First, the quiz… DO NOT GUESS,
Phones must be away – be honest –
There are plenty of quizzes.
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning
from uneasy dreams he found himself
transformed in his bed into a gigantic
insect.
What do you notice about the author’s
last name and the last name of the
character? What is a fair implication –
though I really don’tlike “fair implications”
or assumptions (or symbols).
What precisely has happened to Gregor? �If we examine this transformation from a �metaphorical point of view – are there �times in your lives that you have felt �similarly transformed? Be thoughtful, �creative, and specific.
How can we fit the Pandemic – and our �lives now into that discussion?
“Oh God, he thought, what an
exhausting job I’ve picked on!”
What clue (think about his job and what you learn later in the story) does this give us about his transformation? Again, bring your own experience into this…
Here is that song again from the other �day…
Once in a Lifetime
Lyrics and Music by David Byrne, Brian Eno (The Talking Heads)
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack �You may find yourself in another part of the world �You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile �You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife �You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? �Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down �Letting the days go by, water flowing underground �Into the blue again after the money's gone �Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground �You may ask yourself, how do I work this? �You may ask yourself, where is that large automobile?
Notice how the story switches from the horror �of what’s happened to an almost mundane contemplation �– as though life as usual was still going on. Again, how�does this make this story less of a fantasy and more of an �examination of our normal lives?
When incredible – mind changing things happen in our lives �– can we just STOP – when 9/11 happened – for many of us�(you weren’t even born) – it seemed that the world would�never be the same – but in the end, what must happen?
“His father knotted his fist
with a fierce expression on his face
as if he meant to knock Gregor back
into his room.” And later the father �on page 3 of your text – says “what’s �the matter with you?”
Have any of you heard a similar imploring “talk” from your parents or other adults? (Think about this when we watch The Graduate)
In his instructions to his publishers, Kafka insisted �that they not show any illustrations of a bug to �accompany this story. Given what you’ve talked about �today – why do you feel he gave these instructions?
How, specifically, does this fit in with what we said at the end of our discussion of “The Night Face Up,” - with whether or not Young Goodman Brown actually went to witch’s coven or if he just dreamed the entire incident? Be specific – using what we talked about then in formulating your answer now. (Remember the dagger from Macbeth – the floating one – do you actually want to show it?)
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning
from uneasy dreams he found himself
transformed in his bed into a gigantic
insect.