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Post by Mr. Thomas on Jan 27, 2014 18:09:53 GMT -5
Adventures in surrealism
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Post by hankmichels on Jan 27, 2014 19:00:21 GMT -5
C. What is the setting in this story? Its really confusing. I get that the dude woke up as a bug and everything, but I’m not sure on anything else. Part of me feels like the main character and his family lives in an Arabic country, years in the past, based on some clues, but another part of me feels like he’s living in a country more like America or England. The one thing that really confused me is the characters age. He lives with his parents and he has his own room, as does his sister and his speech and thoughts seem to be that of a kids. However, it is stated that he has served in the military and he is a traveling merchant- those are clues that he is older and that this an Arabic country years ago (due to family ties and such). But then again, his dad reads the paper every morning so it has to be modern times. This is way to confusing for a story about a bug man/kid.
D. “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.” The funny thing is, this is the very first line in the story. I find it really funny out the author doesn’t waste any time with an introduction, like what happened the night before, and dives right in.
E. I find interesting how the book does a fairly good job of maintaining my interest, while at the same time, having the story take place in only one location and have what could have been five sentences, ten pages.
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Post by richteri16 on Jan 27, 2014 19:18:36 GMT -5
E. Well this is just…bizarre to say the least. The story just open up with SUPRISE you are an animal now. The whole concept is just strange. You wake up and ta da you are what seems to be a turtle. On top of that Gregor just plays it off like nothing is happening. He just goes about trying to get out of bed. He doesn’t seem too phased by how he suddenly changed from over night. It is all just very odd.
C. What kind of people are Gregor working for? They hold this grudge against his parents because they owe the business money. The once you miss one day they are busting down your door to see what’s up. Then they barge in and get all asky with your family. Oh is that his room there? Let me just walk up to it and try to enter without his consent. It sounds like to me that these people should be jailed.
I. I agree with Hank on option E. the author really does a good job on catching the reader’s attention. He could have just summed up this whole plot in a paragraph but instead he wrote pages on it. Usually the reader would be put to sleep but I am quite interested. This is a real talent that the author has.
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Post by hessd16 on Jan 27, 2014 19:49:53 GMT -5
Dakota Hess
I. i agree with hank as well on this "What is the setting in this story? Its really confusing. I get that the dude woke up as a bug and everything, but I’m not sure on anything else. Part of me feels like the main character and his family lives in an Arabic country, years in the past, based on some clues, but another part of me feels like he’s living in a country more like America or England. The one thing that really confused me is the characters age. He lives with his parents and he has his own room, as does his sister and his speech and thoughts seem to be that of a kids. However, it is stated that he has served in the military and he is a traveling merchant- those are clues that he is older and that this an Arabic country years ago (due to family ties and such). But then again, his dad reads the paper every morning so it has to be modern times. This is way to confusing for a story about a bug man/kid." it is a very confusing and drifting story so far.
A. I enjoyed the lines on page 7 " Gregors gaze then shifted to the window and the dreary weather raindrops could be heard beating against the metal ledge of the window made him quite melancholy, what if I went back to sleep for a while and forgot all this foolishnesss." I liked those lines because it shows great details of what is happening both in his room and out his room.
E. i did not like the fact that the story did open up with a bit of a shocker, a flashback to what had happened the night before or something would have been preferable.
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Post by wagnerj16 on Jan 27, 2014 19:59:42 GMT -5
I. I have to agree with Hank on option D. “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.” This line is pretty funny because it is the first line of the story. This is probably the best way to pull a reader in because it makes you wanna know what will happen next. One would think that there would be an introduction or something besides this.
C. Where are we right now? There is literally no context to the story. All we know is he is a saile person that is paying off a debt. Also how old is this guy?he lives with his parents, yet he is a merchant. He also served in the military, so is this guy in his late teens early twenties or even older? Also what country is this guy in and when is this taking place? So far we have learned nothing about context but have learned quit a bit about Gregor.
B. This is most likely going to be the most important part of the entire story. this basically set up the entire story in just one line. He is now a bug. How can anything else be more important in the story? This one event will now effect for the duration of the story. He will no longer be able to do normal things, and now people will fear what he has become, a talking bug.
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Post by michaelgenco on Jan 27, 2014 20:58:26 GMT -5
C. The opening page started so many questions in my mind.
As Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. He lay on his gard armor like back and when he raised his head a little he saw his vaulted brown belly divided into sections by stiff arches from whose height the coverlet had already slipped and was about to slide off completely. (Page 7)
This quote was very confusing at first, since it is the first paragraph of the book. Why was Gregor samosa so fine with this? It seemed like he thought it was completely normal to turn into a huge bug! Why does he only care about money? Is he the one that supports his family? To me it seems like his family is in so much debt that he is basically a slave to his job.
B. This chapter reminds me of people that I know like Gregor Samsa. Not that they are huge bugs, but that they only care about the money or their job. After revealing himself to his boss and his family he only cared about his job. This gets me mad because I get frustrated thinking of people who only care about one thing and don’t see the big picture. On the other hand, it is good because it shows how dedicated and hard working he is for his family and also for his job.
I. I agree with hank michels ‘E’ response. This book maintained my interest, while being in the same location for the entire chapter.
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Post by petergiglio on Jan 27, 2014 21:08:13 GMT -5
c. We'll this story is quite odd. I mean you really have to have a good imagination or be plain insane to think of a story, or a beginning of a book to say the least. Like I feel like we are being thrown right into the middle of his life and why is he a giant bug. Like what the hell.... How does that sort of thing even happen in real life . It's just plain odd but does make you want to keep reading and see what is going to happen next.
G. If I were turned into a bug I would be quite upset. During the whole chapter he doesn't really seem at all phased by it neither his father bit if that were me I would be terrified and pray that I get switched back as soon as possible. Who would want to be a giant insect anyway that's just plain creepy.
A. I feel like the whole part where Gregors boss comes to talk to his parents can really relate to a real life situation because that happens all the time in the real world where a kid is terrible at his job and his family is quite dysfunctional and it becomes sort of a mess of a situation like this one
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Post by raypark on Jan 27, 2014 23:33:28 GMT -5
C. This is a very strange but fun story to read. It is very entertaining to see Gregor and his great efforts to get out of his bed in the morning. But the question is why is Gregor a bug? How is Gregor not too much worried about the fact that he is a bug and still thinks and acts is if everything was normal. In the beginning of the chapter Gregor acts as if he had normal human hands and legs. He was thinking in a way as if he could just walk to eat breakfast. Does it not bother Gregor that he is a bug?
G. If I was ever turned into a bug, no matter what size, I would be so much more dramatic and upset at the fact that I am a 6 legged crawling bug. I do not like bugs whatsoever. Most bugs give me the chills and disgust me in every way possible, spiders especially. Compared to Gregor, I would force myself to fall back asleep to get out of the misery that was happening before me.
I. I agree with the other classmates in saying that this is a very peculiar story and a very interesting chapter to read. But I also find this story very amusing and fun to read. I fairly enjoyed the parts in which Gregor was trying to get out of bed.
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Post by stephanoscocoves on Jan 28, 2014 0:53:37 GMT -5
C. I was kind of confused on where he was. Like he woke up as a bug and then he tried getting out of bed but it was hard for him, and then i got lost. Was he at work somehow, or was he home, or was his boss just at his hosue. I was super confused.
E. This was very intresting. I havent read something like this, with this much imagination and I liked it. it was very unique. I'm curious to see how the rest of the book plays out.
I. I agree with Jack Wagner's B. I do think this is the most important part of the story because its starts off with the problem.
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Post by jotirmoykundu on Jan 28, 2014 1:08:04 GMT -5
C. I dont really know where we are sitting in the story. We just read about his adventures in paying off his debts.What is the age of the main character too because although he's a merchant, he lives with his parents. He also served in the military, so is this guy in his late teens early twenties or even older? What country does all of this take place in? So far we have learned nothing about context but have learned quit a bit about Gregor.
D. “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.” I liked the story cause it started it incorporating a tone of humor to it. I like how he doesnt introduce anything and just goes straight into the story, regardless of the essential information missing.
I. I agree with Hanks response and views on this quote. "What is the setting in this story? Its really confusing. I get that the dude woke up as a bug and everything, but I’m not sure on anything else. Part of me feels like the main character and his family lives in an Arabic country, years in the past, based on some clues, but another part of me feels like he’s living in a country more like America or England. The one thing that really confused me is the characters age. He lives with his parents and he has his own room, as does his sister and his speech and thoughts seem to be that of a kids. However, it is stated that he has served in the military and he is a traveling merchant- those are clues that he is older and that this an Arabic country years ago (due to family ties and such). But then again, his dad reads the paper every morning so it has to be modern times. This is way to confusing for a story about a bug man/kid." This quote is really confusing and this story had a drifting tone to it.
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Post by bakerm16 on Jan 28, 2014 6:50:06 GMT -5
I. I agree with Hank and Dakota in their letter D responses. I personally do not like this book so far. Its very weird and leaves you with many questions. However even though it Im not a fan of the book it is rather interesting. I respect the authors ability to keep me interested in a book I'm currently not a fan of.
E. I don't like the beginning of this story at all. We opened up the book with a scene that seemed to have been in the middle of a scene. I was reading it and trying to figure out what had happened before and was confusing myself even more. I would have liked for the book to start like a scene prior to that so I can not be so confused when I start the book.
C. My only real question is as to why Gregory is a bug. Him starting out as a bug bring up about 30 different questions such as: When did he become a bug? What is the reason for him becoming a bug? Or what type of bug is he? Obviously this is a major detail in the story but I would like to know more about the reasoning for this.
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Post by vazquezm16 on Jan 28, 2014 6:53:25 GMT -5
C. I found the hissing sound that Gregor’s father was to be interesting. The chapter started out with Gregor talking and he was not able to understand what he himself was saying and was worried about what other people would think. Gregor goes from not being able to understand himself to becoming more comfortable with his new body, falling and his new legs actually supported him, to seeing others as the ones who cannot be understand. This almost seems as if he has accepted his new form and now considers others to be the weird ones.
D. “One side of his body rose up NS HW Ly at an angle in the doorway. One side of his body rose up an he lay at angle in the doorway, one of his flanks was scraped raw and the white door was stained with ugly blotches, he was soon stuck dast and could not move on his own, the little legs on one side hung trembling in midair and on the other side they were pinned painfully to the floor-when his father gave him a terrific shove from behind ad he flew, bleeding profusely, far into the room.” I was confused by this quote because Gregor’s dad and mother were at first afraid of his new form but now his father actively tries to control him and direct him where to go.
I. I agree with petergiglio’s A. The situation is far too common where a kid who lives with his parents loses his job and it can cost the family dearly and lead to some serious problems.
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Post by zaysofly on Jan 28, 2014 21:52:30 GMT -5
D: I thought it was extremely weird how he just woke up an insect of some sort. It was very dark and creepy and mysterious. I do, however, like the fact that he showed his fear in the details swell. For example, when his family is knocking at the door and he can figure out how to get to them because he is a bug. From my knowledge of what i leaned during this time period of World War I, there was a lot of debt in families because some would borrow from the other richer families. The people obviously couldn't pay it off, so they worked it off, which is what our character Gregor does. I believed they were called arrears or something like that. it was very popular during this time. E: I agree with Hank about the story being so out of cogent and stability, yet it still able to keep me reeled in. It reminds me of the story by Steven king we read, except i can follow this one a little better. They are similar in the sense that there make no sense, but still have a bit of humor to keep us on track. C: what kind of bug is he exactly? He never really says what he turned into exactly so its hard to imagine what he looked like in his dream. I saw that the title for this post was adventures in surrealism and we just finished studying surrealists in Art class. I found a funny surreal painting and it reminds me of the story, so whenever you think of this chapter imagine this www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=fVoyODXLGhxhtM&tbnid=kDpAMUxjWU_EJM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fmarket%2Fhoney_bee_insect&ei=GWvoUqXXNbCisASGv4HIAQ&bvm=bv.60157871,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNHhiIYSyaTmBcUxkzwCmIqKPWOfqw&ust=1391049832587672 the one with Abraham lincoln. Attachments:
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Post by rozzayhill007 on Mar 18, 2014 20:19:23 GMT -5
C. Something I was confused about was where he was at the beginning of his "change". And also why is he a bug, what made him into this interesting creature.
D. Lines that I like is when we are told that Gregor woke up as a bug. I feel like at this point most people would laugh in confusion, and at this point you start asking yourself questions based off of this scene. it's like the author just gets you thinking right away which I really like
I. I agree with Dakota's letter E response in saying that the author could have given us some background information before jumping right into the story, but the way he did it did not displease me at all
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Post by mikeloseto on Mar 28, 2014 16:06:21 GMT -5
C. Out of the many questions I have for this interesting book, my biggest one was what made him turn into this bug creature? Was it some magical spell? Or was it some freak work of science? I would've liked to know how he turned because just knowing that he woke up and was a huge man-bug left me wanting for answers.
I. I agree with Dakota said about the author jumping into the story too quickly. As I said in my response to letter C, I did not really care for how quickly the story developed. There wasn't any accident or event that told us how and why Gregor turned into a bug. The lack of a background story on Gregor's metamorphosis kind of let me down but it is all the more interesting without a story.
D. I like the quote: “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.” It was so sudden and shocking. I liked the odd surprise that it revealed.
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