In Kafka’s “Before the Law”, he deliberately chooses to be extremely meticulous with his word choice. Not only does the interaction between the gatekeeper and the man reveal a power dynamic, but also the exact words they use. For example, when Kafka first introduces the man from the country he says, “To this doorkeeper there comes a man from the country who begs for admittance to the Law” (Kafka 1). Not only does Kafka make it so that the gatekeeper is the one who stands their ground and stays in place, but he says that the man from the country begs for admittance. This immediately gives the reader a notion that the gatekeeper has the power in this interaction. After the man asks for permission to enter but is rejected, the gatekeeper tells him that “If you are so strongly tempted, try to get in without my permission. But note that I am powerful” (Kafka 1). By threatening the man, not only is Kafka once again implying that the gatekeeper is the one in charge here, but he is also revealing the weight of the Law. When the man decides to wait instead of entering without permission of the gatekeeper, it shows that he is a follower of the Law.
The concept of power is extremely prevalent in this text. There is a hierarchy that can be seen with the common man being on the bottom, the gatekeeper above him, and the Law above both of them. Kafka uses this dynamic to reveal how authority rules and most people are slaves to the people above them.
Author Archives: s.islam2
A Woman, a Slave, and an African American
Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglas and Elizabeth Stanton all created works of literature that served as social commentary on equality. Not only were the rights of black versus white people being talked about, but also between men and women. Although these three individuals created works on similar topics, the ways they made the issues relevant were anything but.
Elizabeth Stanton’s speech at the Seneca Falls discussed the issues of women’s rights. It discussed things such as religious, social, and also civil rights of women. The convention aimed to reform the role of women in society and enforce new policies. Although elites in society ignored this issue, the women fought and demanded that their rights be granted.
Frederick Douglas spoke of slavery and his personal experiences with it, which made his speech much more empathetic. He described the unjust, unreasonable and oppressive nature in which slaves were treated. In a sense, Harriet Jacobs combined both of these works as she was a women, but also one who lived in slavery. Additionally, the fact that she was even able to create her work, “Incident In The Lives Of A Slave Girl”, shows that she was educated. This was unlike most females and even men who were also slaves at the time. She places the reader into her shoes, through the use of the character Linda Brent. She is able to make the reader feel much more connected by being blunt and honest with her experiences. For example she states”Reader, it is not to awaken sympathy for myself that I am telling you truthfully what I suffered in slavery. I do it to kindle a flame of compassion in your hearts for my sisters who are still in bondage, suffering as I once suffered” (Jacobs 161). Although this narrative is told in the form of a book, lines like these still give a powerful message to the reader, similar to Frederick Douglas’ Speech, and the women of the Seneca Falls Declaration.
Autumn and Spring
Poems often use many elements such as rhyming, alliteration, and repetition in order to entice readers. However, one that is extremely prevalent in poetry, especially lyric poetry, is imagery. When used properly, imagery can get the reader much more invested by using words to help them relate, visualize or even feel the poem. This emotional investment in poetry is what led lyric poetry to boom during the Romantic period. John Keats’ “To Autumn” and Tu Fu’s “Spring Prospect” were two poems written in a time where poetic creativity flourished. Although Keats and Tu Fu were located in completely different continents, aspects of their works have clear similarities despite having expected differences.
Some clear differences are seen in the forms of the poem. Keats’ work is an ode or a poem that addresses and inanimate object or idea as a person. In this instance, he is using the season autumn and describing it as a woman. For example, on lines 23 and 24 he asks, “Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too”. He even says ‘thou’ as if he’s talking to another individual. Additionally, this ode is broken down into three stanzas, with each stanza changing the season and time of day. On the other hand, “Spring Prospect” is mostly a poem that evokes feelings by describing nature rather than through a conversation. For example, on lines 3 and 4 Tu Fu states “Feeling the times, blossoms draw tears; hating separation, birds alarm the heart”. These words also give an insight onto his mindset when writing this poem. Another difference is in the form of the poems. While Keats’ is organized into three stanzas, Tu Fu’s is written in blank verse, with no stanzas, just eight lines.
Both authors’ use of imagery differs in each poem. In Keats’ work, he uses personification through the majority of the poem. Autumn is the women and her ‘life’ is viewed through the seasons. The abundant crops represent her hard work while spring in the last stanza is written to show autumn dying. Tu Fu uses both visual and emotional imagery with oxymorons to convey feelings to the reader. For example, in line 1 he states ” The nation shattered, hills and streams remain”. This gives the reader an idea of battle and warfare. However, in the proceeding line he states, “The city in spring, grass and trees deep”. By doing this it’s as if he is masking the severity of the situation by using lighthearted words such as ‘spring’ and ‘trees’.
Similarities are still apparent through both poems. They both revolve around nature and the beauty behind it. By the end of both poems, we witness death. In “To Autumn”, Spring has come by the third stanza which represents autumn’s death as a season, and as the women it represents. In “Spring Prospect” Tu Fu states “white hairs, fewer for the scratching” in line 7. When he says this he is referring to the men who have died in the war and have not even become old enough to grow white hairs. John Keats’ “To Autumn” and Tu Fu’s “Spring Prospect” are both forms of lyric poetry and both use imagery to convey a feeling to the reader.
The Modern Frankenstein?
Upon writing Frankenstein in 1818, Mary Shelley did much more than just create a great Gothic novel. She set the framework and foundation of an idea that would be used for decades and even centuries to come. Since then, there have been many different takes on the idea of a scientific pursuit going awry. One of these adaptations is Ex Machina, a 2015 film directed by Alex Garland. It tells the story of primarily three characters who interact and have constantly changing relationships. Having seen this movie relatively recently, the inspiration taken from Mary Shelly’s novel could not be clearer. Both Frankenstein and Ex Machina depict the story of a character who is involuntarily whisked into life and wants to break free. Both Frankensteins’ monster, and Ava, a humanoid robot who has been created by Nathan face similar struggles.
In Ex Machina, Caleb Smith wins a a trip to stay at CEO Nathan Bateman’s luxurious home for one week. Nathan’s house is mostly isolated from society and only has a humanoid robot that he has created with artificial intelligence named Ava. Over time, Caleb and Ava grow closer and she expresses her desire to go experience the outside world to him. Caleb observes Nathan’s abusive behavior towards Ava and begins to dislike him. Eventually, Caleb and Ava form a plan to help her escape and experience the outside. Nathan learns of this scheme and knocks out Caleb in order to stop Ava from escaping. In an attempt to stop her, Nathan ends up getting killed by Ava as she leaves with Nathan dead and Caleb trapped in the house.
Both stories are dark and share many themes. For example, they describe man playing God and creation versus creator. Additionally, there are parallels between many of the characters. For example, Ava as Frankenstein’s monster. She, like the monster in the novel, is a sympathetic character. She’s been brought into life as a creation and wants to be seen as normal by everyone else. She yearns for the outside world and to live a “normal” life. She eventually kills her creator, and goes off to live a life of her own. The audience is left imagining what life will be like for someone of Ava’s or the Monster’s situation. To me, though, the heart of it is what lies at the heart of each character. On top of all the similar story beats, they both are non-humans yearning for a human connection. As the monster states, “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit” (33).
However, both creations are different in terms of their experiences with others. For example, Ava interacts with both Caleb and Nathan and asks questions and receives information from them. On the other hand, the monster has no one to communicate with and even his creator, Victor leaves in fear when Victor sees his creation for the first time. Additionally, the way they use these people is different. In Frankenstein, when the monster first observes De Lacey’s family, he feels admiration. He states, ” I had admired the perfect form of my cottagers- their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions” (80). Meanwhile in Ex Machina, Ava deceives Caleb and merely uses him as a means to escape her confinement. Ex Machina has clearly took inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as it breathed new life into a genre of Gothic horror and pseudo science fiction.
Lemonade Hustle
As a child, money was always something that intrigued me. Although my parents usually gave me some change or a dollar on a good day, I was never able to consistently earn and save my money. I wasn’t able to buy the latest games and would instead have to play my beat GameBoy or Nintendo Gamecube. As summer rolled around, I would notice the people in my neighborhood walk sluggishly, with sweat dripping down their faces. Me and my brother had a plan.
Dreaming of money
Owning and spending it all
Lemonade hustle
Me and my brother decided to start a lemonade stand. Whenever it was hot, my mother always made lemonade for us, and it was the perfect thirst-quencher. As a result, we made jugs of lemonade and kept them in the refrigerator. Once we had our three jugs cool and ready to serve, we set up a table in the garage and left it open for people to come in and enjoy. We charged 50 cents a cup and it was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.
Neighborhood lined up
Serve a cup of lemonade
Watch their eyes light up
By the time the sun would start to set, we would close the garage and gear up for the next day. After several weeks of making and serving lemonade, me and my brother had saved up way more money than we would’ve if we had just stocked up on our parents’ money. However, over time the money became more of an afterthought. We loved helping everyone and watching our neighbors come back because they loved the lemonade or even just to entertain or help us out. We loved hearing people tell us that we helped make their day. We loved the lemonade hustle.
Money comes and goes
But it’s not about the cash
The smile is worth more
Blog Post #1
Hi everyone. My name is Saqib and I am a sophmore majoring in finance. I am from Queens and have been living here my entire life. Basketball is one of my passions and it was of my favorite sports to watch as a kid. I was on my high school’s basketball team my sophmore and junior year, and it became a huge part of my life. However, in January 2014, I was hit by a car during a late night run and could not play anymore. This forced me to take a break and not play basketball seriously anymore. Despite this, I still play recreationally at my local gym.
According to Immanuel Kant, the Enlightment is the process in which one rids themselves of immaturity. Immaturity, as Kant defines, “is the inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another” (Enlightment 1). He is saying that society is too reliant on one another and lacks the courage to use their own knowledge and judgement to make their own educated decisions. Although this definition is straightforward, achieving it is not at all. He argues that mankind struggles to achieve enlightenment because it has become almost second nature of mankind to rely on others. He also states that ‘laziness and cowardice’ are two traits that plague us as a society from realizing enlightenment. It is extremely easy and convenient to follow another person’s lead instead of using one’s own judgement. For example Kant explains, “I need not think as long as I can pay” (Enlightenment 1). Through this he is saying that as long as one has guidance and supports or follows it, he or she does not need to make their own decisions.
Despite us constantly evolving as a society, I believe we still have a long way to go before we can truly identify ourselves as enlightened. From a young age we are taught to take advantage of things given to us. When things are not given to us we often struggle, and in some cases completely refuse to do what we should. Additionally, peer pressure is still relevant and influences many people as they do things solely because people around them are doing it. Although Kant wrote this article in 1784, his arguments still hold merit as we still have not achieved enlightenment as a society.