will cause it to capsize. The greater foe, however, is the stealthy fog that will enwrap the ship and his vision, leaving him afloat in the “measureless void” that is the vast sea. The painting is set in a dramatic moment, where the bow of the dory is thrusted skyward by the crest of a wave, while the stern is being weighed down by the precious, glowing halibut. The man knows that the very moment captured in the painting may be his last, because in short time the dory will be at the mercy of gravity as the bow plummets towards the trough of the wave, only to potentially rise again to a ship engulfed in fog. The fisherman’s head is raised up as the focal point of the painting, but his facial expression remains hidden to add to the mysterious, ominous element of the work as a whole. Homer purposefully disguises the face of the fisherman, just as he does in his other dramatic seascape “The Life Line”(1884). In both, there is an incredible sense of bravery, and one that is distinctly American. Simple, sober; the unconscious hero of the picture turns to get the bearings of his ship as he prepares to oar with all the steadiness of a man who has a long way to row and must neither waste his strength, nor lose his head. Like many of Homer’s paintings, there is a moment of uncertainty and danger, with humans trying to overcome it. The vigorous, varied brush strokes culminate to display a roaring, ruthless, unforgiving ocean that refuses to let this fisherman make a living. It is these same brush strokes
Tracing back to the simile that compares the “black bands” (4) to the “seams of lead in a Tiffany window” (7-8), a vigorous force underlies between the lines: the pieces of stained glasses are held together by the lead strips, a motif of unity. In addition, the speaker notes that the mackerels choose to be “flashing participants, multitudinous” (37-38), and seem “to be together, selfless” (50), reflecting on each other on the ice. Regardless of how beautiful the conformation of mackerel is, their own individuality, in the end, means nothing to them. The collective identity of being mackerel, however, stands still. Although beauty and collectivity are two completely different topics, they produce a unique harmony when the speaker put them under the same
Every year millions of kids get dressed up, knock on doors, and beg for candy. With Halloween just around the corner, you all are probably wondering where this strange tradition came from. Every year I have experienced this holiday and have done research on this topic. According to a 2014 Smithsonian.com article, stated by Natasha Geiling, in just one year Americans spent over six billion dollars on candy, costumes, and ghoulish decor in anticipation for Halloween. Many people think all Halloween is about dressing up and going trick or treating but there's more to it than that. The roots and variations from all around are what makes Halloween what it is today. In order to understand this holiday, we will go into the history of Halloween, how it's celebrated around the world, and superstitions revolving it.
The book is littered with explanations about fishing. I admit that I frequently got lost in these passages. This knowledge is an important element of the story. When a component of the boat malfunctions, readers know the significance of this to the sailors. Without this, the book would have provided a message that only other sailors could understand. Junger, by supplying this information, wants to make sure that all readers can fully grasp the danger and suspense of the book.
As the boat drifted away “the fisherman went blind with uncontainable rage. ‘Get back down there where you belong!’ he screamed” (377). The fisherman, in pure shock and disbelief of his imminent doom, lashed out at the boys he loves so dearly. While his words try to shelter the boy from the reality of the situation, it is his inability to conceal his anger that instead allows them to understand what is happening. The fisherman tries to take control of a situation he clearly cannot control, “Dad,’ asked the boy steadily, ‘what do we do now?’...’The first thing we have to do,’ he heart himself saying with infinite tenderness… ‘is think” (378). Before he can even think of what to do, the fisherman is trying to instruct others and, ultimately, save them. As the fisherman develops his plan for their rescue, the situation grows more dire and the inevitability of their fate grows more apparent. The fisherman’s actions in the face of imminent danger exemplify his protective leadership and will to
The short story “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is narrated by a man who comes from a fishing family. His mother’s side of the family has forever lived and worked by the sea and continues this tradition. The narrator’s father always wanted to be an academic, but worked on the boat to support his family. Through this passage it is evident that the parents’ characters clash in many aspects of their lives and are in constant conflict. MacLeod demonstrates this through the use of repetition, the contrast in other unrelated ideas, and through information that is withheld.
Purpose: To inform the audience of how Halloween started and transformed to what it is now.
Sometimes our everyday experiences can strike us in ways that will influence our thinking in ways that might forever alter the way that we view our lives. In the short story “Fish Story,” Rick Bass primarily uses conflict, symbols, and the changes in a character to present a central theme reflecting the inevitability of our maturing thoughts and growing responsibilities that come incrementally with age. Gullason (1982) shares, “A short story represents a prose narrative usually concerned with a single aspect of personality changing or revealed as the result of conflict” (p. 222). We might interestingly find both of these dynamics within our weekly discussion’s short story assignment. Pigg (2017) explains, “The theme of a work of fiction is as much a creation of readers as it is for the writer because the user’s knowledge and beliefs play a part in determining the theme(s) they will recognize” (Attend Topic 4 Unit 2 [Video]). The writer of this week’s short story was likely to have known the theme that he intended to communicate while also recognizing the diversity of human thinking that gives us a myriad of perspectives. The “’Fish Story’s’ narrator is a 10-year-old boy in the early 1960’s living in rural Texas with parents who run a service station while their customer brings a 86 pound catfish creating a task to keep the fish alive until time to cook it” (Bass, 2009, pp. 1-2). As we recall our childhoods, most can likely remember how our imagination and fantasies began to collide with the realities of life, and this overreaching concept might allude to the theme of this piece of work. The narrator tells us how “He grew dizzy in the heat and from the strange combination of the unblinking monotony and utter fascination of his task until the trickling from the water hose seemed to be saturating and inflating the clouds as one would water a garden” (Bass, 2009, p. 2). As the narrator embraces the mundane task, his daydreams seem to symbolize the innocence of his youth. Later the story’s narrator “speaks less of childhood than of the general nature of the world in which we live, while contemplating that those days were different – we had more time for such thoughts, that time had not yet been corrupted”
In Nantucket, the whaler’s island, every man had to be a whaler. Even if it wasn’t his dream job, just because it was the only way to survive in the island without being dropped out of the community. Philbrick introduces us to this starting point by quoting the words of Thomas Nickerson, the one who had been taught to “idolize the form of a ship” (Philbrick, 1).
In the story “Two friends”, two characters named Morissot and Sauvage formed a tight bond while fishing; it was their greatest passion. The war forced them to stop their hobbies of fishing. Fortunately, they strolled across each other, went for a drink, and decided to fish at their old spot. When being mistaken as spies the two friends
“Homewaters of the Mind”, written by Holly Morris, is a personal narrative from an anthology named Another Wilderness. The narrator starts her story with details of an early morning and preparation for fishing. She then reveals a glimpse of her past, which explains her hobby, fishing, and a sense of disconnection from her father. Shifting back to present day, she struggles with fishing, prompting her to contemplate and admire the scenery. The narrative ends with the author wanting to reconnect with her father. The narrator masterfully utilizes this one fishing experience to illustrate the influence of nature and time on her mind.
It swirled against the log spiles of the bridge. Nick looked down into the clear, brown water, colored from the pebbly bottom and watched the trout keeping themselves steady in the current with wavering fins. As he watched them they changed their position by quick angles, only to hold steady in the fast water again. (Hemingway 177)
As I approach the turn to my Grandmother's house, my stomach turns in the anticipation of the perfectly sweet peanut butter cookie smell that awaits. As my mother turn up the long narrow gravel road and parked the car in front of her house. I stepped outside and a chilly little breeze bites at my cheeks. I take a deep breath and the sweet smell of burning cedar enters my nose. I
At the end of the dock is a sign that reads; "No Fishing, No Swimming, No Dumping"; a sign that is quite often recognized by all visitors of parks and lakes and as big as the windshield. Around the lake there a hills and valleys around Lake Lavon. $200,00 home are springing up like mad. Retirees, former airline pilots, and people generally burned out on big cities are discovering Lake Lavon. The small lake but the perfect weather, and the safe-quiet atmosphere are drawing people like a cover-up draws Ed Bradly. Without thought or hesitation we smiled and warmly held ourselves in each other arms and slowly sat down together at the end of the dock, put out feet in the water and the water was so cool like melted water from snow (to eat the strawberries we brought). The strawberries were delicious; red, ripped, and plumped; sweetness caressed our mouth with very bite. Some were quite sour, but was washed it away by an ocean of water every time. As supplies ran short she decided to play lazy and had me carry her to watch the people fishing by the dock. Although very distinctive and precise, I was like a bear; very step was heavy and short. To the left side of the dock about 200ft people ware fishing and kid's playing soccer on the field near the lake. By watching them play I remember my childhood, that my mother always took me to the Lake Lavon every weekend to fishing, and now I'm with my girlfriend holding her hand and watching people fishing and
“So kids, every Halloween, it is said that her ghost, roams the empty hallways of this very school, searching for another female student to take her place.” The students were now on the edge of their wooden seats, eyes wide, listening to every word Mr. Morris said. All of a sudden the loud bell breaks the silence, making each one of them jump.