Stephen crane’s, the open boat is a story of four men trapped inside a lifeboat in the middle ocean. The events take place in one night, and by the break of dawn, everything finally comes to an end. This paper, therefore, is in an attempt to give a vivid critical analysis of the events that take place on this night, where a man faces nature and is left with no other option than to fight for survival in cold night filled with almost supernatural happenings. The story projects in a way that the reader easily realizes that the reader is part of the crew that stranded in the sea. Critical analysis of the story narrows down the narrator to the correspondent, basing on the twist and way of narration. It is evident however that the narrator is using …show more content…
Synonyms of the word open are exposed or vulnerable. Open could also mean approachable or available. From both perspectives, it is evident that by giving the narrative the title, the open boat, the narrator defiantly used the word open to symbolize the real state of the happenings in the sea, from the fact that water could easily get into the boat, the occupants could not prevent the cold of the night from getting to them and that even the sharks could have easily attacked the occupants of the vessel. It is evident that the goal of the crane was to bring out the fact that the four men were in a vulnerable situation, a situation that pushed them into a position that made them see things from a different perspective. Something that they had never done before. At this point, they were able to see the essence of life and were able to get basic with life. For instance, when the cook asks the Oiler if he loves pie. The death of Billie the oiler comes at the end of the story. The events at the end of the story seem to be so many and happening at the same time. The final moments of Billie portrayed as to be using his strength and might more than logic and reasoning. He also seems that he finally decided to abandon the others and make it ashore alone. All these however only results to his death and the survival of the others. The author at this time could be passing the message of the importance of teamwork. It can however also not pass unnoticed that at the end all four men seem to be hanging on different straws to survive, and this time, individually. The captain is holding on to the boat, the correspondent and the cook have a lifebelt each to keep them afloat, and the oiler decides to swim across. By this, the writer could be pointing out to the aspect of self or individual
The fearless acts, new technology, and the specific time in war all played a part in the demise of what everyone thought to be the undestructable boat, The Lusitania. The main theme that reoccured in Larson’s story of the last crossing of the Lusitania is courage and how indivduals adapted in a time of fear. During the tenth month of World War 1, the Lusitania was set to sail the open seas from New York to Liverpool on
By using helplessness in the story, Richard Connell creates suspenseful situations. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford falls off the yacht and is left in the ocean. Nobody hears his cries for help, as they are “pinched off short as the bloodwarm waters of the Caribbean sea closed over his head”(15). While reading this, the reader feels the hopeless situation as they watch Rainsford struggle. The desperation is doubtless; the readers are hoping the yacht will notice he is gone and will come after him, but knowing that it probably will not.
Another short story within this book, “The Ledge”, depicts the life of a man who’s spent his life providing for his family as a fishermen. The work ethic seen in this man and the traditions his and his family share could easily be represented by many others on the coast of
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What did the narrator do in light of his experience on the sailboat? Do you think his reaction is a typical one of someone facing their
The builders of the Titanic fulfilled their goal as it became the largest ship constructed. On its maiden voyage, the Titanic quickly ceased after encountering an iceberg. In the poem, “Titanic”, David R. Slavitt gives a brief description of the Titanic and how the world has remembered the legend. Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain” illustrates how “Immanent Will” impacted the Titanic’s crash. Both Slavitt and Hardy challenge the views that people have on the legend of the Titanic by creating a critical tone as well as a duality of expectations and reality.
On this day, a multitude of innocent people fell victim to the catastrophe, while some became heroes in the process. One man, known as the man in the water, had a particular pull on the hearts of the country. The man in the water showed a great deal of courage, strength, and selflessness in a time of disparity. The article, The Man in The Water, by Roger Rosenblatt, follows a central theme of heroism. To begin, the article, The Man in the Water, follows the theme of heroism beginning with Lenny Skutnik.
Generally, at a certain point, everyone losses their loss of innocence to fully experience the reality of life. The carpet and the books are used by both authors to illustrate transformations in characters. The narrator of The Persian Carpet by Hanan Shaykh realizes the selfishness of her mother, when she chooses to lie and betray her daughter, causing her to experience a loss of innocence filled with anger and sadness. The narrator of The Boat by Alistair Macleod realizes the cruel truth of his father’s personal sacrifices when he feels obligated to stay and help his family on the boat, rather than pursuing an education, which was his father’s only desire, causing him a loss of innocence filled with sadness and anger when he could not practice that. The use of symbolism in both short stories
Death is inevitable. This is a well know fact. The tragedy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is no exception. On the eve of July 26th, 1945 one thousand, one hundred and ninety-seven (1,197) men set out to sea for a mission: deliver unidentified cargo to a port in Guam. These men set out without knowledge that only three hundred and seventeen (317) sailors would return home.
This along with Freeman’s use of emotional phrases makes the audience feel guilty, angry, and sympathetic toward dying oceanic creatures. For example, within the sixth paragraph there is a sentence that states, “look to the tragic tale of Pacific bluefin tuna, that’s been whittled down to a woeful 2.6 percent of its historic population” (Freemen). The words “tragic”, “whittled”, and “woeful” are all words that appeal to the emotion of sadness. These strong words make people feel concerned, compelling them to take action toward saving marine life.
Although the narrator does not take an action, the interplay between two readers
”The Open Boat” is the most frequently discussed work of American writer Stephen Crane, famous for his naturalistic writing in which human beings have no control on their lives. It is more than a narrative of adventure. In January 1897, the writer was shipwrecked and lost at sea for 30 hours. He and three other men were forced to row to shore on a ten-foot life boat. The short story was written several weeks after the harrowing accident.
The article “Oak Island’s Mysterious “Money Pit” “is an abridged version of The Strange Case of the “Money Pit” written by David MacDonald and published in The Rotarian, an International Magazine in January 1965. The article raises the eye brows of the readers with awe and astonishment as it narrates the mystery of a treasure buried deep in a pit on Oak Island. The author was the son of a Nova Scotian judge and the place “Money Pit” he refers to in the article is the place where he grew up. He was an associate Editor of the Reader’s Digest and contributed a range of articles on various themes for Canadian and U.S. magazines. The story is situated around a shore in the southern part of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Furthermore, the aspect of discovery can also be conveyed in a different ways. The fact that sometimes people, like myself, are being forced to find a new place which can result a negative and positive emotional impact, or future possibilities. In ‘The Little Refugee’, Bruce Whatley illustrates a small shabby boat jam-packed with worried people who are desperate to find new life and hope, whereas Hurley’s his discovery was being forced by his inner-life. Dull and grey-black smoky colours symbolize the overwhelming fear as seen through the body language of the people. And the dominance of the stormy clouds adds to the uncertainty, and the salience draws our eyes to the boat, helping us to easily relate to the terrifying encounters.
Hemingway presents the elements of failure and suffering in The Old Man and the Sea by depicting several instances of suffering and failure which the Old Man, Santiago, has to go through throughout the course of the novel. According to Hemingway, life is just one big struggle. In the beginning of the novel itself, The Old Man, is presented as a somewhat frail old man who is still struggling with his life as well as his past failures. His skiff even had a sail which bore great resemblance to “the flag of permanent defeat”, with its multiple patches all over.