“Before the Law”, written by Franz Kafka depicts one mans struggles at obtaining entrance to the law. The law is something that the man fears, yet all he wants to do is gain access to it and understand its bounds. The only problem is that the man from the country is met by a gatekeeper who refuses to grant him entry. What is interesting about this relationship between the man and the law is that there is nothing really blockading the man from entering. Sure there is a gatekeeper, but all he does is sit down and verbally deny access. The gate is wide opened. The reason that the man is never able to gain access to the law is because he already has it. This story is a paradox. If the man disobeys the orders of the gatekeeper, then he would have defied the gatekeeper, hence breaking the law. The man’s problem is that he is not self aware. If the man realizes that he is indeed obeying the law, then he would have never came seeking the law. That is why he sits at the foot of the gate for the entirety of his life. The law is a metaphysical entity that is subjective. We decide what is right and what is wrong. If the man were to understand that law is in the eye of the beholder than he would have never asked for permission to enter.
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Monday, 4/24: Staged Reading of Beckett’s Endgame
Just a reminder that we’ll meet in the Engelman Recital Hall (VC B2) tomorrow to watch a staged reading of Beckett’s Endgame. For more information, check out the event flyer.
Before the Law
The way I managed to interpret Franz Kafka’s piece “Before the Law” was relating power and the aspect of life in general. The man from the country approaches the gatekeeper in hopes of gaining access to the law. The law being something that is accessible to everyone, as stated by the man himself. The gatekeeper at first doesn’t grant him the access. The man asks again and he gets a “its possible…. but not for now” answer. So after closely reading, it can be interpreted that the gatekeeper has power and the man is someone of lower power. The gatekeeper would mock the man in a way because he would see that the man was in fact initimated so that made the gatekeeper constantly reminding him that he has power and the further he gets, the higher in power the other gatekeepers will get. After a long time insisiting, the man grows old and is starting to die. The gatekeeper asks the man before dying, what does he want to know? The man wants to know that out of all who work so hard to gain entry, what makes him any different and the gatekeeper responds with “Here no one else can gain entry, since this entrance was assigned only to you. I’m going now to close it.” This story in a way proves that everyone in life has some power the hold. Whether it is given to us, in the sense that we are being classified based off of our class or whether you use yourself to the bestt advantage. The man knew that he wanted to know the law, to be the law but after facing a huge obstacle which was the gatekeeper, he didn’t try to strive for it as much as he could of. He kind of just let it slip right out of his hands despite insiting on it for a bit in the beginning. When the gatekeeper saw that he was the obstacle, he did what he could to remain it. In life, you have goals and once you embark on that road, it is in your power whether you use it to your advantage. As the man said, out of everyone who worked so hard, why didn’t he gain access? The gatekeeper responds with that no one can gain you the access cause only the man had the ability too.
Man and Law: A Two Way Street
As part of growing up in our society, we are taught to respect the law and all that it stands for. People know that they should avoid doing certain things to avoid trouble. Interestingly however, the idea of being protected by the law is not always clear. The notion of forgetting about the protection the law provides can be best explained when observing how we act in front of police officers. In such a case, instead of feeling safer when walking past a police officer, we almost feel unsafe. We are worried that the police officer may find a reason to arrest us- because we know he can- as opposed to thinking that his presence will act as a driving force to keep us safe from other people and the harm they may bring.
In his short story called “Before the Law”, Kafka plays with the same idea. The man is trying to enter into the law, however he feels uneasy about doing so because of the intimidating police officer. While deciding to spend many years in front of the gate waiting for permission, the man deteriorates to the point of not being to get off the ground. It is not before he is about to die that the officer finally tells him that the gate was built specifically for him. The fact that the gate was built for this particular man alone proves to show that the man read the ‘message’ from the police officer wrong. It seems as if the police officer was simply telling him that the law is protective when giving the man a hard time. Unfortunately, in the same way we do today, the man failed to understand that the law also protects him- instead of only critiquing and protecting from him.
Before the law
In Kafka’s novel, his characters are always in the same scenario, trapped into a bizarre situation, don’t know a reason, can’t escape. In this story, before the law, a country man was trying to get into “the law” through a gate but cannot make it at the end of the story, also the end of his life. It seems a lot of challenge for the country man to get through the gate, but actually, the gate is wide open expect a gatekeeper stood in front of it. Country man believed that he was not supposed to get in unless he got the authorized. The gatekeeper had told him that, “If it tempts you so much, try going inside in spite of my prohibition.” However, what the country man did were cursing, begging, and trying to bribe. The country man spent his entire life to get to the law but not dare to enter the first gate. He was frightened by the power that he had no idea with. Only the thing he can learn was gatekeeper told him that “I cannot endure even one glimpse of the third”.
The law, in the real world, is supposed to be applied by everyone. But in the story, country man has to chase for it. So the law, in this story, does not necessary mean itself. It can stand for everything that supposed to share with everyone. But law always comes with authority, which the country man respected and feared. He could reach it but choose to give up and pretend he was pay effort. He looks pity for being denied by law but actually pathetic for doing nothing. Like people in the real world, struggling for life but afraid to change and take risk.
The man and the gatekeeper
While reading Kafka’s “Before the Law” we can determine that Kafka represents the law as a physical space. However, there are many questions about what is the law and who has access to the law that arise while reading this story. The way the man from the country interacts with the law and the gatekeeper shows us that the law cannot be contained by one person and is more powerful than we know. When the man asks permission to enter into the law later since he is not allowed to enter now, the gatekeeper says, “it is possible” but also adds “but not now.” By saying this to the man we are unclear why the man is not allowed in and is it also unclear if, when, and why he might be let in in the future. The gatekeeper also mentions there are other gatekeepers who are more powerful than he, as mentioned in the story “the man from the country has not expected such difficulties” and he believes “the law should always be accessible to everyone.” This begins the questioning. What is the law? Why are some allowed access to the law and not others? What makes the law so powerful? Since the gatekeeper seems to have authority the man decides to wait for permission to go inside. The man wait for years to enter into the law with no success. “He forgets the other gatekeepers, and this first one seems to him the only obstacle for entry into the law.” This line intrigued me, because the man never does see another gatekeeper. So, it is possible the first gatekeeper only told the man this to scare him into not entering into the law. But, at the end of the story when the man is dying the gatekeeper tells him “this entrance was assigned only to you,” so It is still unclear why the man was not allowed access to the law if this entrance was specifically for him.
Kafka Assignment Part I
Tell All The Truth But Tell It To Slants + Manifesto
Dickinson Response:
Emily Dickinson is a very complex and talented poet. This poem of hers is about pure truth and that there is no substitute for it. In this poem, Dickinson draws our attention by giving the poem a very ironic title. From the mere reading of the title, something clicks into my mind- if we have to only tell the truth why should we be telling it at an angle or inclined to a certain direction? Do we have something to hide? On the other hand, it’s sending a message that we should be careful how we tell the truth.
The author acknowledges that the truth will never be hidden for long; she compares the truth with light which cannot be hidden. The more you try to cover it up the more it shines brighter and brighter. Therefore it is always good and in our best interest to tell the truth. But as I read this poem my question is this, what drove the author to write such a powerful message on the truth? Was it a personal experience or an observation?
“The truth must dazzle gradually” shows how sequential the truth emerges. This gives an idea that the truth comes to be known slowly by everyone as the lighting comes slowly from the heavens and the entire world sees it. Dickinson also shows how impossible it is to hide the truth forever; she compares this impossibility with all men going blind. All in all, the entire message is clear that telling the truth is the best option and if it isn’t told it will surely come out sooner rather than later.
Manifesto:
Manifesto of Futurist Woman
A futuristic woman is shown to be the empowered woman who according to the author should not be inferior to a man. This woman is a fiction being that the author acknowledges does not exist. However, the author tries to show how woman and the man are complementary, and both have similar characteristics. The irony is when the author says that without feminism aspects are incomplete. On the other hand, the woman should have the aspects of a man to achieve this equality. The author despises those women who fold their arms and wait for their husbands for provision. The author sees the submissive women to the point of crying in front of their husbands to be inferior to prostitutes. The author thinks that women should stand on their own feet and claim their rightful place amongst men.
In politics across the world, politics are dominated by men, having less than 1% women in top leadership. This is a complete irony given that half of the world’s population is made up of women. A study done by political scientists at Harvard University reveals that women do not vote for their fellow women. (Blanton S. et al. 38) This undermines their say and influence in the modern society. When we talk about an inferior woman becoming a futurist woman then the support must come from their fellow women first before they get to the masculine aspect. What women require to bring a revolution in the world is unity and support within themselves. If this happens, their male counterparts will have no choice but to oblige.
Reference
Blanton, Shannon L, and Charles W. Kegley. World Politics: Trend and Transformation . , 2017.
In Order To Arrive at a Period of Superior Humanity
A manifesto that particularly resonated with me was Valentine De Saint-Point’s Manifesto of Futurist Woman. While I found sections of the poem somewhat confusing and contradictory at times, it made some pretty bold statements that made me want to read more. One of the sections I found pretty relevant to our society was, “It is absurd to divide humanity into men and women. It is composed only of femininity and masculinity. Every superman…a complete being.” Often, we tend to think of gender rigidly in nicely packed boxes – which often results in the ridiculing of individuals who deviate from “the norm.” As the manifesto goes on to put it, women are often thought in terms of “arms with twining flowers resting on their laps on the morning of departure”, “nurses perpetuating weakness and age”, “…create children just for themselves, keeping them from any danger or adventure…”. In other words, to be a woman is to be delicate, soft, weak, selfish. This is absurd of course since men also can exhibit these qualities.
At times I found the manifesto overly dramatic such as when Saint-Point argues for increasing the virility of women. “To restore some virility to our races so benumbed in femininity, we have to train them even to the point of brute animality…in order to arrive at a period of superior humanity.” While I get the effect Saint-Point is trying to achieve by pushing for the “masculinization” of women to strengthen and reshape the way they’re perceived in society, she suggests the ultimate extreme of training them “to the point of brute animality.” This signals the enormous gap or misconception of gender that exists for women.
Aphorisms on Humanity
HUMANITY is a gathering of old feuding souls given the opportunity to bury the hatchet
HOMO sapiens are master sculptors with a propensity of creating wicked works
HUMAN nature is Earth opening up to swallow in on itself
WE buy things that we don’t need with money that we don’t have to impress people who do the same exact shit
LOVE is 90 on the highway with the sounds of sirens close behind
KINDNESS is Ego without its fancy tailored suit
SOCIAL intelligence is punching the bastard in your mind, instead of in reality
PROGRESS is making new killing machines that decimate lands leaving crimson blood, scattered limbs, and souls of young avengers
EDUCATION is the eagle locked behind a cage
DEATH is the silent thief that robs one of happiness, love, and warmth
REBIRTH is the phoenix that rises from the ash
AFTERLIFE is a concept developed to keep humans from committing one too many sins
This manifesto is inspired by Mina Loy’s Aphorisms on Modernism. Like Loy, I took the concept of an idea and expanded on parts I thought were relevant to understanding the whole. Therefore I broke down humanity into humans, its strengths, and its universal experiences. I also incorporated images when defining the different “parts” that make up humanity. When Loy’s poem, I found this strategy very impactful for getting a message across succinctly – similar to a manifesto. In fact, each definition serves as a mini manifesto. I tried to employ vivid images to try and get some aspects of a concept across. For example, “LOVE doing 90 on the highway” means love makes you do questionable borderline dangerous and unexpected things. It just sounds a whole lot cooler with an image.