Blog Portfolio 4

1. Coverage

Here are the links to all the blogs assigned this quarter based on our readings and novels. There is a total of 10 blogs, all of which have been completed

Blog 1: Amiri Baraka

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-not-never-change.html

Blog 2: McKay's Harlem Dancer

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/harlem-dancer.html

Blog 3: Youtube Poem

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/dinnertime.html

Blog 4: Old Pond

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/if-this-was-my-poetry-exam-i-would.html

Blog 5: Wanda Why Aren't You Dead

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-aint-you-dead.html

2. Depth

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/harlem-dancer.html

Although this was supposed to be a rough commentary, I felt as though I did a thorough analysis of this poem. We had previously discussed it in class, and I got into a very deep discussion with Wesley, from which I was able to write a very analytical commentary. I went line by line, and stanza by stanza, analyzing several literary elements. I feel that if we were to have written a formal commentary on this poem, I could have done well in depth, for I really enjoyed reading this poem and was able to come up with a lot of analysis. 

3. Interaction

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-not-never-change.html

For this blog I read several of my peer’s blogs before writing my own. I was fascinated by a lot of Asim’s and Saumya's ideas, and elaborated upon them in my blog (including links to their own posts). I talked about both of their ideas, and then shared my own discussion following some of their ideas in accordance to what they were saying.

4. Discussion

http://saumya22.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/blood-of-the-soul/
http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-not-never-change.html


I feel that my post on Baraka's essay, as well as my comment on Saumya's blog based on this essay sparked a lot of discussion. My blog itself sparked a discussion between Anuraag and Saumya depicting two different points of view on whether knowledge of other cultures can hinder one's opinions. My comment on Saumya's blog related to my own, for I had originally referred to some of her ideas in my blog itself. I commented on hers starting a new discussion, which she carried on in a later comment. 

5. Xenoblogging

http://sabrina117english.blogspot.com/2011/05/honeys-love.html#comments

Comment Primo: I was the first to comment on Sabrina's Poem, and I discussed the various aspects I would write about if I were to write a commentary on her poem. Her poem was short, so I was able to analyze it quite a bit in my comment itself. I discussed three literary elements I would be able to discuss if I were to write a commentary, quoting words and phrases from her poem to better my analysis. 

6. Wildcard

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/05/imitation-of-colemans-wanda-why-arent.html

For my wildcard, I wrote a poem mimicking the stylings of Wanda Coleman. I really enjoyed reading this poem and I could empathize with a lot of the male/female argumentation techniques. One can see from the poem that Wanda is being mistreated by a man, something almost every girl can relate to. I wrote a poem based on one of my friends, that uses the concept of mocking a man's degrading comments using poetry. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS.MORGAN!

Hope you have an amazing day! :) :)
Lots of love from your HL English class

Imitation of Coleman's "Wanda Why Aren't You Dead"

Inspired from a friend

ronda when you gonna grow your hair out

ronda when you gonna buy clothes them fit

            look at you

            baggy shirts, yo fat hangin out

ronda why aint you thin like them other girls

ronda why cant you exercise

            look at that flabby butt ‘o yours

            girl, you should fix that

ronda why you mad now?

            quit throwin a fit ronda

            calm down

ronda when you gonna stop flirtin with them other guys

ronda why don’t you just cheat on me

ronda why don’t you just leave me

ronda, just leave me

i hear the way you talk to them other guys ronda

talkin like you want them

talking like you aint got no man

            when you do ronda,

you do got a man

            not that you care

ronda why you mad now?

ronda why you always PMSin all over me

you gotta sort out your shit ronda

quit takin it out on me

go bleed on someone else

ronda why cant you love, ronda

who’s gonna love someone that cant love

ronda why you mad now?

ronda i didn’t mean it like that

ronda i was kidding

cant you take a joke ronda?

            my friends found it funny

            girl, why cant you?

take a joke ronda, quit making a scene

ronda don’t be mad

ronda i love you, girl you know that

ronda why you so mad

ok ronda

wtv.

why aint you dead

“Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead” by Wand Coleman is a short poem depicting a scene between Wanda and supposedly another person. Although most seem to view this poem as a mental battle, I feel that this poem represents a scene in which Wanda is mocking a man that has been criticizing her. From her language, I get the sense that she is a very strong woman, hence I feel she would not be in such a mental state as to be yelling at herself. Coleman uses repetition, criticizing diction, and varying tones to portray this one sided argument.

Although this poem is represents a one-sided conversation, there is great emphasis on the other person, Wanda. The repetition of ‘Wanda’ at the beginning of every sentence plays a great importance in this poem, for it shows that all the attention (or all the blame) is on her. The speaker focuses solely on Wanda, her living standards, her looks, and any other flaws that he can pick on. The repetition of ‘Wanda’ forms an annoying tone, as if he is purposely trying to pester her. The repetition of phrases such as “if i were you were you were you” also creates an annoying tone, for it seems as though this man is mocking her.

Coleman also uses very harsh diction to portray the state in which Wanda is living. From the poem we can gather that Wanda is a lower class, overweight, black woman, with children. This man is clearly degrading her by asking her why she can’t “afford to move out of this hell hold” or if she’s “into chains”. The diction is playfull, but there is most certainty a harsh undertone. When he says, “you’re joking. girl, you crazy”, it is apparent that he is trying to make her feel inferior, as most men do during an argument. With this nonchalant tone, with a underlying criticism, he is able to take charge of the argument in a very obvious way.

The key element of this poem was the change in tone. Throughout the poem there seems to be this annoying, teasing, tone. However; at certain points throughout the poem one can see that although this is not meant to be harmful teasing, there is something serious growing as well. Coleman creates this tone first of all using harsh diction, showing that this man, whoever he may be, is taking his teasing a little too far. The repetition of the sentence “wanda why are you so angry” and the last line “why aint you dead”, shows that this argument is more serious than it first entails. The man’s ego has clearly gotten in the way of this argument, forcing him to lose his temper.

Overall, Coleman’s use of repetition, diction, and tone create a playful poem with a slightly disturbing undertone. It is hard for one to assess the seriousness of this poem, but we all know that it is there. The sheer distinction between this man and woman angers my feminist side, a reaction that Coleman seemingly wanted to provoke within her readers.  

If this was my poetry exam, I would...

Read the poem and annotate: Note any prevalent patterns in structure, diction, imagery, syntax, metaphors. Try and see if the overall poem relates to some greater concept.

• In Gary Snyder's Old Pond, he uses a specific and unusual structure. Divided into two stanzas, both follow the pattern of Setting and Action. The isolation of the line 'Splash!' is also an interesting aspect of the poem, for it gives the poem a dramatic ending. A final ending. 
• What does structure add to the meaning of this poem?
• What is the significance of the isolation of the lines "up through time" and "dives in the water"?
• The setting uses very descriptive diction, for each noun is always preceded by an adjective. The images depicted by such diction as "blue mountain" and "white snow" are very calming. The images he presents are very natural and peaceful, as are the descriptions of the following actions. 
• What does the use of descriptive diction and peaceful imagery contribute to the poem?
• The use of alliteration: "hemlock half" and "raged rocky" add to the flow of his descriptions, making it sound very sing-songy. This related to the fact that he is describing a bird's call, relating content to sound and rhythm. 
• Is rhythm an important aspect in this poem?
• Snyder uses many short sentences in this poem, with simplistic descriptions and observations. The short, choppy syntax he uses creates a very structured tone. By structured tone, I mean that the reader follows every action as it is occurring, as if they are watching it themselves. The use of short sentences gives this feel for it is describing them as they occur, with no prevalent analysis of  his own.
• Why does Snyder chose to create this effect in his poem?

I would most likely structure my commentary in the form of stanza-to-stanza, or even line-to-line analysis, focusing on each line and how it presents one of the aspects listed above. I would have a body paragraph for each of the important line/lines/concepts presented in each stanza. I would then relate back to these concepts and my own analysis in the body paragraphs of other stanzas.

I would then write a conclusion summarizing all the points mentioned in my commentary regarding literary techniques, and try to come to an overall conclusion as to the reason behind the use of these techniques. I would then state this conclusion. Historical background of the author would be helpful here - but since we don't know anything about the author my conclusions will have to be based upon assumption.  


Camille Paglia's poem went into an extensive analysis on the poem, one which I would have never been able to conjure up upon first glance of the poem. Gary Snyder's poem is quite simplistic, hence I would not assume such a deep meaning in his words. At some points I feel that Pagalia's analysis went a bit too far in-depth, for I feel that some of her critiques, although extremely intelligent, were very far fetched. It made me wonder why a poetry in it's simplest form cannot just be simple, and has to have some deeper meaning. I like that she organized according to the organization of the poem itself. Being quite short, one would assume that structure plays an important role. Therefore, the organization of a commentary in correspondence to it's structure was very smart and easy to follow. Her references to Snyder's life provide great insight regarding his poem, comparing the raw curiosity regarding nature to his curiosity as a young boy. I really enjoyed reading her analysis on the first two lines of the poem, for it provided great insight. The observations she made are those that most would take for granted. Both creative and logical, Paglia's observations describe the process of perception that Snyder portrays in his first two lines. Most would not realize the sheer impact that nature's beauty had on him; however, Paglia gives an intelligent break down of the meaning behind his words. I thought her analysis to be very in-depth, giving me clarification on the depth of such a simplistic poem. I would have never analyzes Snyder's simple and fun lines with such logic and reason the Paglia did, and for that I found her analysis very refreshing. 

Dinnertime.

Beat

There is silence in the forest

Beat

Heads flinch at the crack of a twig

The rustle of a branch

Beat

Hearts thud louder

And louder

Beat

There is a change of pace

Something’s coming

The roar of the jungle awakens

Feet thudding against the earth as we

Propel toward our enemies

The screeching

Screaming

The heart wrenching cries

The ripping apart of bodies

Bodies that were once

Filled with life.

The claws

The scratches

The scuttling

Beat

The forest is back to its natural state

Beat

Except now

No one notices the twigs

Or the branches

Beat

They’re eating

They’re eating what was once running

They’re eating what they heard crying

They’re eating a body

Which was once filled with life

Beat

Dinnertime. 

The Harlem Dancer

The Harlem Dancer is a short poem by Claude McKay about a scene in a bar. The title suggests that the location of this bar is in Harlem, a prevalent area during the Harlem Renaissance. Claude McKay was a writer of the Harlem Renaissance, and aspects of this era are prevalent in his poems, especially The Harlem Dancer. This poem is about a young prostitute, and McKay’s observations regarding her influence on the crowd. He uses imagery, metaphors, and diction to create a paradoxical setting in which this young prostitute performs.

The poem itself is much like a song, for it is written in iambic pentameter. It revolves around the beauty and sound of this prostitutes music, an element depicted in the style and form of the poem. Starting out in the first stanza, McKay’s use of imagery gives a visual description of the prostitutes grace and pose. By describing her “perfect, half-clothed body sway”, McKay gives a very different impression than if he were to have described her “hot, naked body shake”. The image he portrays with his choice of diction is one of elegance, an image not normally associated with a dancing prostitute in a bar.  He then compares her voice to “the sound of blended flutes blown by black players upon a picnic day”. With this metaphor, McKay depicts the soulfulness of her voice. He gives her voice meaning. There is a warm and comforting feel associated with the image of a picnic day, thereby giving the prostitute a very warm nature.

Likewise in the second stanza, McKay again describes her dancing “gracefully and calm”. He uses diction such as “form” to refer to her body, which is a much more artistic word in comparison to “body”. He describes her movements and overall figure with very delicate and feminine diction, creating an image that would normally contrast that of a bar dancer. The use of the metaphor following these descriptions, comparing her to a “proudly swaying palm”, also add to the gentle persona McKay is giving this dancer.

In the third stanza McKay presents a slightly sensual image, when he describes her “shiny curls” that “profusely fell”. The image of curls gives the dancer a sensual and feminine aura, rather than a trashy one. The following imagery truly shows the distinction between the dancer and her audience.

“The wine-flushed, bold-eyed boys, and even the girls,

Devoured her with their eager, passionate gaze”

These two lines I feel, depict the raw essence of this poem. It shows how the audience objectifies this ‘soulful’ and ‘elegant’ prostitute. Words such as “devoured” show how the audience sees her as a piece of meat, devouring her in unison with their sexual appetite. The description of “wine-flushed boys” give the crowd a rowdy persona, making the people seem inferior in comparison to the elegant and poised dancer.

The last two lines are in essence the most important of this poem. They tie together all the contrasting imagery of the poem, and express it in two lines. The rhyme scheme for these two lines is different from the rest of the poem, also adding to its separation and importance.  It depicts how McKay sees this dancer differently than the rest of the crowd, for he notices her “falsely-smiling face”, knowing that she “her self was not in that strange place”. 

Do not never change

Amiri Baraka's essay on language depicts the correlation between culture and language. His analysis on language and culture depicts the true conundrum we face when dealing with poetry. Poetry itself can be analyzed like a painting. Paintings - especially abstract paintings - can be analyzed to any level with regards to the viewer. It can be analyzed for brush work, color, shape, and tone. The analysis of such art depends on the viewer, and their mood regarding the poem. I feel this aspect of art, being the universal ability to analyze, is what Baraka is trying to describe with poetry. A person's mood when analyzing art is parallel to one's culture when analyzing poetry. Like described in the article, certain words or phrases could mean very different things depending on one's social status or cultural background.

Thereby lies the true beauty: its varying levels of depth and meaning. For example, during class I had to analyze a poem about a Hippo doing the jive. The author described the Hippo's movements as sensual and smooth. I understood this to be a statement about the ironies of beauty; however, one could just see this as a humorous image to give someone a good chuckle. The notion that one can never be wrong in analysis comes into play here, for one's various cultures and ethnic backgrounds could produce some very strange interpretations. This is what causes the universality and everlastingness of poetry.

As I mentioned before with my example of a painting, a poem can similarly be analyzed for diction, tone, and structure, as a painting can be for brush strokes, color, and shape. Such tools of writing give analysis some boundaries, so that we have a universal understanding on how to interpret writing. By learning the different cultures of speech, we open ourselves to greater ability for analysis and understanding. The true purpose of analyzing a poem is to find the mysteries and secrets that the author embedded in his/her words. Words can be interpreted and meant in so many different ways, thereby portraying how language is  simply a puzzle for what we are truly trying to communicate. As Asim mentioned in his blog (http://asimlikesenglish.blogspot.com/), the conformity of such an aspect of language would lead to a 'death of poetry'. It would lead to the removal of confusion and interpretation between cultures, killing the essence of embedded themes and stories. Perhaps this would make things a lot easier for our understanding, but it would also destroy a universal art.

I also enjoyed reading Saumya's interpretation on this essay (http://saumya22.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/blood-of-the-soul/) for she compares Baraka as a modern day George Orwell. The correlation between this essay and 1984 has been discussed in many of my peer's blogs, and it was a comparison I had noticed - but not doted upon. Both Baraka and Orwell death with language as a way of expressing thought, leading to the conclusion that control of language could thereby control thought. Using TOK lingo, language is one of the main WOKs (ways of knowing) and therefore a limitation on language could seriously influence our knowledge. Whether it leads to the death of poetry and interpretation, or complete control of thought both authors show the importance of language on our culture. 

Blog Portfolio 3

1. Coverage

Here are the links to all the blogs assigned this quarter based on our readings and novels. There is a total of 10 blogs, all of which have been completed

Blog 1: Sartre’s Essay on Existentialism

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-yam-what-i-yam.html

Blog 2: ‘The Distraction Society’

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/do-you-have-bbm.html

Blog 3: A Hunger Artist

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/hungry-kya.html

Blog 4: Hunger Pastiche

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/ylayali.html

Blog 5: Knut Hamsun’s Christian Perversions

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/susceptible-souls.html

Blog 6: Hunger Mind Map

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/hunger-mind-map.html

Blog 7: Analysis of an Aspect of Metamorphosis (Part 1)

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/his-happy-makes-me-sad.html

Blog 8: Formal Interpretation of a Passage

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/interpretation-of-passage.html

Blog 9: Kafkaesque

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/kafkaesque.html

Blog 10: My Plan of Action (Essay)

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-plan-of-action.html

2. Depth

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/kafkaesque.html

For this blog I included a great depth of discussion. Not only did I include the New Oxford English Dictionary definition of ‘Kafkaesque’, but I also went greatly in depth with my own definition of what I thought it meant. I focused on four elements that comprise this ‘Kafkaesque’ nature, and used examples from both the movie ‘Kafka’ as well as ‘Metamorphosis’ for evidence.

3. Interaction

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/01/hungry-kya.html

For this blog I read several of my peer’s blogs before writing my own. I was fascinated by a lot of Monique’s and Nina’s ideas, and elaborated upon them in my blog (including links to their own posts). I talked about both of their ideas, and then shared my own in accordance to what they were saying.

4. Discussion

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/his-happy-makes-me-sad.html

This blog post seemed to have sparked a very heated discussion between my peers and I. The topic of Gregor’s submissive nature brought upon a debate about synthesized happiness, and whether that shows strength or weakness in a character.

5. Xenoblogging

http://whamiltonthegreat.blogspot.com/2011/01/knut-hamsun-pastiche.html#comments

Comment Primo: I was the first to comment on Wesley’s pastiche, and I discussed how well his writing correlated to Hamsun’s voice. I analyzed his paragraph quite thoroughly, noting how he captured the voice of the author very well, and pointing out certain words or phrases that didn’t flow very well with the rest of the pastiche.

6. Wildcard

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiting-women.html

With all of the books we’ve been reading about women and power, I decided to write a poem called ‘Waiting Women’. This was inspired by the passage in The Handmaid’s Tale that talks about ‘Falling Women’. Instead of writing about how women are falling, I wrote about how women are endlessly waiting for something, something that we continue waiting for even though we are unaware of what it may be. 

Waiting Women

It is the eternal conquest to stop waiting
To stop wondering when something'll happen
To stop caring when something doesn't

Why is it that we're waiting women
With every endless tick or chime of a mocking clock, we wait
With every cup of coffee that cools off, we wait
With the sound of rickety tires on a worn down driveway, we wait

But waiting my friends is not the same as anticipation
With anticipation comes excitement, comes lust, comes life
With waiting there is just a dull sense of nothingness
Of knowing you are alone
Of facing the endless path of accepting this loneliness

With waiting there is a certain death
Death of the mind, death of the spirit
Its not the death of two lovers encurled in a grave
Or death with meaning
Or death with passion
It is death of one's soul
Nothing more and nothing less

The only question we waiting women face
Is what are we waiting for?
Are we waiting for anticipation
Are we waiting for death with passion
Or are we meerly waiting for the next meaningless tick of a clock
For our cup of coffee to cool down
For that car to finally come down that worn down driveway?

My Plan of Action

1)              Read the book!

Firstly, one must read the book. While reading the stranger I annotated and took notes. I especially looked for ties to the themes of existentialism, as well as ties to the other novels we have read this semester. I found certain correlations between the protagonist of the Stranger and the protagonist of Metamorphosis, as well as ties between the protagonists of the Stranger and Hunger. For example, Gregor and Meursault seem to follow similar paths of self-discovery. They both have interesting relationships with the sky (setting/weather) and food (hunger).

2)              Have a group discussion!

Next, it is important to get other people’s opinions on the novel. In doing so, one can broaden their view on the prominent themes and connections to other books. Reading other’s blogs is also a helpful tactic to understanding the underlying concepts of the novel. For example, after the discussion on the stranger we found several prominent themes, motifs, and symbols.

·       Heat and sun

·       Irrationality versus Rationality

·       The sky

·       The water/Marie

·       Raymond and his dog

After this group discussion, it is good to go back through the book, for many times I notice these motifs in other parts of the book that I never realized while reading it the first time. Although I can only thoroughly read the book once, I still go back and skim parts that I feel were important.

3)              Ponder!

After going through the novel again, I have a clear idea of which aspects stand out, and which ones interest me. I was particularly interested in the comparative aspects of the Stranger and Metamorphosis, due to the fact that both of these novels dote upon the concepts of absurdity. After deciding to do a comparative essay, I have to narrow it down to something more specific.

·       Comparing Kafka’s and Camus’s use of absurdity

·       Comparing the use of setting in Metamorphosis and the Stranger

·       Etc.

4)              Dig Deeper!

Now that I have somewhat of an idea of what I want to do, I must dig deeper. This means looking for textual evidence of these correlations between the two novels. Here is where some additional research would help. Secondary sources such as the essay on the close reading of the Metamorphosis, or essays on existentialism would help here. Once I have found which comparison I want to focus on, I normally type out the quotations from the novels I would use in my essay, as well as the quotations from secondary sources. Now I have my main focus, and textual evidence.

5)              Formulate a thesis and write an introduction!

From here I can formulate a thesis. I would know whether or not it is a good thesis if it addresses a specific aspect of the novel(s) and it’s effect. Since it is a comparative essay it would look something like this:

·       Both Kafka and Camus use concepts of the absurd in their novels Metamorphosis and The Stranger to _________.

·       The use of hunger to portray the protagonists’ emotions is similar in Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Camus’s The Stranger

·       Etc.

Since this is an interpretive and opinionated essay, the consideration of counter arguments is not important. I am not trying to prove a point with this essay; I am just trying to portray a different point of view on the correlation between the two novels. In my introduction I will have basically outlined my essay. This shouldn’t be too hard since I already have my main concepts and textual evidence. From here I will proofread my introduction until it is perfect. I cannot start my essay without a perfect introduction.

6)              Ready, Set, Write!

Now that I have my proofread introduction and textual evidence, I can begin to write my essay. I like to write the rest of my essay in one sitting, so that my thoughts are not interrupted. Once I finish writing, I have my rough draft!

7)              Edit!

From here all I have left to do is edit. I will first edit my essay myself, looking at context and grammar/syntax. After I have edited my essay, I will get 2 or more people to look at it, and ask them for their comments. I will take their suggestions and edit my essay once more. I also find it helps to read my essay out loud to see if I like it or not. Once I have edited my essay, and read it out loud (and liked the way it sounded), I have my final product! If I have time before the due date, I normally give my essay a break and read it over a couple days later. This allows me to look at it with fresh eyes. 

Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque |käfkəesk|

adjective

-characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka's fictional world.

(New Oxford American Dictionary)

In his stories Metamorphosis and The Hunger Artist, Kafka expresses a style of writing, one that can only be described as ‘Kafkaesque’. This term is used to describe his unique style of writing, which is applicable not only to the literary world, but also to the cinematographic world, as depicted by the movie Kafka. His word consists of a collaboration of the absurd, irony, mundane, surreal, and dark humor. With the collaboration of these unique elements, Kafka is able to bring this ‘nightmarish’ quality to his work.

The most prevalent quality of his work is the use of ironic absurdity. The idealism of existentialism is portrayed in all of Kafka’s work that we have studied. Especially in the Metamorphosis, the ironic absurdity is prevalent, for even though what may seem to be the most absurd is the metamorphosis of Gregor into a bug, it is actually his family’s behavior that is absurd. The wrong assumption of what is absurd is what brings upon this irony, for what is absurd is not what one would expect it to be. Likewise in The Hunger Artist, we are again under the assumption that the act of starving oneself to death is what is absurd, however, the absurdity is again misplaced, for it is the viewers that are absurd. It is the hunger artist that has built his own cage, and it is society that remains ignorant. The use of the absurd to create irony is also depicted in the movie Kafka. In the midst of this complex plot, the absurd is not what one would expect it to be. As Nina discussed in her blog (http://3nina.wordpress.com/), the irony in Kafka comes into play at the end of the film, for as soon as he reaches realization, he begins to die. I quite liked her interpretation that these similar deaths of the three main protagonists (Gregor, the hunger artist, and Kafka) were not ironic, but in fact trying to prove an existentialist theory. Only when these characters reached realization, were they finally set free, and hence were able to die. From her point of view, each of their deaths holds a sense of freedom rather than a sense of irony, which seems to correlate with many existentialist ideals.

Kafka also uses the concept of the mundane to add to this irony. The absurdity of the mundane is portrayed in his work, giving a sense of irony. When comparing Metamorphosis and Kafka, one can see the use of the mundane to portray this absurd irony. In Metamorphosis, although Gregor has undergone a massive change, his family continues as if nothing has happened. One would expect a family’s reaction to be much more severe, but life goes on as always. Likewise, at the end of the novel, more irony is presented when the parents are about to make the same mistake with Grette as they did with Gregor. This repetition shows that they learnt nothing from the entire situation, and that nothing has changed. Likewise, in Kafka, after a long, complicated, and scary plot, everything returns to normal. As Kafka’s boss said “Why should today be any different?” This concept of the mundane also creates a paradoxical irony in comparison to the prevalent surrealistic characteristics of Kafka’s work. The fact that the absurd consists of the mundane elements, and not the surreal elements, adds to this underlying sense of irony that establishes this ‘Kafkaesque’ nature.

The combination of the absurd, irony, mundane, and surreal form a dark humor that is Kafkaesque. I only came to the realization of this dark humor during the movie when the crazy man was running around screaming. Although this was supposed to be ‘nightmarish’, I could not help but laughing, because the scene was just so ridiculous. This concept is expressed in the article ‘Laughing with Kafka’. I realized that the humor of Kafka was not witty jokes, but instead a humor brought with the absurd. The combination of the surreal and the mundane, incorporated with this irony and absurd, brings a sense of humor, for it is hard for one to not find certain things absolutely ridiculous. It is not the type of comical relief that most people look for, but it is certainly a dark sense of humor, brought upon by these absurd and surreal elements.

Although Kafka’s work deals with complex and futuristic elements, it is not those that give his word this Kafkaesque nature. It is his correlation between the real and the surreal that brings upon this nature. This is expressed in Kafka. Although the main plot is associated with scary and complex scientific experiments, ideas of class and politics are also incorporated into the plot. This is because these aspects were very important in Kafka’s life. These issues of class and politics are what bring the real element to Kafka’s work, which then brings a sense of irony in contrast to the surreal elements of his work. Kafkaesque essentially is the correlation of the real and the surreal, to portray a message regarding the absurdity of human nature. 

Formal Interpretation of a Passage

This following paragraph is an interpretation of a passage from The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (pg 77-78). 

Before:

Throughout this passage Kafka uses very distinguished and diplomatic language to portray Gregor’s thoughts and emotions. Through this diplomatic and optimistic language, the reader can get a sense of the kind of person Gregor is. Although he notices the sings of injustice in this family, he chooses to ignore them and take them in his stride. He notices that he is not appreciated, but instead of making a big scene and discussing how he is not appreciated, he merely mentions it with a false nonchalance, using diplomatic adjectives and verbs. This diplomatic language seems to portray Gregor’s attempt at synthesized happiness. Since the reader gets all their information from Gregor’s point of view, their view of the situation is obstructed by this obscure language. Due to the fact that this narrative is from Gregor’s point of view, and there is no need to be diplomatic in one’s own mind, it portrays an aspect of Gregor’s personality. It demonstrates how he is relatively submissive, and does not stand up for what he wants, which is an important aspect of this story’s progression.


After:

Gregor desperately tries to impress his family, and strides to remain indifferent when he does not receive the appreciation he wants. Although he speaks of his issues very diplomatically, his language portrays the underlying frustration he feels for his family.  By using this diplomatic language, Kafka portrays Gregor’s submissive nature, an important aspect in this story.

“He had been of the opinion that nothing at all was left over from his fathers business, at least his father had never said anything to the contrary, and of course he had not asked him directly. At that time Gregor’s sole desire was to do his utmost to help the family to forget as soon as possible the catastrophe that had overwhelmed the business and thrown them all into a state of complete despair.”

The language used here portrays Gregor’s compliance. The variation between the language used and the underlying message itself shows this submission.  When discussing their financial matters, he says, “of course he had not asked him directly”. This holds some irony, for the father is treated as the patriarch when in fact it is Gregor who is bringing home the money. Although he makes no complaints, he proceeds to discuss how it was his “soul desire” to save his family from this “despair”, which turned out to be not as severe as he had thought. He said had worked with “unusual ardor” to save his family from poverty, even though their situation was not that bad. In this language, Gregor seems to be justifying his actions, and convincing himself otherwise of the injustice in his father’s stealth when dealing with the family’s (more like Gregor’s) money. Such avidity shows how Gregor is extremely willing to please, especially to gain the “sense of glory” from his family. Moreover, he continues to explain his disappointments in the same diplomatic tone of voice, almost holding a tinge of bitterness. Although his hard earn money was “gratefully accepted” and “gladly given”, he does not cease to mention the lack of that “special outpouring of warm feeling”. In this, the reader can get a sense of Gregor’s disappointment, which he is unwilling to voice. His meekness is again portrayed when talking about his sister. He speaks very passionately about sending her to the Conservatory, however he still feels it is “merely” a dream, for his parents shot down “even these innocent references to it”. Although he had made up his mind to tell his parents, he planned to speak to them about it with “due solemnity” rather than tough persistence. This diplomatic language portrays the distinction between what Gregor says and what he really wants to say. He has his own opinions, he is just afraid to voice them.  Gregor’s compliant nature is a key aspect of this story, for his obedience takes him to the point of being a sacrificial martyr. 

His Happy Makes Me Sad

After reading the very peculiar story The Metamorphosis (Part 1) by Franz Kafka, I tried to grasp the existentialist message of the story. What really stood out to me was Gregor’s heartbreaking optimism. Since it is written from Gregor’s point of view, the reader can see what a truly genuine and caring man he is. He has sacrificed his whole life for the benefit of his unappreciative family. From the way Kafka describes him, he seems like such a sweet man. It is apparent that his family is aware of his sweet nature, and is prepared to take advantage of that. His optimism toward life can be seen as synthesized happiness; however, when reading this story I found it completely heartbreaking.

“Oh God, he thought, what an exhausting job I’ve picked out for myself! On the road day in, day out” (pg 54). What I find ironic here is that he has not picked out this job. He is being forced to work at this job, due to the debt his father owns his boss. This statement first off shows a slight sense of optimism, and also a self-induced belief. Although he is being forced to work at this job, in thinking that he was the one that made this choice, he is able to synthesize happiness. After complaining about his hardships of his job he says, “Anyhow, that might be quite a good thing for me, who can tell?”(p 54). Again, this melancholy optimism may suggest a synthesized happiness, but it just seems like Gregor is forcing himself to believe a lie.

“Yet at any rate people now believed that something was wrong with him, and were ready to help. The positive certainty with which these first measures had been taken comforted him” (pg 64). Gregor is a bug. He has just been fired. His boss has just lectured him on his irresponsibility. People cannot understand him when he speaks. Yet, he feels happy that his family is showing some sign of love. It is quite sad that his family only starts to care when the chief clerk comes to fire him, and his voice sounds like an animal. Being the patriarch of the family, his parents should have begun to worry about him at about quarter to seven, when they could not understand him and he wasn’t leaving his room. Here is another example of Gregor’s heartbreaking optimism. The fact that he gains happiness, whether it is natural or synthesized, from such a small act of kindness, is truly upsetting.

“They should all have shouted encouragement to him…and in the belief that they were all following his efforts intently, he bit down frantically on the key with all the force at his command” (pg 65). This out of all statements, I found to be the most depressing. First of all, he felt content merely because the chief clerk noticed he was making an effort to turn the key. He felt that this was great encouragement. This is a perfect example of Gregor’s synthesized happiness. He gained a little bit of encouragement, but he had to convince himself that his entire family was encouraging him as well, in order to gain the strength to turn the key. He was well aware that they were not encouraging him, and he wished they would, but he was still optimistic about the situation.

Such instances portray Gregor’s humble character. He is in need of the love that he deserves, but he never seems to receive it. Most people would wallow about the fact that they are not receiving the love they deserve, but Gregor on the other hand displays naïve optimism. He knows that his family does not care, but he tries to convince himself that they do, in order to achieve synthesized happiness. Whether or not Gregor is truly content with these small acts of kindness, we will never know, but his constant optimism in tough situations is truly heartbreaking for the reader. 

Hunger Mind Map

Susceptible Souls

It is a common saying that philosophy is the study of leftovers, therefore requiring the most inquisitive and intelligent minds to properly master the art of philosophy. I feel that this aspect of philosophy is what makes the novel Hunger so unique. If the protagonist of the novel lacked this pure absurd intelligence, readers would find no need to continue reading. Personally, the protagonist’s thoughts were what captivated me. His way of thinking, his logic, and everything else was so unique and different from the ‘normal’ human way of thinking. What is interesting about his character is his strength in logical intelligence, but his lacking in other intelligence, or street smarts. Hunger is the journey of a purely intellectual being, who just cannot seem to comprehend the ideals of his own society.

The similarities between Hamsun and his character are not surprising, and many people feel that Hunger was an autobiography. The depiction of raw human emotion is tough to capture, therefore it is only expected that the author must have felt some of these emotions firsthand. First of all, there are similarities in the sense of their living standards. As Wood describes, in ‘Knut Hamsun’s Christian Perversions’, both Hamsun and his protagonist lived in extremely poor conditions, and both contained an obsession with being a great writer, despite many failed attempts. This in itself can explain for a lot of the personality traits that Hamsun and his protagonist share.

What I found interesting was Hamsun’s awareness of his ‘susceptibility of his soul’. Personally, I would assume that a character such as the protagonist in Hunger would not have the maturity to write about his personality in such a manner as Hamsun. In order to do so, the character would have to acknowledge the fact that he was ‘plotting his own demise’, and letting pride and childish behavior get in the way of his own success. For an author so similar to the protagonist, I find it hard to believe that he was able to convey such a character in the manner he did, for I would think that his own personal pride would get in the way of this portrayal.

I also find these ties to Christianity quite peculiar. Especially when discussing existentialism, religion does not play a very significant role. In fact existentialism does not support the belief in a God. Given that, I was a bit confused at Hamsun’s decisions to incorporate aspects of the bible into his novel. Perhaps it was because of societal influences during childhood that gave him these religious concepts, but I still do not understand why he would chose to incorporate that into his novel, especially when depicting similarities between Jesus and the protagonist (who is supposedly based after himself). The only connection I can think of is that the protagonist of Hunger as well as Hamsun are depicted as hubris, and therefore this connection with Jesus just further portrays their own arrogance and pride. 

Ylayali!

I sat down on the bench at the park, my bones sinking into the wooden planks. The weather was nice for once. The sun was at midlevel. My spot in the park seemed to dodge the glare of the setting sun; I was optimistic. I took out my pencil and some paper from my waistcoat pocket. Desperately searching for inspiration I looked around the park. A young woman walking her dog spotted the empty spot next to me, and began to move toward my bench. Her dog was skinny and shaven, with puffs of fur around his shoulders, head, and ankles.

The woman sat down with a huff.

“Lovely weather isn’t it?” she said, trying to make conversation.

“Indeed” I replied, desperately trying to concentrate on my writing.

I felt a tugging at my heel and automatically my eyes shifted to the dog. The scrawny mutt had started to gnaw at the hem of my trousers. My angst grew.

“Oh I’m so sorry!” she said startled, noticing my pained expression. “I don’t know how to control him just as yet. You see he’s not mine, my sister brought him up to my house at St.Olaf’s Place to stay for a while.”

“Ylayali!” I cried.

“I beg your pardon?” she said, dazed at my outburst.

“Oh nothing, I tend to resort to my native language at times. You see, I don’t live around here”. What if she knew I was the one that followed them home? Should I apologize to her now? Or should I pretend like the event never occurred? What if she knew who I was all along and was just trying to get me talking so she could have me arrested..

“I’ve never kept pets” I exclaimed. “This domestication of what should be a wild animal, it just doesn’t interest me.”

She sat quietly pursing her lips.

“I mean really, mustn’t the animal feel idiotic all shaven up like that? Looked down upon by everyone walking past? Having to conform to whatever plastic image humans deem it to possess? Its all rather inhuman of us don’t you think?”

“I suppose so..” she muttered nervously.

Does she think I’m insane? Do I appear to her a poor beggar on a bench, equivalent to the dog on her leash?

“Don’t get me wrong it must be nice to have an animal of the sorts, to groom and show off. Its not that I can’t accept the concepts of pets, I would get one in fact, if I had some sort of liking to them. I just feel it’s a bit demeaning that’s all”

“Yes of course…” she said quietly, “well I think I should be on my way now, Marshmallow here needs to be home before dark”.

And with that she got up, the scrawny mutt trailing behind her. 

Hungry Kya?

‘A Hunger Artist’ by Franz Kafka is a story about, big surprise, a hunger artist. This short story contains many parallels to the novel Hunger, both dealing with the issues of raw human hunger, society, and pride. The two protagonists have very similar ideals, not only in the way that they starve themselves, but also in their pride and stupidity. At first I found trouble finding these parallels between the two stories, for the two protagonists seemed to be in opposite situations. In Hunger, the main character is fighting against hunger. He is dying to find food wherever he can, and is scraping himself for money in order to attain food. Kafka’s character seems to do the opposite. He takes pride in starvation and refuses to eat, accepting the fame that comes with his inhuman manifestations. The protagonist in Hunger never, not once, denied food when given the opportunity, therefore leading to my confusion about the ties between these two characters.

After reading Monique’s blog, (http://hlenglishmonique.blogspot.com/) I gained more insight. She described how the two protagonists shared this sense of pride and honor, even if leading them to unfortunate situations. The hunger artist starved himself for his honor, even though by doing so he was basically killing himself. Towards the end of the story, he was so close to death, yet did not inform anyone merely to defend his honor. Both protagonists seem to share a disinterest for human life, for even the protagonist in Hunger, as Monique mentioned, had too much pride to beg for food or money, even on the brink of death. I found it interesting that Monique compared these characters to wild animals, especially because that is exactly what the hunger artist was treated as. He was kept in a cage under supervision, an inhuman monster meant for human entertainment. Likewise, the society in Hunger seemed to share similar feelings toward the protagonist. He was treated like a wild animal, a drunkard, a lunatic. I feel that this aspect of the novel was demonstrated immensely when the protagonist starts chewing on a bone to satisfy his hunger, demonstrating the extent of hunger’s effects on human nature.

I also found Nina’s ideas on these two pieces on hunger to be quite thought provoking (http://3nina.wordpress.com/). She discusses the two protagonists from an existentialist point of view. She had said, “I believe the Hunger Artist symbolizes dissatisfaction and the panther symbolizes fulfillment”. Her views on dissatisfaction pertain to both protagonists very well, for they both face this constant unhappiness, and a constant longing that is never satisfied. Both protagonists also share the fact that they are purposely putting themselves in these situations of dissatisfaction, for they refuse to let go of their stupidity and pride. This idea of dissatisfaction, as Nina talked about, portrays the existentialist ideals. For from an existentialist’s point of view, these two protagonists are merely an exaggeration of all human beings, and it is not until we accept this dissatisfaction and work toward it that we will attain happiness.