"Well, he hadn't slept peacefully, but probably all the more soundly for that." (12) "He was a creature of his boss's, spineless and stupid." (12) How did he sleep soundly, but not peacefully? This reminds me of how the soldier and condemned man in The Penal Colony don't dare to shout while racing after the explorer as he is fleeing. What is Kafka's significance of sound and silence?? Gregor feels like a bug and really is a bug so this shows us how belittled he feels by his boss, but at the same time he is a big bug so maybe his boss views him as a bug, but Gregor is saying if I am a bug I am a large, powerful bug who can make his own decisions and stand up against his boss by skipping work. This book is probably about Gregor finding himself and being freed from his powerful boss, which is a similar plot to basically all of Kafka's stories originating with his power struggles with his father. Does skipping work make him coawrdly or strong? Or simply lazy? Why doesn't he at least try to make the bus and face his boss?
"He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid"
"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above"
Both of these quotes show that Gregor is not powerful. The boss is shown looking down at people, which shows that he is powerful. Then Gregor is shown as a spineless, stupid creature, which is clearly not powerful. "Creature" relates to his transformation into a bug, and "stupid" might also. If he has been a creature of his boss's this whole time, then does his transformation link into his work life? It seems that the story is about a man who transforms into a bug because he was basically a bug during his life... Maybe Kafka is saying that if you don't get out of a bad situation soon enough, you will eventually be stuck like that. How does this relate to his other works? It is nightmarish, like all of the others. Like the MEtamorphosis, the theme of being animal-like also occurs in The Hunger Artist and in In the Penal Colony.
"... an intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial" (12)
"... the only people that exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy" (13)
This story is about the different types of people that exist. People like the salesmen, who are constantly traveling, never have time to make connections to people, and must always be traveling and working. If they aren't then they are just deemed lazy. Gregor sees himself as less lazy as other salesmen because he is more punctual and therefore more hard working. He has the salesman job because his family owes the boss a debt of some kind. Gregor doesn't really like doing his job and waking up, but he knows that he has to. This connects to the Penal Colony, as the explorer doesn't really want to be examining and forming opinions about the machine and tortures, but he finds some kind of obligation in his task.
"He was a creature of the bosses's, spineless and stupid."
"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above..." (12)
These quotes both seem sort of animalistic. The first describes the messenger as a creature without a spine, which is bug-like, and the boss is described as looking down at his employees, like a human or larger animal looks down on a bug. Maybe Gregor's change is because he already feels so much like a bug. This could be what the story is about. If people feel like they are small and insignificant they may become that. Gregor has similar confinements to those of Kafka's other characters, like the Hunger Artist. He may now feel his problems acutely, like people are supposed to feel their guilt when they go in the machine in "In the Penal Colony." There's also a sense of having no control and being the weakest person around, which is another theme of the other works. The idea of being animal-like occurs in "The Hunger Artist" as well, where the artist is trapped in a cage. The boss could be like the people looking at the artist from outside the cage
"The only people who exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy" (13).
"He was a creature of the boss's spineless and stupid" (12).
Gregor is tranformed into a bug, a creature that is much less advanced than the human race. The story could be about how certain decisions affect us more than we know or how we are sometimes oblivious to the public's opinion of us. It seems that Gregor does not pay much attention to the fact that he is now a bug and tries to continue his life in the most normal way possible. It is unavoidable, however, that the public will judge him. Physically, he is different than them which is typically perceived as weirdness. He is a spectacle, which reminds me of the hunger artist. Although we have yet to read much of "The Metamorphosis," I speculate that Gregor will continue his routine despite what others think just as the hunger artist continued to starve himself even though the public was losing interest and some were offended.
"...an intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial" (12). "He was a creature of his boss's, spineless and stupid" (12).
In the first quote, Gregor is talking about his work and how he hates it. He wants to leave his work and is only still there because of his parents' debt. He says his work will never become cordial and is always changing. Never permanent, can never get used to it. He then goes on to explain how his boss rules him. He doesn't define himself, his boss defines him. This relates to Kafka's other works because there is always the oppressor and the oppressed, and the main character never seems to be happy with the situation that they are in. There is always a lack of motivation of the character, in this case wanting to stay in bed and avoiding his boss.
"He was now glad he had formed the cautious habit, an offshoot of his business trips, of locking all his doors at night even at home."
"He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid."
The quote about being a creature of the bosses is interesting, specifically about him being spineless, because now that he's a bug he really doesn't have a spine. He makes a habit to lock his doors...I mean I guess I understand that, he wants his privacy and it's safer when you're on the road, but I don't have the slightest idea how on earth to connect it to the other quote. I mean...the fact that he's spineless could have to do with locking his doors, he's spineless and scared so he locks them. That could be it. He's afraid for his life perhaps, and he's similar to that with his boss. That's really all I can think of.
"He was now glad he ahd formed the cautious habit, an offshoot of his business trips, of locking all his doors at night even at home." "And intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial."
Gregor is thinking to himself how he is happy that he locks his doors because now he is physically seeing how it keeps out all of the bad things he does not want to confront that could cause his little safe haven of a room to change. That is why he never truly enjoys the intercourse he has with other people because it is never a constant thing he can rely on.
"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above" (12). "He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid" (12).
It seems like Gregor Samsa is literally and physically becoming something that he has felt like before. He has felt like a helpless creature because of his boss, and now he has become a helpless creature. This relates the Judgement, the Hunger Artist, and In the Penal Colony because of the judgement and power relationship. Gregor Samsa feels judged by his boss, who seems like a very powerful force in these quotes, just like many of the characters from the other stories feel.
"...an intercours with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never become cordial"
"My God...Father in Heaven!"
The story is about a man that is turned into a bug, but doesn't seem to accept the fact that he is no longer human. The two quotes I chose makes me think about human relations with other humans vs. human relations with a higher being/power. Gregor was once human and then changed into a bug, but his mind remains intact. It reminds me of The Judgement and the Penal Colony, because i linked how the mind works and reacts under stress/guilt/hopelessness and so on. In the Judgement, it seemed as though George and his father switched mental capabilities, and this switch happened because of the power shift from George to his father. Similar situation in The Penal colony, The officer and the explorer switched natures; the officer became silent while the explorer spoke, but normally, the officer spoke and the explorer remained silent. Very Kafkaesque, i feel.
"What if I went back to sleep for another while and forgot all this foolishness?" (11). "Gregor had not been ill even once. The boss would surely arrive with the health-insuance doctor, who would complain to his parents about their lazy son..." (12).
The one from page 12 shows a surprising amount of perosnal attention from the boss, it seems. He would go to the trouble of finding a doctor and taking a train to Gregor's house, disrupting the family just because Gregor had missed one day of work? It's hard to believe. I suppose the story could relate to the structure of work, as that seems to be what he focuses on. The characters don't seem particularly aware of the situation.
"But that was totally out of the question, because he was used to sleeping on his right side, and in his present state he couldn't get into that position." (11) "The boss would surely arrive with the health-insurance doctor, would complain to his parents about their lazy son and would cut short all objections by referring them to the health-insurance doctor, in whose eyes the only people that exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy." (12-13) Why does he only want to sleep on his right side? Does he feel more secure that way, and if so why? Does he have some mental disorder I.E. OCD that would cause this? Themes that come out of this sentence include his inability to adapt to his changing situation. If he cannot even deal with not being able to sleep on his preferred side than how can he deal with being changed into a roachbeetlebug. Second quote - inability for his boss and the doctor to accept flaws. Perfectionism - He has a hard time dealing with any flaws. What is this story about: being unable to adapt to expectations. This connects to Kafka's life and his other works with characters such as the officer and George who are completely incapable of adapting to their changing situations.
"he was a creature of the bosses, spineless and stupid."
"His words retained their clarity only at the very outset but became distorted as they fade away, so that you couldn't tell if you heard them correctly."
Maybe Kafka hasn't really been turned into a bug. We are receiving many images and symbols throughout that tell us about the character of the protagonist. We see this through my first quote, and the second quote. It seems that the protagonist is a businessman, who is meant to carry out specific tasks at concrete times. This makes the man almost machine-like and mechanical, the closest life form fitting such a description being a bug. Kafka could actually be a bug, as a way to cause the symbols to be emphasized, however, calling the protagonist a bug could mean that his characteristics are like those of a bug. Saying that he's a creature of bosses means that he does whatever his higher powers say like an idiot. This has been a theme throughout the past, with the Gatekeeper being the protagonist's fear, and disallowing him from performing, which it shouldn't be doing, how the father has mental and physical control over Georg, how in the Penal Colony, the Governor has complete power over the principles distributed to the citizens, the hunger artist, where the artist is being completely controlled (ultimately killed) by his desire to impress the herd.
"Well, he hadn't slept peacefully, but probably all the more soundly for that." (12)
ReplyDelete"He was a creature of his boss's, spineless and stupid." (12)
How did he sleep soundly, but not peacefully? This reminds me of how the soldier and condemned man in The Penal Colony don't dare to shout while racing after the explorer as he is fleeing. What is Kafka's significance of sound and silence?? Gregor feels like a bug and really is a bug so this shows us how belittled he feels by his boss, but at the same time he is a big bug so maybe his boss views him as a bug, but Gregor is saying if I am a bug I am a large, powerful bug who can make his own decisions and stand up against his boss by skipping work. This book is probably about Gregor finding himself and being freed from his powerful boss, which is a similar plot to basically all of Kafka's stories originating with his power struggles with his father. Does skipping work make him coawrdly or strong? Or simply lazy? Why doesn't he at least try to make the bus and face his boss?
"He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid"
ReplyDelete"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above"
Both of these quotes show that Gregor is not powerful. The boss is shown looking down at people, which shows that he is powerful. Then Gregor is shown as a spineless, stupid creature, which is clearly not powerful. "Creature" relates to his transformation into a bug, and "stupid" might also. If he has been a creature of his boss's this whole time, then does his transformation link into his work life? It seems that the story is about a man who transforms into a bug because he was basically a bug during his life... Maybe Kafka is saying that if you don't get out of a bad situation soon enough, you will eventually be stuck like that. How does this relate to his other works? It is nightmarish, like all of the others. Like the MEtamorphosis, the theme of being animal-like also occurs in The Hunger Artist and in In the Penal Colony.
"... an intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial" (12)
ReplyDelete"... the only people that exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy" (13)
This story is about the different types of people that exist. People like the salesmen, who are constantly traveling, never have time to make connections to people, and must always be traveling and working. If they aren't then they are just deemed lazy. Gregor sees himself as less lazy as other salesmen because he is more punctual and therefore more hard working. He has the salesman job because his family owes the boss a debt of some kind. Gregor doesn't really like doing his job and waking up, but he knows that he has to. This connects to the Penal Colony, as the explorer doesn't really want to be examining and forming opinions about the machine and tortures, but he finds some kind of obligation in his task.
"He was a creature of the bosses's, spineless and stupid."
ReplyDelete"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above..." (12)
These quotes both seem sort of animalistic. The first describes the messenger as a creature without a spine, which is bug-like, and the boss is described as looking down at his employees, like a human or larger animal looks down on a bug. Maybe Gregor's change is because he already feels so much like a bug. This could be what the story is about. If people feel like they are small and insignificant they may become that. Gregor has similar confinements to those of Kafka's other characters, like the Hunger Artist. He may now feel his problems acutely, like people are supposed to feel their guilt when they go in the machine in "In the Penal Colony." There's also a sense of having no control and being the weakest person around, which is another theme of the other works. The idea of being animal-like occurs in "The Hunger Artist" as well, where the artist is trapped in a cage. The boss could be like the people looking at the artist from outside the cage
"The only people who exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy" (13).
ReplyDelete"He was a creature of the boss's spineless and stupid" (12).
Gregor is tranformed into a bug, a creature that is much less advanced than the human race. The story could be about how certain decisions affect us more than we know or how we are sometimes oblivious to the public's opinion of us. It seems that Gregor does not pay much attention to the fact that he is now a bug and tries to continue his life in the most normal way possible. It is unavoidable, however, that the public will judge him. Physically, he is different than them which is typically perceived as weirdness. He is a spectacle, which reminds me of the hunger artist. Although we have yet to read much of "The Metamorphosis," I speculate that Gregor will continue his routine despite what others think just as the hunger artist continued to starve himself even though the public was losing interest and some were offended.
"...an intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial" (12).
ReplyDelete"He was a creature of his boss's, spineless and stupid" (12).
In the first quote, Gregor is talking about his work and how he hates it. He wants to leave his work and is only still there because of his parents' debt. He says his work will never become cordial and is always changing. Never permanent, can never get used to it. He then goes on to explain how his boss rules him. He doesn't define himself, his boss defines him. This relates to Kafka's other works because there is always the oppressor and the oppressed, and the main character never seems to be happy with the situation that they are in. There is always a lack of motivation of the character, in this case wanting to stay in bed and avoiding his boss.
"He was now glad he had formed the cautious habit, an offshoot of his business trips, of locking all his doors at night even at home."
ReplyDelete"He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid."
The quote about being a creature of the bosses is interesting, specifically about him being spineless, because now that he's a bug he really doesn't have a spine. He makes a habit to lock his doors...I mean I guess I understand that, he wants his privacy and it's safer when you're on the road, but I don't have the slightest idea how on earth to connect it to the other quote. I mean...the fact that he's spineless could have to do with locking his doors, he's spineless and scared so he locks them. That could be it. He's afraid for his life perhaps, and he's similar to that with his boss. That's really all I can think of.
"He was now glad he ahd formed the cautious habit, an offshoot of his business trips, of locking all his doors at night even at home."
ReplyDelete"And intercourse with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never becomes cordial."
Gregor is thinking to himself how he is happy that he locks his doors because now he is physically seeing how it keeps out all of the bad things he does not want to confront that could cause his little safe haven of a room to change. That is why he never truly enjoys the intercourse he has with other people because it is never a constant thing he can rely on.
"That's a peculiar habit of his, too, sitting on his desk and talking down to his employees from up above" (12).
ReplyDelete"He was a creature of the boss's, spineless and stupid" (12).
It seems like Gregor Samsa is literally and physically becoming something that he has felt like before. He has felt like a helpless creature because of his boss, and now he has become a helpless creature. This relates the Judgement, the Hunger Artist, and In the Penal Colony because of the judgement and power relationship. Gregor Samsa feels judged by his boss, who seems like a very powerful force in these quotes, just like many of the characters from the other stories feel.
"...an intercours with people that constantly changes, never lasts, never become cordial"
ReplyDelete"My God...Father in Heaven!"
The story is about a man that is turned into a bug, but doesn't seem to accept the fact that he is no longer human. The two quotes I chose makes me think about human relations with other humans vs. human relations with a higher being/power. Gregor was once human and then changed into a bug, but his mind remains intact. It reminds me of The Judgement and the Penal Colony, because i linked how the mind works and reacts under stress/guilt/hopelessness and so on. In the Judgement, it seemed as though George and his father switched mental capabilities, and this switch happened because of the power shift from George to his father. Similar situation in The Penal colony, The officer and the explorer switched natures; the officer became silent while the explorer spoke, but normally, the officer spoke and the explorer remained silent. Very Kafkaesque, i feel.
"What if I went back to sleep for another while and forgot all this foolishness?" (11).
ReplyDelete"Gregor had not been ill even once. The boss would surely arrive with the health-insuance doctor, who would complain to his parents about their lazy son..." (12).
The one from page 12 shows a surprising amount of perosnal attention from the boss, it seems. He would go to the trouble of finding a doctor and taking a train to Gregor's house, disrupting the family just because Gregor had missed one day of work? It's hard to believe. I suppose the story could relate to the structure of work, as that seems to be what he focuses on. The characters don't seem particularly aware of the situation.
"But that was totally out of the question, because he was used to sleeping on his right side, and in his present state he couldn't get into that position." (11) "The boss would surely arrive with the health-insurance doctor, would complain to his parents about their lazy son and would cut short all objections by referring them to the health-insurance doctor, in whose eyes the only people that exist at all are perfectly healthy specimens who are work-shy." (12-13) Why does he only want to sleep on his right side? Does he feel more secure that way, and if so why? Does he have some mental disorder I.E. OCD that would cause this? Themes that come out of this sentence include his inability to adapt to his changing situation. If he cannot even deal with not being able to sleep on his preferred side than how can he deal with being changed into a roachbeetlebug. Second quote - inability for his boss and the doctor to accept flaws. Perfectionism - He has a hard time dealing with any flaws. What is this story about: being unable to adapt to expectations. This connects to Kafka's life and his other works with characters such as the officer and George who are completely incapable of adapting to their changing situations.
ReplyDelete"he was a creature of the bosses, spineless and stupid."
ReplyDelete"His words retained their clarity only at the very outset but became distorted as they fade away, so that you couldn't tell if you heard them correctly."
Maybe Kafka hasn't really been turned into a bug. We are receiving many images and symbols throughout that tell us about the character of the protagonist. We see this through my first quote, and the second quote. It seems that the protagonist is a businessman, who is meant to carry out specific tasks at concrete times. This makes the man almost machine-like and mechanical, the closest life form fitting such a description being a bug. Kafka could actually be a bug, as a way to cause the symbols to be emphasized, however, calling the protagonist a bug could mean that his characteristics are like those of a bug. Saying that he's a creature of bosses means that he does whatever his higher powers say like an idiot. This has been a theme throughout the past, with the Gatekeeper being the protagonist's fear, and disallowing him from performing, which it shouldn't be doing, how the father has mental and physical control over Georg, how in the Penal Colony, the Governor has complete power over the principles distributed to the citizens, the hunger artist, where the artist is being completely controlled (ultimately killed) by his desire to impress the herd.