My Writting Process

The first step would be a thoughtful decision based on weather to discuss and anaylse a motif, symbol, or foreshadowing, and how that enhances the underlying theme of the novel. 

Here it goes:

Step 1: Go through the annotations and then separately take notes of relevant page numbers that involve usage of my chosen motif. I would also scan briefly the novel to revisit the gist of the story and try to find any references that I had missed first time around.

Step 2: I would think and start writing an introduction which would explain my aims for this essay which would also help to clear my thoughts. I would write a clear thesis statement

Step 3: I would then do a literature search on any background information that could substantiate my ideas and thoughts. Any information I can use would be printed and highlighted so I can refer to these for easy reference.

Step 4: I would plan the overall body of the essay, in terms of how I will tackle my arguments, the number of paragraphs and their individual topic and how one topic will lead to another in a smooth and relevant non random flow. 

Step 5: Now that I made my master plan I would now go back to my annotated notes, page numbers, quotes and research and for each paragraph make a list of where to find my material.

Step 6: I would begin writing my first paragraph starting with a topic sentence, which will flow into my points, adding quotes and own thoughts and researched proof and finally ending with a closing sentence that will lead to paragraph 2

Step 7: Step 6 will be repeated for each paragraph and I will cross out manually all page numbers etc that I have used earlier to prevent confusion, an over excess of information and repetition.

Step 8: I have finally reached the conclusion which will repeat my thesis and summarize my main body points. I will then think of a smart closer that the reader can chew on and end with a title for the essay.

Step 9: Read the overall essay several times looking at ways to improve my word choice, sentence structure and ideas of the first draft.

Step 10: Re write changes and repeat step 9 until a level of satisfaction has been reached.

Step 11: Go through the essay again this time looking for spelling mistakes, grammar, punctuation and repeat of word usage and sentence length. It would help to read it aloud at this point.

Step 12: Ask my peer to read and proof read and final edit if need be.

Step 13: Type out my final draft, save and print a hard copy and submit.

Step 14: Relax and celebrate great success, and pray to get a good grade!

Method in his Madness

The term kafkaesque is used to redefine the fine lines between reality and fantasy. His works borders on the absurd and the line is blurred when we talk about the real and surreal. In fact, where does reality start and imagination end. As any psychiatrist worth his hourly fee will tell you, it is all about what the mind perceives. A child can have an imaginary friend, and yet to that child she derives as much comfort and companionship from this friend than any real one. Then surely this friend is real in every sense of the word. Today we have many virtual friends that we never meet and yet we still value their friendship. So is this our modern day version of the imaginary friend. In the same way a donkey will chase a carrot on a stick. We know that carrot will never be reached and yet the hapless donkey is happy in his own world will continue to chase that carrot, as long as his mind perceives that his goal is attainable. Again a man dying of thirst in the desert will actually see what he wants to see, his mind plays tricks on him as he gathers up the sand to his mouth as he imagines the mirage of an oasis of sparkling water. But one man'.s absurdity is another man's normality and who are we to judge on what is normal or absurd. Who decides or sets the standard of normal, is it society, culture, religion or a combination of all these factors ?

In the movie, events border on the absurd and at times make no sense at all to the viewer, but what was the writers motive in doing this? Perhaps he wanted to send an underlying message and have the reader think outside of the box. The movie brings forth the question, "What indeed is absurd and what is normal?" The depiction of the castle and the outside world both utilized contrary color pallettes, that of color, and black and white. The castle scenes, which we viewed as absurd were depicted in color, while on the contrary, life outside the castle, normal to the viewers, was depicted in black and white. We perceive color as the norm, and in contrast black and white as an abnormal phenomenon, so the use of varying color choices retorts the question of what is normal and what is absurd. Perhaps, there is a method in the madness. After all there is a fine line between madness and genius......

In the short story Metamorphosis we are lead to believe without explanation or apology that a young man wakes up to become an insect. We balk at this idea at first until we delve deeper and realize the underlying theme that human behavior is fickle and is based on selfish motives as we see the real more shocking change is not the young man's but his family reaction and treatment towards him. Today, this idea of transformation is mirrored in modern day movies such as The Fly and Spiderman and the audience readily laps up these odd notions without question or even blinking an eye. Perhaps, Kafka was ahead of his times, as the absurd no longer seems absurd to us.

Commentary on Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's short story, Metamorphosis about a young man transforming into an insect, though ridiculous has an important underlying theme. The story deals more with the reactions of others, especially his own family who he had financially taken care of and made sacrifices for. The real metamorphosis thus involves the change in those who now have to deal with this young man in his new distressing avatar.

Kafka uses several literary elements in part one to bring home and illustrate his theme which are outlined below :

As Gregor awakens to his new state he is described as "he was lying on his hard as it were armor-plated back" though Gregor is no longer in human form he is still described as if he is still a person. This personification let's us the reader know that he remains essentially the same person inside inspite of his outward physical change. Further, literally and figuratively speaking he will need to develop a thick skinned back to deal with peoples negative response which Kafka foreshadows. The armor plating reference for his newly acquired insect body acts as a simile. This theme is extended when a picture he has cut out from a magazine acts as an image for his armor plating, " it showed a lady with a fur hat on and a fur stole sitting upright and holding out to the spectator a huge fur muff into which the whole of her forearm had vanished." it is almost as if Gregor had himself foreseen that he would turn into animal form. Again a picture  of Gregor in uniform with a sword carries on the imagery of his new uniform and armor plated back.

There are many instances of irony such as when Gregor describes the messenger from his office as figuratively " spineless " when it is he who no longer possesses  a spine in his invertebrate form. Also, when the door is left open, " they had evidently left it open as one does in homes where some great misfortune had happened ". There are many instances of the door which acts as a motif.  When ironically the family wants to hide the shame of their new circumstances behind closed doors. Also he prides himself on a framed jigsaw, which he had carefully constructed and has become his prized possession, when ironically his life has become the pieces of a unconstructed jigsaw puzzle, as his life falls apart. 
Lastly, the " morning fog " acts as an image of a blanket to bring comfort and hide him from the world brings little comfort, but Kafka still uses this imagery to show that this misfortune is on a large scale and cannot be easily mullified.

Short Changed

While Gregor has undergone a life changing and startlingly physical transformation, he essentially remains the same person underneath barring a few physiological changes. So it is interesting to note that despite his own metamorphosis he dwells on the personality changes of  his father and sees them as a landmark:

"Now he was standing there straight as a stick, dressed in a smart blue uniform with gold buttons such as bank attendants wear, his strong double chin bulged over the stiff high collar of his jacket, from under his bushy eyebrows his black eyes darted fresh and penetrating  glances, his formerly tangled white hair had been combed flat on either side of a shining parting," (Kafka 89).

His father has made a radical change from being a lazy laid back man who did very little, as he had become accustomed to his son Gregor providing financially for the family and being able to relax and afford a nice lifestyle without any effort on his part. For example, his father is described as "the man who used to lie wearily sunk in bed whenever Gregor set out on a business trip," and "who could not really rise to his feet but only lifted his arms in greeting," is now sprucing himself up and going to a menial, demeaning job where he has to serve others. His careful grooming completes the process of the changed man which now shows that he means business. His father now has a low tolerance of Gregor and wants to inflict violence on him and after attempting to stomp on him resigns himself to throwing apples which hurts Gregor. The father has changed not willfully but due to the circumstances that he finds himself under he needs to transform himself into a new character which does not please him. Further, upon his return from a job he resents the slightest provocation makes him turn on Gregor on an assault as retaliation. The father blames Gregor for his new downfallen circumstances and therefore takes out his frustration on him. He does not stop and think that this is not really his son's fault and assigns blame and condemns him and is repulsed by him without realizing what Gregor is able to see with crystal clear clarity, that his father has undergone a transformation himself. On the contrary he interprets his every innocent move as "wicked behavior" when it is actually the father carrying out wicked behavior against his own son.

Gregor's father is blinded to the truth by his own shortsightedness while the hapless Gregor confined in a jail by his own body is unable to convey to his father the truth that it is him and not Gregor that has changed the most, as essentially the real Gregor holds true to his former self albeit trapped in a new body. Gregor focuses on his father's change to take his mind of his own circumstances.