Question: How does "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" show society's expectations of the enchanted and what are the main aspects of Western society that fuel these expectations?
The reading that caught my attention was "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" because of its ambiguous style, which conveys a very specific ideal dealing with sociology. This reading is basically about the manner in which a society cumulatively reacts to an old man with wings. This reading exemplifies how the modern world can take something as innocent as an angel and entangle it within the presumptions and expectations of its society. In the western world noble objects have always been subject to the stranglehold of religion or science as humanity tries to empower themselves. To have an understanding of an entity is to have power over this entity. Science, in its efforts to categorize nature's creatures, study the ways of all organic life and understand all that can be empirically understood builds the character and power of humanity. In understanding nature we gain power with knowledge while simultaneously distinguishing people from nature. In the reading there are many opinions on what the creature could be. Some say he could be an angel yet since he does not fit the expectations of the folktale angel this presumption is quickly discarded. They call on people who they feel have a better intuition of unearthly creatures such as, a doctor and a priest. This shows the reliance on science and religion for answers. Furthermore, once the people deny the creature of a holy regard because of a lack of holy actions they quickly turn him into a show. This exemplifies the way in which society feels a sense of entitlement in that this freak, if not an angel must have some entertainment value.
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By the "enchanted" do you mean the supernatural? I think you must distinguish between how the Western world applies religious, faith-based ways of looking at supernaturalism and scientific ways of analyzing supernaturalism (as superstition, insanity, myth). How do these two perspectives come into conflict in the story, or how is this conflict implied by the author's slightly satirical treatment of the characters? You end by discussing how the angel becomes a freakshow.
ReplyDeleteDoes this show how society can turn anything sacred into something profane? Is this what you really want to discuss? Decide before you start drafting.