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

Thanks to all! Many of your questions are provocative and engaging! Some problems to consider:

• It will not be a good idea to compare/contrast two texts for this assignment, as it’s a relatively short essay.
• Look again at your question, and brainstorm about what is engaging for you. Robert Frost said, interestingly, “No discovery in the writer, no discovery in the reader.” In other words, if you’re not interested, no one else will be either, so really think about how you can make this question an exploration.
• After you decide what is truly engaging for you, try to narrow your focus of exploration. Try to get at something very specific.
• Remember the intent of this essay. Some of you are forgetting the journey model (it needs to be a part of the thesis) so read the assignment sheet, again, and ask questions in class.

Some of the more effective questions are (and although all of these could use some honing, but essentially are quite thoughtful). Remember, these are only questions, not thesis statements:

Jorge M.: In Franz Kafka’s “Judgement,” Georg’s father exclaims that all this time, Georg has only cared about himself and no one else. Do you agree with the father’s remarks? Is there anything that Georg is not able to see or perhaps does not want to see like the example of the prisoners in “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave?”

Daphne: In “The Metamorphosis” by Kafka, Gregor turns into a cockroach and we see how the people in his life react to this transformation. Although Gregor suffers this tragedy some people in his life (including Gregor himself) do not react realistically, how does Gregor in “The Metamorphosis” relate to Aristotle’s Tragic Hero model? Specifically, how does Gregor’s metamorphosis help him to gain more awareness and self-discovery?

Jiwoo: Does Gregor’s family in the “Metamorphosis” merely hate Gregor’s physical appearance? Is there anything the family does not see or does not want to see like the prisoners who do not see the outside world in the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave“?

Susanna: Describe how the imagery in The Metamorphosis compares and contrasts to Freud’s idea of the subconscious. Is the subconscious of Gregor what leads to his downfall and eventual death?

Jacqueline:  Does Bartleby have the trait of nobility like that of a tragic hero or does his story actually exemplify an anti- hero because of his lack of response to the issue at hand?