KIM WOODS

We Real Cool

Gwendolyn Brooks, 1917 - 2000

                   THE POOL PLAYERS. 

                   SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We

Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We

Die soon.

About the Poem

Forms

• Rhyming

• Quatrains

  Themes

• Drink

• Dance

• Fathers

• Sons

About the poet

Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) was an innovator, both in subject matter and form, writing in the...

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Links

Faber and Faber

Library of America

My Papa's Waltz

My Papa's Waltz

The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.

'My Papa's Waltz', copyright 1942 by Heast Magazines, Inc. by Theodore Roethke from The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke (Doubleday, 1966/ Faber, 1968), used by permission of the publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. The recording was made in the 1950s at the YMHA Poetry Center, New York, NY, and is used by permission of the Library of Congress, Washington DC, and is used with permission of the Library of Congress.

About the Poem

Forms

• Rhyming

• Quatrains

  Themes

• Drink

• Dance

• Fathers

• Sons

  Discussion 1 week 3 ENG 125 Introduction to Literature

   

   

Running head: SAMSA’S ALIENATION 1

Samsa’s Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

Sample Student

English 125: Introduction to Literature

Professor Smith

Month and date, year

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 2

Samsa’s Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

One would normally think of the home and family as a sanctuary; however, the opposite

is true for Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Instead of receiving love from

his parents and sister, Gregor is outcast. His transformation into a vermin is a physical

manifestation of his already alienated state and demonstrates how the family viewed him as a

commodity instead of a son or brother that they loved. By analyzing Gregor’s room, his

relationships with others, and his own internal dialogue, one can see that Gregor, in fact, did not

transform at all.

Various aspects of the room in which Gregor lives illustrate that his life is not that of a

human engaging with the world. His room is described a “proper human room” (Kafka 1915).

The addition of the qualifier “human” is an example of verbal irony; Gregor has already

morphed into a creature at this point. The room is also “small” and mention is made of the “four

walls” (Kafka, 1915). Though many rooms are small and have four walls, the highlighted of this

fact by the narrator evokes a sense of enclosure or imprisonment.

The furnishings of the room (or lack thereof) support Gregor’s disengagement with

human connection. Nothing is related of photos of family or friends, and the room seems empty,

save for his bed and a few other items. We read that “textile samples lay spread out on the

table” (Kafka, 1915), thus informing us that Gregor, who works as a salesman, takes his work

home with him. The only picture Gregor does have in his room is one of a woman that he cut

out and framed (Kafka, 1915), thus suggesting he finds more interest in the image of a stranger

than with that of any person in his life. Save for some furniture, a table covered with work, and

an image of a stranger on the wall, Gregor’s room is empty and resembles a prison cell more

than it does that of a human being connected with the world.

Author

Comment [1]: Include a brief yet

meaningful one- to two-sentence lead-in.

Author

Comment [2]: The thesis presents a claim

founded on analysis and directly responds

to the prompt.

Author

Comment [3]: This “essay map” presents

the three supporting points in the order in

which they will be addressed.

Author

Comment [4]: Body paragraphs should

begin with a topic sentence that also relates

to the thesis.

Author

Comment [5]: The body paragraph

should contain specific textual evidence and

an explanation of how the evidence

illustrates the paragraph’s main point.

Author

Comment [6]: This topic sentence

continues the discussion in the previous

paragraph yet still offers the focus of this

one.

Author

Comment [7]: Note that quotations are

smoothly integrated into the discussion.

Author

Comment [8]: Proper APA in-text

citations should be included whenever

referring to a text.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 3

One more item in the room that supports Samsa’s involvement in his work and alienation

from the world is that of the alarm clock which serves to symbolize the control that his job has in

his life. Despite being transformed into a bug, Gregor is more worried about missing work than

he is about his physical state. Brooding about how he would like to quit his job after paying

about his parents’ debt while tossing and turning in bed, he says to himself, “First of all though,

I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five” (Kafka, 1915). Then, an entire paragraph is devoted to

Gregor’s worrying about missing his train and wondering if he had slept through the alarm.

Gregor then wonders how he will deal with the repercussions with his boss who would certainly

be angry with him for missing work. Gregor’s worries are supported when the chief clerk does

stop by the apartment wondering why he did not appear at work (Kafka, 1915). Sokel (1983)

notes that Gregor is further alienated from the products as his labor, as he does not even enjoy

the money he earns but gives it to his family. He explains, “Gregor’s sole reason for enduring

the hated position, the need to pay his parents’ ‘debt’ to his boss, drastically highlights the

doubly extrinsic purpose of Gregor’s work. For not only is his labor alien to his true desires, but

its…salary or commission that it affords him—does not even belong to him” (p. 487). Gregor’s

room and everything in it tell the story of his life: he sleeps, he works, and he has no connection

to other humans.

Gregor’s relationships with others also reveal his alienation and role as a commodity, not

a person. The interaction with the chief clerk at the office makes it clear the Gregor is valued

simply for his ability to make the company money. As already mentioned, the clerk at Gregor’s

office soon came by the family apartment to check on Gregor’s whereabouts. The description of

the visit makes it clear that the clerk was not at the home to inquire about Gregor’s welfare but to

reprimand him for not being at work. When Gregor did not respond to the family’s questions

Author

Comment [9]: The discussion

demonstrates an application of the literary

elements discussed in the textbook.

Author

Comment [10]: Note that secondary

material is used sparingly. It is to support

your own original argument.

Author

Comment [11]: Transitional language is

included in this topic sentence to signal the

move to the second point in the essay map.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 4

(because he was physically unable to do so), “[t]he chief clerk now raised his voice, ‘Mr.

Samsa,’…You barricade yourself in your room...you are causing serious and unnecessary

concern to your parents and… you fail to carry out your business duties in a way that is quite

unheard of” (Kafka, 1915). When Gregor does finally respond (in a way incomprehensible to

all), they assume he is mocking them instead of trying to explain his predicament (Kafka, 1915).

The clerk is quick to fire Gregor, thus suggesting that Gregor is a commodity that can be easily

replaced.

The chief clerk is not the only person who views Gregor as a commodity; Gregor’s own

family sees him as a means to their own end and as something that is useless when it is no longer

able to make money. Early in the novella, Gregor thinks about the fact that Gregor was working

to pay off his parents’ debt and would need to work “another five or six years” to do so (Kafka,

1915). One would think that in such a situation that the rest of the family was incapable of

working, but this is not true, as the family soon finds other means of income upon Gregor’s

inability to work.

Perhaps the most telling scene of the family’s view of Gregor occurs at the very end of

section I when Gregor rushes out of his room in an effort to reach out to the clerk and save his

job. Though one might understand confusion on their part, Gregor’s family, in particular his

father, shun him and react violently. Upon seeing Gregor, his father “seized the chief clerk's

stick in his right hand…, picked up a large newspaper from the table with his left, and used them

to drive Gregor back into his room, stamping his foot at him as he went” (Kafka, 1915). The

father then started “making hissing noises at [Gregor] like a wild man” (Kafka, 1915). Clearly,

Gregor’s father sees Gregor not as a son but as an enemy. This is ultimately illustrated when he

shoves Gregor into his room, injuring him. After the scene calms, “For two whole days, all the

Author

Comment [12]: Brackets may be used to

make small modifications in a quotation in

order to retain correct grammar.

Author

Comment [13]: The discussion here and

throughout this paper does not simply retell

the story. Rather, the focus is on presenting

an argument. Specific details are included

to support claims.

Author

Comment [14]: Note the pattern in this

and all body paragraphs: introduce main

idea. Offer textual evidence and

commentary. Offer another point or two of

textual evidence, including commentary

after each.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 5

talk at every mealtime was about what they should do now” (Kafka, 1915), leading one to

believe such talk was about how the family would provide for themselves, not how they would

care for Gregor. There is no care or concern demonstrated to Gregor by his father or anyone, for

that matter; rather, his father exemplifies the fact that the family only cared about Gregor when

he was useful to them. Now that he is not of use, he is simply a burden. Ryan (2007) makes

note of additional significance of Gregor’s role that is lost in translation. He explains that a term

used to refer to Gregor in the story’s original German was “Ungeziefer,” a word that has a

history of connotations varying from “unclean animal,” to “louse,” to “cockroach” and other

such undesirable creatures (p. 11). Regardless of the translation, it is clear that Gregor is simply

not wanted.

Sadly, Gregor’s own internal dialogue parallels how his family talks to and about him. In

fact, one might say that he has internalized the voices of his family and the clerk. One example

of this includes his reaction upon realizing he was an insect. As mentioned earlier, Gregor was

not concerned about finding a way to get his human body back; rather, he was concerned about

whether or not he was late to work. Even after the clerk’s visit, Gregor is keen on finding a way

to get to work: “If, however, they took everything calmly he would still have no reason to be

upset, and if he hurried he really could be at the station for eight o’clock” (Kafka, 1915). Gregor

plans for the family’s future even though they do not; in fact, they take for granted that they will

be provided for and “had so much to worry about at present that they had lost sight of any

thought for the future. Gregor, though, did think about the future” (Kafka 1915). Though one

might first think it is good of Gregor to work so hard for his family, Gregor has completely lost

his own identity in doing so. He simply sees himself as a means to their welfare, just as they do.

Author

Comment [15]: This topic sentence

introduces the third and final point

mentioned in the essay map.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 6

Ironically, it is after Gregor morphs into an insect (or “un-thing,” as would be a closer

translation of the novella’s German title), that Gregor begins to demonstrate more human

qualities. One early example of this occurs near the end of the first section as the chief clerk is

about to leave. After rushing out of his room in an effort to appease the clerk, Gregor sees his

mother look at him and briefly forgets about the one thing that had previously consumed his

entire life: “’Mother, Mother,’ said Gregor gently, looking up at her. He had completely

forgotten the chief clerk for the moment…” (Kafka, 1915). As the story progresses, we read less

and less of Gregor worrying about his job and more about him thinking of his own emotions.

Reflecting upon his sister’s efforts to leave him food, Gregor wishes he were able to share his

gratitude with her. The narrator laments, “If Gregor had only been able to speak to his sister and

thank her for all that she had to do for him it would have been easier for him to bear it; but as it

was it caused him pain” (Kafka, 1915). This Gregor is quite different from the work-obsessed

Gregor at the beginning of the story. Gregor shows thoughtfulness for his parents even though

they do not demonstrate care for him as his sister does: “Out of consideration for his parents,

Gregor wanted to avoid being seen at the window during the day” (Kafka, 1915). These are not

the thoughts of an unfeeling, monstrous vermin but those of a caring, considerate brother and

son.

Gregor’s change from a travelling salesman to an insect in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

was not truly a transformation; in fact, by studying his room, his relationships and this thinking,

it becomes clear that Gregor did not change at all. The true metamorphosis happens after

Gregor’s physical transformation. Turning into a bug made Gregor realize what was most

important in his life: not his job, but his human relationships. Sadly, his family is not able to

reciprocate his feelings of love and concern. At the close of The Metamorphosis, it is not

Author

Comment [16]: Here and throughout the

essay you’ll notice that a variety of sentence

structures are used. This helps to retain

reader interest and more effectively

communicate ideas.

Author

Comment [17]: This is another way to

include quotations: add an introductory

phrase. A quotation should never stand on

its own as a sentence. Using a variety of

methods to integrate quotations will

demonstrate your own control of the

material.

Author

Comment [18]: Conclusion restates the

thesis. It also reminds us of a significant and

ironic quality of Gregor’s transformation.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 7

Gregor, but his family who have morphed into unfeeling creatures, while Gregor is the most

human of them all.

SAMSA’S ALIENATION 8

References

Kafka, F. (1915). The Metamorphosis (D. Wyllie, Trans.). Retrieved from Project Gutenberg:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm

Ryan, S. (2007) Franz Kafka’s Die Verwandlung: Transformation, Metaphor, and the Perils of

Assimilation. Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies, 43(1), 1-18.

Sokel, W.H. (1983). From Marx to Myth: The Structure and Function of Self-Alienation in

Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Literary Review, 26(4), 485-496.

Week 3 Discussion 2 ENG 125 Introduction to literature