1 “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2 Walk-in:  What was your initial reaction to the story? Did you like it?  Let’s talk about it.  Let’s get out our double entries. What did you write in the left column? 

3 Author and Setting  Gabriel Garcia Marquez, born in 1928 in Aracatuba  Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982  Setting is in a small seaside village in South America

4 Summary  Pelayo and Elisenda find old man in their courtyard one stormy afternoon.  Couple attempts to communicate with him, but he speaks like a sailor.  A neighbor woman comes, she thinks he is an angel and that he must have come for their sick child.  Father Gonzaga comes followed by the rest of the community, to test the old man and determine whether or not he truly is an angel. He decides not.  The community treats the winged man like a circus animal.

5 More Summary  Elisenda charges entrance fee to see the angel and becomes rich. They build a mansion.  The crowd loses interest in the angel because another freak has risen to fame.  Angel's health has declined, and it seems he is on the verge of death. Years pass, and Pelayo and Elisenda let him into the house.  Becomes more healthy, Elisenda keeps shooing him out of rooms  One day he leaves the house, and attempts to fly. Finally, he is able to fly off into the distance, and Elisenda is relieved to have the "annoyance" gone from her life.

6 Vocabulary for Word Wall  Grandeur  Magnanimous  Reverence  Frivolous  Catechism  Antiquarian  Proliferated  Hermetic  Deigned  impertinence

7 What genre is this literature?  Short Story Magic Realism  What you do already know about these genres?  Features: Magic realism is an artistic genre in which magical or illogical scenarios are placed in a realistic or normal setting

8 Tone and Mood  The mood of the story is very gloomy and dark  Also has a religious element in when the angel is flying away at the end, signifies faith   (beginning, then 2:10)  What is the culture and time period of this text?  The setting is in an unnamed coastal town, probably in South America   Happened sometime in the past although it doesn’t give many hints as to when

9 Speaker  Who is the narrator?  Who is the main character?  How does Marquez characterize?

10 What literary devices does Marquez use?  Symbolism  What did YOU think the story symbolized?  Allusion  Figurative language  Imagery

11 Essential Questions!!  What are some historical and contemporary connections?  What are some cultural issues?  How is your personal response to this story influenced by your own culture?