Connection

A connection between Metamorphosis, The Judgment, and Great Expectations is the need to cover up who they are. In Great expectations Pip is running away from who he really is. In The Judgement the main character writes a letter to his friend, but when he shows it to his father, his father calls him out for being a fake and not being truthful to his friend. I Metamorphosis the main character transforms into a bug covering up who he is and who he used to be by his new bug body. Although his transformation was not optional it is still hiding who he really is.

connection

One Connection I found between Great Expectations and Metamorphosis was the examination of human nature and it's ability to change a person's perception of another within a small period of time. In Metamorphosis, Gregor previously is this cherished member of the family that the other members thrive off of. However, the second he changes into a bug, he is pushed away and is no longer loved and eventually is killed due to numerous amounts of abuse and malnourishment. Similar to how Pip avoids Joe and pushes him away in addition to other past connections once he has reached a new status in his high london society. He feels important so he lets go of those previously important to him. THis theme of changing relationships is ever present in both works.

Connections

One connection that I found between Great Expectations and The Metamorphosis was a theme of avoidance. Gregor wants to avoid his boss and even asks i "the office manager himself [had] to come" (125). This theme also comes up when Pip finds out Joe is coming to visit him. Pip said that the thoughts he had about Joe coming were "Not with pleasure" (218). Pip was even considering the option that maybe Joe was not visiting him. A connection I found between Great Expectations and The Judgement was he idea of a charter being calm then suddenly crazy. In The Judgement, George's father was relaxed and once George covered him with the sheets, the father started yelling and acting crazy towards George. In Great Expectations, chapter 28 talks about a man who became very upset about the people he was sitting with calling them "villainous company... infamous and shameful" (227).

Connections

 I think one of he central connections between "Great Expectations" and "The Metamorphosis" is he idea of people coming to terms with themselves and how they have changed over time. Pip still is trying to find who he is as a person and the real meaning of a gentleman.  Gregor had changed into a bug and had to become comfortable with that.  He was afraid of how people would treat him differently now that he was longer one of them. Georg was pushed to the brink of suicide because he was not comfortable with who he was and was not accepted by the people around him.  It is interesting to look at how each of these characters ended up after going through similar situations. 

Similar Themes

There seems to be a theme of longing for of a something or loss of something (mood = depression). The main characters throughout these stories don't exactly live a perfect life or have a family that supports them. In Great expectations, Pip is a boy who continuously travels around trying to find who he really his, and his stuck up life style doesn't help him accomplish this goal in any way. In the Metamorphosis, Gregor is transformed into a bug because his role in life in useless and he searches for an escape from this miserable life. In the Judgment, Georg is so depressed and lonely that he goes to the distract measure of killing himself. None of these characters have had happy lives/happy endings. The theme of loneliness and isolation is certainly the common tones running through these stores so far.

Connections

In Great Expectations chapters 27 and 28 and The Metamorphosis, there are many connections but one I noticed was the idea of destiny.  However Pip's and Gregor's destinies are on the opposite side of the the spectrum, each of them are fulfilling their destiny.  For example, Gregor is a traveling salesman and he is looked upon by society as a pestering sort of bug even though it is a fictional idea of destiny that he turns into something he is seen as in society.  Pip, however, starts off as a "bug" of society in Great Expectations but later starts to fulfill his destiny in chapter 27 and 28 where is fame is starting to become noticed, especially in the city.  Fulfilling one's destiny, good or bad, is definitely a connection that can be made between chapters 27 and 28 and The Metamorphosis.

Connections

There seems to be a theme of leaving things behind in Great Expectations as well as Kafka's "The Judgement" and "Metamorphosis."  We see in Great Expectations towards the end of chapter 28, Pip is leaving his past behind in the coach.  While the convicts discuss the favor Pip did, giving another convict money, Pip decides to leave it in the past and get off the coach as soon as possible.  In "The Judgement" we see a harsher version of leaving things behind when Georg commits suicide.  And finally, in "Metamorphosis," after Gregor dies, the family leaves him behind, and perhaps the memory of him behind, as they move into another house.

Connections

Chapters 27 and 28 in Great Expectations connects to both "The Judgement" and the "The Metamorphosis". First off,  these two chapters as well as the rest of the book of Great Expectations relates to "The Metamorphosis"  because in the short story Gregor remains isolated in his bedroom and doesn't really have any contact with his family when he is turned into a bug. This idea connects to Pip because in London, Pip is isolated from all his family back at home until Joe comes to give him a visit.  Also, Great Expectations connects to "The Judgement" by both figures Georg and Pip having father figures looking over them. For Pip its Joe, who isn't his real father, and Georg's its his real father whom is really demanding. Even though Pip doesn't live with his father figure like Georg, he goes to visit Joe and his family and Joe comes to visit him.

Connections

A similarity that I found between The Metamorphosis and Great Expectations is the fact that Pip has transformed, if not quite to the extent that Gregor did. He has become more and more a "gentleman", of the sort that he was not when he first came to London. Also, the fact that he was not altogether pleased to hear that Joe was coming indicates a change that he has gone through; previously, he and Joe had been extremely close.

A similarity between "The Judgement" and Great Expectations is the fact that Georg lives with his father, and Pip is now returning to where he used to live in order to be with Joe, who is as much of a father figure as anybody to Pip. Also, the amount of fear that Pip is filled with upon seeing the convicts is similar to the fear that Georg feels when his father stands up and condemns him.

Secrets

Secrets

Within these three stories a common theme is the idea of keeping secretes -which the characters believe will help them- that come back and hurt them in the end. In the example of Pip he has kept the secret of his meeting with the convict and the entire scary scene. Instead of expressing his fear to Joe-a person that Pip should trust- he keeps it all to himself. This fear is then reignited in two separate instances- in the pub, and on the train coming home- that are enough to make Pip experience his initial terror all over again.
Secrets are also kept in Metamorphosis, as Gregor's goal is to get out of his home which is something he never truly spoke out towards his parents. When he finally is turned into the bug and in his last few moments of having the ability to speak, Gregor tries to hide the truth of hi being a bug from his employer and his family in the hopes that he himself can overcome it. Sadly this is not the case, and as his condition deteriorates he is no longer even considered saying anything to his parents.

Finally, in the Judgment secretes are kept by the son in an attempt to keep his father in the dark. By not telling his father the full truth, the son is caught in a lie by the one person he never thought would out him- his father- making him suddenly become overwhelmed with shock and despair. The keeping of secrets leads to this eventual confrontation and in this extreme case the son ultimately takes his own life.

Connections

The connections I can make between The Metamorphosis, “The Judgment,” and Great Expectations are the character’s surroundings shaping who they are and the characters not looking up to their father figure. In “The Judgment” Georg is a grown man who is living with his father who still commands him around and condemns him for his choices. Georg lets this part of his surroundings shape him because he still cowards when his dad yells at him, and even goes so far as to kill himself when his father commands it. Although Georg does as his father commands and wishes that his father liked him more, Georg recognizes his father’s insanity and has no desire to be similar in any sense. In The Metamorphosis Gregor let’s his job of being a salesman who no one likes, physically transform him into a beetle. Gregor doesn’t look up to his father in this story because when he turns into a beetle his father is not sympathetic at all and wants him gone. In Great Expectations, Pip lets his surrounds of gentlemen (and women) transform him into a gentleman who no longer feels any connection to his roots. Pip also no longer looks up to Joe as he did earlier in the book, and now just sees Joe as an unmannered blacksmith. 

Group #1

Group 1: The Three Boarders

What similarities do these characters in the “trinity” share? How are they connected? 

They are all sitting in the house. 




How do the characters interact with Gregor? Are their interactions similar or different?

Gregor spies on the boarders. He is curious about them but stays away because he doesn’t want them to see him.
The boarders are more entertained and amused by Gregor than his sister playing the violin.

There is one leader and two followers (The Boarders)




How do the characters influence Gregor and his ultimate demise? Are they similar or different in the way they affect Gregor?

Gregor being spotted by the boarders when the sister is playing her violin, makes his sister not want to look after him anymore/ want to kick him out. She refers to him as “it”.




How does Gregor's transformation and ultimate demise influence the characters? Are they similar or different in the way Gregor influences them?

They all moved on and now are focusing on the daughter. 

Does this grouping of three have any symbolic significance (religious significance), or is Kafka ironically grouping the characters into a trinity for a larger purpose?

 not sure




Come up with a clear, focused thesis statement that asserts something interesting and arguable about your assigned trinity and its purpose in the novel. Feel free to draw on any or all of the evidence you've gathered.

   The 3rd chapter can be seen as a religious reference as a result to the story of Abraham when he family finally gives up gregor because he is discovered by the 3 boarders 

Group 2

Group 2

What similarities do these characters in the “trinity” share? How are they connected?

-they are all women.

-at some point they all care about Gregor.

How do the characters interact with Gregor? Are their interactions similar or different?

- Mom: She ignores him and then tries to care for him but doesn’t know how to anymore and decided to ignore him.

-Grete: She tries to care for him but neglects him because she realizes he is a bug and thinks her brother is gone (pg. 180). However she refuses to have anyone else care for him because she almost feels guilty knowing he is so miserable.

-Charwoman: She is very curious about Gregor and tries to communicate with him and like is trying to almost get to know him. At first she is sad about Gregor’s death but then realizes it was best for him to die.

How do the characters influence Gregor and his ultimate demise? Are they similar or different in the way they affect Gregor?

-He overhears their conversation in which they talk about how much of a burden he is (pg. 181-182) and he takes that to mean he should be dead which is what ultimately happens to him. They all think he is a burden however the charwoman is more interested in him like a project. In a twisted way it is more depressing for Gregor to know that a person who is not in a family cares more about Gregor than his own family.

Thesis: The woman in the household all have the same basic opinion of Gregor - which is that he as a person and brother and son is gone- which ultimately leads Gregor to his demise under the impression that he is no longer wanted in his home.

Group 4

Gregor in Metamorphosis is a metaphor for jesus as he demonstrates characteristics of a religious martyr and also is surrounded by religious symbolism.

Samsa Family Questions

Group 3: The three family members (Grete, mother, father)

What similarities do these characters in the “trinity” share? How are they connected?

All related to Gregor, all live in the same house, all try to get him back in the room, at some point, all of their opinions of Gregor change  at some point.

How do the characters interact with Gregor? Are their interactions similar or different?

Different. Grete goes in and feeds him, mother is kind of afraid/disguseted at him, father is angry at him and is most physical towards him.  

How do the characters influence Gregor and his ultimate demise? Are they similar or different in the way they affect Gregor?

Influence him by showing that they don’t really want him around. Similar, at first sister seems like she is really trying to help him but by the end she doesn’t care. None of them want him or care about him at the end.

How does Gregor's transformation and ultimate demise influence the characters? Are they similar or different in the way Gregor influences them?

They are happy and they feel like they can finally move to their house and on with their lives. They are all similar.

Does this grouping of three have any symbolic significance (religious significance), or is Kafka ironically grouping the characters into a trinity for a larger purpose?

Ironic trinity because they all show the different ways that people could react to Gregor’s transformation into a beetle. Grete is kind and never thinks he will return to human form and brings him food, father is just angry at him, and mother is sad and doesn’t know how to react, yet thinks that he will return to human form.

Come up with a  clear, focused thesis statement that asserts something interesting and arguable about your assigned trinity and its purpose in the novel. Feel free to draw on any or all of the evidence you've gathered.

Although the family members are all initially influenced by Gregor’s transformation in different ways, by the time that Gregor dies all of the family is brought together.

The Metamorphosis and The Judgment

I think a common theme between The Metamorphosis and The Judgment is fear of disappointment.  In The Judgment, the son is afraid of the father judging him, so he jumps off a bridge due to his inability to cope with his fathers beliefs.  In The Metamorphosis, Gregor is afraid to get out of bed because obviously his whole body has transformed.  He insists that everything is okay, but it isn't.  His behavior and bodily features have changed.  I think that both stories express the reactions of people that aren't accepted by anyone to a certain extent,  regardless of if its getting out of bed in the morning, or jumping off of a bridge.




-English J tbh.

Common Themes

In class the other day, we discussed how the father in The Judgment was literally judging the son and the son feared this. I found this theme of judgement and fear again in chapter one of The Metamorphosis. Gregor does not want to get out if bed that day to go to work, but knows that at some point he will have to. Gregor was contemplating his options after he missed the fist train and said that "even if he did catch the train, there would be no avoiding the boss's fulminations"(120). Gregor knows that the boss will be upset with him and judge him is he is late and Gregor does not want to go through that. Later in the story Gregor again supports the theme of judging and not wanting to be judged when the office manager comes to his house. Gregor is nervous and asks "why was [he] condemned to working for a company where the slightest tardiness aroused the murkiest suspicions?"(125).

Kafka Seems Frosty

Tone: Kafka seems to tackle very intense topics (suicide etc...) that create a very dark feeling to his work. Similar to Frost's tone (very serious/intense), Kafka writes with a sense of depression and loss almost. Although starting very dark, he take a drastic turn and either incorporates a joyful character and/or event that completely changes the tone. His word choice leads to his intense tone. Frost centered his work around grand word choice, over exaggerating the overall theme (just like Kafka). Hopefuly this is a valid comparison, but Frost was the first author that came to mind when thinking about Kafka's voice!
-Matt

Kafka's Imagery in Metamorphosis

One detail that is so unique to Franz Kafka that I have noticed while reading the first chapter of "The Metamorphosis" is how Kafka expresses such a unique and vivid imagery throughout the chapter.  Between explaining the monster that Gregory has turned into or the confusion caused between the office manager and Gregory's parents, Kafka paints a picture that makes his work so easy to read and imagine.  It felt as if I was in the same room as Greg as he was struggling to get out of the bed and open the door.  Kafka also brings the reader into the chase of the office manager out of the house when his family finally sees the monster that Gregory has somehow turned into.  I am very eager to keep reading this wonderfully detailed story by Franz Kafka.

The Judgement Interpretation

Crumb's depiction of Kafka's work "The Judgement" is not as accurate as I would hope it to be.  As I was reading said work, I saw the story as being much more graphic than it was depicted in Crumb's comic.  Kafka's work is much creepier than the comic in my personal opinion.  However, the comic does depict certain aspects that can be overlooked by the reader like the man's father being a "Godlike" figure.  Nonetheless, every other detail is very similar to the text in Crumb's comic depiction of "The Judgement."

Conversations with the Worshiper Imagery

Throughout "Conversations with the Worshiper", Kafka has some very interesting patterns in his imagery. The type of imagery that I noticed in "Conversations with the Worshiper" was the dark, and black patterns. The first time that this type of Kafka's imagery comes up is when the narrator describes the girl who he went to church to see and her "black dress with the diaphanous lace on her shoulders" (4). Another time that this type of dark imagery comes up is the worshipper continuously insisting the narrator to move to a darker place to talk. This imagery shows the darker side of Kafka's otherwise no too dark story.

Judgement

Sorry for the late post, in terms of the judgement Kafka utilized a very unique relationship between a father and his son. The most puzzling part of the story was the suicide of the son. It made me question whether this entire intercourse was inside the protagonist's head. What I thought was that the friend in Russia was his father and that the father in the story was his conscience. I thought it was really interesting that Kafka utilized such dramatic relationships between the characters in order to get a point across.

Kafka's Voice and Vision

As I read the first chapter of metamorphosis, I found it interesting that the narration with Gregor was so calm and collected. Kafka utilized third person narration and chose a very matter of fact approach. In stead of using hyperboles and overexaggerations as many would with a story like this, Kafka used bluntness and underexaggeration to make the chapter more compelling as you focused on central concepts of relationships between characters and the situation itself instead of focusing just on the fact that Gregor became an insect.

Kafka's Point of View

Metamorphosis

Although the point of view is 3rd person, I decided to look at the different types of 3rd person to see which Kafka used in the story.  It seems as if he starts off the story with indirect 3rd person, however the second paragraph moves to direct since it uses quotations in saying, "What's happened to me?" (117).  Since he uses many quotations, it is safe to say Kafka uses the direct 3rd person point of view.

However, since Gregor is only talking to himself in the first couple pages, why do you think Kafka uses direct with quotations?  Since it is a self-reflection and self-thinking piece of the story, why didn't he use the flow of free indirect instead of making the story choppy with quotations?  Kafka may have wanted to write in the same tone throughout the piece since we meet other characters later, but I just found it interesting the first few pages are quoted when he is completely thinking to himself.

Karla's Voice and Vision

After reading the first part of Metamorphosis I think Kafka has a very different view point of voice and vision from other authors we've looked at this year. Like for example when Gregor Sasma turns into a bug.  This shows that Kafka is way more of a creative writer and comes up with some crazy ideas. He also develops characters differently too by giving them un-human characteristics.

Illustration

I particularly enjoyed Crumb's illustration.  I think that it accurately captures Kafka's feelings towards his father and how his father's actions made him feel.  I found the part in the end in which he jumps off of the bridge to be the most interesting, even though the illustration would not have the same effect that the words would.  Overall, I think that the feeling of the characters were accurately portrayed, and the tone and ambience of the characters are almost identical.


-English J tbh.

TOO MUCH LIGHT NOT ENOUGH DARK

SPOILER ALERT: He dies. By committing suicide.
Anyway, the theme of the end of the story is all about death, and perhaps the darkest form; suicide. The illustrations are wonderful, however I still don't think they mirror the shadowy and conflicting emotions that go with debating your own life on the edge of a building. I mean I don't about guys but suicide sucks, and I'm not sure the Crumb really understood to the fullest what he was drawing about. Not that I could have done any better (however I haven't tried yet, don't hold this to me), but I think someone else in a darker place could have expressed the words in pictures much more effectively.

Crumb's Critique

I think that the illustration of the Judgement was very good, in getting the emotion of the characters across, emphasizing the most important parts of the stories. My favorite illustration was then second to last one of him hanging off of the bridge with one hand with the speech bubble. I like how it made his last lines, or words even more dramatic, and also almost funny. The parts with the father yelling at Georg are good because it really shows him being "ambushed" and pushed in to the corner, or backed against the wall. Also in that part with the lines in the background, I think really show his fathers tone and mood.

Review

Crumb, known for his underground comics, has taken that style of art to high art here. His drawing style is similar to one of an illustrator. He seems to have  a real eye for detail, and the ability to illustrate any scene. Had the bio and excerpts been any less compelling, the illustrations would have still been notable. Each page was filled with drawings and many of them are minor masterpieces on their own. His drawings truly capture the emotion of the characters and transports the reader to he exact moment in time when the event was happening. Simplicity is far from an explanation of his drawings. His exaggeration creates such fear and emotion that the reader is almost scared of what they are seeing on the paper. 
-Matt

FOILs

Georg and His Friend are FOILs

The definition of a foil is a character who contrasts with another to highlight particular qualities of the other; they often differ drastically or are very similar with one big difference separating them. As an example, last year my english class talked about a very commonly-know foil pair: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.  

At the very beginning of the story, it's easy to depict the main differences between Georg and his friend.  Georg is an engaged business man who lives at home while his friend is a world wide, poor bachelor.  

I think Kafka uses the friend as a foil to show Georg's side to the conflict.  Georg wrote many letters about other people's engagements before he even mentioned his own; he likes to hide some things about his personal life.  However, he admits he wanted to protect his friend; he didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him about the engagement.  Georg is in a tricky place by hiding something from his friend in order to protect him emotionally, but his friend will ultimately be upset once he hears later on.  But I'm not quite sure what exactly Kafka is trying to highlight, I just know that based on their differences, the friend is a foil.

Judgment

Judgment

I think this story carries a lot of symbolism and depth. Within the title there is a cryptic story behind it which is explained throughout the story. The title "The Judgment" was written, I believe purposefully, on Yum Kippur because the story is about the judgment in which Georg is being faced. His father who Georg thought he could confide in and also keep in the dark (both symbolically and literally) judges his son for his actions against his childhood friend. Ultimately, it is the judgement the father has made against his son, for the fowl play Georg has committee against his friend, that leads Georg to take his own life. In this sense I feel like Kafka named the story to show the power of judgment and how underestimating someone can lead to your own demise.

Kafka Illustration

I think that Crumb's illustration of "The Judgement" is done very well. The drawings are very dark and vague, which is the type of tone that the story gives out. The drawings also portray all of the fathers different emotions very well. This emphasizes the huge shift in the way he acts. The facial expressions of the characters are very helpful because they allow Kafka to not have to explain or show how the characters feel since it is apparent in the illustrations. Finally the illustrations are very helpful because they show the craziness of the father and the whole story in general.