Thesis Questions – Emily and Borys | great works in literature II 2850 kta 2:55-4:35

In “The Judgment” by Franz Kafka, George’s father pulls his son from the shackles of ignorance and selfishness with which he has locked himself up in a false life. “So now you know what there was in the world outside of yourself. Up to this point you’ve known only about yourself! Essentially you’ve been an innocent child, but even more essentially you’ve been a devilish human being! And therefore understand this: I sentence you now to death by drowning!” How does this ending correlate with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave? Can one be involuntarily brought to the truth or do they have to willingly look for it themselves? Is this why George’s fate was what it was? Because the decision wasn’t his own to be set free from his “cave” in the first place?
Could the father’s actions in “The Judgement” by Franz Kafka be considered heroic? In terms of the three types of heroes we have studied – Traditional Hero, Anti Hero, and Satanic Hero – which label best describes George’s father in the story? If he wanted to change his son, how could he have done things differently so that things didn’t end so tragically?

How could Bartleby’s tragedy be seen as a heroic journey? What was his calling? Do you believe his response to the calling was justified? Was his journey a success or a failure?
In “The Metamorphosis,” what good has come out of Gregor’s death? How was his family affected? Due to the results of his death, could Gregor’s withdrawal from life and his family be seen as an act of heroism? If so, in what ways? Be specific.

Thesis Questions – Emily and Borys