The Battlefield by Phil M.

The smoke on the field
The battle is a great one
The soldiers will yield
Whenever their view is blinded by the sun

Branches in the field
Flag standing tall
The soldiers yield
When people fall

The trees stare
The guns shoot
The enemy doesn’t care
People trip over the root

The soldiers run around
Not knowing where they are bound.

My Love by Madeline D.

We have been together for a while
You always have a way of making me smile
I love to hug you, I love to kiss you
Hold me in your arms and never let go
Let’s let our love for each other show
You are you
And I am me
But we go together like peanut butter and jelly

And Always Will Be… by Lida H.

My personality is one of a kind
A girl like me is hard to find
I am outgoing as you can see
And always will be
I laugh a lot a like to have fun
You’ll often find me out in the sun
My love is free
And always will be
Sometimes I don’t blend
But in the end
I am me
And always will be

Haiku by Jonathan P.

Clouds creep through the air
Guided gently by the wind
Masking the Sun’s rays.

Fishing Con Mi Grandpa by Connor A.

Days spent fishing with you
Under a sunny, clear sky
Rocking the New Balance shoes
You were the coolest guy.

Though we caught nothing
Spending time with you was all I did need
You taught me a lot, took me under your wing
Out on the water, feeling like we’d been freed.

Sisters by Martha H.

Always there, every single day
Sometimes lost but we find our way
Together, Apart, A true crew
I will always have love for you.

Problems, Problems, Problems galore
There to help open a new door
You always help when I’m blue
I will always have love for you.

Smiles, Laughs, Irreplaceable times
Mom, Dad will never know our crimes
Happy or sad we’ll make it through
I will always have love for you.

Life Is by Lindsay B.

Life is a clicking clock
always running, constantly at work
tick-tock-tick-tock
time is not a berk.

Life is a new fallen snow
it’s here ‘till it melts away
although not a sole would want to go
no one can forever stay.

Life is like squeezing sand
the grains will always fall
it’s not hard to understand
there’s no way to make them stall.

Life is a candle stick
fire chomping down the wick.

Ode to Master Chief by Kyle L.

To one so swift and brave,
You’ve fought ‘till you met the grave.
Everything is but a blur,
While others watch in amazement at what you can endure.

The mighty covenant falls under your grasp,
While the HAVOK is sealed with a clasp.
You can’t help but smile,
When you think to yourself, “this was so worth while!”

You are honored for the courageous things you do,
As every Marine wishes to be you.
Well, now I guess you must be partin’
Because you, are a Spartan.

Chaput by Corey C.

There once was a man from South Hadley
Who debated the staff quite madly
He is an ex-marine
Who has a lovely dream
To rid the democrats of South Hadley

The Afternoon Breeze by Alex M.

The old oak tree sways,
In the afternoon breeze.
And the sky is calm.

Watching the Dark Fade by Zack T.

Too overwhelming to look at;
Yet too pretty to look away.
As the sun kept rising I sat,
And I would watch the clouds appear.

While the clouds would start to turn white,
And the wind would take them a stray,
Over the ocean came a light,
And I would watch the clouds appear.

The sky was a deep purple shade,
Keeping me from looking away,
I sat there watching the dark fade,
And I would watch the clouds appear.

Alone by Meghan M.

Alone, watching the waves close in on me
Does anyone see me standing out here
But how could it be, but how could it be
And now the waves are quite close and I fear

Peaceful yes, but I wonder how could you
Say that you love me and then walk away
And now you see I know what I must do
You will never know what happened today

Quickly the waves pulled me away from air
My body felt lifeless and I was scared
And I thought of you but you were not there
Then I realized you had never cared

Now I am below and no light is shown
I enter the end and the start, Alone.

A Day at the Beach by Katie P.

The Sun is setting and it is now summer
I have been lying on the beach all day
Leaving the water and the sun is a bummer
Lying there today all my worries gone away

Now that the sun is set the day is gone
Picking up the blanket and the umbrella too
All the memories past our day is done
I can’t wait till tomorrow going back with you

We have spent our day under the bright sun
Walking up to the pier to get some food
Maybe some chips or a hotdog and bun
After waiting all day hunger is my mood

I can’t wait till the moonsets for the night
Just so that I can see the sun shine so bright

Lacrosse by Zak G.

Lacrosse is the greatest game of all
It’s fun, fast and very wearing
You can excel if you try
Knowing the rules is key
Scoring feels awesome
Assists are great
The best is
Winning
Games

Life is Unscripted by Wes C.

Life is life unscripted.
It’s a wonderful thing.
It’s singing along to a song not sung.
And wearing the shiniest bling.

It’s taking a walk on the beach
With no one but the sea gulls.
Or learning how to teach
A new trick to your beagle.

It’s watching the sun forever rise
Ov’r the tops of the mountains.
And taking a bath
In New York’s finest fountains.

Life is life unscripted.
Life is life encrypted.

Sydney by Maddie M.

Little girl, about six
Preparing to go down the water slide.
With every twist and turn of the slide,
She laughs until her belly aches.
Across her body is a florescent bikini
And goggles cover her beautiful hazel eyes.
She’s putting on a show for the people watching her on the deck
But she loves the attention.
All you can see on her face is a big smile.
Just before she hits the water,
She sees a camera flash,
And she sticks her tongue out.
Splash!

Silly by Joe D.

There once was a boy who played baseball,
who was fond of his Barbie’s and dolls.
During practice one day,
in center field he lay,
he got knocked in the head with a ball.

Starry Night by Rachel B.

When I stare at the canvas in the square of the frame
I drift away to a place in time and unwind
Such beauty and grace from a man who would maim
A unique way to see life through an insane mind

Bringing life, depth, and power
Color in your world of black and white
To see is to smell your vision of a flower
In your world of darkness to see the starry night

Expansion, feeling, wonder meant from deep inside
Struggling to breathe with every stroke
Staring, staring, drifting I tried
Visions of a man emotionally broke

The troubled mind I will never know
As I stare at the madness of a man called Van Gogh

Unruled Waters by Krista S.

Lay my feet on un-solid ground
Precious water so cold I bet
My ears hear not one song
Deliverance I have yet to forget.

Sunset softly, but let it awake
Warm ever slowly my skin
God has made this masterpiece for heaven’s sake
If I lay here and take it in, I will surely win.

What ancient mysteries lye beneath your wave
Over a hundred thousand stories you have washed up upon the shore
Each a memory you will save
Underneath it all there is more.

You scream for someone to come in
To ride away on a lonely dolphin’s fin.

Summer’s Sunset by Anna R

Being bored all day, it was almost night.
Go to the beach to get out of the town.
I sit and wait to watch the sun go down.
Creeping toward the sea, there’s no more daylight.

Finally disappears the moon comes out.
I just sit there and reflect on the day.
Every one of my troubles goes away.
I release my pain and all of my doubt.

I can’t move from my spot, I don’t know why.
A sudden cold breeze breaks me from my trance.
I stand up and take one final last glance.
At the beautiful night which makes me cry.

Watching the sunset I have emptied my head.
Of everything horrible that I dread.

Obstacles by Zack G.

Throughout the novella, Santiago has many different obstacles that he has to overcome. His last fishing trip was one of his most challenging experiences. The obstacles that he had to overcome were the fact of being alone, the strength of the marlin, and the lack of food and water. All of these obstacles were working against him, making it very hard for him to even survive out on his trip. Santiago is 85 years old and he still is out in the sea fishing which shows you how determined he was to catch this marlin.

Santiago’s first obstacle that he had to overcome was the fact of being alone. If he had Manolin with him during his last fishing trip I think that he would have caught the marlin a lot faster and he would have been able to successfully bring the marlin onto the boat. At one point in the story Santiago says out loud to himself: “ ‘I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this’ ” (48). Since he did not have the boy with him he got very tired from the fight with the marlin. He barely got any sleep and he didn’t get much time to rest either. Since Santiago was on his own it made it much harder for him to catch the marlin.

Another obstacle that Santiago had to overcome was the lack of food and water. When Santiago was preparing for the fishing trip he never would have thought that his trip would last as long as it did. He packed some food and a good amount of water, but that proved to not be enough. When Santiago has the marling hooked it was for 3 days long. He had no food left on the third day but just a little bit of water. I know that if he had more food that he would have been in a better condition to catch the marlin and he could have got it to his boat quicker. “For an hour the old man had been seeing black spots before his eyes and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cut over his eye and on his forehead” (87). He had been very faint and I think this could have been caused by him not having enough water and possibly being dehydrated.

The last obstacle that Santiago had to overcome was the strength of the marlin and the attacks from the vigorous sharks. This was easily the hardest obstacle that Santiago had to face. Santiago had the marlin hooked for several days and he could not reel it in. The marlin had so much power, but the old man was not giving up. Santiago was so determined to catch this marlin he would do anything for it. On about the third day of the marlin being hooked he had the marlin close to his boat and he threw his harpoon at the marlin and killed it. After about an hour a few sharks started appearing and eating the marlin. A few sharks came and Santiago killed some and injured some, but: “One came, finally, against the head itself and he knew that it was over” (118).That shark ate the last piece of the marlin and there was nothing left.

Santiago did his best to try and overcome these obstacles. I don’t think that there was any other way that Santiago could have tried to fight off the sharks.. He did the best he could, but that didn’t help him in the end. Santiago did gain something in his last trip even though he didn’t catch the marlin. He gained a lot of experience and knowledge during his final fishing trip. I think that since he was 85 and he was in very bad condition that he ended up dieing at the end of the book because of the different obstacles he had to try and overcome.

Obstacles by Zack T.

Throughout the novella The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago has faced many challenges. Santiago had to overcome the obstacles of being alone, not having good technology, and being unprepared. If Santiago had not gone out alone, and Manolin had gone with him, he might have caught the fish. Even though Santiago is 85, he still chose to go out to sea alone, in a small boat without technology. This undoubtedly affected the outcome of the story.

The first challenge Santiago had was that he was alone. This affected him because it was very difficult to keep a fish on a small boat, try and get to shore, and not let the sharks get the marlin. “’I wish [Manolin] was here,’ he said aloud.” (50) The old man is trying to perform too many tasks at once, and if he was with someone else such as Manolin, maybe he could have caught the marlin. The reason he could not get the fish to shore safely is because the marlin was 18 feet long. Since Santiago is alone, he talks to himself, to the birds, and to the fish. Even though this sounds weird, I think many people would do this while out to sea alone.

A second obstacle Santiago faces is not having good technology. When most people go out to sea, they have many tools to help them fish more efficiently. In the book Santiago talks about how most fishermen now use their radios to talk to each other. However he feels he doesn’t need it which is true. Despite the fact that this technology could help him, he decides to go out without it. “’ But since I am not crazy, I do not care. And the rich have radios to talk to them in their boats and to bring them the baseball.’” (39) Even though technology would help Santiago, he does not care and wants nothing to do with it. Which I do not get because only good could come from trying it, nothing bad.

The third challenge that Santiago faces is being unprepared. This is a huge part of why he did not catch the fish. If he planned on coming across such a fish, I am sure he could have prepared better. “He felt faint again now but he held on the great fish all the strain that he could.” (91) Since he is unaware of the challenge ahead, he went out alone, did not bring food or water, and I am sure he was exhausted, he was not feeling good and started feeling faint and dizzy. All he does is fish, without breaks, and then goes straight to catching an 18 foot marlin. He is also 85 years old, which makes it a lot more difficult to catch.

As a conclusion, I can rightfully say that Santiago has many obstacles that he must overcome that other fishermen do not have. However, since he caught an 18 foot marlin, with a boat not even that size, while being alone and eighty-five are incredible circumstances. The chance of someone doing it present day is very unlikely. Not only is this hard to do, but with all the technology today, who would?

Obstacles by Wes C.

In the novella The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago may have had to overcome more obstacles than any one I know. His life has been a very rough time, especially while fishing. Santiago had to face many obstacles, such as his physical abilities, the aggressive nature and power of the sharks [dentusos], and the frustration that comes with being unprepared. All of these obstacles worked against Santiago and made it more difficult for him to land the fish of his lifetime.

Santiago’s first obstacle was his physical abilities, especially his left hand; “But his left hand had always been a traitor and would not do what he called on it to do and he did not trust it” (71). In the story, Santiago’s hand cramped up on him, and he couldn’t move it, even if he wanted to. This slows him down while trying to gain some line on the fish, and makes him use his brain to think of other ways that he can hold on to it. Not only is his hand bothering him, but also he is around 85 years old, and has limitations as to what he can physically do.

Another obstacle that Santiago had to overcome was the aggressive natured and extremely powerful sharks. He thought of these as very large nuisances; “But I killed the shark that hit my fish, he thought. And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And god knows I have seen big ones” (105). The sharks were attacking and eating Santiago’s prized marlin that was attached to the side of the boat. During these attacks, he had to try to fend off “dentusos,” which was tremendously difficult. To do this, he had to use weapons. These weapons repeatedly broke, and he was strained to use parts of his skiff to make weapons. This made it more difficult for him to navigate his way back to Havana . But if he did not fend off the sharks, they would have devoured his marlin within a few hours. It was a sacrifice that was necessary to do.

A final obstacle, which Santiago must overcome, is frustration. He gets frustrated from being unprepared; “You should have brought many things, he thought. But you did not bring them, old man” (110). Santiago was not planning on being on the water for four days; he only brought about two days’ supplies. In order to survive, he needed to drink sparingly, and to eat, he had to catch other fish, which took his mind off of the marlin, and gave the marlin a chance to get away from Santiago. That’s what frustrated him. He wasn’t paying attention to the marlin so he could catch food. This was because of his “stupid” mistake in not being prepared. Being frustrated never helps when in a situation such as he was.

As you can see, Santiago had some challenging obstacles to overcome. Some of these that he was forced to face were his physical abilities, the aggressive nature and power of the sharks [dentusos], and the frustration that came with being unprepared. He overcame all of these, and caught the fish of a lifetime. One who has completed such a task as he must feel very proud of one’s self.

Obstacles by Meghan M.

In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway depicts the story of an aged fisherman who sets out on his most extravagant journey yet. Along the way he faces many obstacles that affect the outcome of his fishing adventure. The old man, named Santiago, encounters many struggles such as the marlin, the sea, and even himself before his fishing trip can end.

One obstacle that Santiago has to face on his voyage out to sea is the marlin. The marlin was sixteen feet in length and weighed about one thousand five hundred pounds (his skiff was only fourteen feet long). Throughout most of the novella, Santiago struggles with the marlin in order to catch it. The old man also never doubted the strength or power of the marlin. “You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or more calmer, or more noble thing than you, brother,” (92). In this quote the old man is saying that it would be somewhat of an honor to be killed by the fish that he greatly looked up to. That is how the marlin was an obstacle for Santiago.

Another obstacle that the old man faces is the sea. The sea that Santiago is referring to is the Gulf of Mexico. He was out in the middle of the ocean for a total of four days with the blistering heat and no food or water. Even though Santiago was lost in the middle of the ocean, he always thought of the sea as, “feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them,” (29). Santiago never spoke badly of the sea and always spoke kindly of it. Even through Santiago’s worst times he always admired the sea and treated it as a person would toward another person, or someone they loved.

The final obstacle Santiago faces is himself. Throughout the entire novella, the old man struggles against himself in order to catch the fish. He is always pushing himself to further extremes and testing his body. Santiago never doubts that he can do anything and for that reason he was able to catch and hold the marlin for as long as he did. Santiago explained that, “’A man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated,’ ” (103). This quote sums up Santiago quite well. He is saying that a man can be brought down to the lowest of lows, but he will never be beaten by someone, or a marlin.

The old man, Santiago, faced many struggles on his extravagant journey into the ocean. Although he may not have caught the fish, he persevered and never gave up on himself. He always thought he could do it even when he might not have been able to. Even though he struggled with the marlin, the sea, and himself, he managed to catch the fish. Although the fish was eaten by the sharks he was able to bring a carcass to shore to prove that he had actually caught the fish. He felt very satisfied and accomplished even though he did not necessarily have the whole fish.

A Struggle for Life by Martha H.

In The Old Man and the Sea, the main character, Santiago, encounters many different obstacles that he must conquer or be faced with dire consequences. Santiago’s disputes begin when he manages to snag a marlin that is to amble and durable to reel in. Instead of giving up and letting the marlin go, Santiago stays with the massive fish and is carried further and further out to sea. With a short supply of food, loss of body movement, and the struggle with the loneliness of the sea, the walls begin to close in on Santiago. As the problems continue to pile up, Santiago’s strength begins to weaken.

A little while after the fish is caught, the first struggle inaugurates. Santiago begins to feel weaker and he gets a cramp that creeps into his hand. Santiago goes to great lengths to take care of his hands and does whatever it takes to ensure they stay healthy and strong for him. The relation between the old man and his hands is shown in the quote, "‘How do you feel hand, I’ll eat some more for you’" (58, 59) Santiago explains how he’ll eat unpleasant fish such as dolphins to gain strength in his body and hands to maintain a good hold on the marlin.

Soon after, Santiago discovers that the small amount he ate wasn’t enough to corroborate his body. With the extremely unlucky streak the old man encountered, he was unprepared for a voluminous catch such as the marlin. Without another source of food, Santiago knew he would soon die of starvation. As a result, Santiago looks to catch more diminutive fish to eat. Although his body is weakening, his mind stays sharp but he knew that wouldn’t last much longer. An example of his determination and clear headed thoughts was when Santiago looked down into the dark water at the slant of the line and thought, "Eat now and it will strengthen the hand. It is not your hand’s fault and you have been many hours with the fish. But you can stay with him forever. Eat the bonito now." (58)

With nothing but the ocean surrounding him, Santiago quickly begins to feel the emptiness of being alone. While he usually has the boy as company, Santiago deals with the struggle of surviving without him. The boy who was his son, his friend, his brother, his partner, was now an extensive distance away and had no way of helping Santiago. The hollowness and loneliness Santiago feels is suggested by his thoughts continually drifting towards him thinking, "I wish I had the boy to help me and see this." (48) This quote shows the dependency he has on the boy. Without him, he was enabled time to sleep, Santiago’s strength warred away more easily, and he had to maneuver through every obstacle by himself without any back up.

Throughout his many grapples, Santiago’s decision to stay with the abundant marlin affected him physically and mentally. Throughout each brawl, such as the short supply of food, loss of body movement, and dwelling with loneliness, Santiago had to overcome all in order to maintain survival. One simple day of fishing in the sea turned out to be an adventure that made Santiago struggle for his life.