My thoughts on Kafka - "Metamorphosis"

The story Metamorphosis, written by Frank Kafka, was a very interesting read. It first starts off as a man named Gregor who was pretty much all about taking care of his family’s needs. He worked many long hours and did not partake in self pleasures for himself. He provided everything his mother, father, and sister needed. His family became codependent on his support. Then one day he woke up to find that he had transformed into something else. From the descriptions in the story it sounds like some sort of roach or beetle. It was very hard for Gregor’s family to adjust with this transformation. They went through a wide range of emotions such as fear of Gregor and being ashamed of him to feeling sorry for him. It was almost like they did not know what to do with themselves because they had gotten used to the lifestyle Gregor had provided them. As time passed on, his family realized they had to make changes in order for themselves to survive because Gregor was not going to get any better. His family had to let their help go because they couldn’t pay for the services anymore. They also had to go and get jobs to bring money into the home since they no longer had Gregor’s income. At one point they had also made room in their home for three boarders to help offset some household expenses. By the end of the story, Gregor ended up passing away. It was due to an injury he acquired when his family got scared at the actual sight of him. His family, on the other hand, learned how to manage without Gregor and even though they weren’t as well off as when Gregor supported them, they were going to be just fine. When I read this story, I was a little confused at the ending about what it was really about. As I read on I thought the metamorphosis was all about Gregor’s transformation into this bug. Then I realized that the transformation was not really about Gregor but how his family had changed because of the problems they were facing with their situation. It all made sense then and I found this story to be very realistic with the twist of fiction, with the bug of course. It made it very entertaining.

Links: http://www.ershaw.com/Metamorphosis.html

Textspeak - are we losing ourselves with technology?

In reading the article Is textspeak sabotaging younger job seekers? written in the August 26, 2008 of the Virginian-Pilot, I found myself wondering if this is really true. Are we somehow losing ourselves as we advance? I never really thought that we have come so far in technology that we may actually be getting dumber. I do think that people are becoming lazy with all the advancements in technology. It has become too easy nowadays to do things without even having to get up off a chair. With that in mind, it seems that because of this we have lost our ability to show the proper respect that’s deserved. In this article it reflects on well educated people that just got their degrees in the field of their interest and go through the interview process just to mess it all up in a simple thank you note. It shows immaturity and questionable judgment on behalf of the applicant and is very inappropriate. I do agree with the lack of professionalism in sending a shorthanded email or worse yet, a text message. Some of those even include decorative symbols such as smiley faces. That is definitely the icing on top of the cake as if the shorthand wasn’t bad enough. If the thank you note is even needed at all then it should show the company, you are trying to seek employment with, your ability to correspond appropriately. After all, if you are hired, you will represent that company. Then again this is just my opinion but it seems that according to this article there are many companies that feel the same way. If I was in the hiring position, I would want to make sure that the person I had chosen for the position not only had the qualifications academically but also be able to carry themselves professionally.




Links: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn737l.jpg
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