Author Archives: Armand Caguete

What aspects of this short story seem to you to be particularly modernist?

Lu Xun’s In The Wineshop is about the narrator revisiting a place he once lived in. This “revisiting,” to me, appears to be the representation of the modernist attack on old societal norms and cultural aspects. This is because the modernist movement is all about not caring about what the old is but rather what the new is supposed to be. As a modernist writer, Lu Xun brings to the table the old ways of doing things, such as the burial, and rejects it in the form of Wei Fu. Another modernist aspect that this story has, I believe, is the stream-of-consciousness writing in which we can particularly see the thoughts and emotions of the narrator.

The story’s narrator is revisiting  a place he once lived. Explain the significance that this “revisiting” has in relation to the themes of the story.

This “revisiting” thus also plays a significant role in relation to the nostalgic feeling that Lu Xun seems to evoke as well as the theme of change. Throughout the story, the narrator and his friend Wei Fu talk about how they used to be in the old days, and so they realize how much they have changed. The place and the characters themselves are no longer what they used to be.

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

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

With this line by Batman, I believe that the grey-haired woman seems to tell our narrator, Tadek, that it would be better to die a swift death than live with the guilt that he is responsible for the loss of the lives of many, especially the young children. With old age closing in on her, she probably thinks that there would be nothing left to lose. While this does momentarily keep Tadek alive, it doesn’t, however, prevent him from the guilt and experiences he had with the Jewish prisoners.

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

“In the corners amid human excrement and abandoned wrist-watches lie squashed, trampled infants, naked little monsters with enormous heads and bloated bellies. We carry them out like chickens, holding several in each hand” (705).

This, along with the depiction of humans eating raw brains due to severe hunger, particularly made a strong impression on me because it depicts how it doesn’t matter whether you are a child or not. Everyone will get the same treatment: death. Seeing dead babies is not that bad as it almost usually a common case for stillborn, but to “carry them out like chickens” and disregard human life? Pass.

1. What did you learn from this story that you did not previously know about the life in Nazi concentration camps?

Based on my previous knowledge, I have always thought that the Jewish prisoners in the Nazi camps during the Holocaust were all just sent straight to the gas chambers to be burned alive. In this story, however, I learn that there is more to it than that. Babies getting trampled, corpses thrown around like mere objects, and people being deceived about their deaths are definitely new to me, but they were really eye-opening.

I feel that Isabel Allende’s And of Clay are We Created connects to the current pandemic situation the same way Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich does with the “At least it wasn’t me!” sentiment. This is because of the role the media plays in covering the volcanic eruption. Like the focus on the innocent little girl in the story, I feel that the mass media centers on too much on the numbers of deaths, the coffins accumulating, and how it became a contest on which country defeats the virus the best or not rather than devise ways in which they could help the same way Eva Luna tries to get a pump sent to the site of the disaster. With the way technology has advanced in making far distances appear closer, “Oh no, another hundred died” statements are almost always paired with “Well, at least I’m safe in my home!” It is in this case that I also believe that the reason the government, especially Trump, and the general public have trouble believing the truth about the virus is because of the way the media usually alters out perception of reality and thus propagates false news. Because of this, most were quick to regard the COVID-19 virus as “just the flu.” Thus, this, I believe, is also the reason why some, if not all, government leaders around the world are relatively slow in responding and so they leave the masses with the faint hope that “they got everything covered.” However, it all hits different when you or someone close to you experiences the contagion. My mom and some of my friends got the virus, but luckily they all recovered fine. It was unfortunate, however, for one of my friends’ mom. The fear and anxiety that I might catch it as well or that they may fail to recover were inevitable, and as an immunocompromised individual, I had a hard time clearing my thoughts. With all this, I therefore concluded that it is in the reason that we are almost always glued to the screens and the social media that we fail to recognize the entirety of what’s happening until it affects us. And it is in this same reason that we learn to cherish genuine human connection, may it be close or through the bright screens that help us get closer to each other.

1. I think the key point to identifying the two main characters’ races and the issue surrounding it is in their 4th encounter in which Twyla and Roberta got into a heated argument about the busing. The issue that seems to divide them is the symbol of riding the bus. Drawing on Rosa Parks’s bus boycott conflict, with Roberta being against the busing implementation and Twyla supporting it, I think it’s safe to say that Roberta is white while Twyla is black. This is probably because, in Roberta’s defense, she doesn’t want her [white] kid to be mixed in with [black] kids.
2. As a Filipino immigrant who came into the United States roughly 3 years ago, I was really anxious about transferring schools because I wasn’t really fluent in speaking English, even though the Philippines has already been Americanized. First days of classes were really hard on me because I was always anxious about speaking with a pretty thick Filipino accent. I also didn’t know about the ins and outs of the US college curriculum because I came to find out that it is very different from what I had back home. Fortunately, I got around to making some friends to make the transition a little bit easier, especially in Baruch where there is student club about Filipino culture and is comprised of Filipinos. There’s only a handful of them who can still speak the Filipino language, Tagalog, but I can’t complain. Adapting in a new environment is a lot easier when you have friends of the same feather.

Among all the great works that we have read this semester and, in my opinion, even among all the modernist texts that we have read so far, I feel that Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is indeed a great work and is one of the best thus far. Not only does it check points off the guidelines for being a great work since it delivers a message that is both relevant then and now, which reflects the burden of responsibility and sacrifice, but it also uncannily matches the weird situation we are in now.

While it doesn’t contain significant arguments for debate as compared to Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich and ageless “At least it wasn’t me!” sentiment, Kafka’s novella still packs a punch with Gregor and his transformation into a giant bug. His and his family transformations and the way the people around him reacted, are some of the ways in which the text puts itself on top as a great work as they are analogous to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In that case, I feel that Gregor’s giant bug metamorphosis predicament could be the same as China’s struggle. Even in the early onslaught of the coronavirus, people are quick to judge and shun Asian people, specifically the Chinese, for simply because their appearance added by the burden of carrying the blame for the spread of the virus, the same way the characters in The Metamorphosis felt disgust against Gregor. As a domino effect, people are quick to reject the Chinese and their establishments, such as their restaurants, because of the fear that the food prepared might be carrying the virus. It is in this way, I believe, that Gregor’s metaphorical death could be said the same for them. It led us to enforce a stay-at-home order and keep a good distance from others, which we feel are for the better, the same way Gregor’s family believed that his death was for the betterment of their lives.

On the other hand, I feel that Grete’s caring nature is what also makes this text a Great Work as it evokes a feeling of reassurance. Throughout the story, despite other people’s rejection against him, Gregor always had his sister by his side. As an analogy to the present time, I feel that Grete is comparable to our healthcare workers who struggle to do their best in taking care of the infected people while also looking out for themselves. Like the people who have had to suffer losses due to the virus, I think that it would have been easy for Gregor to feel the need to kill himself due to the prejudice he experienced, but fortunately, his sister Grete was always there for him.

In the end, in these trying times, I believe that we should all be Grete and extend a helping hand.

5. Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers.  What is the significance of this scene? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?

“It was as though he sensed a way to the unknown sustenance he longed for” (236).

While the whole story speaks of alienation, such as Gregor losing his connection with his family because of his appearance, this is probably one of the most significant scenes only because of the power of music. Not only does it have the power to soothe people into calming down, but it also, in my opinion, helps Gregor keep in touch with his humanity. It was as though a moment of saving grace for him, making him forget, at least for an instance, his obscure appearance and think about what could have been happening “if the calamity hadn’t struck” (236). Additionally, I think that Gregor also felt a sense of relation to her sister Grete’s violin music since, like him, her music wasn’t appreciated as much.

8. Look at the final paragraph of the story. How does it shape or alter our understanding of the text?

“While they were talking in these terms, almost at one and the same time Mr and Mrs noticed their increasingly lively daughter, … she had bloomed into an attractive and well-built girl” (241).

The final paragraph, I think, both shapes and alters what you think you’ve known so far for reading Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis, by definition, is a transformation of a thing into a completely different one by undergoing a certain process. This transformation is clear for Gregor as he was transformed into a giant bug. However, the metamorphosis theme also speaks for his sister, Grete, and his parents. It alters our understanding because it was as though they matured, or ‘transformed’ for that matter, into different people as they no longer look at Gregor for sustenance. It is, in my opinion, quite an ironic ending as they saw Gregor as the breadwinner of the family before he transformed, but just because he turned into a bug, they saw him as a nuisance and so they felt were relieved of the struggle. Conversely, it is their struggle, especially for Grete as she was always the one taking care of Gregor and giving him food, that shapes our understanding that, in relation to the title, it is our skirmishes or problems in life that ‘morphs’ us into better and newer versions of ourselves.

T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock made its mark as one of the most influential masterpieces in literary history, especially during its time at the early years of the Modernist movement, for being one of the first pieces to make use of stream-of-consciousness writing to portray a dream-like world. In summary, the poem revolves around a man named J. Alfred Prufrock who doesn’t seem to have the courage to tell his feelings to the woman he loves, and so he comes up with doubts and insecurities in his head, all of which stops him and he eventually, metaphorically speaking, dies of drowning.

In relation to the current generation, the poem is reflective of the insecurity and anxiety many of us are experiencing. As pop culture progresses further and technologies advance, our perception of beauty has been changing dramatically. What has been considered the benchmark then is romanticized by most people to be different. The LGBTQ community, for example, is under fire and highly criticized, which leaves most of its members insecure of them/him/her/itself and anxious of revealing their/his/her/its personalities and true selves. Moreover, fashion trends for women and bases of beauty has varied and so some, if not all, women are having insecurities and self-doubt for not being slim enough, not having the latest makeup collection, or whatnot. Therefore, some of them are body-shamed for not meeting the expected definition of ‘pretty,’ which leads to hate themselves and their body the same way Prufrock is with his bald spot. Conversely, men are also shamed for not having the expected six-pack abs or toned muscles, which leads them to become insecure and have the fear to approach women as much as they want to. All in all, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock reflects the mental health many of us are struggling with.

However, I believe that another message that the poem is trying to convey, which reflects the Modernist approach to conventional relationships, is the loss of human connection. In the poem, Prufrock tries to connect with the women, or perhaps his beloved, but does not get the courage to do so. In relation to world events, I feel that this can be related to the current issue of the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that because of the stay-at-home order and self-quarantine, we become alienated to the feeling of genuine human connection. The normal we knew then, such as handshakes and hugs, would become different. Therefore, I feel that Prufrock’s wavering confidence to say what he wants to say could reflect us trying to establish a bond when we go back to ‘normal’ life.

For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
…
So how should I presume?
(49-51, 54)

Presume, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as “to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain.” In the passage, Prufrock assures himself that “he [has] measured out [his] life with coffee spoons,” which means that he has everything calculated and figured out the small details (Dahl). This is because, if taken literally, a coffee spoon is small and holds approximately 10 grams or 0.36 ounces. In this case, Prufrock measures everything he does and so he does not account for changes or mistakes. Additionally, the first two lines of this stanza indicates that Prufrock may not be young for he has “known them all already,” which could be another way of saying the phrase: “I have seen better days.” Going back to Cambridge Dictionary’s definition, this passage means that Prufrock assures himself for he has experienced everything and accounted for anything that could change his life or his habits, and so he asks himself the rhetorical question, “Where should I be uncertain?” (Dahl).

I chose this passage not just because it contains one of T.S. Eliot’s iconic lines, which is “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,” but also because I kind of relate to it. As an introvert, I try to calculate everything, especially when giving an oral presentation in class or usually the first days of class when professors ask everyone to introduce themselves, but I also leave space for uncertainty and adventure. In relation to the poem as a whole, I believe that this passage encapsulates Prufrock’s wavering confidence as it conveys the message of reassurance, which sort of contradicts Prufrock’s self-doubt and insecurity.

References
https://bit.ly/354jyKM – Coffee spoons
https://bit.ly/354jyKM – “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”
https://bit.ly/359yyHs – Cambridge Dictionary

For our creative group project, we created a website. In the web page, we have compiled information such as T.S. Eliot’s brief background, as well as the historical and cultural context of the poem. We have also included some additional resources, which are found at the near end of the page, that we think could help in understanding and interpreting the poem deeper, such as a short-film adaptation, a comic book illustration, and an in-depth analysis by another college professor. Additionally, we have also made our own analysis of the poem and selected some lines that we think either best captures a portion of the poem or seems to scream “I’m important!”

But as always, we leave the poem to your own understanding.

• Armand, Brandon, Avery (missing)

Website: https://thejaycaguete.portfoliobox.net/eng2850grpproj

As quite an unorthodox choice in this case, I would say that another work we’ve read this semester that is comparable to Rabindranath Tagore’s Punishment, in my opinion, is Moliere’s Tartuffe. These literary texts are similar in how their female characters are downplayed in their roles, and their themes of betrayal.

Female characters, such as Tartuffe’s Dorine and Punishment’s Chandara and Radha, are downplayed and are only expected to do what they are told to do. In the 17^th century literary piece Tartuffe, Dorine is expected only to be the household’s servant and not to be outspoken and clear with her opinions. As Madame Pernelle puts it, Dorine should not be “[a] servant with an opinion.” Another character in this text is Orgon’s second wife, Elmire. In Moliere’s piece, a wife is only expected to serve her husband and seen only as an object. In Act 3 Scene 7 of the play, Orgon, objectifying his wife, allows Tartuffe to be with Elmire and tells him that “[he] can spend every hour with her if [he] wants, and be seen with her.” Furthermore, as the play progressed, specifically in Act 4 Scene 5, Orgon reluctantly allows Elmire, out of her own free will, to offer her body as a way to catch the Tartuffe’s evil intentions in action, but stops him only at the last minute when damage has already been done. While the it is not between a husband and his wife, betrayal still plays a major theme in the play as Tartuffe deceives Orgon. Conversely, in Tagore’s Punishment, the wives of Dukhiram and Chidam Rui, namely Radha and Chandara, respectively, are expected only to serve their husbands by preparing food for them after their long day at work and following whatever they say. For instance, Dukhiram, expecting to have food on the table for him “after a whole day of toil and humiliation [only] to return to a dark, joyless, foodless house,” lashes out at his wife, Radha, for not preparing food for him and his brother, which eventually led him to kill her with a knife to the head. Meanwhile, Chidam, on the other hand, expects his wife, Chandara, to do what he tells her to do, such as to stay home, and betrays her by asking her to take the blame for the murder.