Old Man and the Sea A Man Can Be Destroyed but Not Defeated

â€Å"A man can be destroyed but not defeated† In the Old man and the sea, Santiago says, â€Å"A man can be destroyed but not defeated. (Page 93)† The true statement can be referred to throughout the novel. Santiago is in the end physically destroyed, but mentally he is not defeated. Santiago’s courage and pride pushes him forward throughout the novel, even when it looks like hope is lost, but is never defeated. Destruction means to completely ruin or spoil. Santiago experienced this destruction. It started with 84 days of not catching anything. He was being crushed but his spirit and pride prevented defeat. During the fight with the marlin, he physically was being destroyed. He had a choice to spare his life and let the fish go but he knew he†¦show more content†¦Santiago is not the only person to be destroyed but still successful. Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa. He was arrested for treason, and was put in prison for abou t 27 years. He was losing, but he never gave up so when he was freed he kept trying for equality between the whites and the blacks. His group was able to finally get the first multi-racial election in South Africa and Nelson Mandela was declared president. He was able to lead apartheid South Africa into a country of equality. Nelson Mandela was destroyed, but not defeated so he was able to rise from the murky depths into leading a free nation for the first time. So in conclusion, destroy really means to damage, while defeat means to give up. A man can only take a certain amount of destruction before he succumbs to defeat. So that would mean if a person were defeated, they would not worthy of the title †man.† They would have the title â€Å"coward†. Sadly, it is hard to find real men in this world today, but a few stand out like Nelson Mandela and Gandhi. Santiago is just an example to the world that there are good people in thisShow MoreRelatedComparing the Film a nd the Novel of Hemingways Old Man and the Sea1297 Words   |  6 PagesComparing the Film and the Novel of Hemingways Old Man and the Sea After having read the Hemingways Old Man and the Sea as a book in class, we also watched the film which was made afterwards because of the storys enormous popularity. As always, there are some ways in which the book differsRead MoreOld Man and the Sea5543 Words   |  23 PagesA Man Can Be Destroyed But Not Defeated –The Struggle of Life in â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea† A Man Can Be Destroyed But Not Defeated – The Struggle of Life in â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea† Sophie Chen(é™ ³Ã¦Ëœ ±Ã¥ â€¡) Class 201 National Dali Senior High School March.17, 2007 1/24 PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com A Man Can Be Destroyed But Not Defeated –The Struggle of Life in â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea† I. 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