great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

I strongly believe that I have improved in many different things. I really do believe that most of my improvements came from reading all of the stories and sharing what I thought about them for our post every week. Also, I do think also think  I improved when it comes to speaking in our circle sessions in class. Even though I could improve a little more when it comes to that. Another, is that I do believe I improved when it comes to citing in my essay and keeping my essay well organized with transitions. Overall, I do believe I improved in many different parts. When we first started in the beginning of the semester I was way more shy but as the semester continued I wasn’t as shy. One thing that I do believe i still need to work on is when it comes time to free write. It could get difficult for me to think in such a fast pace and to be able to make it all make sense at the end.

The theme of suffering comes to mind when I think about The Endgame. Each character in one way or another seems to show some suffering. They all in one room with nothing else left in their lives. For example, Clove throughout the story seemed to Ham’s servant in which he wasn’t. Another point would be how each character is just living in this room and basically just living for no reason. The Endgame can be compared to many different things but when watching the video “Breath” it reminded of me of someone suffering or someone who is loosing their breathe. I feel that this video is showing what the characters are feeling in the inside and that they may not show. For example, Ham’s parents are living in trash cans and are not able to do anything. All of these characters are stuck in this one room suffocating, which reminds me of the video. Also, the setting of both are very similar in the way that it is very dark, cold and dull.

1. In Kafka’s The Metamorphosis do you believe that the transformation Gregor has experienced has allowed him to express his inner thoughts more? How do these thoughts express his feelings that he has towards his family?
2. How does the theme of isolation relate to The Judgement, and The Metamorphosis? Also, why may you think Kafka used the same name for the main characters in these two works? Could there be an actual connection?

Isolation is shown throughout Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. In Kafka’s story you see the isolation when Gregor is in his room for most of the time after his change. As well in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” the group of people that are living in this cave as isolated from society. I believe that these two stories definitely are very similar when speaking of isolation. Even though they both compare when bringing up isolation they could also be very different. In Kafka’s story Gregor takes the isolation in a positive way. Unlike in Plato’s allegory it says “However, one man breaks free from his chains and runs out of the cave.” From reading this it shows that the man is escaping the isolation and leaving the isolation is taken positive. Gregor seems to like the isolation and starts to enjoy it. Even though he isn’t who he is but the fact that a lot of the pressure of trying to provide for his family is not on him anymore.

Kafka definitely chose a tragic and unexpected ending the short story “The Judgment”. Georg Bendemann the protagonist of the story made a bold move when he decided to kill himself. There could be many reasons as to what drove him into take such a turn. I have come to the conclusion that Georg father was the person who drove him into committing suicide. There are many points throughout the story that shows that they didn’t have the greatest father and son relationship. On the third page it says, “Georg was surprised how dark his father’s room was, even on this sunny morning”. Usually when the sun is out it has been said that people are way happier, yet Georg and his father seem to still have a dark atmosphere. Georg speaks about his father as someone who knows more than him or someone who is just better than himself. The rude comments that were said towards Georg by his father could be the reason why he committed suicide. Especially when his father said “I condemn you to death by drowning!”

Bartleby has been set off to be seen as a very strange and different individual. Being different can always be a great thing, but Bartleby seems to be a different kind of different. As he is introduced in the story he become very well known for always repeating “I prefer not to”. As seen on page 302 this was the first time he has said it when he was asked to examine a paper. The narrator shared how shocked he was with this response and is quite puzzled as to why he prefers not to. Towards the end of the story I really did not view Bartleby as a hero but once I began to connect humanity with him it showed a Satanic heroism. Bartleby is not very clear when it comes to explaining his feelings throughout the story and I believe he does this is because he wants everyone to see it on their own. To start off, I believe what makes him a hero is that he obviously sees something that everyone doesn’t within humanity. I believe he is way more honest and when he uses the phrase “I prefer not to” he isn’t exactly saying “no” but just expresses his feelings towards what he is being told to do. Also, towards the end of the story the narrator says “The report was this: that Bartleby had been a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letter Office at Washington, from which he had been suddenly removed by a change in administration” (Melville, 321). I have come to the conclusion that I believe Bartleby see’s life in a nihilism way and sees that we are here for no reason. This way of thinking might have been triggered with all of the dead man letters. Which causes him to sometimes just do nothing in the office and act in a inappropriate way. He may believe that anything that needs to be done will be for no reason, so why waste your time doing it.

Francesca Furca:

Love has become intensely popular through out the story about the “Life of a Sensuous Woman”. This “Sensuous Woman” really has showed that she has experienced a lot through out her lifetime, especially when it comes to love. In “A Teacher of Calligraphy and Manner” she begins to share about how she was once a teacher of Calligraphy and it seemed that teaching this writing to younger girls was a way for her to get away from men. She says “To avoid rumors, I completely gave up relationships with men and managed to overcome every temptation to meet them”. Even though she seems to have been using the writing as a barrier from men she eventually begins to sleep with another man. As we move along she begins to worn the man out, but seems as if she is doing it on purpose. She says “I made love with the man day and night. When he lost his desire, I strengthened him with loach, broth, eggs and yams, and we continued”. This made me believe she may have been somewhat torturing him until he couldn’t any more. If we move to the first story, “An Old Woman’s Hermitage” she tells the two men the story of her first love and how terribly it had ended. A few days after he was killed for having relations with her she couldn’t sleep. She says “But the days went by, and you know, I completely forgot about that man.” She then continues and shares that she was only thirteen, which may have shown that she was too young anyways and maybe she really had no love for the man. That this was all a fantasy and that how quickly her mind went from guilt to just forgetting.

Annie Wang:

In the story “From Life of a Sensuous Women”, this “Sensuous women” had explored love at a young age and in the beginning she expressive about herself, “When people did my hair, I wouldn’t be satisfied and I’d redo it myself”. But as the story goes on she seem to have more urge for lust and desire. She says “Whenever I saw women and men lying together, I’d feel excited, and when I’d hear them in the dark, my heart pounded”, from here this is where she begins to think about love and wants to explore the feeling of being loved. After she got caught with the first person she felt shocked and sudicial, but then she goes on saying, “But the days went by, and you know, I completely forgot about that man. It’s amazing how quickly a woman’s mind can change.” This experience eventually changes her, like what Francesca pointed out that eventually she will continue sleeping with numerous men and burn them out.

Jacqueline Devine:

Just as Francesca says in her response, the concept of love surrounds all of the stories told by the woman in “Life of a Sensuous Woman”. Francesca talks about how this intense idea of love wears the woman out throughout her life. I also can see that this need for love and a good life makes the woman quite vulnerable. With each man that she encounters, the woman shows her vulnerability in different ways. In “A Monk’s Wife in a Worldly Temple”, she is locked away by the priest who uses her for sex within the temple. She is help captive, but she succumbs to the situation because she is vulnerable to love and the need for it. The author writes about the woman’s change in opinion by writing, “Later I got used to the situation, and I even came to enjoy it.” Another example of this vulnerability comes into play when the woman is faced with being taken advantage of by a man in the story “A Teacher of Calligraphy and Manners”. She does not plan on falling for the man who is depending on her to write love letters to another woman, but she lets her guard down once she sees that she likes him. Her search for love leaves her vulnerable, and in turn the man puts himself onto her. The woman says, “Taking advantage of the darkness, the man threw himself on me and grabbed me tightly.” She realizes that the predicaments she becomes stuck in are because of need for life and love, and she works through them with every story.

The Journey to the West has become Triptaka’s goal to reach. He has been given a job to travel to India to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures. These scriptures will serve a very big purpose back in China because it will help spread Buddhism in his native land. This journey could also be looked as Tripitaka’s road to enlightenment. Tripitaka has shown different points throughout his journey from the Heroic Journey Model, which are his helpers. These helpers are meant to assist Tripitaka. Tripitaka meets along his journey a Monkey King, Pigsy and a dragon. These creatures are immortals that have supernatural powers that will come to use once a demon tries to stop them throughout the journey. These helpers may seem to be a great help, but Tripitaka doesn’t seem to really want to have them along with him because they do have many flaws. I believe if it were up to him, he would just try and go on his own. He shows this act once he meets Monkey. Monkey had committed an act and Triptaka did not agree and he says, “that you had to do penance for five hundred years. If no that you have repented and become a priest you go on behaving as in old days, you can’t come with me to India. You’ve made a very bad start.” These creatures are also here to try and teach Tripitaka in a way. I believe Monkey being a creature with a lot of action, shows Tripitaka to not quit his goal. For example, when they come across the Monster that was found at the River of Flowing Sands. He seemed that Pigsy was having difficulties trying to kill this monster and there was no other way to get across. Monkey then says, “It is true that with that creature lying in wait for us, we can’t get across. But Pigsy, you stay here by the Master and don’t attempt to do any more fighting. I am going off to the Southern Ocean.” Monkey goes off to find Bodhisattva, and he is positive she could help.

To be humble is to be someone who does not think of themselves of being better. When reading “Twenty – two” the theme of Humility stuck out for me the most. The message that I received from the reading was, that one should follow examples from the wise because they are the most humble when it comes to situations and the power of non-resistance. One quote that stood out to me the most was “Yield and overcome”. This is where I began to think of the power of non-resistance and how one goes through challenges throughout their life, and if you don’t overcome these challenges then that stops you from being the best you can be. For example in one other quote it says “Bend and be Straight”. This shows that just because something bends it doesn’t mean it can’t be straight again, and I connected this to life and the challenges in it. Moving further, he then brings up the wise and says “Therefore the wise embrace the one And set an example to all.” This demonstrates that the wise are the ones we should all follow because they demonstrate what being humble is. They acknowledge that they still have much to learn, instead of someone who is prideful believes they know everything. A great example from the poem would be “Not boasting, They never falter”. Which demonstrates that they don’t show off, but they will never lose momentum.