Class 12 English Lesson 7: Story: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: Reference to Context & Reference beyond Text Literature Section

 

Reference to the Context

a.      The arrival of a strange old man in Palayo’s courtyard arouses many suspicions and explanations. Explain how the neighbour woman, Father Gonzaga, and the doctor speak of the strange man. Why do you think these three people give three different kinds of interpretations?

The arrival of a strange old man in Pelayo’s courtyard arouses many suspicions and explanations. All these three people speak of the strange man with their different interpretations. The neighbouring woman speaks of him saying that he is an angel. According to her, the strange man must have come for the child but due to his weak body and oldness, he is knocked down by the rain. Next, father Gonzaga speaks of him being quite doubtful. He states that the strange man with wings doesn't know the language of God or know how to greet His ministers. He is too similar to humans and his body has an unbearable smell. His feathers are strewn with parasites and the main feathers have been ministered by territorial winds. Father concludes that he hasn't found any matching qualities of angels within him.

The doctor, at last, puts forward his opinion after inspecting his heart and kidneys. He says that the old man can't be alive. He hears so much whistling in his heart and so many noises in his e kidneys. H is amazed to see the natural wings in the human organism. He cannot understand the reason and says why other men don't have similar wings. I think these three people give three different kinds of interpretations because the strange man is a kind of mystery to them. All these people are well-known in their community for their knowledge of their fields. They speak out their different opinions about the strange-looking man because they want to be smarter in front of people. gullible This is the usual human tendency to respond to those who are weak, dependent, and different.

b.     This story belongs to the genre of ‘magical realism, a genre perfected by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his novels and short stories. Magical realism is a narrative technique in which the storyteller narrates commonplace things with magical colour and the events look both magical and real at the same time. Collect five magical realist happenings from the story and argue why they seem magical to you.

The five magic realist happenings from the story are as follows:

·        The strange old man with enormous wings: When Pelayo first encountered the strange old man with enormous wings in a pitiable state in his muddy courtyard, he was amazed and frightened. Here the strange old man with wings seems magical to me because it is difficult to believe a man with wings.

·        Prediction of Neighbouring woman: The predicted word "angel" for the strange old man by the neighbouring woman seems quite magical to me because our world is quite beyond these myths.

·        The gruff and incomprehensible dialect of strange old: The strange old man uses typical gruff and incomprehensible dialect in different situations. This strange dialect seems magical to me because I have only found such kind of language in fictitious movies.

·        The woman's transformation into a spider: The story has presented the transformation of the woman into a spider due to the lightning bolt of brimstone. This transformation of a human into a bigger spider seems magical to me because this kind of transformation isn't possible in the real world.

·        The old man flying in the sky: Finally, the old man attempts to fly a lot and finally soars up in the sky. This instance of a man flying in the sky with wings seems magical to me because I have never seen a man flying in the sky like this in my lifetime.

c.      The author introduces the episode of a woman who became a spider for having disobeyed her parents. This episode at once shifts people’s concentration from the strange old man to the spider woman. What do you think is the purpose of the author to bring this shift in the story?

I think the purpose of the author to bring a shift in the story is to create a shift in the presentation of magic realism for his readers. He keeps on presenting the story of the strange old man with wings to his readers at first. Later, he presents a sudden twist in his story by presenting the entry of an enchanted woman who has been turned into a spider for her disobedience toward her parents. This shift is specially inserted in the story to add the concept of people's gullibility, their nature of curiosity, greed, and cruelty. This instance of presentation makes all the readers realize that gullible people are easily diverted by ambiguity, whether in stories or real life.

Here, we find the people's attraction towards a spider woman with a human head without knowing the truth behind her. They are seen diverted immediately after knowing about the spider woman. They lose their interest in the strange old man and assemble their crowd to see the woman. Their greed is seen to get the tickets at cheaper rates. Their curiosity is also seen to watch the amazing woman. They feel excited to hear from the woman no matter whether she is real or fake.

Marquez has presented a community near the sea with middle-class gullible people. Here he has inserted the events along with magic realism. The gullible people of the community are seen with deep faith in supernatural things or creatures. The author mainly focuses on the aspect of human nature and their response to those who are weak, dependent, and different.

d.     The story deals with the common people’s gullibility. How do Pelayo and his wife take advantage of common people’s whim?

Pelayo and his wife Elisenda encounter the strange old man with wings in a very pitiable state in their courtyard. When they get informed about the strange old man by a neighbouring woman about his arrival as an angel to take their child to heaven, they imprison him in a wire chicken coop. At the midnight time, when their child wakes up without a fever and desires to eat, both of them become magnanimous and decide to set him free from his fate along with food and water in the sea. When they try to take him out during the first light at dawn, they find a huge mob outside their chicken coop to watch an old angel. Despite Father Gonzaga's claim, the story of the old angel spread so fast. People from all around start arriving at the place to watch an elderly man with wings. In this situation, both Pelayo and his wife Elisenda take advantage of common people's whim. They get the idea of fencing the yard and charging five for each admission to see the angel.

Reference beyond the Text

a.      Irresistible crowd queues at Palayo’s house for many days simply to look at the strange old man. Narrate an episode from your experience or from another story where people assemble in crowds, not for any noble cause.

An Episode of Captivated Young Woman in the Movie Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

A similar kind of irresistible crowd queue to watch a young woman that has been presented in a movie called Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters. Both Hansel and Gretel have been presented in their adult ages. When Hansel and Gretel arrive in the town of Augsburg, they find a crowd of people surrounding a captivated young woman in a white dress. She is bound with ropes. All the people including Sheriff Berringer of the town are intending to execute a beautiful young woman named Mina for witchcraft. All the people of that town are looking at the young girl with suspicious and aggressive eyes. They are making noises in favour of killing the girl. But in the meantime, Hansel and Gretel prevent all of them from doing this crime. They examine the girl and conclude she is a simple human. They set her free from all the people's traps. 

Click for Hansel & Gretel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYJzHdsQkMo 

b.     The taste of children is different from grown-ups. What are the elements in the story that make ‘The Old Man with Enormous Wings’ a children’s story?

Following are varieties of elements in the story that make ‘The Old Man with Enormous Wings’ a children’s story:

·        Unique and memorable characters: Here in this story, we find two unique and memorable characters a strange old man with enormous wings and a woman with a spider's body. These two characters make this story a children's story.

·        Plot and setting: Both plot and the setting of this story are quite fascinating elements for children which can arise children's interest.

·        A unique technique of magical realism: Magical realism refers to the literary style or genre that combines naturalistic details and narrative with surreal or dreamlike elements. This kind of technique fascinates children too much.

·        Supernatural act: Here in this story, the last scene of the old man's efforts to fly in the sky and his success seems quite fascinating to the children. This type of supernatural act is mostly liked by children to watch or read.

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