...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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...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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...Absurdity in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” This title is in the reference of the novella “The Metamorphosis” (“Die Verwandlung”) by Franz Kafka (first published in 1915). One day Gregor Samsa woke up to find himself turned into a monstrous insect. And thus begins the story of the Samsa family. Wrapped in a very descriptive narration of Gregor Samsa as an insect and his family adjusting to their new lives, Kafka wove a tale that seem absurd and surrealistic in nature but is soberly realistic. It is the tragedy of Gregor Samsa in which everyone else lives happily ever after. The structure of this novella is a very unique than the standard structure of exposition, complication, climax, and unravelling as Kafka...
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...Stephanie Lowden Period 6 Metamorphosis Essay Aside from all of the physical changes that Gregor encountered, his personality also took some major turns. Before this unfortunate transformation occurred, Gregor did not have the best relations with his family. Even though he was pretty much generating all of their income, he didn't have much of closeness with them, except for his sister. "With his sister alone he remained intimate"; (Kafka, 24). Gregor did in fact care for his sister so much that he wanted to send her to study at the Conservatorium, even though it would cost him greatly. But despite these good intentions, Gregor's mother and father frowned upon such ideas. Gregor also was not aware of his family's true financial status, which is iron since he was the one providing for them. His parents seemed to be keeping something from him. Gregor's separation from his family also had to do with his work. Since he had to travel a lot of the time, he just wasn't around that often to spend time with his parents and sister. Even after Gregor's metamorphosis, many of his attributes remained similar. He still cared most about his work; that was pretty much all he thought about even when he first turned into a bug. 'The next train went at seven o'clock; to catch that he would need to hurry like mad and his samples weren't even packed up, and he himself wasn't feeling particularly fresh and active';(Kafka 3). He had made up his mind that he would have to catch the train - completely...
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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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...Eva Lane April 29, 2015 Essay 2 Modernism/Post-Modernism World Lit Isolation Various radical and utopian influences stimulated by new ideas in psychology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, and political theory were influential to various modernist works. Franz Kafka's, “The Metamorphosis”, which was written during the era of Modernism, provides dynamic visuals meant to awaken its readers to the frightening isolation of individuals in the modern, bureaucratic state, as well as providing an autobiographical undertone. Moreover, the work is reportedly one of the few stories that satisfied him enough that he desired that it be published. In order to truly appreciate Kafka's work it is important to understand who he was and what his state of mind and overall disposition was when he wrote “The Metamorphosis”. In many regards his own personal background mirrors the character Gregor in the story. Although Kafka was intelligent, he lacked confidence and assertiveness in his daily interactions with others. It could be speculated that he felt like an outcast being a German-speaking Jew living in Prague. Throughout the story his inadequacy is represented by the theme of isolation. The insect that Gregor has transformed into following some unpleasant dreams could signify his self-concept, but also his desire to convey the target audience's sense of isolation in the modern, bureaucratic state. There are several themes of isolation that occur during the story. Gregor feels...
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...Despite Gregor’s complete physical transformation into an insect at the beginning of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, his character’s personality changes very little over the course of the book. Gregor is a good man with a good heart – he is very close with his family, especially his little sister. This essay analyzes Gregor’s lonely yet compassionate and selfless character. The reader is immediately brought into Gregor Samsa’s bizarre world in the first sentence of the novella: “Waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered… he had been changed into a monstrous venomous bug” (3). A normal reaction for someone who goes to sleep as human and wakes up the next morning as a hideous insect would be utter shock and panic – but for some odd reason, this doesn’t happen with Gregor. Instead, he rolls over in bed, looks out the window, and the first thing he thinks is that he will be late for work. “I have to deal with the problems of traveling, the worries about train connections, irregular bad food, temporary and constantly changing human relationships which never come from the heart… to hell with it all!” (4). Gregor is oblivious to the fact that his transformation even occurred. He’s concerned about the morning’s commute – and the crowded train – even the bad food he might eat that day! He’s overly pessimistic. But as the novella progresses, the reader learns more of the Gregor’s personality – in particular, his loneliness. It’s obvious he has a lack of interaction within his own family...
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...there is love it is affected in many cases by the transformation of appearance that a creature goes through even if the soul and feelings of the creature have not changed, unconditional love cannot be guaranteed by any deeds, this is presented in all of the stories and myths are to be seen in this essay. In the story Metamorphosis Gregor is the main character, from the beginning of the book he is presented as a hard worker that supports the family in many ways. When Gregor changes overnight into a cockroach and his family stop viewing him as a part of them, instead the familial loyalty and the empathy are tested to their limits. This story shows that love cannot be unconditional and even if a person commits good deeds that aim to help other, it does not guarantee him unconditional love. The quote “Ah, well, I haven’t given up hope yet; once I’ve got the money together to pay back what my parents owe…that should be managed in five or six years…I’ll make a clean break. ” (65) Implies that Gregor is a hard worker and is willing to pay of his parent’s debt in order for them to become happy. This shows his determination to help the family and gain love. Unfortunately in this case Kafka is making a point that there is nothing in the world that can guarantee unconditional love. This idea is also backed up by the quote “Gregor was still here and had no intention at all of deserting his family.” (70). Even if Gregor does not feel that he should be treated differently by his family even...
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...Michael Willar Essay #1 Alexander Balogh World Lit II The underlying metaphor in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” The story, which I have chosen, is “Metamorphosis” written by Franz Kafka. Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” can be read as a depiction of humanity’s condition in the modern. The text can be depicted as humanities condition in the modern world, as Gregor Samsa transformation into a “monstrous” insect. Gregor’s transformation is in fact a metaphor for his realization, as what he is in the Samsa household. He is in actual fact an insect; he exemplifies the characteristics of an insect, he leaves no fun for himself, “He just sits here at the table, quietly reading the newspaper or poring over timetables.” This illustrates that Gregor does not possess human characteristics, but is in actual fact an insect to the Samsa household. One could argue that Kafka’s “Metamorphosis depicts human conditions, as these days, everything is about work, the focus on one’s inner self and inner person has diminished. The human race is infatuated with greed, money, power and status, but we as humans have forgotten and lost the beauty of one’s inner being and self. People have lost identity, in Gregor’s case, he is just an insect, who’s sole purpose is to provide for his family, and not for one second think about his own well being. Gregor does not have any real hobbies; any form of fun, friends (apart from his sister Grete) and all he can do and think about is work. Thus drawing the parallels of...
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...ENGLISH HANDBOOK -“Welcome to my evil lair…” -Mr. Braiman Brooklyn High School of the Arts www.mrbraiman.com http://handbook.mrbraiman.com “EVIL” Welcome to my evil classroom lair. In order to become full-fledged evil “minions,” you need to read this handbook carefully. It explains everything you need to know. “English,” as you may know, is shorthand for “English Language Arts.” Being that we are in an Arts school, but one where academics must and always do come first, it is important that we approach the subject as what it is: an art form. How does one study the arts? What exactly do we do when we study drawing, sculpture, music, or dance? Well, anyone who has studied the arts will tell you that studying the arts essentially involves two things: • Learning about, and developing an awareness of and appreciation for, existing works of art in that particular form; • Developing the skills and techniques associated with the art form, in order to create our own works. In the case of language arts, much like any other art form, we will be studying existing works of art (i.e., reading books, stories and poems), and developing the skills to produce our own (i.e., writing). That’s what English Language Arts is. We will also be preparing ourselves for New York State’s Regents Comprehensive Examination in English, which we’ll all be taking in June. This two-day, six-hour, four-part exam requires no specific knowledge or content, but it does require the skills to listen, read,...
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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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...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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...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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