The poem “The Gamble” by Laura Hershey explores the concepts of gambling and risk as they manifest themselves in human life. The author claims that although people are taught not to gamble, they embrace the risks when their freedom is concerned. The short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez tells the story of a village in which a winged old man appears. The author describes the villagers’ reaction to him and how their faith is put to test by this encounter. Despite the differences in form and the themes portrayed, the poem by Hershey and the story by Marquez both explore human nature and use antithesis as the main literary device, which makes them similar.
The main difference between the works is that the authors use different literary genres to express their ideas. “The Gamble” is a poem that does not have a well-defined plot and is structured as a sequence of images and reflections. In the beginning, the author claims that risk is something that people are supposed to be protected from. Then, she describes the circumstances under which they face the risk and engage in gambling. A vivid picture of a freedom fighter is created, which depicts how individuals risk their lives, “testing the humanity of people who wear a badge” (Hershey). The story by Marquez, on the other hand, is a narrative that has a clear plot and a set of characters whose behavior the readers are encouraged to analyze. The story’s main idea is expressed not through the rhymes and metaphors, but through the description of the characters’ actions and reactions. Both the story and the poem use a range of literary devices to create the desired effect, but their choice is determined by genre.
The second difference between “The Gamble” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is the themes they address. The poem explores the subject of risk, and the story covers several topics, including faith and people’s reaction to miracles. The idea of humanity is explored through the villagers’ attitude towards the old man with wings. On the one hand, they believe him to be an angel but cannot honor him because of his earthly qualities. On the other hand, they cannot sympathize with him because they do not believe him to be human. This contradiction makes him an outcast and prevents the villagers from feeling pity for him and treating him as a human being. The story explores these themes on a deeper level, depicting various aspects of human emotions, while the poem is more straightforward in its handling of the subject of risk.
Despite the differences in genre and subject, the poem and the story have some similarities. The first is that they both provide an exploration of human nature. In Hershey’s poem, she studies the concept of risk, and the short story by Marquez is an illustration of the idea of faith. Hershey describes risk as something which people are taught to avoid but embrace when they have a sufficient reason for it. Marquez presents faith as a concept that is instilled into people by priests and those “who know everything about life and death,” but which they only embrace when they have a reason to believe (Marquez para. 2). The villagers do not recognize the old man with the wings as an angel, but they believe in the authenticity of the spider woman because it is easier for them to comprehend. Both authors claim that regardless of what people are taught, they act as their own heart tells them.
The second similarity is that both the story and the poem use antithesis as the main literary device. Antithesis is used in writing to highlight the differences between two opposing ideas or images to illustrate the author’s position. In Hershey’s poem “The Gamble,” she contrasts the supposed humankind’s inclination to avoid risk with the tendency to embrace it when the “freedom of our people” is concerned (Hershey). In the story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” Marquez contrasts the villagers’ attitude toward the old man with that towards the spider woman to illustrate his idea about faith. The rich imagery of both works is based on contrasts, and they help the authors to better reach the audience.
Overall, the poem “The Gamble” by Laura Hershey and the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez are similar to each other despite the differences in their genre and subjects. They both study human nature and use antithesis as the main literary device. Both authors argue that the human character is based on contradictions and use them to illustrate the fundamental concepts of risk and faith. The poem is symbolic but realistic, and the story is allegorical and uses the elements of magic, but they both create strong images and encourage readers to reflect on important topics.
Works Cited
Hershey, Laura. “The Gamble.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” North Dakota State University, Web.