The Metamorphosis

1
The Metamorphosis

• Franz Kafka

2
Franz Kafka

• http//www.kafka-franz.com/kafka-Biography.htm
• http//www.levity.com/corduroy/kafka.htm

3

• The Metamorphosis (German Die Verwandlung) is a
  novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915.
• English translators have often sought to render
  the word Ungeziefer as "insect," but this is not
  strictly accurate. In Middle German, Ungeziefer
  literally means "unclean animal not suitable for
  sacrifice" and is sometimes used colloquially to
  mean "bug"  a very general term, unlike the
  scientific sounding "insect."

4

• Ungeziefer has sometimes been translated as
  cockroach," "dung beetle," "beetle," and other
  highly specific terms. The term "dung beetle" or
  Mistkäfer is in fact used in the novella by the
  cleaning lady near the end of the story, but it
  is not used in the narration.

5

• "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from
  uneasy dreams, he found himself changed in his
  bed into a monstrous insect."
• "Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen
  Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu
  einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt."

6
Project

• Create a 3-d model of Gregor.
• It must be three dimensional and at least one
  foot by one foot.
• Due on test day, May 15

7
Due Dates

• Chapter One Questions April 27
• Chapter Two Questions May 2
• Chapter Three Questions May 7
• Novel Exam May 8
• Project Presentation May 9

8
Metamorphosis Journal 1

• Think of a situation from a dream you have had
  that seemed incredibly real at the time but could
  not actually happen in life. Write a journal
  entry about your dream (what happened, details
  that seemed real, feelings after your dream).

9
Chapter One

1. Do you have sympathy for Gregor? If not, why not?
2. What is Gregors role in his family? Why does he
   have so much responsibility?
3. From Gregors point of view, what might be some
   positives of morphing into an insect?
4. What circumstances in Gregors life might have
   caused him to feel dehumanized before the
   metamorphosis took place?

10
Metamorphosis Journal Two

• Do you think people ever hope to be punished for
  something they have done, said, or even thought?
  How might this wish lead people into a form of
  self-punishment? Make a list of the kinds of
  situations in which people might consciously or
  unconsciously wish to be punished.

11
Chapter Two

1. What is Gregors response when Grete decided to
   remove the furniture from the room. What does his
   response tell you about him?
2. How is Gregor wounded? What symbolic significance
   might the object that wounds him have?
3. In a few paragraphs, analyze the causes and
   effects of Gregors guilt. What does he feel
   guilty?

12
Metamorphosis Journal Three

• Caring for a sick and elderly relative can be
  stressful. What advice might you give to someone
  who is a caregiver? Discuss some of the stresses
  of being a long-term caregiver and brainstorm
  ways to relieve the stress.

13
Chapter Three

1. What is your response to the ending of the
   novella?
2. Why has Gretes attitude towards Gregor changed?
3. How does Gregor respond to his sisters violin
   playing? What might Kafka be implying about
   Gregor by decribing his reaction?
4. What effect does Gregos change ultimately have
   on his family?

14
Essay Prompts

• Choose one of the following topics and develop it
  fully into a
• standard five paragraph essay. Be sure to include
  an
• introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a
  conclusion.
• be sure to include at least one quote from the
  text of your
• choice.
• Different people grieve in different ways.
• As young people grow up, they discover that
  things and people are not necessarily what they
  seem while struggling with evil, it is easy to
  become contaminated by its influence.
• In our throwaway society, many people view those
  who are different from themselves as disposable.
• True relationships cant be destroyed by anger or
  poor choices.