Great Works of Literature II

Use “The Tattooer” to compare and contrast his obsession to your own obsession.

My idea for the final exam question is: Using Metamorphosis and The Tattooer, explain how both stories focus on the importance of physicality.

I was looking at the questions some of the other students had submitted as test questions. One caught my attention, however, I wanted to change one of the readings used. The student said “Examine both “The Tattooer” and “Girl” on how women are portrayed in the stories and write about the similarities or difference on how women are portrayed in the two writings.” However, instead of the tattooer I believe “In Camera” would be a better comparison. The focus on women is more prevalent in this reading rather than in The Tattooer. I think a lot could be written on this subject and both readings hold many details that could be analyzed to support our claims.

Examine one of the texts we did during the semester and use quotes to analyze the message or lesson behind the texts.

If my previous question was too vague, which I think it might have been, I think another good one would be: How does the Metamorphosis build on the concept of there being an overly powerful work ethic within society, to the point where it seems to overpower individuals own needs and desires? How may this may still be relevant in today’s society?

As I discussed in my previous post we read some very influential works of writing that made some kind of social commentary about the wider society in which we live in. For the test question I think we should compare and contrast the various social issues that two writers have discussed, as well as how the language style influences the larger piece. I know it is a bit open-ended but if you narrow down one or two of the main social issues presented from each, it should not be too difficult. (You can choose works from Baldwin, Kafka, Saadawi, etc. ) Hope I’ve helped!

This reading, I feel, has been one of the most meaningful and powerful ones we have read all semester. It discusses the issues of feeling absolutely insignificant and alone to the wider world, and even to one’s own family. If we are to fall into the pressures of constantly accepting or fulfilling obligations without ever so much as questioning them, or why it is we must do them, we might as well have been born insects. We need to always understand the cause and effect of our actions, and whether or not they will positively affect us in the future, as opposed to just blindly doing them. Yet it is  a topic most people deal with in present day society. A lot of people work without questioning where they will go from there, or if it is what they even want to be doing. Thus, the story has roots deep into modern day society.

This reminds me of many others we have read this semester such as Swift, Baldwin, Saadawi, etc., as they make commentary on the wider society through their pieces. For instance Swift shows that society wasn’t putting enough effort towards resolving Ireland’s economic dilemmas, while Saadawi revealed the idea of women being unable to express their freedom of speech without facing brutal punishment for it. Both were very powerful readings as well, and one’s I had full enjoyed reading. Essentially, we read a lot of amazing pieces that make social commentary, and through this want to either create some kind of large-scale change or just act as an outlet for the author’s own personal emotions/anger.

(This is not a test question, but me making a commentary on The Metamorphosis along with a few other readings, as I felt very strongly about them, however it will lead into my next post which will be the test question).

1. What’s the advantage or disadvantage of a poem? Pick a poem we read in this class, and explain how we would perceive it differently if it were wrote in essay.

2. Literature plays an important role in human history and it alters the way we think from time to time. Explain how a specific literature changes the way we think of modern society.