Magic Realism in A.V.O.M.W.E.W

The story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings can be categorized as an example of magic realism due to the fact that the story largely takes place in a setting which is described as any real place would. The weather is often described in the story and its effects on the people in the story are not overlooked. There is nothing fantastical or unbelievable about this story except for the old man who happens to have enormous wings. With the exception of having wings he is described as looking just like a man who is very old.

Can it be said that Gabriel Garcia Marquez does a good job of incorporating the fantastical elements of his story with the realistic settings and interactions of the story?

Fear

One of Okonkwo’s main fears is of becoming a failure like his father. A probable reason for this is that when Okonkwo first took over the responsibility of providing for his family he had few resources at his disposal. When Okonkwo’s father died he left very little for his family due to his laziness in life, it is probable that one of the reasons that he was so afraid of failing is that he didn’t want his family to struggle as he did when he took on the responsibility of caring for others. Okonkwo seems to want to be able to pass on more to his sons than just possessions though he also tries to instill a good work ethic in his sons, sometimes by force. What other reasons could there be for Okonkwo’s fierce determination to not become his father?

One day in the Life of . . .

Ellipses opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock across the room from him. It was four a.m. and the alarm had yet to ring. Ellipses went over to his desk and turned on the computer. As music began playing quietly from the speakers he went online to check his e-mail. Ellipses then proceeded to read some of the early morning news stories and when that was done he read an update to a short story that he had been following for a few weeks. At six the alarm rang and Ellipses began preparing for school. As he got out of his morning shower he was glad to hear that the noise he had made so far had not woken his little sisters or his mom from their sleep.

Ellipses called his dad to get a ride to school and while waiting for him to get there he ate a quick breakfast and said goodbye to his mom, his sisters were still asleep as he walked out the door. Ellipses was glad he wasn’t rushed this Tuesday morning and took his time to wander around the quad aimlessly as he made a few changes to the mental outline he had made for a story he had been writing for a while. As he walked around he responded to the greetings he received but otherwise his mind was not on his surroundings.

Ellipses‘s first class was Astronomy, a subject that he thoroughly enjoyed. The subject matter always interested him but there were times when his mind wandered and he glanced at the watch he wore most days. After Astronomy came Statistics. The class went by quickly as everyone worked on the day’s assignment. The third class of the day was drama. This class was always entertaining and today was no different. After the warm-up everyone scattered to practice their project. Ellipses was nervous about presenting it in front of the class, like he always was, but he practiced it anyways until he had most of it memorized. He was glad today there was no college counseling fourth block so he could spend some time reading in the library.

After lunch came English, his final class of the day. Ellipses spent most of his time listening to the discussion that was going on in the class and interjecting comments under his breath when there was a lull to keep himself entertained.

Ellipses arrived home at around two in the afternoon and spent some time playing with his sister’s pet kitten. It was a stray that his little sister had convinced their parents to let her take in, although it spent much of its time outside. He spent some time doing his daily homework and then had an early meal. By the time his little sister’s and mom arrived home he had been typing for a few hours and had a sizable chunk of his story written out. After a quick once over to check for mistakes Ellipses closed the document and went to spend a few minutes with his family. As the sun was setting, he went out for his daily run. By the time he returned his dad had come by with dinner and they all ate scattered around as they set about doing various tasks.

Ellipses spent some time messaging his older brother in Virginia. He then spent some time reading. At around seven Ellipses watched some TV with his youngest sister and then watched the local news for a while. Ellipses showered and got ready for bed. He spent some time browsing various YouTube videos and reading a few other short stories that he had been following. At around ten Ellipses went to bed and rested for an hour. He then got up and played computer games for a while and then went back to bed and fell asleep. (641)

My Multifaceted Suit

Sergio Tavizon

English IV

(360)

While there are many people who would say that they would like to “buin der suits” or at least a part of their suit, the truth is that every piece of those suits is important. Oftentimes people try to hide or disguise the parts of their suits that they dislike out of fear of ridicule. Sometimes people try to simply tear out the offending piece of their suit and merely succeed in making the situation worse. When there is a piece of our suit that is torn or stained it is often detrimental to the overall integrity of the suit to simply tear out the affected area. The best solution for fixing a flaw in a suit is to take a good long look at the problem and try to figure out what the best course of action is to fix the problem. When someone is unable to properly assess the situation it is often helpful to ask a friend for assistance or guidance.

I find myself comfortable in the “suit” that I wear but it is not often that people see me in real suit. I often choose to show only various sides of my suit that help me further my own agenda. While some people may see this in a negative light, it allows me to better see when others are being deceitful. My adeptness at hiding aspects of my own suit allows me to see more easily when others are hiding things and it helps me much in life even though I tend to ignore many of the signals that people send out. The reality of the matter is that in showing only certain facets of my suit I’m able to effectively hide certain things that I do not want people to know and this is really the main reason that I would rather not change any part of my real self. Another advantage to having more than one side to the metaphorical suit that I wear is that if I dislike an aspect of the suit I am able to better understand what the problem is and fix it more easily.

The Best of Humanity

An important aspect of Antigone’s defiance of Creon is that, in burying her brother, she believed that she was acting upon laws that came from a higher power than a king and were much more important. Antigone defied the laws set by her king and paid a price but in the end she was revealed to be correct in her actions. There have been many great people in history who have defied the laws in their societies in favor of following what was seen as a higher moral path. Many of these people were seen as radicals in their times but in retrospect they are often revered as examples of the best people that come along. It is people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman, and many others who chose not to obey the laws that had been set before them and instead chose to help their fellow man that we now remember as the best examples of what people are capable of achieving. While Antigone did not strike a blow for civil rights or help runaway slaves to find freedom, her actions were along similar lines to those of many people who are held in high esteem by society. Antigone buried her brother’s body rather than have it be desecrated and reviled by his own people in death. A common trait among both fictitious and real people of greatness is their belief that they are doing what is right and not just what they are told is the right thing to do. In this way, Antigone is really a great example of a strong person who chooses to do what is right even knowing what terrible outcome is likely. (286)

My Most Memorable Books

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The only book I remember reading in kindergarten.
2. The Firm, Grisham. The first novel that I ever read. Recommended by my brother when I was in third grade.
3. Sphere, Crichton. The first science fiction novel that I ever read.
4. The Outsiders, Hinton. I read it in fourth grade for the first time and many times since then.
5. The Harry Potter series, Rowling. A friend mentioned the first book in passing and on a whim I checked it out of the library and really enjoyed it.
6. Jurassic Park, Crichton. Read it before I saw the movie.
7. Starship Troopers, Heinlein. The book was much better than the movie.
8. Old Man's War, Scalzi. An enjoyable book.
9. The Shannara series, Brooks. A series that combines fantasy and some sci-fi that I really liked.
10. The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien. Read it with my brother.
11. Mr Poppers Penguins. The first book that I read along with a group of people that I actually enjoyed reading.
12. Holes, Sachar. Just a book I liked when I was little.
13. The Supernaturalist, Golfer. A book that I really liked and still own.
14. The Animorphs series, Applegate. My brother recommended this series and I liked it.

The Road

One of the more prevalent ideas for the characters in the novel is the idea that they are the “good guys.” The two main characters encounter countless atrocities and acts of evil while they travel on “the road” and while they are occasionally forced to do things that they dislike they set themselves apart from the roving groups of cannibals and murderers by never being the aggressors and by helping others even when it is not in their favor to do so. The boy is more often the instigator of the acts of charity but in the end it is his father that always decides whether or not they will help someone or leave them behind to fend for themselves. Neither of the characters is selfish about the things that they own, which is another difference between them and the groups of people that steal and kill for the small amount of things that other travelers carry with them. Both characters have their own set of goals. The father’s main goal is to protect his son even when it is detrimental to his own health. The father often tries to give his son more food than he eats himself and when they come across amenities that they lack or when there is only enough for one of them (a soda, hot cocoa, etc.) the father often tries to get his son to eat or drink all of it without taking any for himself. The son often sees through the ruses that his father attempts and refuses to sample the item unless they both get some of whatever it is. The son often has a different opinion about what they should do when they see other travelers in need. While the father tries not to approach others unless necessary, the son often wants to help when he sees a person that is in need. The son is more concerned for others than he is for himself, his father especially while his father is more concerned with keeping his son away from danger. One of the main ideas behind being “the good guys” is that they “carry the fire.” It is never explained what “the fire” is but it is implied that it is the goodness of people that is lacking in the dark world they live in. Their world is dark both literally and figuratively, the sky is filled with ash and the majority of the remnants of humanity are alive because they have killed and taken the things and flesh of others. It can be said that for the man and his son “the fire” is a symbol of hope for a bright future where they don’t find it necessary to fight with others for the meager remains of a dead civilization. While the two characters often try to do what is right they are also trying to survive which is the main reason that they often run from others even though they try to say that they are also on the lookout for other “good guys.” It isn’t until the final pages that it is even acknowledged that there are others people that want to help others. (528)