Incoming Pre-AP English II: Discussion Boards for "Old Man with Enormous Wings" and "Monkey's Paw"

9/26 Update: At this point all responses need to be made on paper. Please submit your COMPLETE (not partial) responses when all 12 questions have been answered.

Respond on the discussion boards to a set of questions for one of the following stories:

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (listen here)

• Genre: The author says this about the genre of magic realism: "Magical realism expands the categorizes of the real so as to encompass myth, magic and other extraordinary phenomena in Nature or experience which European realism excluded." Discuss the ways this story exhibit traits of this genre, where the line between reality and magic are made blurry.


• Character: Think about the reactions the different characters have toward the fallen angel: the neighbor woman wanted Pelayo and Elisenda to club him to death, Father Gonzaga thinks he is an imposter after learning that he could not speak Latin, Pelayo and Elisenda began to charge money to see him, etc.
  
  1. Is there any irony in how they are treating the angel?
  
  
  2. What do their responses to the angel suggest about human nature and society?
  
  Discuss.


• Humor: The author uses irony and humor to blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
  
  1. What are some parts that you think are funny?
  
  
  2. Do these parts help make the situation seem more or less real? How so?
  
  Discuss.


• Symbol: Think about the angel's wings. They are enormous-- so big that it seems they are impeding flight. In the beginning they are soaked with mud, making them heavy and burdensome. Then they are infested with parasites. Near the end, he barely has any feathers left. At the end he begins to sprout new, strong feathers, and in time he is able to take full flight.
  
  1. How do his wings relate to what he is going through?
  
  
  2. How do they reflect the people in the town?
  
  Discuss.

The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs (listen here)

• Suspense: What parts of the story are suspenseful? Discuss how these moments of suspense add to the overall mood of the story. (Be sure to actually identify what the mood is; "suspenseful" is NOT a mood.)


• Foreshadowing: "I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death," spoken by the sergeant-major, is an example of foreshadowing because it hints to the reader that something could happen that would make him prefer death rather than live with the results of his three wishes. Identify and explain at least 3 other pieces of foreshadowing in the story. They do not have to be dialogue. Discuss.


• Analysis:
  1. What is fate?
  
  
  2. Do you believe in fate? Explain.
  
  
  3. How were the Whites playing with fate in the story?
  
  
  4. Bonus: What role did fate play in Romeo and Juliet?
  
  Discuss.


• Analysis: Think about all of the elements of the Other (things, places, customs that seem strange to us) in the story. (Sergeant-Major Morris spent many years in India, he obtained a monkey's paw from a fakir who put a spell on it, Mr. White talks about wanting to see the old temples and jugglers in India. When Mr. White made his first wish, it twisted in his hand like a snake. Herbert saw simian faces in the fire.)
  1. What is the difference between how Morris treats these elements and how the Whites treat them?
  
  
  2. How do these elements add to the suspense of the story?
  
  Discuss.


• Mood: The author toys with our emotions as we read, making us feel at ease in some parts, frightened in others, melancholy in others, etc. Choose two passages (only one or two sentences) and explain how it is supposed to make us feel.

  Example: "Father and son were at chess...the white haired old lady knit[ted] placidly by the fire," is supposed to make us feel relaxed because we can picture a family quietly having fun and being warm by the fire.

  Discuss.


• Adaptation: View this short movie based on the story: LEGO Monkey's Paw.
  1. What is sacrificed in converting the story to a 6-minute retelling.
  
  
  2. How does what is lost reduce the effectiveness of Jacobs' story?
  
  Discuss.