Kafka Finale

I've never been as upset with an ending as I am right now! It was so  disheartening to see that Gregor's parents and sister have completely tossed out his corpse and existence like last week's spoiled milk. How can they forget everything he's done with them?! How dare they refer to him as an "it"... If only they knew what it felt like to give their all in order to care for someone other than themselves. Just like the rubbish that eventually accumulated inside of his room, Gregor became a forgot trinket and plaything who was eventually seen as a major nuance. A leach can only survive as long as its host remains alive. I guess these leaches just found another way of living...

Kafka Reading 45

In last night's reading I really began to really see how Gregor's family has treated over the course of his transformation. He's become his sister's puppy dog, whom she does not appropriately care for. He has also become the new maid's fascination! His room is filthy and he has no one to fully care for him so his family has definitely not payed him back for all the hours of work he dedicated to their well being. There has been no fruit to his labor and I feel as though his hard work has been wasted by his ungrateful family.

My Conrad essay...

As I was writing this essay I recall really feeling a connection to the text. I felt like I knew the Africa Conrad was depicting and I could really imagine the scenes. I think that really came in handy when writing this essay. Someone who really connects to the book, I believe, can further analyze it and display a deeper sense of understanding when compared to someone who just read without any profound connection. This essay gave me the space I needed to delve into topics I kind of felt were a bit taboo and might get under some people's skin. Reading in class was extremely enjoyable and I am extremely grateful for it. By allowing myself to have the time and dedication I needed in order to fully execute this paper. I truly feel as though my participation in this class has given me the self discipline I will need for my collegiate work.

Metamorphosis reading (35)

It seems to me that Gregor is finally realizing his imminent life as a human sized insect. He almost has somewhat of an epiphany due to his condition which I believe helps him sees his life through a different lens. I see Gregor coming to the conclusion that his family has been taking advantage of him and might have some resent towards them towards the end of the book.

Kafka Reading (25)

After reading further into the situation which the character finds himself in we see some light shed on the subject. We see that the stressful and maybe even lifeless lifestyle of a salesman might be the caused of the protagonist's "metamorphosis!" It is also extremely interesting to see how the character's sister takes care of him and cares for him, something his fearful and dramatic parents seem to not be able to do. This bizarre transformation might possibly be a revelation of purpose that the main character undergoes in order to clear his mind and see what truly matters to him in life; his sister's guaranteed success.

Circle Discussion

Today in class our circle discussions really turned into deep and vey insightful conversations that I think  were extremely interesting. I loved how we applied what we had learned from the literature we have read to our lives and possible real life situations. I was a fluent part of the conversation and I kept trying to keep the ball rolling. By constantly asking questions and refreshing the topics we were discussing, my group successfully executed the task at hand, and enjoyed itself. Seeing how we interact as peers, I believe, is extremely helpful in seeing what one does and discusses well and what one might need some improvement on. Overall I always enjoy our circle in class discussions and I feel as though they give the class a dynamic twist.

Metamorphosis

In last night's reading I really enjoyed the detail the author provides when describing the main character's predicament! He really showed us how the character is controlled by his family's need to have him support them. His routine lifestyle may be the cause of his gruesome transformation

3rd Body Paragraph

If traced back to its original natal location, we see that humanity's home is indeed the ominously mysterious continent of Africa. Just as it was viewed in its earliest stages of colonialism as a place of savagery and darkness, people of the 21st century still tend to associate said continental location with barbarism and corruption. If observed through the Freudian lens, this universal fact of humanity's origin makes complete sense when seen as a segway into the context of Conrad's book Heart of Darkness. 

2nd Body Paragraph

Much like the experience Marlow has in Africa, an ego free zone, the human experience and condition for that matter through one's id are the building blocks for what Freud sees as our most natural ways of being. According to Freud "Men are not gentle, friendly creatures wishing for love", a statement that encapsulates the very nature of the human id which leads us to our animalistic origins as Freud would argue. Through the Freudian perspective much like the one of Marlow towards the natives and eventually the Europeans when in the Congo, humans are all malicious beings that are conceived through vile and perverse means, or so society tells us. By listening to the social norms of what one should and should not do we become susceptible to what society fabricates within us, the super ego. This level of our subconscious tells us what is morally right and wrong. Freud argues that due to the restraints society places on us through rules and regulations our true animalistic ways are suppressed and bottled up within us. Although repressed, this beastly subconscious deep down inside us all projects itself in many ways. Freud states that one can see one's deepest and most suppressed desires through dreams in which our most secret wishes no matter how vile or immoral are projected by are id. Following with the Freudian belief of an initial human corruption since conception, Freud states that children as oblivious clean slates untouched by society's grasp display how we truly act through sexual acts and desires. Infantile sexuality further proves that even in our most "innocent" stages of life we are still creatures of malicious and sexual abilities whose true desires are molded and distorted into what society views as a moral citizen.

1st Body Paragraph

Just as Marlow's darkness envelops his mindset and clouds his once "moral" European views, Conrad is just as capable of doing so by wiring the book Heart of Darkness. In Heart of Darkness Africa represents so much more than just a continental space on a map, it represents a both physical and mental realm where society has no hold on people. As a space of utter savagery, the Congo becomes Marlow's playground, so much so that he finds himself losing his affinity to the very people that joined him, the Europeans, on his journey to the epicenter of Africa and siding with Kurtz and his gang of savages. By further examining the predicament our protagonist Marlow finds himself in, we notice that this entire situation or literary work that reason might actually be an unconscious projection made by Conrad's subconscious id. By writing about liberation and wild African freedom Conrad uses Marlow as a means to escape the restraining European societal expectations he is surrounded by and places himself in a foreign land where nothing, not even his "superego" can control him.

Intro

As Marlow dives into the innermost darkness of central Africa he is faced with an unconscious that chooses to release itself once in the wild and free ambiance of the Congo. This inner darkness, previously suppressed by the European moral constraint, takes hold of Marlow and resides within him causing him to experience a voyage far beyond his wildest imaginations. As Freud and many other psychologists have stated, this inner darkness or "id" is a natural part of the profoundly complex human condition and is the foundation on which our primatial ways of life rest upon. As human beings we are composed of three subconscious levels, the ego, the superego and the id. According to Freud, our "superego" is fabricated by what society has implemented into our minds.