Write long answers to the following questions in about 150 words each. [2×5=10] a. What was the reaction of the community to the old man with enormous wings and what does it show about humanity and…

a. Reaction of the community to the old man with enormous wings – what it shows about humanity and compassion

In Gabriel García Márquez’s A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings the villagers first treat the winged old man as a curiosity, a “freak” to be displayed for profit. They crowd around him, whispering, poking, and demanding miracles, yet they never consider his pain or dignity. When the priest declares him not an angel, the crowd’s reverence evaporates; they turn to the circus‑like spectacle of the child’s fever and the chicken that dies under his shadow. Only after the old man’s health deteriorates and he finally regains the strength to fly away do the townspeople feel a vague pity, but even then it is mixed with relief that the inconvenience has ended.

This reaction reveals a dual aspect of humanity: a tendency to objectify the “other” when it promises wonder or profit, and a shallow compassion that surfaces only when the strange being ceases to be a burden. The community’s indifference to his suffering underscores how compassion can be conditional, tied to personal benefit rather than genuine empathy. Márquez thus critiques a society that values spectacle over kindness, suggesting that true humanity requires seeing the suffering of strangers as worthy of care, irrespective of any gain.

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b. Explanation of the lines from the poem “A Day”

In context, the poem captures a sudden transition from night to morning. The poet uses personification—hills wearing bonnets—to convey the darkness that night drapes over the landscape. When the “bonnets” are untied, light spreads, and the bobolinks, known for their bright, cheerful song, start singing, reinforcing the sense of renewal. The speaker’s soft remark reflects an intimate, almost reverent awareness of nature’s rhythm; the sun is not merely a celestial body but a symbol of hope and awakening. Thus the four lines together illustrate how visual and auditory cues combine to signal the dawning of a new day, emphasizing the poet’s sensitivity to subtle natural transformations.