English 2850: Great Works of Literature II

Last year during winter break, I had a terrible flu. Leaving my bed would make me feel weary and dizzy, let alone making food for myself was a much bigger challenge. I asked my roommate, Bidyuth, to make me something that he’s familiar with as he’s very adamant about Bangladeshi cuisine. He made me a healthy portion of butter chicken with garlic naan, and insisted we eat it with our fingers. I was always curious about this etiquette, and when I asked he told me that this creates an additional connection to the food; the ability to feel its texture and warmth. He taught me that in his culture, that the purpose of food is not only to feed oneself, but to have a spiritual connection with the experience of eating. This was a revalation to me, as I have been cooking through middle and high school with the sole purpose of not letting myself go hungry. Bid was always critical of the fact that I wolfed down my food whenever we went out, and ever since I have been taking the time to enjoy the flavors of what I eat from day to day. In the uncertain times of a pandemic, Tolstoy’s work reminds us how the awareness of death is a catalyst for one to reflect over the patterns of one’s life. Ivan Ilyich has a stable job and surrounds himself with aesthetically pleasing things, and through the eyes of others is a successful man. But when faced with illness, the illusion of satisfaction with his own life crumbles, as well as his relations with others. The seconds, or even the days that pass by in our lives aren’t always the subject of thought until our mortality comes into question. The text itself is very slow and descriptive, and I felt Ivan’s ‘loneliness in the midst of a populous town and surrounded by numerous acquaintances’, as I am currently locked up in an apartment on the third floor of a nearly vacant building in Manhattan. The only person who went out of his way to help Ivan on his deathbed was the butler’s assistant Gerasim who helped move him to a more comfortable position. It is in these trying times that we realize who really matters. The closest friend of mine, Ethan who moved to Paris to study chemistry has been reaching out to me frequently and we talk for hours on end to make sure we are both okay and don’t lose our minds over an indefinite isolation. I’d say Tolstoy’s ability to narrate a man’s experience of such a harsh and earth-shattering subject makes this a great work.

The uncomfortably foreign subject of life as a slave is obviously the main emotional substance in both Douglass’ narrative and ‘Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl’. Both texts begin with a bleak story of childhood in captivity, focusing on estrangement from family. Where Frederick Douglass had no recollection of his birthday or parents, Harriet Jacobs recalls her father’s yearning to purchase his two children and free them from the family who owns them. These texts enlightened me on how brutal the conditions really were, as on top of the violence both narrators experienced they also both write about their experiences with harsh temperatures (Douglass recounting the frost that formed on his feet causing gashes big enough to hold the pen he writes with, or the summer heat from which Jacobs had no protection from except the shingles on top of her). However, where Jacobs shines new light on this subject is during her experiences in escaping her slave life. Where Douglass focuses on his learning to read in his new life, Jacobs narrates her challenges with motherhood. So much she wrote about them and her joy of hearing their sweet voices, but never actually being able to unite with them, longing for a home. “Through my peeping-hole I could watch the children, and when they were near enough, I could hear their talk.” This separation and the fondness which Jacobs describes her one-sided encounters with her children made this text hard to read. This text focuses more on the aspect of family, as Aunt Martha is Jacobs’ only real connection to a normal domestic life, offering her the luxury of stability and comfort.

1. The fact that the narrator is ‘revisiting’ One Barrel House and starts off by noticing “from the landlord to the waiter there was not a single person I knew makes me think back to William Blake’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey’, since both of them connote the theme of reminiscing. Similarly, although both texts use this as an excuse for writing, it is not what drives the text. Rather, reminiscing is a vessel to convey the message of how people change over time. “In the Wine-Shop” becomes a dialogue between the narrator and a long-lost colleague, Weifu. Focusing on how Weifu now is slower than the younger, more energetic Weifu from his memories, and asking him about the time between then and now emphasizes how this story is not about times past, but about how people evolve between times past and the present.

4. Our narrator’s reminiscence is a great way to further expand on the theme of change. His younger self recalls that he not only defaced statues, but that he wanted to revolt against the ruling structures of China. Confucianism incites in the first book that respecting elders is one of the core values to being a good person in society, and defacing statues that are likely homages to past figures would most likely be considered a very bold societal statement. Now, the narrator has given up on this revolutionary nature because he believes it is a waste of time and accomplishes little. This memory serves to show the difference between the ambitions of the past self and the current self.

3. Describe an example of dehumanization in the text.  What about this moment made a particularly strong impression on you? Why?

Throughout the text, we see how these prisoners are dehumanized, one of those sad instances in the text like we discussed in class was at the very beginning of the text where the narrator says; “All of us walk around naked” This goes to show how they were dehumanized, because there’s a close relationship between nakedness and a sense of shame. They are left naked and force to work under unbearable conditions.

4. A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator.  What does she mean?

The instance with the old woman and what she whispered to the narrator made me feel like she felt sympathy towards the narrator. This is probably because she knew that he was doing his “job” and had no other option. She understood that he was helpless and was trying to stay alive himself, if he had the option, he probably wouldn’t be part of such dehumanizing acts. We can see that after she says that to him, he still thinks about the situation where he even had to ask Henri if they were good people.

5. “Are we good people?” asks our narrator.  What is this exchange about? What do you think?

I think the narrator asked this question to get a type of reassurance even if he knew that what he was doing was wrong. He needed someone to tell him that it wasn’t wrong just so he can feel a little peace within himself. I feel this question rose at the time it did because of what the grey-haired lady had whispered to him. He knew how terrible what he was doing was, but had decided to turn cold towards it, but after what she said, those human emotions he had been hiding came right out. He proceeds to say; “I feel no pity. I am not sorry they’re going to the gas chamber” but deep down I just know that he’s not happy with himself because of the evil he’s being forced to do which he has no control over.

2. Gregor needs to pay off his family’s debts as he is the only one in the family with a job. This gives him the role as the breadwinner, and he is stuck in a lonely, time-sensitive routine working as a traveling salesman. When he turns into a cockroach, one of his first realizations is that he is no longer able to go to work because of his appearance and inability to speak. A further consequence of this is that his family will no longer be able to rely on him as the sole breadwinner. A notable example of this event’s effect on the family is the change in the father’s attitude in part II. The father gets a job to hold down the family, and it comes with a nice clean uniform. As his role has changes, so does his demeanor. He acts more paternal and more aggressive towards Gregor, and is more confident. Gregor’s sister Grete also exhibits a change in attitude. As her role in the family becomes Gregor’s caretaker, her positive affiliations with Gregor dwindle. Her and Gregor’s mother alike are baffled by his new appearance, and their ability to see him as a person diminish.
3. Food in the Metamorphosis is a symbol that represents humanity and later on its lack thereof. In Part I, Gregor recalls from his human form that milk is one of his favorite meals, and has it on his nightstand and enjoys its sweet state. But as a loss of a job alientates Gregor from his routines as a human being, he also begins to lose taste for food. In the second part he is at a metaphorical fork in the road, no longer being able to enjoy the sweetness of milk and his sister brings him various scraps to enjoy. This can also be interpreted as a change in his family’s attitude towards him, as they choose to feed him what is meant to be eaten by vermin. In the third act he dies of starvation as he has not eaten his food. This represents the end of his metamorphosis, a complete alienation from humanity.

I believe Gregor was more powerful before his metamorphosis. Despite the fact that he disliked his job and going to work, he did it in order to support his family. He says how he would quit his job if his parents and sister weren’t so dependent on him. After his metamorphosis, he can no longer support his family. He know longer is able to financially support his family like he once did and because of his transformation, they are now struggling. He became powerless once he turned into an insect. When he was a man, he had the power to make a positive change in his life that could also benefit his family but he never did, so I believe he was much more powerful before his metamorphosis.

In the wake of Gregor’s metamorphosis, his family becomes distant and they become less welcoming of him in the family. While this change caused a lot of issues within his family and caused his mother and father specifically to detach from him, there is some good to their transformation. The sister eventually begins to work in order to support the family, along with the father who before wouldn’t do much at all and hadn’t worked in years. There was personal growth in that sense and the family overall became more independent and realized they didn’t need to rely on Gregor to be the man of the house and be the only person financially supporting them.

A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator.  What does she mean? 

• I believe when the old woman tells the narrator “My poor boy” she is expressing compassion. She understands that it was not his choice to be a part of this monstrous act, but was merely following orders. I believe she knows that death is awaiting her at the gas chambers and knows that he is not to blame for leading her to her death. She feels bad that him being such a young man has to experience this tragedy and take part in it. She knows that he is only following orders.

“Are we good people?” asks our narrator.  What is this exchange about? What do you think?

• I believe the narrator questions if they are good people because he understands that what he is doing is wrong but he cannot help but feel glad that it is the jews going to the chambers instead of him. He feels angry at the Jews and blames them for being the reason that he has to work in these cruel circumstances. He says “I am not sorry they are going to the gas chamber. Damn them all!” He questions why he is feeling so much hatred towards the Jews. However, Henri reassures him that it is normal to point fingers on the weaker individuals. As opposed to the Jews, they have a little more power because they are not the ones going to the gas chambers. By questioning if they are good people, he is conflicted in his feelings because on one hand he knows that the Jews should not be killed, but on the other hand he is glad it is not him that is being killed. 

Explain the significance of the story’s title, “This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.”  What seems strange about it?

• The title is strange because it seems very light and friendly by saying ladies and gentlemen even though they are being led to their death. It is welcoming the Jews but only to their death. It seems as though they are being led to a place where they can begin a new life, however that is clearly not true, from reading the story. The Jews bring luggages filled with their belongings in hopes of starting life elsewhere, because they did not really know where the trains were leasing them to. In the story, the narrator tells us “People… inhumanly crammed, buried under incredible heaps of luggage, suitcases, trunks, packages, crates, bundles of every description (everything that had been their past and was to start their future).” The Jews thought they were being sent somewhere to start a new life, but little did they know they were being sent to a gas chamber to end their life. The title gives off a sense of welcome, which is ironic because the Jews were clearly not welcomed in their own country.

3. Describe an example of dehumanization in the text.  What about this moment made a particularly strong impression on you? Why?

An example of dehumanization in the text and one that left a strong impression on me is where many of these people were all crammed up inside a train. Text states, “People… inhumanly crammed, buried under incredible heaps of luggage suitcases, trunks, packages, crates, bundles of every description(everything that had been their past and was to start their future).” All of these manmade materials, people possessions, together suffocating one another. None of these things could have saved them or protected them, perhaps if they had guns to equal out the playing field.

4. A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator.  What does she mean?

In my opinion this tall grey-haired woman may believe that death is a better option or the salvation of the suffering that she and many others in her situation had to endure compared to the conflict that the narrator is dealing with of being kept alive to perpetrate evil. The story creates this vivid imagery that all of these people like herself who were transported from this train are all crammed up inside, with their belongings creating this terrible condition upon arrival just like when fishes are caught in abundance from a fisherman’s net. He states, “Now they push towards the opened doors, breathing like fish cast out on the sand.” In this analogy, I imagine a fisherman’s net as the train and the fishes are the people who are caught by the Nazis, and when the train doors open, the train is like the fisherman’s net, casting out fishes unto the sand, and like fishes, these people are gasping for air and in need of water.  In one part she looks at the narrator and says, “My poor boy”, then the narrator states, “she whispers and smiles at me.” This to me means that its a signal of forgiveness and sympathy towards the narrator because he is just a boy who is following orders doing his job to stay alive, in essence, he is not to blame for perpetuating evil because he’s only doing it for survival and his only other option would be to die. And that the real evil comes from those at the top of command, those who leave him with no other option but to follow orders. Being that people are mortal and having death as a possibility, as terrible or scary death could seem, in this case, is a blessing in disguise because no longer do these people have to stay alive to bear witness, or be tortured, or be forced to be a participant of evil like our narrator, and finally, no longer being trapped by the people who committed these crimes against humanity. 

6. Explain the significance of the story’s title, “This Way For the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.”  What seems strange about it?

What seems strange about the title is the casualness or the formality or the politeness of inviting people when it says ladies and gentlemen, inviting them to their death by stating this way to the Gas or the gas chamber. It is ironic that the title says ladies and gentlemen because these victims were not seen that way, because in reality they were seen as vermin by the Nazis, so I wonder why be courteous and polite meaning respectful towards them by calling them, ladies and gentlemen? But maybe it is because Borowski wanted to show that these so-called vermins as the Nazis viewed Jews and some of the other groups that are part of society are actually civilized people. In other words, maybe Borowski’s view is that saying ladies and gentlemen humanizes these groups or perhaps redeems their humanity as they were dehumanized by the Nazi regime. They are common human beings like you or me with basic human rights and through and through, even with most of them being forcibly taken to the gas chambers, they were not exterminated because they are bugs or parasites of the world as to how the Nazis reasoning went about but executed and murdered on the premise of being simply people with their own beliefs and values. I also get a sense of deception in the title, in which the title implies for this gas as if this gas is being given away generously or being sold and also I question which type of gas because some gases you have to be careful with, are not meant to be taken, are dangerous and incompatible for people. Once you read the story, you realize that this particular gas being advertised is not meant for ladies and gents. 

1. A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator.  What does she mean?

I think she means although our narrator doesn’t have to go to the gas and go for death now, he will also die after his value is exploited. From this point, the narrator is more piteous than the woman because he works for the people who will kill him at the end with no compensation and even no respect. After he finish his work and his tired and sick body can no longer create the value as a free labor, his death will come.

2. “Are we good people?” asks our narrator.  What is this exchange about? What do you think?

This scene reminds me of the prison experiment and also of what Chinese people suffer in the World War II. In my point of view, perhaps those crazy Nazi are just ordinary people before the war and before hearing those incitement slogans and ideas. Gradually, they become furious after they witness too many deaths and become indifferent about lives. They no longer view others as equal human beings, but rather, animals under the human just like pigs. Therefore, they kill people with no feelings or sympathy. In the prison experiment, ordinary people start dehumanizing the “prisoners” once they believe these “prisoners” are inferior to themselves. Japanese troops also did lots of crazy things to Chinese people such as Nanjing massacre and 731 bacterial troops. Before they were sent to war, many of them are actually kind people but their brute-hood were stimulated by the environment of war.

3. Explain the significance of the story’s title, “This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.”  What seems strange about it?

This title is so strange and sorrowful because “This way to the gas” simply shouldn’t be put together with “Ladies and Gentlemen” just as “Let me kill you” shouldn’t go along with “my dear guests”. Using this title is astonishing to show the calm and indifference of Nazi when they kill harmless people, and the latter even don’t know they will face death shortly, many of who “think now they will have to face a new life in the camp, and they prepare themselves emotionally for the hard struggle ahead” (707). But my dear ladies and gentlemen, it’s not the camp, this way is just to the death.

The significance of the narrator “revisiting” a place he once lived is significant because it represents the way the times have changed along with the new culture movement. He no longer felt a sense of belonging where he came from and he felt like a stranger because of all the differences. When he first returned, he came to realize quickly he no longer new everyone there and all of his old friends/colleagues were gone. Despite the change within his culture, Weifu still performs duties throughout the story that are no longer necessary like giving way velvet artificial flowers. His actions show the way he is resisting to adapting to the new culture.

Filial piety is respect for elders and putting them before yourself, such as one’s parents or grandparents. In the story, we seen an instance of filial piety when Weifu revists his home town. When he gets there, he does his mother a favor and and reburies his brothers in order to avoid issues, both physically and spiritually. When he gets there, his finds the coffin to be empty but still takes it upon himself to bury the new coffin because it is what he was supposed to do for his mother. While he may not believe in any of these religious beliefs involving the dead, his mother does so he does it for her, despite there being no real reason for him to.