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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

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According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of METAMORPHOSIS is:

1
a : change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means

b : a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances

2
: a typically marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animal (as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching
The definition of the work adapting is:
 to make fit (as for a new use) often by modification, to become adapted
In “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, I believe that Gregor was the hero. Gregor was a person that took the role of being the supporter of his family when his father was not able to because of the fact the he was simply “not motivated to”. That comes off kind of striking to me because if a person simply makes the excuse of not being motivated to work then they will most likely be kicked in the ass by society because no one is going to put up with crap. Working is a necessity in order to have a home. Gregor’s father was lucky enough to have a son like him to be the provider.
I do believe that Gregor is the hero in this story although he suffered both in life and death. I believe that Gregor is a very kindhearted individual which is the reason why he took the responsibility as the provider in his home. I believe that Gregor took into account that he has a younger sister who needs a provider. I do not believe that the rest of Gregor’s family truly cared about him. Although his mother and father both wen to knock on Gregor’s door, neither of them went in and this to me shows a sign of not caring. If they did care, they would have went in the room and see what was wrong with Gregor.
Gregor’s family waited until the last moment until his death to stand up and do something about their living situation. I believe that by Gregor dying, it made him the hero because it made his family have no other choice but to get up and get a job. However, I also believe that all the pressure he had on himself was his own fault because he took on all the responsibilities and set no boundaries for his family.

Emily Dickinson “303”

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I have read this poem over and over and found such a strong meaning and feeling in it every time. A lot of Emily Dickinson’s poem are in only so many words but say so much.

In the first line, Dickinson states that “The soul selects her own society”. To me this can mean so many things. From this I can interpret that Emily is stating that one can create their own world in so many ways. For example, there are people in our world who are as if they dont even live in this world but in a made up world of their own. Which to me is what she means by the following line when she states “then- shuts the door, to her divine majority”. I feel as though these few lines alone are very strong and meaningful.

At often times, people in general may feel trapped. However, we can choose too shut our doors and become inactive. Is that what we really want to do though? To live in our own worlds. I wonder what it would be like if everyone did that.

Mid-Term Questions

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1. What is enlightenment? Are we enlightened? By using the texts that we have read in class describe what enlightenment is and how we have or have not been able to be enlightened.

2. In Melville’s Bartleby, Bartleby is faced with depression and states that he will prefer not to do almost anything that his boss asks him too. In a brief essay format please compare and contrast if depression such as the type Bartleby portrayed in the short story would be successful in today’s society.

Cao Xueqin’s The Story of the Stone.

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Question. Was I the only one that was a little confused with this drama?

Vernacular literature, according to the merriam webster dictionary is:

a : using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language

b : of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country

c : of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language

The connection between Vernacular literature and China occurred during the Yuan Dynasty between 1279-1368 due to the major changes in political and social aspects in China. At this point of time, China did not have a traditional dramatic form of literature. One of the more popular vernacular forms of literature was Cao Xueqin’s, “The Story of the Stone” which is said to deal with issues concerning “intellectual, artistic, and sexual aspirations in life”. Cao Xueqin can be considered a person who was well off at his time but the writer of his biography suggests that the demise of his family’s possessions, including their mansion was confiscated probably due to “political intrigues”. “The Story of the Stone” was never intended for publication and was revised with added chapters done by many different authors which  I find to be quite intriguing because each author adds in their own taste to the novel/drama.

Driven “Free Choice”

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illusion-of-free-choice

I know it seems a little old to still be on the topic of “Enlightenment”. But this is partially what I want to speak about today! Must I say, being “enlightened” is over-whelming. To me, being enlightened is to be driven for the betterment of one or all, to be knowledgeable. We all believe that we are all doing the right thing by coming to class everyday. Unfortunately, college is not the only thing that us students have to balance. Some of us have other priorities such as being a mom, having to work to support ones self and many other things. It is never an easy decision to pick one thing over the other when you don’t have a choice. Lately I have been feeling so constrained. Usually, I am able to balance the world on my hands but I’ve been finding myself not able to cope due to the fact that there are so many outside forces stopping me from being able to concentrate on everything all at once.

I have been putting my health at risk so many times and I have realized the damage that it is causing to my body. This blog is stated to be a “free choice” blog, luckily for me but it’s not really free because we still have to do it and I am still not having a option. Being enlightened is great and all but Pope is right in “An Essay on Man”! We are not God! I am over it! It’s impossible to take all these classes that I am taking that are all reading and writing intensive and tell myself that all these classes are truly going to enlighten me when I know that I will probably forget at least a third of it by the end of this semester. Although I truly am driven to achieve success, I cannot allow it to kill me. There is only so much that man can do and retain. Sometimes in life whether we have the “free choice” to go left or right, we still cause a lot of damage on the way, in some other aspect of our lives which has consequences for not doing one or the other, landing us in the slaughterhouse.