A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The community in the story would likely have reacted differently if the character with enormous wings had been a woman rather than a man.

• How might the story be different if the old man with enormous wings had been a woman? (topic sentence)
• How does society treat women differently than men—both for better and for worse?
• Why does the author place a man in the role of the character with enormous wings?

2. Márquez provides a detailed description of the old man with enormous wings.

• How does the author describe the old man’s appearance? (topic sentence)
• How do these characterizations imply that the old man with enormous wings is a fallen angel? Why would this matter in the context of the story?
• Conclude with a statement about the implications of the angel’s status and this implication’s relation to a theme or message in the story.