Fishing Rhetorical Analysis

Words: 487
Pages: 2
Open Document
When Paul and Norman take Neal fishing, Neal leaves their care and chooses to spend the afternoon with his lady friend. In the same episode, the two brothers have an incredibly important dialogue in which Paul tells Norman, “I thought we were supposed to help him…. By taking him fishing…. Well, maybe what he likes is somebody trying to help him.” Norman is so concerned with the shortcomings of others that he fails to recognize his own weakness. Norman’s task was to entertain Neal and make him feel more at home, but he neglects his task and loses track of Neal while he was in a vulnerable, drunken state. He abandons his duty which leads to more trouble for both Neal and Norman later on—Neal being extremely sunburned and Jesse being upset with Norman. This same scenario repeats itself when Norman and Paul go to the gambling house. Paul is in desperate need of help and guidance but tells Norman off, saying that he can live his own life and that he can take care of himself. Succumbing to …show more content…
Paralleling Neal’s refusal to accept help and to fish, Paul desperately needs help and finds consolation in fishing. The act of fishing is very symbolic. The river itself alludes to the passage of time and of life. The fish that the brothers seek are symbolic of the soul. Thus, the act of fishing is the act of searching for one’s soul. Because they fish Montana’s mountain streams, fly fishing is required. Fly fishing takes years of practice to become proficient but is a skill that is continuously being refined. Similarly, finding oneself takes a long time but is also an ongoing process. Paul and Norman are expert fly fishermen, indicating their discovery and knowledge of self. Neal, on the other hand, brings worms in a tin can to the river, referring to his lack of self-knowledge. This imagery is seen in the Holy Bible, when Jesus calls Simon Peter to join his apostles because he was a
Show More

Related Documents: Fishing Rhetorical Analysis

Critical Thinking, Reading, And Writing

Long1 McGraw­Hill Chapter 1 Critical thinking, reading, and writing ● Most college work still requires an ability to understand and reflect intelligently on written texts, and subsequently, to respond in writing to them. ­Preponderance: the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance. ­Learning the tools of critical reading and writing not only teaches you the “what” of an issue, but also helps you think about and respond intelligently to the relative strength of the…

Words 8037 - Pages 33

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson Essay

please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-silentspring/ Copyright Information ©2000-2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare…

Words 30115 - Pages 121

Essay on king lear

next to the castle. The Fool and Edgar take part in Lear's mock trial of Regan and Goneril. Gloucester enters and reveals that he has learned of a plot to kill the king. The group prepares to take Lear to Dover, where friends can come to his aid. Analysis Edmund's gibberish about foul fiends certainly fits both Edgar and Lear's circumstances, since both have been victims of deceit and wickedness. Once they all come in out of the storm, Lear abandons his plans for seeking physical revenge, and instead…

Words 5002 - Pages 21