A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings: A Tale For Children 

Discussion in Class

Outline1. Characters2. Language & Narrative Perspective3. Theme4. Activity: Show and Tell5. For all: Extension Questions

Characters: 2 Groups What do you think about the following

characters? Elisenda & Pelayo The Villagers Father Gonzaga The old man vs. the Spider Woman

What’s humorous and ironic in the story’s characterization? Are you sympathetic with the characters in any way?

What do you think about the ending?

Your Comments on the Old Man & the Villagers 1. Why is there whistling in the heart and sounds in

the kidneys of the angel?

2. “That was one of the few times they became alarmed, for

they thought he was going to die and not even the wise neighbor woman had been able to tell them what to do with dead angels.”

Why would they care? They have been treating him so cruelly all there years, they must be happy for his death?

Language & Narration: 1 Group Anything else interesting about the

language? What do you think of the story's narrative? Is

the narrator judgmental or sympathetic in any way?

Themes (1) 2 Groups

1. The title: What is the significance of the title "A Very Old Man

with Enormous Wings"? What do you think about the ending?

In what sense is the story "A Tale for Children"? How is the child in the story related to the old man?

2. The supernatural: What does the short story say about reality and the

supernatural? What do you think of Elisenda's statement that "it was

awful living in that hell full of angels"?

Themes (2) – Magic Realism 1 Group a) Do you know what magic realism is? Do you

see elements of magical realism in the text? b) What are the "magical possibilities" in this

story? How is the supernatural mixed with the mundane? c) Instead of providing us a clear moral (as a fairy tale does), how does this story "[frustrate and complicate] the reader's efforts to fix a definite meaning to events? Can you interpret the story in more than one way? c-2) Besides being a mirror reflecting the society,

what other functions does the angel serve?

Reference (1): Magic Realism

Magic Realism is a literary style that "combines realistic, everyday details with elements of fantasy, blurring the reader's usual distinctions between reality and magic. But unlike other works of the imagination such as fairy tales or folk legends, stories of magic realism lead to no clear morals or simple truths; they present a rich and vivid world of magical possibilities, while frustrating and complicating the reader's efforts to fix a definite meaning to events" ("Overview")

Also called "marvelous realism“ (Carpentier) Is the reality in the story marvelous? Or is it open to multiple

interpretation, challenging our typical perception of it?

Extension 1. What would have been your own response had

you found the old man with wings in your back yard?2. What do you think the old man with wings reveal about human nature? And our views of the supernatural? Is it something absolute, or a matter of personal interpretations?3. Compare "The Story of an Hour" with this story. narrator’s entry into her room and into her mind Kaleidoscope The character’s crossing the lines and causing a stir in

society

Show and Tell

Show and Tell: “The Story of an Hour”

Show and Tell in “Story of an Hour” or “The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” 1. Where does the narrator merely “tell” the

story?

2. Where does the narrator describe the details and “show” us what happens?

3. What’s great about each and/or a combination of the two?

See you next time!