Old Man and the Sea - (World Famous Literature Master Guide Edition)

Author: (American) Hemingway / Country: United States
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The Old Man and the Sea is the masterpiece of the renowned American writer Ernest Hemingway. The novel tells the story of an old fisherman named Santiago who goes out to sea alone and battles a giant marlin and a school of sharks for two days and two nights. It portrays the admirable "tough guy" image of "Santiago," praising his indomitable spirit in the face of difficulties. The language of the novel is concise, the plot is thrilling, and it is imbued with a sense of heroism, deeply attracting readers from all over the world. In 1954, The Old Man and the Sea won Hemingway the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the novel has since become a world-famous literary classic. This edition is the "" () of The Old Man and the Sea, designed to complement Chinese language teaching. It includes: thematic content, artistic features, expert guidance, the main text, and reflections after reading, helping to improve students' Chinese language scores.
The fish tumbled in the sunlight at the stern of the boat, its entire body tensed like a bullet, staring with two dazed, vacant eyes. It kept shaking its sharp tail and fiercely slapping the boat deck with its tail. Fish out of water usually roll a few times and then settle down. The old man was already accustomed to the fish's antics. He thought, "Why go through all this trouble when it would be better for it to die quickly," and he struck the fish on the forehead and kicked it hard. The fish struggled less afterward.
"The great marlin," he said aloud, "This is excellent bait for big fish. It must weigh about 10 pounds." He couldn’t remember when he had started talking to himself. In the past, when he was at sea, he would sing to himself. When he was young, he often had to take turns standing watch and steering alone on small fishing boats or turtle-catchers. He would sing then too, humming little tunes to pass the time. He had begun talking to himself, as if it started when the boy left him. He couldn’t recall the exact time.
When the old man and the boy went fishing together, they rarely spoke. They usually only opened their mouths when they had to. Perhaps at sea, the old man was only concerned with the birds above water and the fish below. They only had time to chat a little in the evenings, or when the weather was bad and they couldn’t go out. At sea, not speaking unnecessarily was a good virtue, and there was a more important reason too: one didn’t want to accidentally scare away the fish, and second, they didn’t want to affect each other’s moods. The old man thought this was a good habit and should be followed. But now, with no one else on the boat to disturb, he found himself speaking his thoughts aloud many times without realizing it.
"If someone were to hear me talking to myself out here, they might think I’m crazy," he said to himself again. "But that doesn’t matter. There’s no one else here but me. It doesn’t matter. Talking to myself helps pass the time." The old man knew that those who made a lot of money catching sharks often had radios on their boats, listening to the news or even live baseball games. P29