Common Core State StandardS for engliSh language artS & literaCy in hiStory/SoCial StudieS, SCienCe, and teChniCal SubjeCtS
appendix C | 49
student sample: Grade 8, Informative/explanatory
This analysis of a work of literature was completed as a homework assignment for an English class.
The Old Man and the Sea
In the book The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway tells the story of an old Cuban
fisherman named Santiago who, considered by the villagers to be the worst type of unlucky, is still
determined to win a battle against a giant Marlin off the coast of Cuba. Santiago succeeds, but his
successes do not come without great hardship and struggle. He spends three days being dragged in his
skiff by the enormous marlin with minimal food and water, all the while enduring acute physical pain,
tiredness, and an unending loneliness due to the absence of his young friend, Manolin. It is only after
Santiago’s prize fish is completely devoured by sharks that he returns home to the village scorners and
the safety of Manolin’s trust. As his suffering and loss compound, we can see that Hemingway’s quote “a
man can be destroyed but not defeated” offers a key insight into Santiago’s life.
As the story begins, we learn that Santiago has gone eighty-four days straight without catching
a fish. Young Manolin’s parents will no longer allow the two to fish together, for they do not want their
son being exposed any more to this type of failure. Santiago and Manolin are deeply saddened by this
news, but Santiago does not let the loss of his friend or the defeat that others see him suffering keep
him off the sea. Rather, with bright and shining eyes he thinks “maybe today. Every day is a new day”
(pg. 32), and prepares to catch the biggest fish of his life. This shows that even though almost all of
Santiago’s acquaintances feel that his fishing career is over, he sees it about to reach its all time high.
Though he knows he is physically older and weaker than most of his fellow fisherman, he refuses to let
their opinions and stereotypes destroy his confidence and determination.
As the story progresses, Hemingway presents an even more vivid picture of Santiago refusing
to be destroyed by the forces that threaten to defeat him. Even after he accomplishes the difficult task
of hooking the giant Marlin, he finds his skiff being dragged by the fish for over two days. Living in
the small boat is no easy task for Santiago, and soon injury and suffering seem to take over his entire
body. His back is sore from sitting so long against the stiff wood, his face is cut from fishing hooks,
his shoulders ache, and his eyes have trouble focusing. Most difficult to endure though is the terrible
condition in which he finds his hands. The left one is weakened from a period of being tightly cramped,
and both are extremely mutilated from the burn of the moving fishing line. It would have been so much
easier for Santiago to simply give up and release the fish, yet he knows that if he endures a little longer,
victory will be his. Even when it seems he has no effort left, Santiago promises himself “I’ll try it again.”
(pg. 93) This is Santiago’s real inner determination coming through. He has encountered so many
obstacles during the past few days, yet he will not let them defeat his dream of killing the fish. There
is no outside force promising a splendid reward if he succeeds, only those that threaten to ridicule him
if he is destroyed. Santiago is working solely on his own desire to fulfill his dream and prove to himself
that, although his struggles may cost him his life, he can accomplish even the seemingly impossible.
After three long days and nights, Santiago’s determination pays off, and at last he manages to
catch and kill the Marlin. It is only a very short time that he has to relish in his triumph though, for a few
hours later vicious sharks begin to destroy the carcass of the great fish. For hours, Santiago manages
to ward them off, but this time it is not he who wins the final battle. Spirits low and pain at an all time
high, Santiago returns to the village, towing behind him only the bare skeleton of a treasure that once
was. It seems as though Santiago is ready to just curl up and die, and indeed he has reason to feel this
way. Yet as he rests alone and talk with Manolin, we see a hint of Santiago’s determination, that has
characterized his personality throughout the entire story, begin to shine through. Upon reaching home,
he begins to make plans with Manolin about future adventures they will have together. Hemingway tells
us that Santiago, in his youth, had loved to watch the majestic lions along his home on a white sand
beach in Africa, and he still returns to those dreams when searching for contentment. That night, as
Santiago drifts off to sleep, Hemingway tells that he was indeed “dreaming about the lions.” (pg. 127)
This is perhaps the truest test of how much courage and determination a person has. If even when they
have suffered the biggest defeat of their life, they are able to look to the future and realize the wonderful
things they still posses. Though the forces of nature and time destroyed Santiago’s prize fish, he refuses
to let that fact ruin the rest of his life. No one can take away his love for Manolin or memories of what
once was, and because of this, no one can ever truly defeat Santiago.
