A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings PDF

Preview

Summary

One of the Blackboard Graded Assignments. ...

Description

Professor Taylor English 2030 3 November 2016 1. How would you describe the tone of this story? What does that tone contribute to your understand of the story’s larger intentions? The tone of the story can be described as bleak, but immensely wealthy with descriptions. It rapidly swings back and forth, describing the worst situations with rich adjectives that make even the most melancholy situation feel bright with hope that it will be beautiful once again, which relates even further to the end of the story where the once dying old man spreads his new set of wings and flies away. 2. The earliest and most pervasive assumption made about the old man is that he is an angel. Other than his wings, is there anything angelic about him? Other than the old man’s wings, he seems to speak in an unintelligible language. The narrator loves to stress how otherworldly the old man seems to be with the “lunar dust” and “stellar parasites” on his wings. He could also perform small miracles or supernatural oddities, such as making sunflowers bloom out of a leper’s sores. 3. How would you characterize Father Gonzaga? Use textual references to back up your conclusions. Father Gonzaga could be described as a man of the church, but the church could do so much better. He does not seem to have a true look at religion, and is a minor character that does not get very fleshed out. Upon his arrival, he instantly wants to figure out whether or not the man is an angel. “Standing by the wire, he reviewed his catechism in an instant and asked them to open the door so that he could take a close look at that pitiful man who looked more like a huge decrepit hen among the fascinated chickens.” 4. Consider the specific ailments that are assigned to the “most unfortunate invalids on earth” (Paragraph 7). What seems to you to be the point of the author’s mockery here? The author’s mockery of the “most unfortunate invalids on earth” seems to be that they do not truly have troubles. The woman who counted her heartbeats, the man who couldn’t sleep due to noisy stars, and the sleepwalker who undid whatever was completed during the day all seem to suffer serious medical issues that can not be solved by the old man even if he had the power to do so.

5. What changes has the old man’s presence brought to the lives of Pelayo and his family?

The old man’s presence brought wealth to Pelayo and his family, and might have helped heal the youngest child of the family. They were able to quit their jobs and build a bigger home to live in, treating the old man like an annoying pet who eventually flies away. He was never truly appreciated, but used and manipulated to benefit Pelayo and his family. 6. Given those changes, why is Elisenda glad to see the old man go away at the end of the story? Elisenda is glad to see the old man go away at the end of the story because of her selfishness. After all of the wealth she gained and the dresses she bought, she never paid any attention and maintenance to the chicken coop that the old man resides in. Once he outlived his monetary gain, she saw him as nothing more than a nuisance....