Not an allegory The Metamorphosis

When I first began to study events in The Metamorphosis, I was convinced that the story was an allegory for teenagers going off to college. I thought that the metamorphosis was a result of the new college environment that one would live in, and the bug represents a newer version of the student or a post-high school self. It has been said that once someone goes off to college, home is never the same. I think this is because the person is no longer the same after living away from home. When Gregor is in his own home, newly as a bug, he doesn't enjoy the same foods that he used to, much like a college student may not enjoy the same activities that he or she enjoyed in high school. Also, similarly to the way that Gregor's family became more productive and happier people when he was a bug, I think that parents have the time to restore their individuality when they are not busy with their child's lives. While I now know that The Metamorphosis is not an allegory, I still believe that the story can be applied to many different situations and phases of life. People change and I don't think Kafka would disagree with me on that.

Why a bug? The Metamorphosis

In the beginning of the story, Gregor wakes up as a bug for no apparent reason. If such a transformation can occur without any logic or reason to support it, then what other shapes could Gregor have taken on? Perhaps he could have transformed into a giant duck, only able to communicate with his family through annoying quacks, or maybe Gregor could have become a human-sized lizard where is outward appearance would send his family running in fear. However, I think the reason Kafta chose to change Gregor into a bug was because he wanted to reflect his own personality in the character. After reading a letter published by one of Kafka's friends, Max Brod, I realized that Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis during a time in his life when he was contemplating suicide. Perhaps he felt as if he identified with the bug, being something that people are commonly disgusted at or scared of. He might have also felt the uselessness that Gregor feels in the novel after not being able to work, and he may have related to the fact that many people think of bugs as useless creatures.

The Pilkings

My two favorite characters to study in the play, Death and the King's Horseman, are Jane and Simon Pilkings. While they are both inherently culture-insensitive and ignorant, they are not portrayed as hateful characters. Both of them seem to mean well when speaking to their servant, even if Simon did accidentally offend the man by belittling the concept of holy water. The couple simply doesn't realize that they are being rude when speaking to people with differing cultures. For example, when Simon and Jane wore the sacred outfits to a European ball, this was not a hateful act, because they just thought the costume was pretty. They do not know enough about Joseph's culture to purposefully share a hateful comment or express a hateful action, so they just end up looking uncultured. I think the culturally insensitive actions of the couple are supposed to represent the ignorance in those who are not diverse  in the real world. Soyinka may have been trying to express that there are many people who do not intend to hurt others, but also do not care to know enough about their cultures to prevent themselves from hurting them.

Insults

In Death and the King's Horseman, there are plenty of good insults that angry characters throw at one another. Some of the harshest ones are also a bit comedic. For example, when Iyaloja calls Elesin a "self-vaunted stem of the plantain, how hollow it all proves," and when a market girl stung Amusa by calling her, "The eater of white left-overs." These insults are very creative and hurtful. What is interesting, is that their insults are not like the insults we hear today, which are usually thought of within seconds and sting because they are not politically correct. There are plenty of racial undertones in the play, but when one character is insulting another, their racial differences are usually left out. It was common language to call others "white one" or the n-word, but to compare someone to the stem of a plantain was an act full of hate. What the characters referred to each other as would be considered an insult today. However, what the characters used to insult each other would be considered so over the top that it is comedic today. Whether the author is insulting someone in the 1970s or 2016, Soyinka really knows how to slander someone through the use of his words.

Most Beautiful Words

I have always been upfront about my affinity for words. So much so, that this is not the first piece of writing I have written not only with, but also about words. I have an infatuation with the study of language and the uses of each word. However, when it comes to choosing the most beautiful words... I find myself getting distracted. You see, a word can be beautiful for three reasons: 1) the sound of it  2) the meaning behind it, or 3) the circumstance in which it was used.

If you take one word and examine it for all three of these characteristics, you will find it coming up short in most cases. For example, take the word "claw." It is a fun word to say, partly because it makes us Americans feel as though we have a British accent for a moment, but it also easily rolls off of the tongue. However, there is nothing beautiful about the act of clawing or the image that comes to mind when the word is said. One could imagine a cat clawing a dead bird or a man trapped in a box, clawing for his freedom.

To examine the latter, a word that is beautiful in the meaning behind it, but not the actual sounds that make up its pronunciation, could be a name. Not all names are beautiful-sounding in their pronunciation alone. However, when someone hears their own name, it feels a bit like being wanted. Whether it is your peers talking about something you have done recently, or the beckoning call of a friend, hearing one's name is instantly personal and possibly the most interesting and beautiful word one person can hear. Also, this word is universally beautiful in each circumstance in which it is used, because whether the news is good or bad, it pertains to you and that is beautiful.

Perhaps the word "money" is a beautiful word, solely based on its meaning, because when people read or hear the word, they perk up. While "money" has been given a negative connotation before, due to authors who have claimed it as a "curse" or something that ruined mankind, it still exists as an important word today. For example, if you tell anyone today, "You can have all my money," then flocks of people will most likely succumb to your use of a beautiful word. However, the word isn't beautiful-sounding. When you form the word it makes the "uh" noise as if you are confused about something, and adding the "ee" sound at the end is something a child does. Like the word "doggie," or "veggie" it makes the speaker sound unsophisticated. Perhaps a more beautiful word would be "cash" or "currency," but each of those words has a different connotation and does not equate to the word "money."

The beauty of language comes from its complexity, the delicate piecing together of consonants and vowels which can sound so similar to another word yet have a completely different meaning in the same language. While I would love to have one word that has a flawless relationship between its literal sound and its meaning, I have not found one yet. Perhaps there is a truly beautiful word that sounds beautiful, means something beautiful, is always used in a beautiful environment, and pertains to me, however, the mission of finding this word, may be impossible...

Why not a tragicomedy?

After going back in forth, arguing in class over whether The Tempest was a tragedy or a comedy, Charlie brought up the point that the play must be a tragicomedy, since it can be argued strongly both ways. However, then Ms.Maxey set us straight, telling us that it is officially a comedy. However, I think today it should be considered a tragedy, or at least a tragicomedy, because there is a really small percentage of people who would find this play funny. Also, there are some serious topics that are covered in the play, which make me think that it would be better suited as a tragedy when looked at today. For example, the shipwreck in the beginning, Prospero's loss of power, and the inclusion of characters like Ariel and Caliban who are similar to slaves, point towards the play being more tragic than funny. However, I understand that during that time, Shakespeare had a better sense of humor than most students think he has now.

Miranda's Innocence - The Tempest

Being the daughter of Prospero and a character with many lines, Miranda can be classified as one of the main characters in the play. However, Miranda is possibly the most uninteresting characters in the play. She is a flat character and can be described adequately in 5 words or less. Simply put, she is young, loving, and loyal to Prospero. When she met Ferdinand she fell in love and it was an obstacle-free relationship. In many ways, Miranda can be considered child-like. Since she has been stranded on the island for her entire life, she knows very little about relationships and the world. When new people came to her island, it was like her first day of school, because she met many new people for the first time in her life. Also, her relationship to Prospero as a young and submissive daughter further asserts the image of her being a boring and child-like character.

Poem Project

The poem that I am doing for my project is "Funny... But Not" by Arianna Loshnowsky:

it's funny how hello is always accompanied with goodbye 

it's funny how good memories can start to make you cry 

it's funny how forever never seems to last 

it's funny how much you'd lose if you forgot about your past 

it's funny how “friends” can just leave when you are down 

it's funny how when you need someone they never are around 

it's funny how people change and think they're so much better 

it's funny how many lies are packed into one “love letter” 

it's funny how one night can contain so much regret 

it's funny how you can forgive but not forget 

it's funny how ironic life turns out to bebut the funniest part of all, is none of thats funny to me 

 I chose this poem, because even though I just found it, I feel that I could have written it myself. In my video, I plan to talk about her use of sarcasm and how a lot of times in my life, I use humor to cope with difficult situations. Also, I want to relate the issues that she describes to my personal life. To me, the talk of people changing, love letters, talk of "forever," and friends sounds like basic high school drama, which is something I hear about every day. Even though Loshnowsky is making a statement about life, she is using issues that are seemingly petty to help illustrate how people can hurt on the inside without others realizing it. Starting each sentence with "it's funny how" is sort of a mask that many people hide behind to not show their true feelings. I will talk a bit about how having friends and family members with depression has affected the way I deal with my own problems and how I choose to interact with others who may or may not seem to be hurting.