Thursday, November 4 Notes on A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

 

Sample 1

  Throughout history, personality and socially-held beliefs have influenced the way humanity

moved through their daily lives and the decisions they made in long-term thinking.

In the short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, magical realism, which is when an author

creates a world similar to our own, but subtly weaves magic into the fabric

of reality to show a world that mirrors their own, and how in that world compassion

and cruelty exist as factors which balance each other in all walks of life. 

The short story opens with the couple Palayo and Elisenda, two downtrodden people,

stumbling upon a winged man collapsed in their rain soaked courtyard. They go on to turn

this bald-skulled man with very few teeth and large dirty buzzard wings, who most believe

is an angel with, into a source of profit. They market him as an angel and turn their backyard

into a circus attraction, which works until he is outdone by other acts, which came to capitaliz

e off of the crowds. Finally, after living with the now-rich couple for some more years, the

angel finally took off toward the horizon, having transformed the lives of Palayo and Elisenda.

Elisenda and Palayo especially display the coexistence of compassion and cruelty. When

they first encounter the old winged man, their neighbor tells them to “club him to death”, but the

couple refuse. Instead, they choose a mask of compassion over the different cruel life

they give the man. They make him live in the chicken coup, children “tossing him things to

eat through the wire”, dehumanizing this lost person to the point of him being treated as if

he were a circus animal. In this instance, their attempted compassion leads to more

cruelty towards the man, the two sides of the spectrum continuing to balance each other out.

Their decisions on how to treat the man are not necessarily cruel for the sake of being cruel,

but their low socioeconomic status forces them to think about their own wellbeing before his.

The overarching message of this story is the lengths to which people need to go to help

themselves to survive.

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Sample 2: The decisions one makes in life  will influence the afterlife. The scale of deeds, or the purification of purgatory are what those who believe influence their lives and decisions. In the short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings By Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author uses the technique of magical realism, which is a subgenre usually used by Latin American writers where there is a realistic plot with magical aspects to the story, and to specifically show  how the cruel and compassionate aspects of the world accompany one another.

       The peasant  Pelayo, a husband and father and his wife Elisenda  demonstrate how good and evil are intertwined in the world by using an anomaly: an old broken down man with wings who has fallen from the sky. These two characters would go through and demonstrate their care and compassion, but also show their cruelty to something and someone for they know nothing.

To start, Pelayo is shocked by the old man’s existence, but instead of casting him off like the other villagers,  he decides to take him in under his own imaginary wing and shelter him. To show Pelayo’s compassion against the cruelty “Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club” This shows that Pelayo is concerned about the old man and, previously from the neighbor woman suggesting, that he “club the angel to death”; he instead decides to watch over him and make sure that he is fine; that no one comes to harm him. Even though Pelayo shows compassion towards someone who he doesn’t have the responsibility to take care of, there is also cruelty behind his actions:  “Before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop”;  “then got the idea of fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel”. This shows Pelayo’s cruelty and greed towards the old man, and the fact that he still sees him as nothing more than a “circus animal''. He may have been compassionate towards him, but his greed for money took over as to use the old man as an attraction as well as the fact that he had dragged the old man through the mud instead of being careful with his broken down body. 

Another example of cruelty and compassion in this tale is Pelayo’s wife Elisenda. Elisenda is shown to show little compassion towards the old man other than allowing him to stay inside of her barn; and in the end when the old man flies off, she shows her wonder and care towards him as the most mysterious thing in her life is flying away.  “Elisenda let out a sigh of relief, for herself and for him, when she watched him pass over the last houses” This demonstrates her compassion towards the old man to be glad that he’s finally made it and is safe and taking off. She may have thought of him as a nuisance to her life, and used him completely as an attraction for greed and money, but she still does show lots of compassion towards the old man. “ The exasperated and unhinged Elisenda shouted that it was awful living in that hell full of angels” This shows Elisenda’s cruelty: here is a beaten,  mysterious old man who seems to be an angel, and Elisenda sees him as nothing but a nuisance to her life,  someone she wishes to get rid of at any given moment. Just as soon as the villagers stopped paying to see the old man, and feeding the married couple with money, is when Elisenda used more of her greed to see the old man as nothing but useless, instead of trying to help and understand him. It truly shows that anomalies in the lives of people in the world can be treated with both cruelty and compassion.

Garcia Marquez  used the anomaly of an old man who appeared to be an angel to show the true personalities and feelings of the characters in a realistic world. Pelayo and Elisenda are the eyes of the story, as they make their decisions on how they should treat a mysterious broken down old man with wings. From seeing this fallen angel, they were both good and evil to him. With religion and the afterlife most would be judged, especially for treating an angel who is an old man so poorly and crudely. The message of the story is, always be kind and good to people who you don’t know and treat things and people with respect and care, because you never know what someone is going through or has been through.

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IMPORTANT:  Please check your grades. If I missed putting in an assignment that you sent, please resend to  dorothy.parker@rcsdk12.org   Grades for this quarter end tomorrow. That allows for the extended time you have had to turn in missing work.

Notes on your The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings essay.

Capitalization!

                   Note that you only had to copy the heading

Italics:        On line, you must use italics anytime you write                                the title of a short story, poem, play or novel.

Avoid:         Repeating the title and author after the introductory                       paragraph. Use the author's surname, if needed.

Bolding:      Do Not!

Subjunctive:    If I were, not if I was

Conclusion:    Do not repeat the introduction; you must                                          conclude with a "big idea": what message should                            be taken away from the essay? Universalize!

Specific to this:   Beliefs are part of everyone's life

Honors:              You must have text woven in

Spacing:             Evenly double space throughout the whole                                      document.

Never:                 In the beginning or at the end. These                                                 are fillers.  Set the scene: when...

Never:                reference the reader. This is not a 19th century                               novel.

Never:               "We": this is not a group conversation or                                            "you think", "you know"

Supposed to:      Write on one of the themes that was given!

Make sure":      For me to edit, always send to dorothy.parker                                  @rcsdk12.org  NOT to the 200660

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periods 1 and 4.

Quickwrite: In your notebook, repond to the following prompt:

This is the last assignment for this marking quarter. I am counting this as bonus work. 

Due today!

In Shelley’s poem Ozymandias’ statue has the inscription, “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” yet there is nothing but sand and ruins. To what extent does one have control  over how we are remembered in the future? What could Ozymandias have done while he lived that might’ve helped towards the preservation of his statue? Personal response (do not start with I!; minimum 200 words.

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe

1. I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

5. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

10. My name is Ozymandias*, King of Kings; 

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

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Period 2: 

 

Celebrated with fireworks as Guy Fawkes Day, this English holiday marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, when Roman Catholics led by Robert Catesby tried to blow up Parliament, the king, and his family this day in 1605.

In class cleansing activity. Clear your desks. 

Spread out the desks!

Wednesday, November 3: Ozymandius

Learning targets:  I can demonstrate an understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

                              I can evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; identify any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. 

Ozymandius by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley, who lived from 1792-1822, was an important poet during a literary and artistic period that’s known as the era of English Romanticism. He is regarded by some as one of the most influential poets in the English language. Ozymandias is one of his best-known works.  

Vocabulary

.1. visage (noun) : a person’s face, with reference to their expression

 2.

Ozymandias is another name for the pharaoh Ramses II who ruled Ancient Egypt from 1279-1213 BCE.

3. colossal (adjective) : extremely large

Colussus of Rhodes

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe

1. I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

5. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

10. My name is Ozymandias*, King of Kings; 

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Group discussion questions:

1. Read over the poem again

2. What is the theme or the controlling idea? What specifically in the text led you to that conclusion?

3. Irony: The definition of irony as a literary device is a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and reality. For example, the difference between what something appears to mean versus its literal meaning.

    What irony do you observe in Ozymandius?

Be prepared to share :)

Independent work below. Copy the following questions on a google doc and share, as usual: 

dorothy.parker@rcsdk12.org

 (don't forget to give me editing rights!)

Part 1:

Highlight the correct response

 Irony

1.    What does the traveler describe to the speaker?

 A.    A tall forest in a desert 

   B.    A broken statue in sand 

C.    Smashed glass in the sand

D.    A desert with abandoned techniques

   2. How does the traveler describe the expression on the statue?

A. as compassionate  

B.  as frightened 

C.   as thoughtful

 D. as arrogant

 3. What does the traveler describe to the speaker?

A. A tall forest standing in a desert

B.A broken statue lying in sand

C. Smashed glass sunken in the sand

D. A desert with abandoned antiques

4. Part A: Which statment best expresses the theme of this poem?

A. Ancient rules are an important part of history

B. People are easily corrupted by pride

C. Be wary of the stories travellers tell

D. Power and greatness will not last forever

5. Part B: 

Which selection from the text best develops the theme in Part A.

    A. I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. 

B. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

C. And on the pedestal, these words appear:

 My name is Ozymandias*, King of Kings;

D. Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

6. What is the effect of the speaker hearing about this statue from someone else, as oppossed to seeing it with his own eyes?

A. It helps emphasize how the story has been passed on and the reader should doubt the reliabilty of the description

B. It emphasizes how powerful the king was and how much his legend continues to impact culture.

C. It helps emphasize how the story is a tale that is being passed on to the reader, indicating that there is a message to be heeded.

D. It demonstrates the readers susceptability to the influences of others.

7. For what reason did the author include the inscription on the statue:"Look on my works ye Mighty and despair!"

A. It lets the reader know that Ozymandius was a cruel leader.

B. It emphasizes the contrast between the king's arrogance and the ruin his statue has become.

C. It demonstrates the negative attitude the sculptor had about the king.

D. It compares Ozymandius to other famous kings by alluding to the classic Arthurian legend.

 

Monday, November 1 September Morn: imagery review

 

11-12R2: I can determine two or more themes or central ideas in a text and analyze their development, including how they emerge and are shaped and refined by specific details

11-12R4 I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings. Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning, tone, and mood.

11-12W2c: I can precise language, content-specific vocabulary and literary techniques to express the appropriate complexity of a topic. 

11-12W2d: I can use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to make insightful connections and distinctions, create cohesion, and clarify relationships among complex ideas and concepts

Essential question: How do figurative language devices-imagery, personification and apostrophe- contribute to a poem?

George Marion McClellan (1860-1934) was a minister, teacher, fiction writer, and distinguished African American poet. He is best known for his two poetry collections, Songs of a Southerner and The Path of Dreams. In this poem, the speaker describes a September night in Anguilla, Mississippi

Share with!!! dorothy.parker@rcsdk12.org

Vocabulary

rankish- growing excessively or out of control

begirt-surrounded by; encompassing*

Anguilla-a town in Mississippi

dapple- marked with rounded spots of color

muscadine-a grapevine species native to the South

katydids-an insect, also called a bush cricket, known for its loud

 mating calls.

bayou-(noun) in the souther US a marshy outlet of a lake or river

 (see picture above.)

Directions: We will read the poem three times as a class

                   Note the sound of the words

                  

                   Note the varied imagery: (seeing (visual)

                                                           hearing (auditory)

                                                           smelling (olfactory)

                                             tasting (gustatory)

                                                            feeling  (sensory)  

(Be prepared to identify the types of imagery.)

Copy and paste the poem and the questions onto a google doc. MAKE SURE THAT YOU GIVE ME EDITING RIGHTS!!!!!

             1. Answer the five questions, highlighting the correct response

             2. Respond to the use of personification within the poem, listed as number 6.

(personification is defined as a literary device that assigns human qualities and attributes to objects or other non-human things.)  Parts 1 and 2 will count as a class participation grade.)

Due by 3 pm on Tuesday, November 2

                

                        

                       

 September Night by George Marion McClellan

(1)The full September moon sheds floods of light,

And all the bayou’s face is gemmed with stars,

Save where are dropped fantastic shadows down

From sycamores and moss-hung cypress trees.

(5)With slumberous sound the waters half asleep

Creep on and on their way, ’twixt rankish .reeds,

Through marsh and lowlands stretching to the Gulf.

Begirt with cotton fields, Anguilla sits

Half bird-like, dreaming on her Summer nest.

(10) Amid her spreading figs and roses, still

In bloom with all their Spring and Summer hues,

Pomegranates hang with dapple cheeks full ripe,

And over all the town a dreamy haze

Drops down. The great plantations, stretching far

(15)Away, are plains of cotton, downy white.

O, glorious is this night of joyous sounds;

Too full for sleep. Aromas wild and sweet,

From muscadine, late blooming jessamine,

And roses, all the heavy air suffuse.

(20) Faint bellows from the alligators come

From swamps afar, where sluggish lagoons give

To them a peaceful home. The katydids

Make ceaseless cries. Ten thousand insects’ wings

Stir in the moonlight haze and joyous shouts

(25)Of Negro song and mirth awake hard by

The cabin dance. O, glorious is this night!

The Summer sweetness fills my heart with songs,

I can not sing, with loves I can not speak.

Questions:

1.The setting of this poem is

A.    Moonlit river

B.     Vibrant rainforest

C.    Calm, sleepy bayou

D.    Wild Jungle

2. Part A

What does the speaker’s description of the setting reveal about Anguilla?

A.    The speaker describes Anguilla as only superficially beautiful, overlooking its history of cotton plantations.

B.     The speaker describes Anguilla as infested with various forms of wildlife, suggesting that it is difficult to live there.

C.    The speaker describes Anguilla as a drowsy, listless bayou, suggesting it is a dull town.

D.    The speaker describes the sounds, sights, and wildlife of Anguilla, showing its abundance of overwhelming beauty.

3 PART B: Which piece of evidence from the poem best supports your response to Part A?

A.“With slumberous sound the waters half asleep / Creep on and on their way, ’twixt rankish reeds, / Through marsh and lowlands stretching to the Gulf.” ( Lines 5-7)

B.“The great plantations, stretching far / Away, are plains of cotton, downy white” ( Lines 14-15)

C.“O, glorious is this night of joyous sounds; / Too full for sleep. Aromas wild and sweet, / From muscadine, late blooming jessamine, / And roses, all the heavy air suffuse.” ( Lines 16-19)

D.“Faint bellows from the alligators come / From swamps afar” ( Lines 20-21)

4.

As used in line 21, what does the word “sluggish” mean?

A. disturbed

B. indifferent

C. drowsy

D. slimy

5.

What do lines 27-28 reveal about the speaker’s point of view?

A.The speaker feels excluded from the natural beauty of the bayou.

B.The speaker is speechless in awe of the bayou.

C.The speaker does not feel worthy of the bayou.

D.The speaker is not allowed to sing or speak about the bayou.

6.

In no fewer than 100 words, explain how the poem uses personification to describe the bayou in Anguilla. What effect does personification have on the meaning of the poem? Cite evidence from the text in your answer.

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*7. challenge bonus, worth 100 points: An apostrophe is a literary device (different from the grammatical one) that refers to a speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object. Identify the apostrophe within September Night.