Kafka’s story, “The Judgment” describes the relationship between the characters Georg and the Friend. Although we don’t get a define description of the Friend we can tell that him and Georg were once close through their letter conversations. I believe that Kafka created these two characters to represent how he himself, is torn between being the man Georg or being the Friend.

Georg seems to be a man who is successful, good looking and ready to be wed. Someone who has decided his life is good and wants to settle down and have kids to do the same thing. The Friend however, is the opposite. The Friend is a bachelor, tries hard to be successful and moves to Russia to be alone. I can say he wants to be alone because in the story the Friend describes how he does not have ties with anyone in Russia. The Friend says he moves to Russia because his business wasn’t doing well. At the same time it sounds like he’s doing worse in Russia but also sounds content. There was a letter the Friend sent that asked Georg to move to Russia with him and Georg replied back saying he is fine where he is. I believe this signifies how the two egos of Kafka can’t come together. They are always separate but still a part of each other.

Georg tends to hide things about his life from the Friend because he does not want his friend to envy him. However, Georg also wants to keep this image of himself before his friend left for the Friend. To me it feels like Georg wants to be accepted by the Friend which goes back to the point that they can not be separated. Georg pities the Friend but at the same time he won’t tell him to come home. Even though he tells the Friend he is getting married he doesn’t invite the Friend to the wedding. This insults the wife, Frieda, and Georg says that is how it must be.

There is a strong sense of separation between the characters but at the same time they are not separated. This is why I believe Georg and the Friend are Kafka’s way of telling the reader that they are the same person. That Georg and the Friend are himself. Georg is the man he wants to be however the Friend is there as well.

Realism and Naturalism are a shift from Romanticism to the social struggles of the 19th century. We also see that it is no longer the relations of the court but the relations of classes. In the story we read by Flaubert, we had a strong sense of what kind of person the maid was and how she acted with different social classes. We have the working class and middle class that have never been brought up before.

Much Madness is divinest Sense-

Here, I believeDickinson referred to the people considered crazy or mad were actually the ones who spoke the most truth.

To a discerning Eye-

Much Sense-the starkest Madness-

‘Tis the Majority 

She continues, saying how the majority of people saw the ones who thought outside the norm and who spoke sense as threats. The majority saw it as a disease to question what everyone else thought was sense and call it senseless.

In this, as All, prevail-

Assent-and you are sane-

Demur-you’re straightway dangerous-

And handled with a Chain-

Here, I believe she explains that to succeed you must agree to the norm and you won’t be ceen as a threat. Howvever, if you speak up or reject the ideas of what the majority already believes, you will be lock away.

The French Revolution abolished old hierarchies which, led to debates about freedom and equality. During this time the free blacks, the plantation owners, and free white people fought each other to claim land and privileges in the colony of Domingue. For this land in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola was source of many goods traded that contributed massive wealth for France. Under the confusion going on rose Toussiant L’Ouveture, who led the slaves of the island. Britain and Spain knew of the situation of Saint Domingue and tried to gain control. However, France wanted to try and keep the riches of the island so, they liberated the slaves. Toussaint joined the French Republic and successfully drove Spain and Britain forces out. As well as abolishing slavery on the island in 1801. Toussaint declaring himself governor for life made Napoleon uneasy and so Toussaint was captured. Forced into exile, Toussaint died and his second-in-command took over his place.

The man who took charge in Toussaint’s stead was Jean-Jacques Dessalines. This man was known for his ruthlessness for he defeated the French troops on the island in 1803 and proclaimed the island as Haiti. The text I will be discussing is Dessalines’ proclamation, “Liberty or Death”. Dessalines’ proclamation was published shortly after he had crowned himself emperor and within the text, revealed his extremist ways. The message that I was receiving from “Liberty or Death” was that of a threat. To me he just states that to all who oppose him, will be vanquished and to those who join him, will receive mercy.

The points that I found to be strong were his descriptions used to portray the French and other “enemies” as evil. He also put a sense of religious duty into the text which, especially back then, is very effective in gaining followers. The point I found to be weak was his promise to the people who are “innocent”. He makes it seem that the people who are “innocent” are the people already following him and the people who want to remain neutral, he wants them to get involved.  Overall, I feel he was successful in conveying his message of the freedom of Haiti. He dug into the past, brought up religion, made promises and even proclaimed his motto to be “War to death to tyrants! . . . Liberty! Independence!”

Looking back I feel a lot of progress has been made but there is still a lot to improve. There are countries, who countries like the U.S. thinks need to be “saved”. There is still racism and slave trading. There are still many radical groups who kill for “peace”. However, the world definitely has seen change in how we perceive natural rights. People are more “equal” than in the past, if that makes any sense. Laws and society, even the media try to show that we are all accepted for who we are.