The use of interesting vocabulary used by the old man made me think of things in a different perspective and was a challenge to keep track of. I realized that this difficult book had great themes throughout the story that make it a must read book. The themes throughout the book is what made the book special. The author used description to form the interesting friendship between Santiago and Manolin. There were other themes in the book such as perseverance which is seen in Santiago's attitude towards working hard throughout the book which makes the book compelling to read.

    When I started reading the book I thought it was just a short and easy to read book that wouldn’t be difficult, but even though it was easy to read, it had very important themes. Throughout the book there were different themes that all contributed to the story but many of those themes were subtle throughout the book which made those themes hard to find. I had to find these themes by noting different times when they came up. When I finished the book I gathered my notes and used different connections throughout Santiago’s story to find the themes. I accepted the challenge of finding the themes in an easy to read book and it ended up being harder than I thought but it was worth it in the end. As I was reading the book I was looking for themes and common patterns and I found so many common themes in the book. 

    The old man showed us that it's important to face your challenges with a positive attitude and to be consistent. Yes you could just say the old man went fishing but the book has a deeper meaning about perseverance. The old man has very little food and hasn’t caught a fish in a long time but he still goes fishing and when he caught a fish he waited days even when there were sharks. He showed us that if you work hard, fail, keep trying, and remain positive then you can accomplish your goals. The man shows that we all can face our challenges and be more successful if we persevere. 

    Earlier this week I said this book is so confusing and not comprehensible, but now that I’ve finished it and looked at my notes I realized the themes that are seen throughout the book and how now it makes sense. I will use the themes I have learned to become more hardworking and a better writer.