"English Sem" is a two-semester course for 1 high school credit and an opportunity for six college credits open to seniors.
First semester covers readings from exploration and colonial days to the Civil War. Second semester encompasses authors from the Civil War to the present. Students are required to do college-level writing and literary interpretation throughout the year.
"For it was certainly an abominable injustice to drown a man who had worked so hard. The man felt it would be a crime most unnatural." (pg 353) They believe that because they have "worked so hard" they think that they deserve to choose when to die and when not to die. They want to control everything.
Throughtout the story the men seem to think that they are at the center and everything revolves around them. This is shown when Crane writes, "It is fair to say here that there was not a lifesaving station within twenty miles in either direction. But the men did not know this fact, and so they made bitter remarks concerning the eyesight of the nation's lifesavers." The men on the sea seem to think that anyone on land should be looking for them and come to save them. In reality, no one really knows they are in need of help and thus no one is looking for them. It is almost as if they are in denial that there really is not a lifesaving station near. They believe that there should be one near because that is where they are. This highlights the idea of self importance.
"When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples." (pg 353) This passages is useful because it shows that how the idea that man thinks they are the center of the universe is just an illusion. Without nature there would be no bricks or temples to even throw the bricks at. Both the bricks and the temples are man made creations, and yet are still subject to the rule of nature. This shows the fact that they believe they are the center by completely disregarding nature and only focusing on the things that man has done, making /throwing bricks and building temples. To make up for the insecurity of not being as important as they think, they get mad and turn against nature and try to destroy it.
On page 357 the correspondent once again states "I am going to drown? Can it be possible? Can it be possible? Can it be possible?" I feel like he doesn't think someone like him could possibly die, but in reality people die every single day; good or bad. Just because he has been through this horrible tragedy doesn't mean that he will survive through it, after all Billie didn't...
This does get repeated three times and I agree that it is because they do not understand fully that they could die. I think at times they do not want to realize that fact.
On page 347 we see the captain complain about why didn't the "seven mad gods who rule the sea" just kill him off right away instead of dragging on this experience only to let him die in the end. The simple answer is: not everything revolves around you. Of course it is annoying that they could not just die right away, but nature is not going to put them out of their misery because nature actually does not give a hoot about some random boat of four men. In this passage the captain feels entitled to be spared of the horrible days they have spent at sea, but really he is not entitled to any sort of special treatment at all. He is just a plain old human.
On Page 353, the sentence "If I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods, who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?", addresses the statement that human beings like to believe that they are special or the center of the universe. In this sentence, the narrator is questioning how he was allowed to come as far as he has already if he is only going to drown anyways. We as humans have this mindset in our modern society as well, that we do not deserve to die because we have to do this or we have not done that yet. From a naturalist perspective, everybody is going to die eventually anyways, and nobody's life is more important than another's. This passage just shows that the narrator is going to die eventually, however the narrator does not believe it is right that he should die if he has been around the nature by which his death is to occur for so long already.
"The captain naturally wished to knock (the bird) away with the end of the heavy painter, but he did not dare do it because anyting resembling an emphatic gesture would have capsized this freightened boat" (344). The captain had to think about the safety of his crew when he did this. The ocean would not forgive them for one little wrong move on the boat. The ocean, or the universe for that matter, does not focus on humans.
On page 348 the crews thoughts are conveyed. The narrator states that the men regard fate as an "old ninny-woman" and mentally demand that she be relieved of her duty. After reflecting a bit more, however, the thoughts shift to a fighting attitude. They think that fate "cannot mean to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work".
"For it was certainly an abominable injustice to drown a man who had worked so hard. The man felt it would be a crime most unnatural." (pg 353) They believe that because they have "worked so hard" they think that they deserve to choose when to die and when not to die. They want to control everything.
ReplyDeleteThey feel entitled and that they are above the forces of nature and the uncertainty of life because they put in what they believe to be hard work.
DeleteGood observation and explanation.
DeleteThroughtout the story the men seem to think that they are at the center and everything revolves around them. This is shown when Crane writes, "It is fair to say here that there was not a lifesaving station within twenty miles in either direction. But the men did not know this fact, and so they made bitter remarks concerning the eyesight of the nation's lifesavers." The men on the sea seem to think that anyone on land should be looking for them and come to save them. In reality, no one really knows they are in need of help and thus no one is looking for them. It is almost as if they are in denial that there really is not a lifesaving station near. They believe that there should be one near because that is where they are. This highlights the idea of self importance.
ReplyDeleteGood observation and explanation.
Delete"When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples." (pg 353) This passages is useful because it shows that how the idea that man thinks they are the center of the universe is just an illusion. Without nature there would be no bricks or temples to even throw the bricks at. Both the bricks and the temples are man made creations, and yet are still subject to the rule of nature. This shows the fact that they believe they are the center by completely disregarding nature and only focusing on the things that man has done, making /throwing bricks and building temples. To make up for the insecurity of not being as important as they think, they get mad and turn against nature and try to destroy it.
ReplyDeleteOn page 357 the correspondent once again states "I am going to drown? Can it be possible? Can it be possible? Can it be possible?" I feel like he doesn't think someone like him could possibly die, but in reality people die every single day; good or bad. Just because he has been through this horrible tragedy doesn't mean that he will survive through it, after all Billie didn't...
ReplyDeleteThis does get repeated three times and I agree that it is because they do not understand fully that they could die. I think at times they do not want to realize that fact.
DeleteOn page 347 we see the captain complain about why didn't the "seven mad gods who rule the sea" just kill him off right away instead of dragging on this experience only to let him die in the end. The simple answer is: not everything revolves around you. Of course it is annoying that they could not just die right away, but nature is not going to put them out of their misery because nature actually does not give a hoot about some random boat of four men. In this passage the captain feels entitled to be spared of the horrible days they have spent at sea, but really he is not entitled to any sort of special treatment at all. He is just a plain old human.
ReplyDeleteYes -- nature just keeps doing her thing. If it helps the men, it helps them; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Nature doesn't change.
DeleteOn Page 353, the sentence "If I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods, who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?", addresses the statement that human beings like to believe that they are special or the center of the universe. In this sentence, the narrator is questioning how he was allowed to come as far as he has already if he is only going to drown anyways. We as humans have this mindset in our modern society as well, that we do not deserve to die because we have to do this or we have not done that yet. From a naturalist perspective, everybody is going to die eventually anyways, and nobody's life is more important than another's. This passage just shows that the narrator is going to die eventually, however the narrator does not believe it is right that he should die if he has been around the nature by which his death is to occur for so long already.
ReplyDelete"The captain naturally wished to knock (the bird) away with the end of the heavy painter, but he did not dare do it because anyting resembling an emphatic gesture would have capsized this freightened boat" (344). The captain had to think about the safety of his crew when he did this. The ocean would not forgive them for one little wrong move on the boat. The ocean, or the universe for that matter, does not focus on humans.
ReplyDeleteOn page 348 the crews thoughts are conveyed. The narrator states that the men regard fate as an "old ninny-woman" and mentally demand that she be relieved of her duty. After reflecting a bit more, however, the thoughts shift to a fighting attitude. They think that fate "cannot mean to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work".
ReplyDelete