Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Metaphor?
Some believe Gregor Samsa's external change is a metaphor for an internal change he has experienced. Looking back at chapter one, what evidence within the text supports this idea? What, then, has changed for Gregor internally?
Insanity Plea?
Some readers of The Matamorphosis have proposed that Gregor is actually insane and only believes that he has transformed into an insect. Evaluate this interpretation by providing specific evidence in the text that substantiates this claim.
Style
Russian author Vladimir Nabokov once commented that the straightforward stle of The Metamorphosis is in "striking contrast to the nightmare of the tale." Look back at Kafka's writing style and, with Nabokov's statement in mind, explain how the style enhances the nightmarish quality of the work.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Dear Nobody
Dear nobody,
Do you know that feeling of finishing a test early? You are the first one done and everyone else is still working. You've checked and double-checked and maybe even triple-checked and still nobody is done. Awkward!!!!
Silence fills the room and all that is heard is breathing. Some breaths are shallow, others seem to consume the room with their immense sound. Pens and pencils scribble across back and forth across test papers. Feet nervously tape and jackets come on and off. Twirling hair, girls gaze off wondering. Boys just look down right confused. Somebody breaks the silence with a sneeze or cough. It's like surface tension. Broken for a spilt second and then instantly returns to its former state.
Finally, a brave soul inside a student's body cries out, and the person is the first to hand in their test. About 20 pairs of eyes watch the journey to the front of the room and back. Then, those eyes return to their own work. Slowly, like molasses, more and more test takers walk up to turn in their tests with hopes of a good grade. Eventually, the silence is broken by the bell and the classroom is emptied. The test is over.
Do you know that feeling of finishing a test early? You are the first one done and everyone else is still working. You've checked and double-checked and maybe even triple-checked and still nobody is done. Awkward!!!!
Silence fills the room and all that is heard is breathing. Some breaths are shallow, others seem to consume the room with their immense sound. Pens and pencils scribble across back and forth across test papers. Feet nervously tape and jackets come on and off. Twirling hair, girls gaze off wondering. Boys just look down right confused. Somebody breaks the silence with a sneeze or cough. It's like surface tension. Broken for a spilt second and then instantly returns to its former state.
Finally, a brave soul inside a student's body cries out, and the person is the first to hand in their test. About 20 pairs of eyes watch the journey to the front of the room and back. Then, those eyes return to their own work. Slowly, like molasses, more and more test takers walk up to turn in their tests with hopes of a good grade. Eventually, the silence is broken by the bell and the classroom is emptied. The test is over.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Dear Nobody
Dear nobody,
What is it like to die? Is it painful? Loud? Quiet? Do your really see a light or feel the eternal fires burning in hell? What if you are run over by a truck, for example. Is your death and the way you feel different from someone who was shot or hanged? If you die with a clear conscience, is it different than if you had died with an unclear conscience? Can you tell if your next breath will be your last?
It's hard to have someone close to you die. Even someone you don't really know, it's sad when they die. Some people say it's good a person died because they are no longer in pain. But what about the thousands of innocent children and teenagers that die each year as a result from car crashes, a drive by, and gang fights? Or the people that die for their country? Can you really rejoice in their deaths? Yet the people who have been in a coma, or the people who have a stroke every week, it's kind of good when they die. But really, what is it like to die??????
In Memory of Ms. Wrede's Great Grandmother, Pearl. 1906-2007. We are sorry for your terrible lose.
What is it like to die? Is it painful? Loud? Quiet? Do your really see a light or feel the eternal fires burning in hell? What if you are run over by a truck, for example. Is your death and the way you feel different from someone who was shot or hanged? If you die with a clear conscience, is it different than if you had died with an unclear conscience? Can you tell if your next breath will be your last?
It's hard to have someone close to you die. Even someone you don't really know, it's sad when they die. Some people say it's good a person died because they are no longer in pain. But what about the thousands of innocent children and teenagers that die each year as a result from car crashes, a drive by, and gang fights? Or the people that die for their country? Can you really rejoice in their deaths? Yet the people who have been in a coma, or the people who have a stroke every week, it's kind of good when they die. But really, what is it like to die??????
In Memory of Ms. Wrede's Great Grandmother, Pearl. 1906-2007. We are sorry for your terrible lose.
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