Final Poem Analyses

Poems can often have deeper meanings to it. The poem, Silence of Love, contains layers of metaphors and symbolism. Being a student who has lots to learn, at first glance I thought the poem is about the speaker of the poem missing his lover who broke up with him. However, as I researched and learned about the poem, I started to see the deeper meaning of the poem. I found out that the lover the poet is referring to can be Korean Independence Movement, Buddha, or just a lover.

The poem is written during Japanese Colonial Era. During the era, many Korean writers used symbolism to cover their nationalism so they won't get executed by the Japanese. I believe the poem is also written to bring Korean nationalism. The lines "As we dread parting when we meet, so,/ we promise to meet again we part./ Though my love is gone, I am not parted from love" (Han 21-23) proves the claim; the lines are referring to Korea which has been invaded by the Japanese is gone but the poet still misses it and believes he will bring independence. Also lines "The separation came so suddenly/ it broke my heart and with renewed sorrow./ Yet, I know parting can only destroy our love if/ it causes futile tears to fall./ I would rather transfer the surge of this sorrow onto summits of hopefulness" (Han 15-20) tells that the poet still has hope for the country.

The poet, Yong un Han, is a Buddhist monk. Thus the poem is deeply related to Buddhism. One of the core teachings of Buddhism is that if one comes, then one goes out. It's like a zero-sum game, in which one's loss is later balanced with gains. Following this rule, the speaker addresses that he knew they are going to part when they met from lines "Since it is human to love, I, alert, dreaded a/ parting to come when we met" (Han 13-14). The lines talk about the rule that when there is birth, then there is death and when there is love, there's also going to be sorrow.

Lastly, the one the speaker is referring to can simply be his lover. Throughout the poem, descriptions of the lover and the speaker are mentioned. "Love is gone, gone is my love/ Tearing himself away from me he has gone" (Han 1-2) says that the lover is leaving the speaker. Also "I remember his poignant first kiss and its memory/ had wrought a complete change in my destiny,/ the withdrawn into oblivion" (Han 9-11). The speaker flashbacks his memory with the lover.

The poem is not only important and famous because of its symbolism, but it's also beautifully written. It uses descriptions of the nature and colors to express love. Lines "on a little path that stretches in the splendor of/ a green hill into the autumn-tinted forest/ Our last oath, shinning and enduring/ like a gold-mosaicked flower/ has turned to cold ashes blown away/ in the breath of wind" (Han 3-8). The poet uses warm colors, like gold and autumn-tinted, to express the warn love and cold colors, like ash gray, to express the parting.

Therefore this beautifully written poem can have multiple meanings, which is what makes the poem so special and unique. Although most obviously it can just be a poem about a break up but it can also be a poem about  the poet's eagerness to achieve independence or his devotion of Buddha.

Poem Interview

As I walked downstairs to interview my dad, I saw him working on his laptop and my dog lying beside him. I used to see him working in the same spot everyday. As I pulled and sat down on the chair next to him he closed his laptop and looked at me waiting for me to interview him. I handed him a printed copy of my poem in both original text and in translated text. While he is reading the poem, I glanced at my notes to remind myself what questions to ask. He handed me back the paper and I saw my dog yawn; the interview started.

I interviewed my dad because he has a very different background than my background although we're families. My dad, born in a countryside of Korea had lived all his life in Korea until I was born. Although I speak Korean, the native language of the poem, and understand Korean culture, I only lived half of my life there so I thought my dad would understand the poem in a different perspective; and yes he had a very different view from what I had. First since he was grown in a Buddhist family, he had more Buddhist knowledge than I had. During the interview, I asked what lines reflect Buddhist believes and he said "Since it is human to love, I, alert, dreaded a/ parting to come when we met" (Han 13-14), is full of Buddhist ideas. My dad explained "coming together and parting is one of the core teachings of Buddhism." I knew the poem is somehow about Buddhist ideas from the research, but I had no idea what beliefs they're talking about. My dad help me find those specific examples.

We had different ideas on the poem too. I thought since the original poem, in Korean, doesn't identify neither the poet's nor the lover's gender and the translated poem does, maybe some meanings are behind on it. However my dad thought it's just what the translator chose. Also we had different views probably because the fact that he's more than twenty years older than me. He said his favorite line of the poem is "I remember his poignant first kiss and its memory/ has wrought a complete change in my destiny,/ the withdrawn into oblivion" (Han 9-11). He said he likes it because like the first kiss from the quote, there are moments that change one's life completely. Although I get what he's referring to,  I haven't experienced that life changing event yet, I didn't fully understand the lines as deeply as he did.

From the interview with my dad, I was able to see the poem in a deeper perspective. Unlike me, who analyzed the poem line by line and word by word, my dad saw the poem in a whole picture. I found out that I was too focused on little details that I missed the whole feeling of the poem. The interview was very unique and helpful.

Poem Research

Vocabulary:
1)정수박이: 정수리의 사투리 (forehead)
2)gold-mosaicked: type of rock
3)poignant: evoking a keen or sense of sadness or regret.
4)oblivion: state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening.
5)futile: incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.


Author:
The poet Han Yong-un (Yong-un Han in American name) is born in South Korea, 1879. His pen name, Manhae, is a Buddhist name he got during his childhood. Han was married in age of 14 but leaves his family to become a Buddhist monk. As a Buddhist monk, Han insisted Korean Buddhism should stand on the forefront to rebel against Japan. Han was also one of the 33 people to declared Korea's independence; Han was jailed for 3 years by Japanese officers because of it. While in prison, Han wrote books such as The book of Korean Independence (조선독립의 서) and  published his most well-known poem, The Silence of Love, in 1926. Han died in 1944 at the age of 65.

(an image of Han Yong-un)

Poem:
The poem, The Silence of Love(님의 침묵) also known as My Lord's Silence, is a poem published in 1926. The poem was written in Japanese Colonial Era thus most scholars claim that the "one" (님) the poet is referring to is the Korean Independence. Others say since the poet is a devoted Buddhist and the poem has ideas of reincarnation in it, one is referring to the Buddha. The poem is very important to Korean culture because it contributes in Korean independence and brings Korean nationalism. Also it's one of the earliest modernist Korean poems. The poem is currently translated into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Czech, and English.


bibliography:

"Manhae Han Yong-un." Web log post. The Manhae Grand Prize. The Society for the Promotion and             Practice for Manhae's Thoughts, n.d. Web.

"Writers Database - Korea Literature Translation Institute." Korea Literature Translation Institute. Korea      Literature Translation Institute, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

Poem

Original Text

님의 침묵
            -한용준

"님은 갔습니다. 아아 사랑하는 나의 님은 갔습니다.
푸른 산빛을 깨치고 단풍나무 숲을 향하여 난 적은 길을 걸어서 차마 떨치고 갔습니다.
황금의 꽃같이 굳고 빛나던 옛 맹세는 차디찬 티끝이 되어서 한숨의 미풍에 날아갔습니다.
날카로운 첫 키스의 추억은 나의 운명의 지침을 돌려 놓고 뒷걸음쳐서 사라졌습니다.
나는 향기로운 님의 말소리에 귀먹고 꽃다운 님의 얼굴에  눈멀었습니다.
사랑도 사람의 일이라 만날 때에 미리 떠날 것을 염려하고 경계하지 아니한 것은 아니지만
이별은 뜻밖의 일이 되고 놀란 가슴은 새로운 슬픔에 터집니다.
그러나 이별을 쓸데없는 눈물의 원천을 만들고 마는 것은 스스로 사랑을 깨치는 것인 줄 아는 까닭에 겉잡을 수 없는 슬픔의 힘을 옮겨서 새 희망에 정수박이에 들이부었습니다.
우리는 만날 때에 떠날 것을 염려하는 것과 같이 떠날 때에 다시 만날 것을 믿습니다.
아아, 님은 갔지마는 나는 님을 보내지 아니하였습니다.
제 곡조를 못 이기는 사랑의 노래는 님의 침묵을 휩싸고 돕니다."

(an image of the poem)

Translated Text

The Silence of Love.
Han Yong-un

Love is gone, gone is my love.
Tearing himself away from me he has gone
on a little path that stretches in the splendor of
a green hill into the autumn-tinted forest.
Out last oath, shinning and enduring
like a gold-mosaicked flower,
has turned to cold ashes blown away
in the breath of wind.
I remember his poignant first kiss and its memory
has wrought a complete change in my destiny,
the withdrawn into oblivion.
 I hear not his sweet voice; I see not his fair looks.
Since it is human to love, I, alert, dreaded a
parting to come when we met.
The separation came so suddenly
it broke my heart with renewed sorrow.
Yet, I know parting can only destroy our love if
it causes futile tears to fall.
I would rather transfer the surge of this sorrow
onto the summits of hopefulness.
As we dread parting when we meet, so,
we promise to meet again when we part.
Though my love is gone, I am not parted from love;
an unpinning love-song envelops the silence of love.

Siddhartha Essay

 The novel Siddhartha describes Siddhartha's journey to Nirvana. Siddhartha starts off as the Brahmin's son and then becomes a Samana, then a rich man, and finally becomes a ferryman. One can argue that among Siddhartha's experiences some were unnecessary. For instance one may argue that Siddhartha, gambling and learning love in Kumala's pleasure garden, is completely unnecessary for Siddhartha finding Nirvana. However, throughout the novel, Siddhartha claims every experience he has are valuable and necessary.

When Siddhartha decides to be a Samana, Siddhartha's father opposes strongly. The Brahmin says "'And would you rather die than obey your father?'...Then the father realized that Siddhartha could no longer remain with him at home-that he had already left him" (Hesse 12). The father knows being a Samana is very hard and maybe he will never see his son again. Siddhartha breaks his father's heart. It proves Siddhartha's selfishness of not caring about his parents. However from this experience Siddhartha is able relate to his father. When Siddhartha meets his own son, he says "'I have often thought about it. But how will he, who is so hard-hearted, go on in this world? Will he not consider himself superior, will he not lose himself in pleasure and power, will he not repeat all his father's mistakes, will he not perhaps be quite lost in Samsara?'" (Hesse 120). By loving his son and being a parent, Siddhartha understands what his father felt when Siddhartha left. Also when the son leaves the hut and Siddhartha tries to follow him, Vasudeva says "'But let him, my friend, he is not a child any more, he knows how to look after himself. He is seeking the way to the town and he is right. Do not forget that. He is doing what you yourself have neglected to do. He is looking after himself; he is going his own way'"(Hesse 124). Vasudeva points out that Siddhartha's son is doing the same thing as Siddhartha did to his father. Although both Siddhartha and Siddhartha's father care and worry about their sons, they try to protect their offspring in their own ways which the sons might not agree with. Therefore, although breaking the Brahmin's heart isn't a great act, since it helps Siddhartha understand his father at last, the experience is necessary.

Moreover, ignorantly, Siddhartha in the beginning believes that he has no more to learn from anyone. He says to Govinda "'...that one can learn nothing. There is, so I believe, in the essence of everything, something that we cannot call learning. There is, my friend, only a knowledge-that is everywhere, that is Atman, that is in me and you and in every creature, and I am beginning to believe that this knowledge has no worse enemy that the man of knowledge, than learning'" (Hesse 19). Although Siddhartha's claim is partly true, Siddhartha blinds himself by shutting his mind from any other opinions. Siddhartha tries to learn nothing more from the Samanas and even from the Buddha. When Govinda brings Siddhartha to the Buddha, Siddhartha thinks "He [Siddhartha] was not very curious about the teachings. He did not think they would teach him anything new" (Hesse 28). Although Siddhartha never heard from Buddha before, Siddhartha ignorantly assumes that he will learn nothing new. However at the end of the novel, when Siddhartha talks to Govinda, Siddhartha says "', [I] had many teachers. A beautiful courtesan was my teacher for a long time, and a rich merchant and a dice player. On one occasion, one of the Buddha's wandering monks was my teacher...But most of all, I have learned from the river and from my predecessor, Vasudeva'" (Hesse 142). Siddhartha, who has reached the enlightenment, humbly says that he learned from so many people including Govinda who hasn't reached enlightenment yet. Siddhartha learns that the knowledge and experience he has wouldn't have been possible without the help of his teachers. Although Siddhartha's ignorance blinds him at first, since it helps him realize that who he is now is an outcome of his surroundings, the experience is valuable.

Furthermore, Siddhartha believes he cannot love anyone so passionately. When Kamala asks if he loves her, Siddhartha says "'I am like you. You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can-that is their secret'" (Hesse 73). In the quote, not only Siddhartha states he and Kamala can't love, Siddhartha also distinguishes him from the "Ordinary" people. Siddhartha implies that since he is better than the ordinary people, he does not do such a childish act, to love. However Siddhartha changes after he meets his son. Siddhartha quotes ", Siddhartha began to realize that no happiness and peace had come to him with his son, only sorrow and trouble. But he loved him and preferred the sorrow and trouble of his lobe rather than happiness and pleasure without the boy" (Hesse 118). Being a parent of the boy, Siddhartha experiences love so passionate that he loves not himself more than the boy. The love helps Siddhartha connect to the world. Siddhartha quotes "So childish and illogically did he now reason; so much had he become like the ordinary people. He now regarded people in a different light than he had previously: not very clever, not very proud and therefore all the more warm, curious and sympathetic" (Hesse 129). From loving his son, Siddhartha becomes emotional and illogical. Siddhartha envies families without having a clear and logical reason. However, from this experience, Siddhartha becomes sympathetic and now understands the world more deeply. Therefore, since Siddhartha's love help him connect to the world, although it seems illogical, the experience is necessary.

Siddhartha is ignorant and selfish at the beginning but even those negative experiences help him achieve Nirvana at last. Siddhartha's selfishness helps him understand his father, his mistrust of teachers and learning makes him see the influences that teachers has on him, and his underestimation of love later help Siddhartha understand the world more deeply. Therefore, every experience, even the mistakes, are necessary.

What Siddhartha has learned

Throughout the novel, Siddhartha searches for Nirvana. He becomes a Samana, hears from the Illustrious One, loves Kumala, and meets Vasudeva, the mentor. One may be very confused reading the novel since Siddhartha himself transform so much that he views the world differently in every chapter. When Siddhartha first meets Buddha, he thinks "He[Siddhartha] was not very curious about the teachings. He did not think they will teach him anything new" (Hesse 28). However at the end of the chapter, Siddhartha says "..., since that time,  had many teachers" (Hesse 141). Siddhartha realizes that although Siddhartha ignorantly thought since knowledge cannot be transmitted by teaching, all the teaching is useless, during the process Siddhartha learned something. 

(image of novel, Siddhartha)

Moreover, even with his lover, Kumala, Siddhartha says he can't love anyone. Siddhartha quotes, "I am like you. You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can-that is their secret" (Hesse 73). Siddhartha claims that both Siddhartha and Kumala love in a form of art. When one loves, one becomes blind and ignorant, Siddhartha thinks he is to rational to fall in love so deeply since he has so much knowledge. However his mind changes when he sees the young Siddhartha, Siddhartha's son. "Had he [Siddhartha] ever lost his heat to anybody so completely, had he ever loved anybody so much, so blindly, so painfully, so hopelessly and yet so happily" (Hesse 121). Also Siddhartha mentions by experiencing such a blind and complete love, he can relation to ordinary people and fell their joy and sorrow as well.

Siddhartha, as mentioned, seeks Nirvana, the divine state where there is no sorrow or sadness or anything. Siddhartha has been educated his childhood as the Brahmin's son, tutored by the best scholars. However Siddhartha believes that the teachings are useless because he will not get it until he experiences it himself. Siddhartha tried to see the world rational and distant so he can find the fastest way to Nirvana. Siddhartha learns that every experience is valuable and there always something to learn from others, even from the annoying  son.

What do you want to do Siddharha?

In the novel, Siddhartha attempts various things to reach Nirvana. First Siddhartha decides to leave his family, wealth, and comfort and becomes a Samana. Siddhartha ignorantly says "...one can learn nothing" (Hesse 19). Soon, Siddhartha confronts the Buddha and speaks the flaw of his teaching. Siddhartha says "....But according to your teachings, the unity and logical consequence of all things is broken in one place" (Hesse 32). Siddhartha says he's trying to find a way to Nirvana but he questions every mentor and teachings he has been offered.

(an image of a Buddha)

In the other hand, the Samanas, Buddha, and even the ferryman believes in each beliefs and continue practicing it. For instance the ferryman quotes "I have often listened to it [the river], gazed it, and I have always learned something from it" (Hesse 49). He also says "I have learned that from the river too; everything comes back" (Hesse 49). The ferryman shows Siddhartha that one can learn from anyone, even from a river. Also after all the rejection, Siddhartha asks Kamala to be his teacher and student. Siddhartha asks, "I have come to tell you this and no thank you because you are so beautiful. And if it does not displease you, Kamala, I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I do not know anything of the art of which you are mistress" (Hesse 53). Siddhartha, after criticizing other people for being taught asks Kamala because she's beautiful and Siddhartha is in love with her.

Siddhartha seems very ironic and ignorant in many ways. First he says he wants to find Nirvana and says to reach Nirvana he should empty himself, not escape from himself, and find his Self. However, all Siddhartha do is find a flaw in the teachings he is offered to. Moreover, Siddhartha is seduced by a woman.

Siddhartha 1-2 (partner) late due to absence

In the novel Siddhartha, the main character Siddhartha is loved by everyone. Siddhartha, as a Brahman's son, is loved " That was how everybody loved Siddhartha. He delighted and made everyone happy" (Hesse 5). However he doesn't satisfy and wants something else. Siddhartha says "But Siddhartha himself was not happy..., beloved by all, a joy to all, there was yet no joy in his own heart" (Hesse 5). Being loved is a essential part of one's well being but, like Siddhartha, people may think it's not important because they have been always loved that way. Siddhartha is ignorant because he doesn't value what he already has.

Moreover, even when Siddhartha follows the Samanas, Siddhartha thinks there's nothing else to learn. He quotes "I believe that amongst all the Samanas, probably not even one will attain Nirvana. We find consolations, we learn tricks with which we deceive ourselves, but the essential thing-the way-we do not find" (Hesse 18). Siddhartha shows no respect to his mentors, the Samanas. Also when Siddhartha's friend, Govinda suggest to meet the Buddha, Siddhartha says "that I have become distrustful of teachings and learning and that I have little faith in words that come to us from teachers...I believe in my heart that we have already tasted the best fruit of it" (Hesse 23). Siddhartha is prideful of himself and thinks he knows everything thus don't need and teacher or learning even from the Buddha.

(an image of Siddhartha)

Since Siddhartha values little of what he got and Siddhartha is egoistic that he doesn't appreciate the teachings, Siddhartha is an ignorant person.

Kafka essay

Ashley Kim

1st period

Why did Gregor had to die?

In Kafka’s novel, The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor Samsa, is a caring young man who loves his family so deeply that he works without rest to pay his parent’s debt. He lives an isolated life with little communication between his family members due to his work. One day, Gregor turns into a bug and the family becomes cruel to him. It’s ironic that such a wonderful human being suffers the most than any of his family members who are worthless and cruel. Kafka tells the readers that being loving is beautiful and certainly nice but it can destroy one’s life.

Gregor’s family are like parasites which steal energy from him and abandons him when Gregor has no more to give. Foster explains, “A nasty old man, attractive but evil, …, steals their innocence -and coincidentally their ‘usefulness’” (Foster 16). Like vampires, the family make Gregor work and take the money for themselves. Also “Generally, eating with another is a way of saying ‘I’m with you, I like you, we form a community together’ and that is a form of communion” (Foster 8). Throughout the novel, sister is the only one who brings food to Gregor but the family never eats with him. This proves that the family has no intention of building a relationship with Gregor. Moreover Foster describes, “Nearly every religion has some linguistic or social ritual involving the coming together of the faithful to share sustenance” (Foster 8). Gregor’s family lacked this ritual thus lost the chance to become a group.. Gregor had a loving heart and a good soul but he lacked conscious thus didn’t know his family aren’t making an actual communion with him. His innocence and love blinded Gregor from seeing the truth.

Gregor realizes that his family are not as nice as he thought they were at last. But when he realizes it, it’s too late. Gregor says, “As he heard his mother’s word Gregor realized that the lack of all immediate human contact” (Kafka 14). Although Gregor knows he lacks social contact with his family, since his turned into a bug, he cannot rebuild the relationship with them. Wallace tells, “‘, and there the corner stands the trap that I must run into,’ ‘You only need to change your direction’” (Wallace 1). Gregor, in The Metamorphosis, already turns to a bug thus it’s too late to go back. Kafka bring the point to illustrate how modern people are chased in their works that they miss the important values.

Moreover, Gregor dies because he has been naive. When the sister announces to get rid of Gregor,“... Gregor did not have any notion of wishing to create problems for anyone” (Kafka 24). Gregor does nothing to protect himself and instead sits quietly waiting to die. Gregor’s love toward his family at the end ruins him. If Gregor stood up and cared for himself, the situation may have been different. Also Gregor still loves his family. He quotes, “he felt a great pride that he had been able to provide such a life for his parents and his sister in such a beautiful apartment” (Kafka 9). Gregor, even with the hate from his family, feels proud of himself for establishing such a luxury for his family rather than getting mad at them. Wallace explains “No wonder they cannot appreciate the really central Kafka joke, that the horrific struggle to establish a human self results in whose humanity is inseparable from that horrific struggle” (Wallace 3). Gregor had to know that, the horrific days he has been having will not suddenly change. Gregor’s thinking about sending his sister into a Contrary while the sister is thinking of killing Gregor. He was naive to his family thus lost his life.

Therefore since Gregor’s innocence and love results in a tragedy of him getting killed, Kafka is suggesting that one’s innocence can result in a destruction of one’s life. If only Gregor noticed that his family is not caring fast enough to make a turn and not be naive, The Metamorphosis may have a different ending to it.

Nice to Eat With you and Nice to Eat You?

 Eating in literature has more meaning than just consuming the energy. In literature, the act of eating is used to create a family-like and loving feeling. Foster states, "Once again the act says, 'I'm with you, I share this moment with you, I feel a bond of community with you'" (Foster 11). In contrast, bad meal is seen a cold, strict, and lack of love. Foster says, "If a well run meal or snack portends good things for community and understanding, the the failed meal scands as a bad sign" (Foster 11). This is what Gregor and his family was like in the Metamorphosis. Since Gregor was so busy working, he didn't spend his time with his family, resulting in a failed meal. The family lacked understanding and communication,

(an image of family dinner)

(an image of bad dinner)

Foster also talks about vampirism in literature. He suggests, "But it's also about things other than literal vampirism: selfishness, exploitation, a refusal to respect the autonomy of other people, just for starters" (Foster 16). Foster states that vampires are not just bloodsucking monsters but also portrait cruel instincts of human. Gregor's family is a form of vampire because although they look like humans, they have sucked blood, in this case, money, from their son Gregor. "The essentials of the vampire story, as we discussed earlier: an older figure representing corrupt, outworn values; ...a stripping away from her youth, energy, value" (Foster 19). Gregor as a young man supports his family financially. His parents, like vampires, sucks Gregor's youth and energy. 

(an image of Gregor's family from The Metamorphosis)

Empathy for Gregor

The Emphatic Civilisation by Jeremy Rifkin, according to the research in Italy, human are "soft wired" which means being able to feel what others feel. At first human could feel the feelings within their tribal group, then religious group, and then a national society. Moreover from the incident in Haiti, Rifkin states people living far away from Haiti felt empathetic toward the Haitian. Rifkin also points out that human gene traces back to a single woman and a single man, which means all human population are connected. What Rifkin tells the viewers is called "existentialism." Existentialism is a philosophical theory that being human starts with feeling the emotions of others.

(an image)

Kierkegaard and Sartre are philosophers who introduced this idea. Kierkegaard is considered to be the first existentialism philosopher. His works focused on the importance of personal choice ans commitment. Sartre is also a writer who wrote about existentialism.

Then how does this term related to Kafka's The Metamorphosis? Kafka is a modernist writer who criticized how inhumane people are due to their commitment to jobs. Kafka constantly points out the fact that Gregor, the main character, has no connections with his family. Although Gregor feels what his family feels, his family cannot feel what Gregor feels. Kafka illustrates Gregor's family as inhumane beings. Kafka formats his work that way to bring empathy to Gregor, in other words, to bring humanism back.

What Family Means To Gregor

In Kafka's Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor, turns into a bug one day. He instantly realizes that he turned into bug but Gregor worries more about missing a train. "'Good God!' he thought. It was half past six, and the hands were going quietly on. It was even past the half hour, already nearly quarter to'" (Kafka 1). Gregor doesn't seem to care what he looks like. I believe it's either Gregor is so focused on other issues (like missing the train) that he can't care about his look or simply he think his look doesn't matter. If I turn into a bug, the first thing I would worry is what if my family doesn't recognize me. Gregor seem like he's believing in their family to notice him whatever look he have. The quote also explains Gregor is tied to his work.

 Another quote describes Gregor's boss, "The boss would certainly come with the doctor from the health insurance company and would reproach his parents for their lazy son and cut short all objections with the insurance doctor's comments; for him everyone was completely healthy but really lazy about work" (Kafka 2). Gregor's boss is very mean and selfish. Gregor obviously doesn't like his job, however he thinks he have to work for the company. It's because Gregor has to pay back his parent's debt. Gregor most worries about the boss telling his parent that he is lazy. He wants to please and not disappoint his family.

Gregor is a selfless and kind man who is not confident of himself. His room has no signs of friends or a lover. I believe for Gregor, family is the only thing he got. Family isn't like friends or lover that you have to make and can break up. From the moment one's born, he or she is part of the family. Since Gregor has no self confidence, he finds the meaning of his life from his family. By paying his parent's debt, Gregor feels prideful of himself. He also loves his family and wants to prove himself. But Gregor's parents are arrogant, selfish, and mean people. They let their son work without his own life and enjoys luxury life. Gregor probably knows how their parents are, but he constantly asks for love and finds the meaning of his existence from his family.

(an image of Gregor: left to right

1.2.3 Gregor's childhood with a frame of his mother and him on the background

-> 4.5 Adult Gregor crying)

Franz Kafka Biography

Birth:
 Franz Kafka was born in a German-speaking Jewish family in 1883 in Prague, Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic. He was the eldest of six children. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother spent most of her time helping him. Therefore the children were mostly raised by servants. Kafka illustrates his father as a tyrant.

(an image of Kafka's childhood)

Adult Life:
He got a law degree in 1906 from Charles Ferdinand University of Prague. After he graduated from college, he worked for an Italian insurance agency; he quickly quit the job. Then he was hired by Worker's Accidental Insurance Institution for the Kingdom of Bohemia.

(an image of Kafka drawn by Andy Warhol)

Influence:
He wrote many plays, including the famous The Metamorphosis in 1912. He was a unknown writer in his lifetime but after his death, his works became so influential that the word "Kafkaesque" which means senseless derived from him. His works often portraits social problems by creating a character that is in a absurd situation. The Metamorphosis is a satire to modern life.

(an image of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis)

Death: Franz Kafka died at June 3, 1924. He always had health issues but the tuberculous is the cause of his death. He also suffered from mental problems such as clinical depression and social anxiety. He quotes "kill me or else you're a murderer" to his doctor due to his pain. He was hospitalized in ENT Institute, in Vienna until he passed away.

(an image of Franz Kafka's gravestone)

Bibliography:
Nervi, Mauro. "Kafka's Life." The Kafka Project. Link.it, 08 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
"Franz Kafka." Franz Kafka. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"Franz Kafka Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
SUMMER EH102. WORDPRESS.COM, 18 May 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
D, Felisati, and Sperati G. "Works of Kafka and His Relationship with the Disease." National Center for            Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Mar. 0006. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

What Dreams May Come

What Dream May Come was a it-gave-me-a-headache-movie. Some movies are so full of allusions that it gives the viewers headache. This film, What Dreams May Come, is a movie about the afterlife in a completely different view from Dante's. While Dante's Inferno portrait hell as a place where the devils torture sinners, the sinners in What Dream May Come torture themselves, mentally. The film focuses more on soul than bodies. For instance Chris's son and daughter, Ian and Marie, was in a different look.

(an image of Marie, in form of Leona)

Also the film uses colors to express the emotions of characters. In the scene when Annie suffers after Ian and Marie's death, she appears in a garden with a green clothing. Annie is hiding herself from the world due to her suffering.

(an image of Annie wearing green in a garden)

However the film shares some traits with Dante's Inferno. When Chris enters the hell to find Annie, he encounters his father. His father and many other souls are trapped on the ground only exposing their heads. This looks like the punishment for the falsifiers where the sinners are trapped in a cold ice. Also Chris, like Dante, has a conversation with the damned. 

(an image of Chris talking to his father)

Deeper inside Hell

Last week, the class went over canto 14 through 28. The cantos mostly cover circle 8 of Dante's Hell. I presented Canto 19, which is about the simonists. Simoninsts are sinners who practice an act of paying to receive sacraments, including those for ordination to a office or other position in the hierarchy of a church. I went first of Tuesday. The punishment for sinners in canto 19 is being upside-down, their head covered by rocks and burning fire with the oil dripping from their legs. The punishment fits the sin well since the hole resembles baptismal font and oil represents the holy water that had been misused. Also the canto has many allusions to Jason of Maccabees, and Constantine. I was too nervous to mention all I've researched but I think I did okay.

(an image of the visual I drew)

Right after my turn, Ellie B. went and presented canto 20 which is a canto about diviners and magicians. It was interesting how Dante put the magicians in same/lower part of hell as simonists. Magicians in dictionary terms can be just someone who guess what card you picked. The magicians in the canto is more of prophets who dare to see the future. The sinners have their twisted backward and have to walk. Their heads are twisted because in their lifetime they tried so hard foreseeing other's futures they can only look what they've walked before, the past. As Ellie B. said, I agree that Dante really comes up with clever ideas. Creating different sins/punishments for all 34 cantos will be pretty hard. However as I go deep inside the Inferno, I believe Dante's Hell should not be and will not be the standard hell for everyone. Most of the classmates agree that Dante's punishments are too cruel. It makes me wonder if anyone's not in hell.

Heresy and Suicides

Last week, students did a presentation on Dante's inferno. They did Canto 9 through Canto 13. Canto 9 was Heresy. The girl who presented did a great job in relating the sin and the punishment. Heresy is a sin committed by people who thinks their souls are linked to their bodies. The sinners were burnt alive in their life-time and in the hell, they have to sit forever in burning tombs. The visual she presented was a concentration camp. She said the world outside the concentration camp is bad but in the concentration camp is even worse. Since Canto 9 takes place in the border of Wall of Dis, she illustrated inside of Wall of Dis as a concentration camp.

Canto 13 was done by Allison S. The sin was suicide. Although she didn't agree with the punishment, she did a great job explaining the sin and the punishment. People who committed suicides are turned into trees and they get tortured by harpies, a bird-like monster. People who committed suicides are turned into trees because they treated themselves badly by killing themselves. The sinners lose control of their bodies which they have abandoned in their life time. Allison's visual is also very well made. She made a tree with a face in it and she placed garbage and cut scars to represent how the sinners are being treated horribly.

(an image of Canto 13)

Dante's Inferno

Last week in class, I learned about Alighieri Dante's novel, Inferno. Dante is an Italian poet who lived in fourteenth century. In his poem(or novel), he talks about sins and punishments of hell and also people who are in it. Although there are some sins that doesn't apply anymore but most of the sins are reasonable. In big picture hell is divided into nine circles. (1. Limbo 2. Lust 3. Gluttony 4. Prodigality 5. Wrath 6. Heresy 7. Violence 8. Fraud 9. Treachery) It reflects the levels of sins of Dante.

(an image of model of hell in the Inferno)

I got canto (chapter) 19 to do the project on. Canto 19 is about Simony which is sins for who sold religious pardons (tickets for redemption). Dante meets Pope Nicholas III who is known for his corruption. Canto 19 illustrates how church was corrupted back in 1300's. Also It portraits Dante's conflict against the Pope.

Posters Posters Posters!

Last week, my class spent the whole week about the Tragic Hero Posters as we did as a project. The films discussed included I am Legend and The Great Gatsby.

(image of the Great Gatsby)

(image of I am Legend)

The tragic hero of the film, The Great Gatsby, is Jay Gatsby. The group did great job in pointing out the symbolism. I really loved their poster and also the group did excellent job in describing Gatsby's status, hubris, and fall. Gatsby is a wealthy man who throws a party every week. He's love to Daisy is his hubris and eventually gets killed by Wilson, the husband of the women Daisy kills in a car accident. 

The second film is I am Legend. The groups didn't do as well as the Great Gatsby group, however since I have watched I am Legend, I was interested in it. I always thought Robert Neville was a hero, not a tragic hero. Although Neville dies in the movie, he sacrifices himself to save Anna and Ethan. However after listening to the presentation, although I believe the hubris of Neville is weak, I learned that Neville is a tragic hero. 

I had fun and learned a lot from the presentations. Also I am surprised how Greek cycle of tragic hero fits perfectly in modern-day movies. 

What is Hell?

 

(common images of hell)

Hell is commonly known as a place where sinners' souls go after their death. It's described as a hot and cruel place. I don't believe in hell, but if I had my hell it will portrait what one fears the most so they can regret and suffer forever without forgiveness. To get out of my hell someone has to rescue them from hell; but it's impossible because no one can save other unless they're out of hell and no one can leave the hell without someone come to their hell and rescue them. The purpose of hell is so that sinners can regret what they've done wrong in their lifetime. Sinners will first think someone will come and rescue them and as time pass, they'll acknowledge how cruel and awful they had been because no one comes and rescue them. They'll finally get out from hell when they realize there's no hope for them.

1. I personally don't believe in hell nor heaven and if there is a hell, I think every human being should go to hell because it's very hard to tell if one is evil or not in most of cases. If a baby unintentionally kills its mother while giving birth, someone may consider that baby as an evil creature who killed its mother and to other it's not. Thus to be fairest, I believe if one's been hated(not unlike, hate with passion. Hated so much that if someone had chance to kill him/her, they will) more than loved, they should go to hell.

2.The punishment will differ depending on what the sinner hates/ fears the most. In modern model of hell, people are distributed into different hell depending on their sins. I believe to meet the purpose of hell, to punish the sinners, it's better if sinners are distributed by their biggest fears. For instance, a serial killer may not be afraid of physical punishment and may fear spiders the most. The serial killer will go to hell full of lethal spiders and will get touched by spider everyday.

3. My hell will have all things I hate and fear. My greatest fears are pain. I fear anything that gives me pain thus my hell will be full of natural disasters, people firing guns at each other, and my dog being left behind.

4. The way to escape my hell is when the sinners experienced the worst fear and sorrow that they would rather want to die. When they fell like there's no point of living and regret what they've done they'll get their brains washed and will reincarnate as a bug or an ant. They'll never enter the heaven. Second way to escape from hell is if someone comes and saves them from the hell but this is impossible because of the reasons discussed above.

5. My symbol for hell will look likebecause they think there'll be an end in their hell but it never ends.

6. A person who obviously has more haters than lovers is Adolf Hitler. He may have been loved by the Nazis but most of the population hates him.

Footsteps of Christopher Mccandless

Last week, my group and I finished our tragic hero poster. The poster has white footprints in a black background. the footprints are bright on top and it gets darker as it goes down. It represents Mccandless tragic journey. Also the poster has Mccandless's nickname, "Alex Supertramp" made of pelt. It has a very nature-like theme. Also we have flies around the poster to resemble the scene where the meat Supertramp catches rot. Lastly we got Supertramps diary and the potato flower that kills him.

(an image of Christopher Mccandless)

The poster looks great. It followed the theme and met the requirement completely. Since my part if "hummartia" or hubris of the movie I picked two photos about it. Both photos are about Supertramp leaving or abandoning something he has got. First photo is when Supertramp writes his nickname, Alexander Supertramp, in the mirror. In the second photo Supertramp abandons his car and burns the money. 

(photo one that I chose)

(photo two that I chose)

Tragic Hero: Into the Wild

Last week, Natalie, Alison, Daisy, and I decided to watch Into the Wild for our tragic hero project. I'd never heard of the movie so first I had trouble discussing how to illustrate the poster. Today, I just finished the movie while my rest of the family is watching the Super Bowl. Into the Wild is a true-based story about a young man named Christopher Jordan Mccandless. He calls himself Alexander Supertramp in most of the movie. Alex is a boy who hates the society he's living in and believes his freedom and happiness resides in the deep woods in Alaska. So after graduating college, he goes on a trip heading Alaska. I personally hate traveling and love technology so I had hard time relating myself to Alex.

Alex inspires number of people he meets during his journey which proves his traits of a hero. However since Alex is a tragic hero he falls down to the abyss and never returns (I'm trying to save the details for my essay). When I first read the plot summary of the movie (to understand what rest of my groups is discussing about), I thought it was a movie about how society is bad and people should all go back to nature. I was quiet surprised how the film ended. Most of the people when there's a film comparing the modern society and the nature tends to think nature is incomparably better than the modern society. This film tells although society seems cruel and unfair human has to live with relationships with other human. I really enjoyed this film.

Tragic Hero

Last week, I finished Oedipus Rex, a Greek play written by Sophocles. The whole play is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes searching for the murder of King Laius, former king of Thebes. Oedipus finally finds out that he had killed king Laius and also that his wife, Queen Jocasta is actually his biological wife. Oedipus is a man who has pride and honor in himself. After Oedipus testifies the shepherd who brings him to his stepparents when he was a baby, he admits that he is the murder and he punishes himself by pulling his eyeball out.

(pic of Oedipus bleeding in his eyes)

Oedipus is an honest and prideful man. He left his stepparents to prevent the tragedy that has been destined. Although he followed his fate, I wonder if he had to punish himself so brutally. Oedipus is definitely a hero because he saves Thebes from the Sphinx. Although he killed his father, murdering during a fight was common in Greece in that period of time. Moreover, Oedipus didn't even know that the man he killed was his father. Since the flaw and wrong he did was all not intentional and the circumstance worked that way I don't think Oedipus should be punished that brutally. 

I Have A Dream

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day. King is famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech in Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.. Named after the speech, I have a dream foundation is an non-profit organization that helps children from low income family to graduate and go to college. It provides after school activities such as math, reading, and etc. I have a dream is based on Boulder but schools in Lafayette or other regions near Boulder participates in the program.

(an image of Dr. Martin L. King jr.)

I volunteer in Ryan Elementary School. It is located right next to Centaurus High School. Last Tuesday, when I went there to volunteer, kids were learning about who Dr. Martin L. King is and why he is important. I was deeply touched by the fact that even this little kids know what's right and what's wrong. One of the student said, "They(white people) treated them(African Americans) mean." The children were shocked that back than, there were separate schools, churches, and even toilets that differ whites from African Americans. Of course this young children don't understand what "separate but equal" or Jim Crow Laws are but still I thought it was very meaningful to educate young children that racism is bad and every men have the right to be equal.

Oedipus Rex Background

 

(image of Sophocles, a Greek playwright)

Sophocles is a famous Greek playwright who was born around 496 B.C.E.. He won many first and second prizes in Annual Athenian dramatic competitions. He was also elected as a high military official although he was never active in military. He wrote more than a hundred plays including Electra and Oedipus Rex. 

(image of Oedipus Myth, solving Sphinx's riddle)

Oedipus Rex is a famous Greek myth about Oedipus, who was born  to kill his father and to marry his mother. Oedipus was born as a son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta but after his prophecy is revealed, he is abandoned by his parents. Oedipus is raised in stepparents' hands; after knowing his prophecy, Oedipus decides to leave his stepparents thinking they're his biological parents. On the way, he kill a man who's Oedipus's biological father. Also after defeating the Sphinx, Oedipus marries the widowed Queen Jocasta, who is his biological mother and becomes the king of Thebes. 

(image of Oedipus Rex, the play)

Oedipus Rex is an Athenian play written by Sophocles and first performed in B.C 429. It's performed in the Theater of Dionysus (semi circular stadium with about 17,000 curved seats). Sophocles wrote this play that is full of taboos so people will avoid and refuse them. It's performed during the Dionysus festival so it can warn the audience from taking wrong actions. It also contains some religious faiths like men cannot change what god's predestined. 

(image of Oedipus and Jocasta)

Oedipus was born as a prince of Thebes but soon he was abandoned by his parents because of his prophecy. He was raised by caring stepparents and Oedipus leaves them when he acknowledges his faith. Oedipus tries hard to change his faith but as it turns out, he eventually follows the faith. He represents that it's impossible for men to change their faith. He is also the tragic hero because he never escapes from the abyss.

(image of a Greek Tragedy, Miscellanea dionysiaca)

Greek Tragedy includes Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Greek Tragedy begins with a prologue where one or more character explains about the story. Then there's parados which story reveals three or more episodes. Lastly the tragedy ends with exodus which concludes the story. The origin of tragedy is unknown, but usually Greek Tragedy has its stem on epic and lyric poetry.

(image of Dramatic Irony)

Dramatic Irony is when the audience know what's going to happen but the characters does not. Romeo and Juliet is a example of dramatic irony because the audience knows that Romeo and Juliet will eventually die but the characters don't know. Dramatic Irony is used in tragedies; In the Oedipus Rex, the audience knows who Oedipus murdered and who he married but Oedipus doesn't knows. Dramatic Irony makes the play more tragic because although the audience know the tragic that will happen they cannot change it.

(image of Hubris, excessive pride)

Hubris means excessive pride or arrogance. In ancient Greek, the word hubris means shame of victim so the abuser has joy. In Greek literature, it means infractions by mortals against other mortals. The word explains Greek view of honor and shame. If one is honored, someone has to be shamed. 

(image of Aristotle)

Aristotle is a Greek philosopher born in 384 B.C.E.. He contributed in Greek physics, poetry, theater, music, logic, and politics. He was also the tutor of the Alexander the Great. He also defines the word Hubris as shaming the victim for one's gratification. 

(image of Teiresias, transformed into a woman by Hera)

Also called Tiresias, Teiresias is the blind prophet of Thebes. He was transformed into a woman by Hera for seven years. Moreover, he helps Oedipus find the murderer of previous king Lauis; but he doesn't tell Oedipus the murder, which Oedipus gets very angry at and Oedipus throws him out of the palace. He also gives advice about cattle of Helios to Odysseus in the underworld. 

(image of Moirai, of the fates)

In the Greek mythology, the Moirai or the fates predestine what one's faith. The three Moirai are Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. In Greek mythology, oftentimes heroes are destined by the Moirai, like Oedipus the king. The heroes tries to follow or change their faith but as in the Oedipus Rex, the faith is unchangeable even for the gods. Therefore, Greeks believed human's life was predestined and they will follow their faith no matter what.  

The Blessing

Baraka, the blessing, was a great movie to watch in the beginning of 2nd semester. As the class learned in 1st semester, the movie proves that world is closely linked and people are alike.

The first animal that appears in the movie is a monkey bathing in a hot pot. It almost seemed like the monkey was wondering about something and it looks at the stars. It seemed to me that the perspective of the movie may have been the monkey's perspective. In a monkey's perspective different people may seem same.

Mary Ann Brussat suggests healing of the world is responsibility of all human beings. In the film, beautiful natures are shown, such as enormous waterfalls and beautiful rainbows, and then it changes to a scene of a tree that's being cut down. Soon the scene portraits little children marching and playing on the street. I thought this represented how people has to protect the nature so future generation can keep it.

To me, the most impactful and moving scene was comparing people who's getting their subway tickets to the chicks getting their beaks burnt and checked. That was one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie because it made me think if urban society is actually decreasing individualities and destroying the culture. Also I found it disturbing that people are living in such uniformed rules and laws even without recognizing them. No one questions why traffic lights work in order. At the end, a man appears and has a seizure. I believe the man represents how this uniform society has bad effects on people.

Compare to Brussat's impactful scenes, mine is about modern society and how it emotionally and mentally affects people but she focuses more on human harms on nature. 

The musics in the movie are sound of flute (or some instrument), human voice, sounds of nature (like waterfall), and man-made sounds (siren, cars, ceremonies). Especially in scenes with religion, the music is accompanied by bell sounds and has a clear and peaceful tone. There are scenes of skies in the movie. It shows how clouds move and color changes as the time goes. The music allows the viewers to feel either relaxed or alarmed; and the movement of the camera directs where to look. 

Overall, The film teaches that World is very alike to each other and people should work together.