...“In Kafka’s stories dehumanization is an inevitable side-effect of society” To what extent do you agree with this statement? It is very clear in the beginning of The Metamorphosis that the transformation of the main character into a large bug is used to symbolize that he is controlled by his job, and quite literally dehumanizes him. The author talks about his transformation early on in the book when he had just woken up in the morning. “He found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin”. It is unclear what this transformation symbolizes at first, but soon we begin to realize that he has worked like a "bug" for much of his life and his work dehumanizes him. It is arguable that that the author may be indicating that a bugs life is more desirable than a humans life. An animal’s life would stereotypically be to sleep, eat and reproduce, different from the stresses of a human’s life if work and stress. The author may view dehumanization in a positive light, as the book progresses and the main character become more content with the changes to him. “One could breathe more freely”. Dehumanization as a physical sense allows for more freedom and less restriction upon the character. The author may be implying that the main character turning into a giant bug has been stripped off his human qualities which are the result on over working. The dehumanization on the main character is evident in the first thoughts of his, “oh God, what an exhausting job I’ve picked on!” The...
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...the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late nineteenth century, as well as the interpretations of his work, which helped me understand the themes of oppression and alienation, and how it influenced Kafka’s writing of The Metamorphosis. Although the novel is not a representation of Kafka’s life, parallels between Gregor and Kafka can be noted throughout the novel. The Metamorphosis may have been a metaphorical allegory written to expresses Kafka’s unvoiced antipathy with his life and authoritarian father. According to the presentation over Kafka’s biography,...
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...Gregor's metamorphosis is actual and physical, Kafka implies through his change that all too often mankind is forced into an insect-like existence, no better than the bugs at the bottom of the natural order. When mankind tries to rise above their insect status and connect with humanity, as Gregor did when he emerged from his room to see his sister and listen to the violin, they are cruelly driven back into isolation and alienation. Through Gregor, Kafka presents a totally tragic view of man's existence. Kafka also shows that mankind is driven by materialism, often to the exclusion of developing human relationships. Modern life demands that a person have a job to earn money to fulfill materialistic desires. The materialistic mind-set usually enslaves the individual and transforms him into a beast or insect who does not have time to care for others. Gregor is the perfect example. He hates his job as a salesman but endures it in order to provide material things for his family. In order to have and give financial security, he sacrifices a social life, companionship, pleasure, and dreams. His life is miserable, and he counts the days until he can quit his job. Ironically, the people that he supports and loves prove they have no depth of emotion for him. Once he cannot financially care for them, they one by one desert him, adding to his total misery. Gregor is literally left to climb the walls and die in total alimentation. Through him, Kafka is warning modern society that it is being...
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...Through much of Franz Kafka’s writing, the reader can see how his personal experiences and viewpoints are clearly worked into his many stories. One of which stands out is his story A Hunger Artist. In this story Kafka speaks through the hunger artist of the alienation and isolation he feels in his own body, as well as the emptiness he feels as a result of the disconnected relationship he and his father share. Ironically this emptiness manifests itself quite literally at the end of Kafka’s life, when he dies as a result of tuberculosis of the larynx, which causes him to literally starve to death, just as the hunger artist in the story. It was said about his writing “the early manifestations of authentic originality were nurtured in solitary confinement, with his readiness to see the world through his own eyes.” (Pawel 160) This comes across clearly in A Hunger Artist as someone who is in a self-imposed solitary confinement seeking meaning to his life, much like the hunger artist being locked in his cage. Thus, Kafka uses A Hunger Artist to speak of himself and his experiences. A Hunger Artist is a short story about a once popular spectacle staged for the entertainment of a pleasure-seeking public: the exhibition of a professional “hunger-artist” performing in a cage of straw, his stunt of fasting. The hunger artist spends his fasting performances, and therefore most of his life, in a cage, on display before a crowd of people. His spectators see him as a trickster and common...
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...Metamorphosis is a change in form, structure, or appearance. Change is a major theme throughout Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis. There is a significant relationship between the title, The Metamorphosis, and the theme of change. Kafka's main character, Gregor Samsa, undergoes many changes and his transformation evokes change in his family. Several metamorphoses take place involving Gregor. First, a physical change occurs, "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin," and after that happened, Gregor's voice changes from human into the voice of a bug. "That was the voice of an animal," Gregor's manager said, but the words seemed perfectly clear to him. Beginning to see things less and less, Gregor experiences a change in his vision. An example, found on page 29, would be Gregor seeing the hospital less and less distinctly. A mental change in Gregor occurs when he starts not caring about or having no consideration for his family. "It hardly surprised him that he was showing so little consideration for the others; once such consideration had been his greatest pride." This has is a growing problem with him in the story because of the social change that Gregor has experienced from the alienation from the rest of his family. The only thing Gregor had to look forward to at one point was when his sister would come and clean his room or the charwoman would come in and clean. This was such...
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...KAFKA MARX COMBO _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kafka wrote about the contradictions and anxieties of his time but the central theme of his works, indisputably, is the theme of alienation. Alienation is a complex subject which is linked with its vast historicity from the Judeo-Christian beginnings. To understand alienation in Kafka’s works, it is essential to understand its foundation within a socio-economic context of the modern society. In this regard, Karl Marx and his theory of alienation can help steering our way. The human society, as Marx had stressed in the Grundrisse, “does not consist of individuals; it expresses the sum of connections and relationships in which individuals find themselves”. Human beings therefore cannot exist independently of the society but are shaped by the society they live in. Human lives are dominated by natural and impersonal forces that control society to a great extent. While studying the nature and functioning of the capitalistic form of production Marx had discovered the uniqueness of human labor: “At the end of every labor-process, we get a result that already existed in the imagination of the laborer”. This physical and intellectual labor of man has resulted in the collective development of the productive forces and subsequently became capable of producing a surplus. By taking over control of the means of production, a particular minority class of people adroitly...
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...Through much of Franz Kafka’s writing, the reader can see how his personal experiences and viewpoints are clearly worked into his many stories. One of which stands out is his story A Hunger Artist. In this story Kafka speaks through the hunger artist of the alienation and isolation he feels in his own body, as well as the emptiness he feels as a result of the disconnected relationship he and his father share. Ironically this emptiness manifests itself quite literally at the end of Kafka’s life, when he dies as a result of tuberculosis of the larynx, which causes him to literally starve to death, just as the hunger artist in the story. It was said about his writing “the early manifestations of authentic originality were nurtured in solitary confinement, with his readiness to see the world through his own eyes.” (Pawel 160) This comes across clearly in A Hunger Artist as someone who is in a self-imposed solitary confinement seeking meaning to his life, much like the hunger artist being locked in his cage. Thus, Kafka uses A Hunger Artist to speak of himself and his experiences. A Hunger Artist is a short story about a once popular spectacle staged for the entertainment of a pleasure-seeking public: the exhibition of a professional “hunger-artist” performing in a cage of straw, his stunt of fasting. The hunger artist spends his fasting performances, and therefore most of his life, in a cage, on display before a crowd of people. His spectators see him as a trickster and common...
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...My First Essay My Personal Essay I walked into the first class that I have ever taught and confronted utter chaos. The four students in my Latin class were engaged in a heated spitball battle. They were all following the lead of Andrew, a tall eleven-year-old African-American boy. Andrew turned to me and said, "Why are we learning Latin if no one speaks it? This a waste of time." I broke out in a cold sweat. I thought, "How on Earth am I going to teach this kid?" It was my first day of Summer bridge, a nationwide collaborative of thirty-six public and private high schools. Its goal is to foster a desire to learn in young, underprivileged students, while also exposing college and high-school students to teaching. Since I enjoy tutoring, I decided to apply to the program. I thought to myself, "Teaching can't be that difficult. I can handle it." I have never been more wrong in my life. After what seemed like an eternity, I ended that first class feeling as though I had accomplished nothing. Somehow I needed to catch Andrew's attention. For the next two weeks, I tried everything from indoor chariot races to a Roman toga party, but nothing seemed to work. During the third week, after I had exhausted all of my ideas, I resorted to a game that my Latin teacher had used. A leader yells out commands in Latin and the students act out the commands. When I asked Andrew to be the leader, I found the miracle that I had been seeking. He thought it was great that...
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...Short Essay Kafka, “The Metamorphosis”: pg.1411 beginning with “His father, however,” ending at the end of Part 2. In Kafkas “The Metamorphosis”, the question of how much of Gregor’s humanity remains makes up most of the second section of the story. As the members of the Samsa family adapt to the situation they’ve been put in now with Gregor, each one seems to form a different belief of how much humanity indeed does or can remain in him. At the beginning for instance, Grete leaves milk for Gregor, which means she is assuming that his preference for milk when he was still human continues now that he’s a bug. So maybe Grete believes initially that some part of Gregor might still be there. But then she begins to notice that Gregor’s tastes in food have changed and now likes to crawl about the walls of his room, which makes her begin to realize he is now just an insect. Grete suggests taking all Gregor’s things out of his room to eliminate obstacles to his crawling and to make more space and better for an insect. The mother, on the other hand, argues that Gregor will want his things when he returns to his former human self, and she even refers to Gregor as her “unfortunate son” at one point, saying that she still believes Gregor to be the same despite his appearance. But the father show no sympathy towards Gregor or that he is the same, and attacks him as though he were a wild animal when he escapes his room. During all the commotion Gregor hides as usual, but he becomes anxious...
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...Kean Nicole Nagui Master Ho English 116-602 4/8/2014 Essay 1, prompt 2 Common grounds of “The Trial” and “The Metamorphosis” Works from the one of the most influential author, Franz Kafka, is like trying to read hieroglyphics. Unless, of course you are Egyptian. It is difficult to comprehend someone that comes from a total different era or background. Usually an author, relates their theme of their works with simple and easy literary devices, such as symbolism. So does Franz Kafka, but on a greater scale. All of the aspects and elements of his works seem unimportant, because of the different interpretations of his works. Most of his works , depicts his own thoughts and dreams. Like some authors, Kafka focuses on a single character symbolizing himself or his life. To fully recognized and understand this method , the audience must study his background and just basic history to understand his motive. He stands out against all these other authors because he goes against the flow of the writing norms. Some of the genre's found in his works are Kafkaesque, Magic Realism,Dystopia,Fantasy,Science Fiction,Modernism,Post Modernism and Existentialism. First time reading one of Kafka's predominant novel, "The Trial" was pretty overwhelming. Personally, I have nothing to compare his works to, other than his own work, in particular, "The Metamorphosis." While these two have some obvious similarities, there are some hidden and usually inconspicuous ones that readers, like myself, don’t...
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...BEFORE THE LAW -Kafka The very title of this short piece by Kafka is one that made Derrida pose the question: Is the man trying to gain admittance into the law or into a place where law exists? The phrase, ‘Before the Law’ is circumstantially significant with respect to the situations and conditions of common man before the advent of law. Throughout the story, Kafka tries to induce into the reader, a sense of empathy for the man standing before the law, the gates of which are guarded by a keeper, whose hands in turn are vested with the power to grant or prohibit one’s entry into the law. How does such immense power come to be concentrated in the hands of a mere gatekeeper? If one draws parallels between the gatekeeper and the law, this theme can be expanded to incorporate questions regarding the immensity of the power of law. Simply speaking, the obedience of law is the reason for its authoritative power. This can be inferred from an ironical situation depicted in the story, when the gatekeeper, who does not permit the man entry into the law till his dying day, declares to him that the gates were for him and only him to enter. By way of explanation, the irony of the situation stems from the fact that the man who was meant to and could have gained access to the law, fails to do so due to the power of the gatekeeper, who assumes the same as a result of the man’s bemoaning but unquestioning obedience. The magnitude of the power in the hands of the gatekeeper potentially...
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...Name: Instructor: Course: Date: The Irony in “The Metamorphosis” by Frank Kafka It is true that anyone and everyone who writes can be considered a writer; it is not necessarily true that those whose writings follow a certain ideal structure are writers. According to Smith, what a writer openly says through his writing is not necessarily important; however, what a writer or an author whispers is what is of great importance (Morrel and Niles 128). What this implies is that anything whatsoever can be written to satisfy what readers and the audience are expected to see and feel (Anthony Collins 54). However, the messages in such writings can be continually nurtured in order to increase the power of the emotions and the images communicated if the story is relayed via a deeper message. This means that authors and writers can opt not to put a vivid face in the true significance and purport; this eventually expands the force field of their story’s meaning (Collins 34). Further, this prospers the capacity of the readers and the audience to interpret and explore; particularly, when the author employs the use of writing devices that prompt the readers to explore the writing in very different light. This is the kind of technique that Frank Kafkas employs in his novel, “The Metamorphosis”, in which he presents readers with a story of how a man mutates into a bug – a cockroach. “The Metamorphosis” is not just an intriguing tale, it is also a perfect example of an author employing various...
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...The story “ A Hunger Artist” written by Franz Kafka presents a prophet like main character in a fictional manner exploring a world that isn’t so different from ours and yet very dissimilar in certain concepts that highlight the theme and moral of the story. Kafka seems to explore a misunderstood artist’s view of the world he struggles with and his battle with dissatisfaction. The story portrays a messenger like attribute to the artist, a sense of selflessness and desperation, as well as a clear sense of imprisonment both internally and externally. In “A Hunger Artist” Kafka explores how imprisonment could be on an internal, external, and social level using his symbolic depiction of the cage in the story. Kafka begins describing the artist’s sense of emptiness and misery by stating “His inner dissatisfaction always rankled, and never yet, after any term of fasting –this must be granted to his credit-had he left the cage of his own free will” (Kafka 82-83). This passage describes his pride and his need to stay physically imprisoned as if to prove something to the society, something they still didn’t understand. The cage had been a point of interest in the town for most of the story, but when public interest died down it was merely present in the town but not cared for. This part of the story emphasizes the span of a certain entertaining act and art’s quickly changing trends. This contrast symbolizes the same format of a religious story, the people are interested in the prophet...
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... The Imposter Heros have always been the center of attention . Everybody loves a person that makes the bad do right and lookout for the innocent . What most people do not understand are the qualities of a hero . odysseus is not a hero . Odysseus is a man who left his wife and kids to go fight a war for pride . A war that did not need to be fought . On his journey to troy to fight the war he ran into many obstacles such as weather , nature ,the wrath of gods , and freaks of nature . The thing odysseus is unaware of is that there are suitors that invaded his home in ithaca . The suitors are in his home , drinking his wine , eating his food , sleeping with his maids , and forcing his wife to choose to marry one of them . Odysseus has most of his problems due to him being careless , pride full , and having lack of leadership. Odysseus is not a hero because he left his newborn baby and wife at home to fight a war that did not need to be fought . He fought the war for pride and dominance . He shows very poor character traits when it comes to decisions . He should have waited and stayed home with his son and family . Many people would say odysseus is a hero due to his battle strategy . He is not do to his lack of thought and him being careless . For example odysseus executes the perfect plan to escape and blind the cyclops . Which he broke into the cyclops home , stole his...
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...The Outsiders shows that teens join social groups to help create their identities. In joining these cliques, the adolescents take on both the positive and negative characteristics of them. Looking at life as an outsider and feeling as though one is being treated as an outsider is a matter of perspective or point of view. Adolescence is a time when teenagers may consider themselves to be adults, but in reality teens are still under the control of others. Parents, teachers, and other authority figures are always telling them how to live their lives. This loss of control inevitably leads to the feeling that life isn't fair. For example, Ponyboy knows that he is not safe walking the streets in his own neighborhood. He could be attacked solely because of the way he is dressed. His feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability lead him to conclude that life is not fair. Ponyboy sees injustice on a daily basis. His parents are dead, Darry is forced to work two jobs to support the brothers, Soda has dropped out of school, and the greasers are looked upon as "white trash." He explains that the gang warfare is actually warfare between the economic classes. Because he is from the poor, East Side of town, his place in life is unfairly predetermined.Since the death of their parents, Darry has assumed the responsibility of guardianship for Pony and Soda, and under that pressure he has aged beyond his years. He no longer views the two boys as siblings, but rather as a responsibility. Darry recognizes...
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