6/7 ARW Response

This day's lecture was given by Paul Wadden. The first time we met him was at Bakayama and I only knew him as a editor of Meiland's article. So I learned that he is a professional of Hemingway's literature for the first time. One thing that made me uneasy was how he told us to put away our electronic devices; Rab actually told us that other ELA teachers are not tolerant as much as he is, but still we felt very puzzled. Other teachers are too sensitive with the use of electronic devices. Well, some students actually use them for purposes other than note taking or looking up information, so that is understandable.

My first impression of reading Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea was quite confusing. Not the content, but rather the purpose of writing such a story. However, Paul's lecture taught various perspectives to interpret this story. This story includes many themes and symbols. Two important backgrounds for this story are his own life and Christianity. Since he could not build a good relationship with his father or son, he made two men in this book an ideal relationship. There were many symbols that represent Christianity as well. I did not know that fish represents sacred object in Christianity. Looking at a literature from different perspectives taught us to how important the critical thinking is.