Week 1 Discussion

I believe Professor Conway chose this as the first narrative in the course to help us grasp what individuals are capable of and what they can accomplish for our future. According to the final line, “men and women became aware for the first time of the desolation of their streets, the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams as they faced the splendor and beauty of their drowned man.” It shifts from sadness at the man’s death to excitement and admiration for his looks. After visualizing how their environment has changed, the villagers discuss what they would do differently in the future.

I think Professor Conway has assigned this as the first story of the course because she wants us to understand the concept of what people can do to move forward and change the future. In the last paragraph, it states, “While they fought for the privilege of carrying him on their shoulders along the steep escarp- ment by the cliffs, men and women became aware for the first time of the desolation of their streets, the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams as they faced the splendor and beauty of their drowned man.” I’ll note that the tone fluctuates a few times throughout the narrative, but overall it seems to be very authentic. It transitions from being depressed over the man’s passing to being joyful and admiring of his appearance. The villagers discuss what they would do differently in the future after imagining how their environment has altered.

To summarize the short story of “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World”by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it is about how a drowned man was washed up by shore at a village. The body was first discovered by children who had innocent brains to process what a dead body was. They began playing around with the body until the adults of the village stopped them. They carried the body back to try and discover if this was either one of their people or if it was from somewhere else. But as they were discovering the body, they began to appreciate the beauty of the man from his physical features to their imagination on what they thought he was and did. Since they didn’t have any room in the village to keep the body and couldn’t determine if the body was one of them, they let it float back into the ocean. Professor Conway could’ve used this story as a way of showing that there is hope in this cruel world. And also to be positive when expecting the unexpected and embrace it because everything happens for a reason.

I feel we were given this reading for us all to internalize and think about what makes an identity. In this reading we are to think about, what event can happen that will change preceptive, settings, and people? In this book, “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World”, we quickly realized the impacted of a mystery and unexplainable event, shine beauty and life into a village of people. While building a identity for this unknown, dead yet, handsome man, this village soon builds a identity for themselves through them being captivated by this stranger later named Esteban. They come together to send him away the right way with a funeral. They built an identity for this man, even gather other to be as his family and relative for his send off. Once given to the sea again by the people in the village and neighbors, the villagers once with no purpose or bustling work, decided to work on their own village and make it more vibrate and welcome to people like Esteban whom they adore. Both the people in these villages and Esteban gave each other something that matters in life and death, which is identity. Overall, I feel this book moving and gives me a lot of food for thought.

In the short story ” The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez the author describes the wonder and appeal of discovering something unexpected, becoming fascinated and curious of it’s beauty. It perfectly encapsulates a person’s reaction to the unknown, and how they will create narratives to try and comprehend and explain what is before them. I believe the professor assigned this short story because it’s a symbolic gateway into opening up our creativity and to not be afraid of new possibilities but rather embrace them. Being open minded and willing to learn is a lesson displayed by the villager’s in the story, as there point of view had shifted after the encounter with the handsome drowning man. It represent how we should also remember to see things through an open mind and embrace the unexpected as it may serve as way in order to better our lives.

The story “The handsomest Drowned man” it is a very good story by “Gabriel Garcia marquez”. In this story author is describing a fishing village and  one day some handsome long man drowned to that village he was dead they were very curious to watch him they clean is body and taking care of the body and they don’t have space in there house but steal they want to make big house for him.In this cruial world the good people are also there we can say that by people are taking care of the dead man. I think professor has given this reading for the first week because for the understanding of figure and hope . After that the lady was so obessed with the esteban and want to change the surrounding for  him.so from this we can learn that we have to change for people and we have to always help them in any situation.

“The Most Handsome Drowned Man “by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ,the Author is describing a very tall ,handsome breath taking man that drowned and was found by villagers in a small town. The decease was so handsome that when then the  women in the village saw him they began day dreaming , they called him Esteban , his body was built. Even the men was in shock of his beauty .I think professor choose this reading first so we can use our imaginations.

The short story “ The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Grabiel Garcias Marquez shows how people interact with beautiful and unexpected things. And also how people make stories about things they don’t know about. I believe that the professor assigned this short story as the first reading because it shows how some people have creativity, are curious, and interact with unexpected things differently and how they improve their lives because of that. An example of their life improvements is when the people were thinking of making their house door, and ceiling bigger, so Esteban’s memory can pass easily. And other people can stay the same as before when an unexpected thing happens. An example of that is when the men were thinking about why the women were putting so many things on Esteban. He will be the food of a shark anyway.

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is a short story by the renowned Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The narrative revolves around a small fishing village that discovers the body of a massive, drowned man washed ashore. Initially, the villagers are curious about this stranger, but as they begin to clean and prepare his body for burial, they become increasingly enchanted by his unparalleled beauty and stature. They imagine a life for him, giving him the name “Esteban.” The women, particularly, are taken by Esteban, comparing their husbands and the men in their lives unfavorably to this idealized figure. As the story progresses, Esteban’s presence begins to transform the villagers’ perspectives on their own lives and the limitations of their small world. They dream of a grander existence, inspired by the drowned man. In the end, they give him a spectacular funeral and make changes to their village in honor of his memory. Through this tale, García Márquez beautifully examines the power of myth and the human tendency to elevate the unknown. I guess that the professor made this work our first assignment not because he wanted to convey that our world is full of unknown forces that we do not yet know.

In the short story  “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I believe the author is trying to open readers imaginations and to establish a sense of identity as well as question it. In the story, the drowned man was going to be disregarded at first, but after cleaning and a proper dressing, villagers were drawn to the man because of his unorthodox features and abnormal beauty. I believe the professor assigned this as our first reading to teach us the significance of an important figure and hope. Without the people, Esteban would cease to exist and without Esteban, the people would have no hope. When the women became obsessed with Esteban, they gave him identity and this gave them purpose to better the land around them as well as themselves. This change resulted in plentiful springs, a change in architecture and a change in spirit. After reading these stories, us reader are now left to question ourselves and morals. When everything you’ve dreamed of is suddenly in the palm of your hands, will you take advantage of it? Will you change your way of living?

“The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez shows how unexpected events and exceptional beauty can inspire people to see new possibilities and hope for a better future. I think the professor assigned this story as our first class because It teaches us that even in ordinary places, extraordinary things can happen, and people can transform their lives through imagination and hope. The story shows that how a small village’s perspective and dreams change when they discover the body of a very handsome drowned man. I think the professor wants us to be as imaginative and curious as the people in this story.

The story ” The handsomest Drowned Man in the World” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” have a deep meaning regarding to people’s imagination. I think the professor assigned this story as our first class because it argues about how a great person can change others, even after death, and inspire them to be better people. In the story it shows how a dead man change a whole views, he was a very “big man” compared to rest of the village, they would’ve wanted him to be small like the rest, but after his death a woman from the village had an internal feeling  of changing  their surroundings instead. I think we were assigned for this story first to show us how valuable something that we don’t find important can be, and how little things can change our life or the way we think. It also shows how to be genuine, help and understand people.

I think that the teacher assigned us to read short parts of the stories by GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ because his thoughtful stories have a meaningful background that identifies the irony of the plot. Example in the story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” we see that the working and upper classes see the old man differently & directly treat him as someone who isn’t worth it but is in pain… On the bright side, people in the community still understand his pain.“The Handsomest Drowned Man In the World” has a similar plot realizing the narrowness of their dreams to do better. Gabriel Marquez has similar plots to his stories that expand the understanding of the unbelievable to believable as a way of seeing things to be done in a better way.

When I was reading our first short story “The Handsomest Drowned Man” written by Gabriel García Márquez, I was hoping the story will take a different turn then what it was actually portrayed. Nevertheless, the story had a very deep and profound meaning to it. According to me we were assigned this astonishing story “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” as our first story as we will be able to learn about the change and transformation. A change that could benefit you as well as the people around you. How a superficial thing could constrain change in someone’s life for good. As explained by Rena Korb, a professional writer, children book author and editor, change in honor of Esteban is not simply for the moment but forevermore: “The lives of the villagers will continue to change over the next twenty-four hours and on into the future.” (overview of “The Handsomest Drowned Man” para 5).