Things That Fly by Douglas Coupland

Discuss the following questions with a partner and then record your responses:

1)The first paragraph speaks of a “magic revelation”. Does the narrator get the
magic revelation by the end of the story? What is the magic revelation?

2)What is flying symbolic of? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

3)What is the significance of Minneapolis being a “new crystal city, all shiny like
quartz rising over the Midwest corn fields”?

4)Does the paralysis of the jay reflect human behaviour as “mom” said? How? Be
specific with reference to the text.

On your own: Answer the following questions individually and in complete

sentences

5)Why is there an image of a bird with a key in its beak? What does it mean?

6)What commentary is the narrator making on learning with the line “The parakeet
made me realize how hard it is to learn anything in life, and even then, there’s no
guarantee you might need it.”?

7)How is the image of the aftermath of the hurricane connected to the theme of the
story?

8)What is the connection between flying and doing bad things in this story?

9)How do the “big sheets of glass” function as a symbol in the story? What are they
symbolic of?