Please read the story in your text, 40 Short Stories, pages 118 - 169. Or you can copy and paste this link into your browser. The story is long, however, very interesting; we should find lots to discuss on Monday.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm
Questions:
1) Why does Kafka use a cockroach to serve as the main character of the story? What does the cockroach represent or symbolize?
2) What are the particular details which shocked, moved, surprised, angered you? What parts of the description offered a closer view of the main character or the setting?
3) Why do you think the author, Kafka, use third person to tell this story? Would first person have been a better choice? If so, why?
** Please take a look at the following websites which offer additional information about Franz Kafka. Ýou will need to watch the short film (second link) in order to continue discussion in class.
1. The following link provides some background concerning Kafka's other works:
http://www.kafka-online.info/franz-kafka-quotes.htm
2. The following link goes to a short film by Carlos Atanes which is an adaptation of the story "The Metamorphosis". I'd like you to think about the differences between the short film and the story, as it relates to characters, symbolism and themes:
http://www.carlosatanes.com/metamorphosis_franz_kafka_online.html
3. The following link provides a biography and a bibliography of Franz Kafka. I'd you to think about the parallel or parallels between the short film, the story and the biography. Why do you think Kafka created "The Metamorphosis"?
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kafka.htm
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ReplyDeleteQuestions:
Answered by: Karen M. Delgado
1) Why does Kafka use a cockroach to serve as the main character of the story? What does the cockroach represent or symbolize?
A cockroach is a very disgusting and repulsive insect to humans. Kafka uses a cockroach because Gregor Samsa had always felt like a cockroach or like an insect all his life. For example, althought we think cockroaches are useless, some of them help polinate flowers and they also eat decaying organic material. As we underappreciate the cockroach, Gregor felt underappreciated at his job. His co-workers gossiped him and his boss even accused him of being a thief. I think the cockroach symbolizes Gregor's self-esteem because he felt as worthless as an insect to his family. I infer that he felt that his only purpose in life was to provide for his family.
2) What are the particular details which shocked, moved, surprised, angered you? What parts of the description offered a closer view of the main character or the setting?
I was mostly angered by the fact that Gregor's family abused of him. For example, his parents and sister were in condition to work but they assumed that Gregor had to be the one that had to provide for them. Also, the family never cared to get Gregor to a doctor to see if anything could be done about his condition. I felt pity for Gregor when he was trying to learn to be an insect because he was really alone and hurt and nobody came to help him. In the beginning of the story, the description of Gregor in bed offered a good look of his body, current condition and mood towards his life. He was an insect and could hardly move, his body ached a lot and he wanted to quit his job.
3) Why do you think the author, Kafka, use third person to tell this story? Would first person have been a better choice? If so, why?
I think that Kafka used third person because he wants the reader to focus on Gregor's feelings and actions. I also think that if he included the personal point of view of all the characters, the story would have resulted long and tedious. I think that third person is a good choice because, as mentioned, the story is not so long and also when the reader gets to focus his or her attention to a particular character, he or she can identify better to that character and the story. Third person, to me is less distractive.
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Iride Acosta answers:
ReplyDelete1- I think that Kafka uses a cockroach because they are discusting and people always whant to kill them. In this story the cockroach symbolize how life can be some times, many people have to live under other people, and have to live the way others say and most of the time people don't get to see all what you do for them.
2- What make me angry of the story is the fact the character have to be a cockroach, there can be cockroach every where and I didn't get why his sister thinks that the cockroach was her brother, usually a human would kill it at the first moment. De parts of the story that give me mor edetails about the character where when the autor says: "an exhausting job I've picked on ! Traveling day in, day out. This statement tel us that Gregor was a dedicated an pasionet person, and that he put his family firts and he for last.
3- I think thatthe author use third person in order to let us know what every character feels like an their thougts. I think that the story in first person would turn out great because ww would be able to know everyting that Gregor thinks, and the way he sees the world.
Alvin Vega My answers:
ReplyDelete1) Maybe that's how he wants to show us how Gregor feels, working for the Chief. By what i read, he wanted to tell the Chief in his face that he was quitting his job, because he didn't like it, and because the Chief thought of himself as better then the rest of them
2) What shocked me the most was Gregor transforming into a cockroach. I didn't expect that, but I thought of it as interesting. When the narrator describes how Gregor had changed, and when his sister and mother r trying to move all his stuff away, that's when i got a closer view of the character and setting.
3) Maybe he did it so that we can understand better what the main character is going through, the help us get into his place and feel what hes feeling. It could had been better or maybe it wouldn't be. From my point of view third person is best suited to this story, since it was the authors idea from the beginning, and because we can get in touch, so to speak, with the main character.
Luis J. Rosa Cuevas
ReplyDelete1-I believe that the autor used a cockroach because most of people are disgusted by cockroaches. By turning into a cockroach it would be more likely that his family would reject him like they did. It wouldnt be the same if he transformed into a beautiful bird or something like that. I think that the cockroach symbolized how Gregor felt. Maybe he felt that he only lived to work like a slave or something like that.
2- I liked that he turned into a cockroach because as you read the story you could that he was a good guy. He sacrificed himself for the wellbeing of his family. It seems liked he loved his family a lot and for him to turn into an insect without any reason, that was something I didnt liked.I also think that the family was abusing with him. Making him work so he can pay dept that wasn't his. I think that he shouldnt had to be only one working in the family. Maybe her sister or father could get a job too. Because as you can see when Gregor couldnt work anymore they got to work. A part of the story that gave me a closer view to the character was in the beggining when he begins to describe his body.
3- I liked the idea that the autor wrote this story in third person. I think that he did it because it would be a much better way for telling a story like this one. No I dont think that first person would be a better choice because I think that the story would then be a little more boring and more sad.
1)Why does Kafka use a cockroach to serve as the main character of the story? What does the cockroach represent or symbolize?
ReplyDeleteMaybe because he wanted to show us how everybody felt for Gregor, or maybe that’s how Gregor felt. And by using a cockroach it was easier to get that feeling. I think it represents Gregor’s loneliness and how he was always unappreciated by everyone even though he was trying his best to make everyone happy.
2) What are the particular details which shocked, moved, surprised, angered you? What parts of the description offered a closer view of the main character or the setting?
I was a little surprised by his reaction because he woke up as an insect and he didn’t freaked out, he took it as a normal thing. I was also angered by his father when he threw the apples at him. But at the same time I can’t say that I am angered at the family of how they reacted because what was in the room wasn’t physically Gregor so maybe they doubted if that was really him. I think we get a closer view at the main character in the begging when he describes his body.
3) Why do you think the author, Kafka, use third person to tell this story? Would first person have been a better choice? If so, why?
I think it was because he wanted people to focus on how they reacted about Gregor as well as how Gregor felt. It would have been interesting if it was on a first person point of view because we would get to be inside Gregor’s mind and how he really felt about everyone and his situation.