Gregor Samas

Gregor Samas is a devoted man, who is very loyal to his job and family. He is a travelling salesman who is truly dedicated to his job and he wants to please his parents to help pay off debt. "If I didn’t hold back for my parents’ sake, I’d have quit ages ago. I would’ve gone to the boss and told him just what I think from the bottom of my heart" (Kafka). His job is extremely demanding and he is doing it for his family and not for himself. Gregor Samas doesn't necessarily deserve to become a bug, but he doesn't let that obstacle phase him in the slightest bit. "Apart from a really excessive drowsiness after the long sleep, Gregor, in fact, felt quite well and even had a really strong appetite" (Kafka). As of right now Gregor's main goal is to make it to work, he does not really take into consideration not going to work, only how he's going to get there. He is a selfless person who is not willing to give up or take 'no' for an answer. His parents on the other hand are completely reliant on Gregor, they live a rather lavish lifestyle and are quite egotistical. Unlike Gregor who always strives to reach his full potential.


Gregor in a way is enclosed into a very small confined world. His world is basically his office and his small bedroom. He is trapped inside this space, only with his thoughts to accompany him. "His greatest reservation was a worry about the loud noise which the fall must create and which presumably would arouse, if not fright, then at least concern on the other side of all the doors" (Kafka). He is so selfless that he doesn't want to slightly bother anyone in the house. He is extremely introverted and tries to avoid confrontation or any unneeded attention from himself. "Two strong people—he thought of his father and the servant girl—would have been quite sufficient" (Kafka). Even though he struggled greatly in figuring out how to get out of bed, he notes that with the help of two family members it would be much quicker. Though he does not want to impose on anyone, not even his own family. This shows how independent and self sufficient he is compared to his family who are dependent on him and the servant girl to continue their lavish lifestyle.

What Dreams May Come

While we watched the breath taking film What Dreams May Come we were given some guidelines on what to look for when taking notes. Many things were physical attributes of the film, like what the colors symbolized and what what the camera shots resembled. Though what we were really looking for was how the film was similar to Dante's Inferno. The two stories are similar though they have slightly different moods. In What Dreams May Come the story starts out cheerful and the Nielson family is happy and the colors in the movie are bright and hopeful. Then the plot dramatically downfalls into a hell where the colors are dark and death surrounds the Neilsen family. It finally ends happily where the plot is renewed. In comparison, during Dante's Inferno the story is far darker and the plot never really resurrects into a happy ending.

Many other things were similar, for example, Chris was guided by Albert who acted similarly to Virgil in Dante's Inferno. Albert helps Chris move through hell to find Annie who is his soul mate, similar to how Virgil guides Dante through hell to find his soul mate Beatrice. In both stories the soul mates are separated from each other and their strong love never stops them from reconnecting.  The scenes in What Dreams May Come are also very similar to the sinners punishment scenes in Dante's Inferno.  Lastly the punishment of those who commit suicide like Annie are sent to hell, this idea is one that comes from Dante's Inferno. Overall it is very clear that What Dreams May Come and Dante's Inferno are very similar and it helped to watch the film to get a better grasp of hell and how people interpret it differently.

Kafka

Kafka was born in Prague, Czech Republic on June 3rd 1883 to a German speaking Jewish family. His parents were Herman and Julie Kafka. He was the oldest of six children. Later in life he studied at the Charles University of Prague. At Charles University he first started studying chemistry but he then switched to studying law. In college he was a part of a literary club that would organize literary events. In 1906 completed studies and received a Doctorate of Law.

 

After graduating college he was hired to a well acclaimed insurance company called Assicurazioni Generali. Though this job did not let him focus on his writing which was what was really important to him. He then worked for another insurance company throughout his career. Literature was his passion, as he and his close friends Max Brod and Felix Weltsch collaborated on different literary works. Throughout the years he also was a part of an asbestos factory called Prager Asbestwerke Hermann and Co. which he dedicated much of his time.

 

Kafka's works have proved to have an impact on others. Much of his literature is open ended meaning that it can have many different interpretations. His work is interesting or to some people frustrating to analyze because it is so broad no one really knows the true interpretation. Some of his works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. This method of writing has sense become more popular form of writing.

 

Kafka began to suffer from tuberculosis in 1917. Though he concealed this sickness in fear of being perceived differently by the general public.  Throughout his life he suffered from depression, anxiety, insomnia, and many other defections. When his tuberculosis worsened he went back to Prague in hope of some much needed treatment though nothing seemed to work and he died in same place he was born on June 3rd, 1924. 

Works Cited: 

Nervi, Mauro. "The Kafka Project." The Kafka Project. N.p., 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"Franz Kafka Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 12 Dec.2006. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

Presentations 19-32

These last few presentations so far have been in circles 8 and 9 where fraudulent people are sent in general. So far the presentations have been very interesting to watch. When I first found out that we were going to be viewing presentations in class for the next few weeks I was wasn't looking forward to it because I thought that they would be boring but surprisingly it has been just the opposite. The first canto we viewed was canto 19, this canto stuck out to me mostly because of the punishment. The sinners are church officials generally who influence others with the aid of their high status. The punishment is to be buried head first into a hole, and the soles of your feet to be burned until a new sinner arrives and then you are pushed farther down into the hole.

The next canto that stuck out to me was canto 20. The magicians, astrologers, and diviners are sent here. Their punishment was especially terrifying. They have their heads turned around backwards and walk in circles until the end of time. Because the sinners are so deceiving their heads are turned away from the truth. The last canto I will touch on is canto is canto 26 which was presented by Noah. The visual that he presented was especially interesting. Is actual visual was a pinata. Which was two faced because half of the horse pinata was burned. Inside the pinata when you would think there would be candy there was actually vegetables. This also goes back to how the fraudulent concealers who are the sinners in canto 29 are two faced and constantly untrustworthy.
  

Dante's Inferno Presentations

When we first started the presentations I found the connection with the sin committed and punishment placed upon the person in hell very interesting. For example the people who overindulged now had to live in the excess of their waste that they have created over the span of their lives. Viewing all of the presentations so far has been very interesting. The most interesting aspect of the presentations I think has been the reaction slides. This is mostly because everyone has a different view on their canto and interprets the information differently. The visual was also interesting to see because every person designated a different meaning to their creation, whether it be an object or drawing/painting. The visual that I thought was most meaningful so far was the shopping mall interpretation. Where each level of the mall symbolized a different part of canto 11, this visual was created by Katherine. It was an interesting modern twist on an ancient concept.

I thought all of the presentations thus far have been very interesting, but the one that I remembered the most was canto 16 that Ian presented. I was amazed by the creativity that he put into his project. The video that he made was so original and nothing like I had seen in a presentation before. It most of all caught my attention and left me thinking about the real meaning behind the lines in his canto. When he attached the pictures to each verse in the canto I could really visualize all of the terrible things happening in the scene. So major props to him for totally killing that project.
This picture is from canto 16.