Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interpretation - Essay Example I, in this paper, explore the extent of society’s impact on people’s individual thought. Individuals are the elementary units that form a society and the people’s unique behaviors and practices define cultures and traditions that play direct roles on people and the way they think. This is because culture defines norms and thoughts that are in some cases sacred. The story, ‘A very old man with enormous wings,’ identifies the active role of the society on people’s thoughts as the author demonstrates actions and opinions that are illustrated at individual level, but with great influence from the society. Such a position of the society’s influence is attributable to the author’s style of portraying thoughts and behaviors as norms that. Pelayo, one of the main characters, demonstrates this through his response to his child’s temperature during a night. Though he is not an expert in health matters, he and his wife holds an abstr act opinion that crabs are the cause of the child’s temperature, an abstraction that can only emanate from generally held constructs, either implicitly or explicitly. The position that Pelayo and his wife hold after a scrutiny of an old stranger in their compound also identifies effects of the society on an individual’s thoughts. ... The high level of faith in the woman from members of the society is also demonstrated by other people’s reliance on her opinion to regard the old man as an angel. If the society had not dictated faith in her then some people could have come up with different views about the man’s possible origin (Marqueze, 1-2). Significance of the society is also demonstrated through Father Gonzaga’s approach to understanding the man. The Father’s society, defined by religious beliefs, dictates his understanding of the possible identity of the old man and he casts doubts on the man’s identity of an angel. The social construct of his religion further bars him from making a pronouncement on the man and extensive communication and bureaucracy have to be followed in determining who, or what the old man is. Such identification is further based on social practices among some communities such as the Aramaic. Another aspect that communicates the society’s effect on individual’s thoughts is the people’s generally held opinions that angels have extraordinary powers and can perform miracles. People from different places exhibit this general perception, come to the old man for cleansing and healing and their faith manifest through changes in their various conditions. Similarly, the society’s influence on individual’s thoughts is evident from the fact that a perception that is generally held by many people can change, abruptly, because of developed knowledge from social issues. People do not need persuasion on social mattes and quickly understands them without any consultation. When a girl who disobeyed her parent and as a punishment turned to a different creature comes to the society, no one seeks the counsel of either