The Lost Boy by David Pelzer. Health Communications Inc., 1997. Genre: Autobiography
The Lost Boy is the sequel to the compelling and inspiring story A Child called it. This story takes place when Dave is between the ages of 12 and 18. In this story Dave Pelzer was taken away from his abusive and cruel mother, and because of this is faced with the hardships that come with being a foster child. Dave is moved from home to home, while constantly being harassed and bombarded with accusations from his cold mother. Throughout the story Dave tries to repress and forget his old life. The only thing he truly wants is the love of a real family.
“The ‘Lost Boy’ stands shining as the premier book on the unique love and dedication that social services and foster familiar provide for our children in peril. Dave Pelzer is certainly a living testament of resilience, personal responsibility and the triumph of human spirit.” –John Bradshaw
Dave Pelzer captures the reader through his perspective throughout the story. The reader sees things through the eyes of a naïve child during the beginning, and throughout the story the reader can see how Dave’s outlook on life changes with age. The reader sympathizes with his situation, and it is this fact that keeps them so interested to see if his life will get any better. Dave’s choice in his way of writing really suited the story and kept the reader waiting for more.
I do not read a lot of biographies so I do not really know what to compare this book with. But it is a continuation of Pelzer’s last book, and I would say that it sheds a little more hope on Dave’s previous situation and can be really uplifting at times. This is very much unlike the previous book that kept the reader in shock, horror, and anger for the most part. I must say I did enjoy this book more though.
“Get out,’ Father said as he gently patted my shoulder, ‘Do what you have to do. Don’t end up like me”(pg 292) Although I do not find myself a fan of nonfiction books about tragedy and inspiration, I found that this book managed to grab my attention and keep it. I do not recall any slow or drawling parts of the book, it was always intense or inspirational. I found hope through David’s story although I might not be in the same situation as him. I admire him for the fact that although times could get rough and hard to get through, he still pushed through them in hope for a better future.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Old man and the sea essay
Everyday we face obstacles that are harsh and difficult to overcome. These obstacles in your life may be as simple as having a hard time taking a test in school, or as difficult as facing a terminal disease. In cases such as that, there may be no way to get past that obstacle, and you cannot to anything in your power to push past it. But in most cases, these outside forces may seem difficult or even unstoppable at first, but it is our choices, and our actions that decide whether or not we overcome these obstacles.
An old man named Santiago faced various difficult obstacles in Ernest Hemmingway’s book “The Old Man and the Sea.” Santiago is a fisherman for a living, but faces poverty when he can’t catch single fish throughout several months. And when Santiago faces possible the biggest catch in his life, He is forced to push past seemingly hopeless situations. Some of these horrific obstacles are: he has to push through an injury, face dangerous conditions, and fight off predators that are coming after his catch.
One thing that harms his chances of catching this massive marlin is when he cuts his hands on the line. Although it wasn’t a bad wound, it still made it hard to work the line, since a fisherman’s hands are very important to him. “It is not bad,” He said. “And pain does not matter to a man.”(84) Although, Santiago chooses not to be pessimistic about this disdainful situation. Instead Santiago chooses to overcome this obstacle by working through the pain, and constantly telling himself that if he shows pain, than he is weak. He is absorbed in the though of catching this great fish. The old man is devoted, and pushed through this obstacle with determination.
Another powerful force that goes against the old man Santiago is the fact the Marlin he hooked continuously pulled him deeper and deeper into open water. This was dangerous to the man because this matter-of-fact, meant that it would take him a longer time for him to make it back to the island, and this meant the longer his catch would be exposed to scavengers.” I shouldn’t have gone so out so far, fish,” he said. “Neither for you nor for me. I’m sorry, fish.”(110) the old man only fully realizes this fretful factor on the way back after catching the fish. There was no chance of the man being able to catch the fish if he hadn’t held it as long as he did, so there was no real way of overcoming or going around this obstacle. Because of this factor he went through all the working and the struggling to lose it all in the end. This regretful obstacle could not have been avoided, Santiago was so devoted to catching the fish , he just figured the Marlin would wear itself out. And this factor initially leads to his downfall.
The final obstacle that Santiago has no control over is when the devious sharks follow the smell of blood to the Marlin he caught. “The shark was not an accident. He had come up from the deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea.”(110) In the end, these conniving sharks devoured the large Marlin that he recently caught, no matter how much he fought against them. This situation could have ultimately been avoided if the fish hadn’t pulled his skiff out so far. So the sharks were also an obstacle that in the end are impossible to overcome. There is no way that Santiago could have fended off all those sharks in his current health and condition. So no matter how much he fought, there was no way he could save his prized catch.
Santiago although faced with many opposing forces throughout his battle to catch the fish, he attempted to push through them all with the utmost perserverence. He did this despite the fact that most of this obstacle were impossible to overcome. He didn't let this fact stop him. He worked through the pain of cutting his hand, he took the risk of going out deep with the fish, and he battled with the sharks to the best of his ability. He did this all just for the fact the he wouldn't let the fish overcome him, "Fish," he said softly, aloud, " I will stay with you until I am dead."(52) Everyone can take something from this story and that is, even when it seems you can't push past an obstacle, you can try as hard as you possibly can to go against all odds.
An old man named Santiago faced various difficult obstacles in Ernest Hemmingway’s book “The Old Man and the Sea.” Santiago is a fisherman for a living, but faces poverty when he can’t catch single fish throughout several months. And when Santiago faces possible the biggest catch in his life, He is forced to push past seemingly hopeless situations. Some of these horrific obstacles are: he has to push through an injury, face dangerous conditions, and fight off predators that are coming after his catch.
One thing that harms his chances of catching this massive marlin is when he cuts his hands on the line. Although it wasn’t a bad wound, it still made it hard to work the line, since a fisherman’s hands are very important to him. “It is not bad,” He said. “And pain does not matter to a man.”(84) Although, Santiago chooses not to be pessimistic about this disdainful situation. Instead Santiago chooses to overcome this obstacle by working through the pain, and constantly telling himself that if he shows pain, than he is weak. He is absorbed in the though of catching this great fish. The old man is devoted, and pushed through this obstacle with determination.
Another powerful force that goes against the old man Santiago is the fact the Marlin he hooked continuously pulled him deeper and deeper into open water. This was dangerous to the man because this matter-of-fact, meant that it would take him a longer time for him to make it back to the island, and this meant the longer his catch would be exposed to scavengers.” I shouldn’t have gone so out so far, fish,” he said. “Neither for you nor for me. I’m sorry, fish.”(110) the old man only fully realizes this fretful factor on the way back after catching the fish. There was no chance of the man being able to catch the fish if he hadn’t held it as long as he did, so there was no real way of overcoming or going around this obstacle. Because of this factor he went through all the working and the struggling to lose it all in the end. This regretful obstacle could not have been avoided, Santiago was so devoted to catching the fish , he just figured the Marlin would wear itself out. And this factor initially leads to his downfall.
The final obstacle that Santiago has no control over is when the devious sharks follow the smell of blood to the Marlin he caught. “The shark was not an accident. He had come up from the deep down in the water as the dark cloud of blood had settled and dispersed in the mile deep sea.”(110) In the end, these conniving sharks devoured the large Marlin that he recently caught, no matter how much he fought against them. This situation could have ultimately been avoided if the fish hadn’t pulled his skiff out so far. So the sharks were also an obstacle that in the end are impossible to overcome. There is no way that Santiago could have fended off all those sharks in his current health and condition. So no matter how much he fought, there was no way he could save his prized catch.
Santiago although faced with many opposing forces throughout his battle to catch the fish, he attempted to push through them all with the utmost perserverence. He did this despite the fact that most of this obstacle were impossible to overcome. He didn't let this fact stop him. He worked through the pain of cutting his hand, he took the risk of going out deep with the fish, and he battled with the sharks to the best of his ability. He did this all just for the fact the he wouldn't let the fish overcome him, "Fish," he said softly, aloud, " I will stay with you until I am dead."(52) Everyone can take something from this story and that is, even when it seems you can't push past an obstacle, you can try as hard as you possibly can to go against all odds.
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