Obstacles

What would life be like without any obstacles? If everything went exactly as planned and you were never faced with any problems? Most people would think that that would be a good thing; but would it really be? Would you really enjoy never being able to experience that feeling of overcoming that "powerful force"? I believe that obstacles are actually an important part of our everyday lives. I believe that they make life interesting and worth living. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea,Santiago, the old man, is faced with many obstacles. The obstaclesSantiago faces range from very minor obstacles, to rather large ones. The more major challenges he faces were the sharks, his luck, and his old age.
Have you ever been so close to reaching a goal that you can almost taste it? But have you ever had it taken away while it was right within your reach? That is what happened to Santiago: after eighty four days of waiting he finally catches a fish, and no, not just any fish but a giant marlin. The old man is thrilled that he finally makes a catch, but it isn’t long before it’s taken away from him by the sharks. "The shark closed fast astern and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and the clicking chop of the teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail,"(101). This is one obstacle that, although he tries to beat them off, Santiago cannot over come. However, I believe that it could have been avoided, if he hadn't tied the fish to the side of the skiff then the sharks would not have had such easy access to it. Even if the marlin was too big to fit in the boat, I'm sure he could have found some way to get it in there, or he could have cut it up into smaller sections so that it would fit better. But because he didn't he ran into a large road blocker that he couldn't quite get past.
A common obstacle that everybody faces in life is age; usually it holds you back from doing something. Whether it is when you are younger and you are unable to ride the roller coaster, or you are becoming too old and you are unable to drive anymore. Age puts a restriction on the things you would like to do, and accomplish. “Everything about him was old,” (10). Santiago is not as young as he once was and he defiantly isn't as young as the other fisherman which is yet another conflict that Santiago faces through out the story. The obstacles that the old age brings about are lack of strength and increase of drowsiness. Both of these have large effects on Santiago's ability to fish. However, when the marlin hooks on to his line he doesn't let either hold him back; he fights against this very strong fish and ends up prevailing over the massive fish. Age is an obstacle that you can't do anything about. There's no way you can avoid it, it's just what you to help over come it. And in this story I think the old man does a pretty good job dealing with his age, he doesn't really let it hold him back and he doesn't use it as an excuse for why he hadn't caught a fish. And with things you have no control over, you just have to learn to deal with them.
A struggle that not everyone believes in, but no one has any control over is luck. Some believe they have extremely good luck, others think that they no luck, while some don't even believes in luck at all. Santiago does not have much luck, "and he had gone eighty-four days without taking a fish,"(9). However he doesn't give up, and continues to be optimistic. "they [Santiago's eyes] were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated" (10). Fate is something that we, as humans, have no control over. When faced with bad luck there are too things you can do with it: you can either quit whatever you are doing, or you can wait it out, and eventually things will look up. In the story, the old man chooses to stay positive and not give up on fishing.
So what would life be like without any obstacles? I think it would be pretty boring. Like what would be the point of books? Every story needs some sort of conflict. In the novella the old man and the sea, what would the story be without the sharks and Santiago's age and lack of luck? Without these elements there wouldn't be much of a story.

Third Quarter ORB

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central Publishing, 2007. Genre: Realistic Fiction

Dear John is another heart wrenching novel by Nicholas Sparks; the story is about the relationship between two young people: John Tyree and Savannah Curtis. When they first fall in love, everything seems perfect, but when John has to return to the army and Savannah has to return to school they are faced with a big problem: separation. But while they are on other sides of the world they find a way they can still “be together”, and that’s by sending letters to each other.

“Nicholas Sparks is one of the best-known writers in America and overseas for good reason: He has written stories that reveal the yearning for our most prized possession: love,” says Mobile Register (AL).

Sparks tells this story in a way were you feel for the characters and you are just waiting to see what happens next. This is the third novel I have read by Sparks and just like the others, I really enjoyed it. His style of writing is unlike any other writer’s, which I have read. However this style is consistent throughout all of his works.

“Dear John, There’s so much I want to say to you, but I’m not sure where I should begin. Should I start by telling you that I love you? Or that the days I’ve spent with you have been the happiest in my life? Or that in this short time I’ve known you, I’ve come to believe that we were meant to be together? I could say all those things and all would be true, but as I reread them, all I can think is that I wish I were with you now, holding your hand and watching for your elusive eyes,” (168.)

I would have to say that Nicholas Sparks is probably my favorite writer. So far I have read The Notebook, The Last Song, and now Dear John. I plan on reading other books by Sparks, including The Lucky One and Message in a Bottle. I would recommend any book by him to someone looking for a good romance novel. He is a great writer and I think many would enjoy his work.

3000 miles

I pulled into the driveway after stopping at 711 for a slurpee on my way home from school. As I got out of my unkempt car and started for the side door, I noticed dad’s truck was in the garage. Hmm, maybe he got out early, I thought. I walked in to the kitchen and dropped my bag on the counter; dad, looking quite lethargic, was on the phone in the dining room with piles of papers in front of him. I stood there for a few minutes waiting for him to get off the phone, when my cell phone started vibrating in my pocket. I grabbed my phone and slid it open; the screen read “NEW MESSAGE”. I opened the text and who else would it be but my paragon of a boyfriend, Shawn. Hey Nae How was your day? Wanna go to the boy’s basketball game tonight? Let me know! I clicked reply and quickly typed I’d love to Hun, pick me up around 3 and we can grab something to eat?


Shawn was knocking on the door right at three, and of course, I wasn’t ready yet. He came in and talked with my little brother while I finished getting ready. Fifteen minutes later, I came down the stairs and saw Shawn sitting there, looking even better than he looked fifteen minutes ago when I let him in the door. He got up off the couch and came over and gave me a kiss. I grabbed my jacket and we headed out to the car. Shawn, being the gentleman he is, opened my door for me and helped me in the truck, and then got in on his side. He put the keys in the ignition and started up his old beat up truck as I slid over closer to him so he could put his arm around me. “So babe, where do you wanna go to eat?” and as cliché as it might be, I always loved when he called me that,

“I was thinking Dairy Queen, but wherever, it doesn’t really matter to me.” I answered. He turned on the radio to my favorite station, 97.8, and we sang along to country music until we arrived at Dairy Queen.

We pulled into the almost empty parking lot and parked next to the giant ice cream cup. I hopped out of the truck and headed for the door that he was already holding open for me. Once inside, we ordered our food from some grouchy old woman behind the counter. While Shawn waited for our food I went and found us a table to sit at. I took my phone from my bag, to check if I had any new texts, and it read “3 MISSED ALERTS” one was a text from “Mom”, the others were calls from “Home”. As I went to go open the text, Shawn called out for me to help him with the food; I threw my phone back into my bag and went and grabbed the drinks from the counter. We ate our food and talked and laughed; it was a good thing we were the only people in there because we were being really obnoxious, which is the way we always are when we’re together. As I walked to the trash, the same crabby lady gave me a dirty look and after that we got out of there as fast as we could.

After dinner we made our way to the high school for the basketball game. The front lot was packed with cars, so Shawn drove around to the back lot to find a parking spot. As we drove around to the back, I remembered the text from my mom so I found my phone and opened the “NEW MESSAGE” it read Nicole Rae, you need to come home right now, we need to talk. Crazy thoughts begin to rush through my mind, about what this could possibly be. As I sat there laconicly and I began to cry, Shawn asked “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

I shook my head and said “I need to be brought home.”

Shawn of course did what I said and brought me home. As we drove him he tried to talk to me but I wouldn’t answer; I couldn’t talk. When we arrived to my house I looked at him with red, swollen eyes, he grabbed my hand and said “Please call me as soon as you can. I love you.” I hugged him and began to cry again, he held me for a few minutes trying to quell me. I kissed Shawn on the cheek and got out of the truck, as I headed up the drive way to the door I wiped my face and tried to regain my composure.

I walked in and immediately went to find my mother. She was in her room, philegmaticly emptying her closet.
“What are you doing?” I asked in an annoyed, confused and scared tone.

“Honey, sit down,” she said, trying to hedge me.

“No mom! Just tell me! What is it?!”

“Well, your father was offered a promotion, but it involves moving…to Seattle.”

I was in rebuttal, “Seattle, Washington?! Are you kidding me?! You can’t take me out of the school I’ve been going to my whole life, my sophomore year! And what about my friends here and what about Shawn?! You expect me to bequeth all of that?! This is freakin’ ridiculous!” I stormed out of the room and into my room slamming the door behind me. At that point I was doleful and couldn’t stop crying enough to call him so I texted him, I’m coming over. I grabbed my keys, flew down the stairs, and went and got in my car. I sat there for a minute, letting the bad news soak in. Finally, I put the keys in and started it up.

I got to Shawn’s red, wizened farmhouse; he was outside sitting on the front porch waiting for me to get there so he could mallify me, and when I saw him out there, I lost it. I began crying so hard I could barely breathe. He came over to my car and got in the passenger seat. He said “What’s wrong babe?”

“I…” I couldn’t answer.

“It’s okay, just take a deep breath.”

“I’m moving! Moving to Seattle! That’s 3000 miles away from here!” he was in shock, he grabbed me and held me tight. We sat in the car for a good 20 minutes before either one of us said anything.

Finally he whispered in my ear “No matter where you are Nae, whether it be Seattle, the moon or right here in my arms, I’ll always love you.”

I’m a senior now at Shorecrest high school, here in Seattle, Washington. Shawn and I just celebrated our four year anniversary, this past October. After the move, we were both songuine that we could make our long distance relationship work, and we did. He’s coming out to visit me this December during Christmas vacation and we are going to spend the holidays together. I'm elated to see him. We talk to eachother daily, whether it be through a text or on the phone or through our webcams. That cold day in February was probably one of the worst days of my life, but in a way, I’m thankful that all of this happened because it has made mine and Shawn’s relationship so much stronger.