Date of Award

1999

Degree Name

English

College

College of Liberal Arts

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Art Stringer

Second Advisor

Dolores Johnson

Third Advisor

Nancy Lang

Fourth Advisor

Leonard J. Deutsch

Abstract

I would not be a fisherman today, if it were not for my father. He taught me to fish, cast, tie a fisherman’s knot, identify one species of fish from another. He also taught me courage. Often when we fished from one of Kelley’s Island’s many limestone shores, Dad stopped casting and dropped to his knees beside a rock. With a quick hand, he snatched brown water snakes as long as his arm. Holding the writhing serpent in front of my face, he would order me to touch it.

When we were not fishing together, Dad let me wander off, fish by myself, ride my bike through the woods alone, and fish from my favorite spots. Back home in Ironton, Ohio, I was not allowed to ride anywhere alone, much less to the riverbank for some fishing; but for whatever reason, when we were on Kelley’s Island, my dad left me to my own devices. If I had rod and reel and tackle box in hand, Dad trusted me.

Subject(s)

Fishing in literature.

Fishing stories.

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