Interpretation

The story that I want to interpret is the “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Children Story”, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story is about a husband and wife who have a newborn baby who sick. The father, Pelayo, and his wife, Elisenda, are killing crabs who have come into their home because of the recent heavy rain. While Pelayo walked across his courtyard toward the sea to return the crabs, he noticed a very old man lying on the ground. The strange thing about this old man was that he had these enormous wings that were too big for him and seemed to be too heavy for the man to get up. Pelayo ran to get his wife and after a while they tried to speak to him, but the old man answered in an unrecognizable dialect, and so they asked their neighbor woman who knew much of superstitious things. The woman told them that the old man was an angel and that he had some to take the baby, but being too old, he was unable to fly in the rain. They took him and brought him into the chicken coop. While he was there the child’s fever broke and son all the people in the town were inside Pelayo’s courtyard looking at the old man with enormous wings. Pelayo and his wife began to sell tickets to see the man with wings and made a fortune. Priests, scholars and people who just want to be entertained came to see the winged man and to try to get him to do tricks and perform. Many sick people with absurd diseases came to see if this angel would heal them. A man who couldn’t sleep because he could hear the stars, a man who slept walked and undid everything he had done the day previous, and a woman who couldn’t stop counting her heartbeats and ran out of numbers, were some of the few that came to the old man wanting healing, but were disappointed. Soon after the crowd left to see this “spider-woman” who has the body of a giant spider and could talk to them and answer questions and didn’t mind doing tricks. Pelayo had made much money on the old man and had built a mansion for himself and expanded his courtyard. The only thing he didn’t renovate or make grander is the chicken coop, in which the old man with enormous wings resided. Pelayo soon got tired of taking care of the man who seemed near deaths door and released him of his cage of chicken wire to be free to do what he wanted. The old man didn’t really know what to do with himself and slept in the barn through on ef the worst winters they had. After the winter, the old man seemed to become stronger and when the cold broke away he took flight again and left them as strangely as he came.

The beginning of the story shows me that people always need hope to fall back on. This couple was trying to take care of their sick child, and was running out of answers, but then they found the old man and kept him because they thought his presence could help. They didn’t really understand who this man in rags and giant wings was, but they thought he could help their child. The child represents the innocence in this story, something they need to protect, a sort of childlike logic that the town has towards things that they don’t understand. I also find it funny that they put the old man in a chicken coop, as if he was just an ordinary bird like the rest of the chickens. He was a bird creature to them and nothing more and it was a hassle to take care of him.

The fact that the town saw this angel as nothing more than a sideshow attraction clearly shows its ability to be entertained. I think one of the main points of this story is to see the value in the people around us and not treat people who are different differently. I also sensed a strong urgency to take care of the weak and needy from this story. I thought that the old man with enormous wings was being treated unfairly, but he was still given a place to stay and warmth during winter, including food. You could say that he was being tortured, but it was better than just leaving him in the mud with the weight of his wings crashing down on him. I thought that the sick people with random diseases showed that people are always looking for someone to take their problems away and they are willing to pay for them to do it. You could say the same thing about Pelayo and his wife because they kept the angel there for the chance that his presence might be able to help their child. People who need the help the most are willing to hold onto whatever chance they can get to be able to get it.

I also thought it was weird that they kept asking the neighbor woman who knew many things about life and death. They trusted just another person who would offer their advice. People look for advice and guidance in the wrong places very easily and I thought this was a perfect example of that. My main interpretation of this story is that the message the author was trying to tell is that we should not be looking for the next attraction to take up our live, but instead fill our lives with helping and caring for others and our lives will be filled with substance and meaning.

Symbolism

I liked this small chapter on Symbolism. When you look for symbols in pictures and paintings to help you understand the meaning, you never think that these symbols exist in literature too. The poem called "Orange" is a good example. It starts with the man saying he has 2 oranges in his coat pocket and he is walking with this woman on some kind of date. She wanted some chocolate that cost a dime and all he had was a nickel, and instead, he offered the cashier one of the oranges in exchange for the other nickel owed. This was a gamble because if the cashier refuses then he looks foolish and poor in front of this girl, but if the cashier agrees then he gets her what she wants and looks cunning and persuasive. In the end he succeeds and as they walk along the streets, she eats her chocolate and he begins to eat his orange and describes it as a fire in his hands. I don't think that the orange was worth a nickel to the cashier, but it was obviously worth something to the man.

It is easy to find symbols around us everyday. America has many symbols of our freedom, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, and Mount Rushmore. There are many different types of symbols. People can also be symbols. Martin Luther King Jr. is a symbol for equality. Hitler is a symbol for racism and hate. Books also use symbols in their text. In The Christmas Carol, The old clock ringing its bell at a new hour symbolized a new Christmas ghost coming to visit Ebenezer Scrooge. At thee beginning of this class we read a story where a bell symbolized a re-do on the conversation of a man and woman in a coffee shop. There are many symbols used in our lives day to day, and Literature also uses them.

Waiting For Godot 2nd Blog

What can we learn from the story Waiting for Godot? The characters are very unique and original and they teach us very serious lessons. The first one I learned was that we should never be alone. Even if we have no home, no where to go, and no purpose in life, as long as we have someone to share that life with, then our lives are worth living. I think the part that describes this the best is when they were discussing suicide, but didn't do it because of the chance that one might not die and be left by himself. That to me is significant. Another lesson we can learn from this story is that we should always have hope in something. When the child kept returning to tell them that Godot will come tomorrow, that gave Vladimir and Estragon some hope to stay and look forward to the next day. Even when they met Lucky, they could see that their lives were better then his and that they were not at the lowest of the low. I was just able to find small things in the story that seemed like they contained messages, but some parts still seemed weird. You would have to admit that this story has many weird bits and lines in it that made it possibly one of the weirdest stories that I have read. One of these awkward moments was when Vladimir, Estragon, and Lucky were changing hats back and forth and it seemed to go on for nearly a page and a half. I don't really see why the author had to make thus part so elaborate, but it was well detailed and made it into the story. The last lesson that I learned from this book is that no mater what you have to have respect for yourselves. Vladimir showed this when Pozzo first appeared and Estragon asked him for the bones from his meal, and Vladimir said that they were not beggars and that they shouldn't beg, even though he said he was hungry before.

Waiting For Godot

The play/story starts off with two homeless men waiting for their acquaintance Godot to arrive, even though they don't really know what he looks like. They wait their for a long time, and basically just try to keep themselves occupied while they wait. The story is based around them trying to keep themselves occupied. The two characters are named Vladimir and Estragon. While waiting for their friend to arrive they discuss salvation and the two thieves crucified next to Jesus. They sing they laugh, and play. They sleep too, but the also discuss suicide and other serious topics.

I honestly didn't really like the book that much and I have only read Act I so far. The conversations that the men have seem weird and are not really funny. Vladimir seems to be the leader of the two and bosses Estragon around. I was annoyed at how many times they had to ask themselves what the other one wanted to do, and when they were discussing the idea of suicide, I did think it was kind of humorous that they decided against it because one of them might not die and would be left alone, and not for the sake of the ending their own life. The whole encounter with Pozzo was weird for me because even though Vladimir and Estragon are obviously beggars, they didn't ask for anything and had to much pride. Lucky was kind of a humorous character because he never really said anything but just stood their being a slave, and doing what Pozzo told him to do.

Basically the story being built about trying to keep yourself occupied so not to become completely bored is what bored me. I guess you could say that you don't need a great plot or story line to create a work of literary art, since this is said to be one of the greatest.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long

I must admit this was pretty funny, I may not have liked all the singing bits, but that's just because I am not that into musicals. The small film/blog seemed to be making fun of itself, and that was what made it funny. When the movie started I was just like what the heck is this and why is he making us watch it, but then I figured out how great it was, but I still don;t know why you chose that for us to watch. I cannot see really an connection to literature besides the going against the norm in story line. It is rare though to be cheering for the bad guy, Dr. Horrible, and against the good guy, Captain Hammer. Even though most people would not like the ending, I did like the fact that nothing turned out the way he wanted it. He had to give up on his love to make way for another one of his loves, which is crime. I think my favorite thing about the story is the concept. This idiot of a scientist who can create anything apparently can't make himself a laundry machine, and talks about his feelings on a video blog. He even is dub enough to announce his plans on the Internet to everyone, including the police and his nemesis Captain Hammer. This also went outside the realm of normal superhero comic book story lines, because there was no real punishments for the crimes that he committed. He just beat Captain Hammer and killed some woman, but the police just clean up the place and do nothing. It was like the superheros and super villains just dealt with each other, and the rest of society was there to spectate. With the weird storyline and plot holes I still really liked it and was glad I watched it.

Lake Bonney Park

Sun shining, a cool wind blowing, and a Johnny Cash playing in my ear; this is a nice day outside. When I first arrived I didn't know where the nature part of the park was, because all I saw were baseball fields everywhere. Then once I found the path, I figured out where I was supposed to go. The only real outdoorsy nature things I have gone so far were more of an active, survival or hunting experience, but this kind was more refreshing. It kind of reminded me of a sing by Rush called The Trees. I will be honest and say that usually when I walk in any kind of empty natural setting I usually let my mind wander and see how it could be used as a paintball field or hunting area, but the park was calm enough to let me focus on the assignment.

The green blades of grass covered in dew reflected the bright rays of sun, while the moss covered trees drooped over my head. Bugs and insects buzzed and crawled around looking for food or any sort of peachy colored skin to take a bite of. The lizards of Southeastern were no where in sight, but the squirrels and birds were still there to accompany me. After sitting in the shade for a few minutes I decided to change my music selection to Rush and that was when I heard their song The Trees.

" There is unrest in the forest. There is trouble with the trees. For the maples want more sunlight and the oaks ignore their pleas."

That is the opening line of the song, because it makes it sound like the trees are alive. Oh wait, they are alive. That's when I realized that nature is alive and God created it as a living being for us to take care of. who needs a pet when you have a garden; although a pet would respond to you more.

Mary Oliver, "Praying"

To pray is a serious thing. We must all take prayer seriously and know that our heart and mind are focused on God when we pray. We should remember that God listens to our hearts, not just our mouths. He knows when we are just giving Him lip service. That being said, I loved this poem. I think it describes the true nature of prayer and how it isn't just a platform for people to sound religious. Our words don't have to be philosophical or poetic, but honest and from the heart. When is the last time an one of us just came to God and said, "God, I am an idiot, and I don't deserve Your grace." This to me is how we should all start out our prayers. We spend t much time asking for things and not enough telling God how awesome He is.

My favorite part of the poem is when Mary Oliver said that we don't need to give Him lilies, but weeds from open lot will do. There is a story n the Bible off a rich man who comes to the temple to give an offering and he gave a large amount, but then a poor old woman also came to the temple to give and offering, and she a gave two copper pieces which was all that she had. Jesus then asked His disciples who gave the most. The answer was the woman, because she gave something hat meant more to her than the rich man. We should take this lesson to heart. Even when we don't have the most we should give what we cherish the most, and sometimes that is just our time. What f God kept a time sheet of how much we pend on face before Him in prayer. Wouldn't it be sad if we only spent a total of a month of our lives in prayer.