Option #1: Write a Well-Organized Four to Five Paragraph Essay Answering the Question

Hannah Rogers
December 28, 2011
Activity 7

Choose ONE of the following assignments as a culminating activity for the unit onMetamorphosis.
This assignment is worth 100 points.

Option #1: Write a well-organized four to five paragraph essay answering the question:

"If Gregor had a chance to relive his life, what should he do differently?"

Begin with an introduction that relates to one of the themes of the story:

A.  The family dynamics are changed when each family member takes onmoreorlessresponsibility

B.  Taking on the entire responsibility for a family often leads to complete destruction of self.

C.  Each family member has to give something to the family or it will not form a cohesive unit where each nurtures his own identity as well as takes on his share of responsibility.

Be sure your thesis is placed toward the end of the introduction and relates how you think Gregor should change. Possible introductions might include:

·  A rhetorical question

Each of the body paragraphs should deal with one thing that Gregor should do differently if he had the chance. You MUST give evidence from the story that Gregor DID NOT do these things as you have seen him in the novel. Explain WHY a change in his ideas and actions would have made a difference in his life.

Your conclusion should be from 3 to 5 sentences long and should NOT just be a restatement of your thesis. The ideas in your thesis should be addressed, but expand your conclusion to answer the questions: Why would Gregor have been better off with the decisions you have outlined? What caused him to make inappropriate decisions in the first place? What has Kafka said about the individual’s identity and its relationship to the family?

Essay

In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, I believe that Gregor, if given the chance, would relive his life. Gregor would utilize this second chance to pay more attention to himself and his needs, spend more time at home with his family, and attempt to find love. In the story, Gregor is introduced in a state of depression. Gregor lives a life of neglect, overloaded responsibility, and lack of appreciation for his contribution to the family. Gregor is not truly loved, and is merely used as a source of income to maintain the family’s well-to-do reputation.

First, Gregor should pay more attention to himself and his own needs in his second life. Gregor only cared about the wellness and needs of others, especially his family. He paid all his attention to the necessity of money for the family and the strict requests of his tyrannical boss. Gregor was so wholly invested in the needs of others that he could no longer justify his own, as seen by his development of an eating disorder. This led Gregor to become weak and depressed, which he never even realized had occurred. Overall, Gregor selflessness led to his metamorphosis and subsequent death.

Next, Gregor should spend more time with the family. Gregor was very misunderstood by his family; especially his father and did not have the best of relationships with the members of his family. If Gregor had worked less and been more family oriented, I believe the family would have been much happier as a whole. The family was focused more on their wealth and good reputation then the truly important things in life like family. Gregor was a good person, he was selfless and caring. Gregor wanted the best for each person in his family. He saved up all the money he could to give to his sister, Grete, so she could go to music college as a violinist; her most coveted dream. If the family had stopped to get to know Gregor as a person, they would have realized his true importance to the family as a genuine person rather than a source of income.

Lastly, in Gregor’s second life, I have confidence that Gregor should attempt to find true love in order to become a happier and healthier person. Gregor was extremely deprived of love from his family, especially seen after his metamorphosis into a bug. Gregor was an adult and craved a women companion. Gregor had perpetual love for the woman in the portrait on the wall in his bedroom. This portrait was deeply valuable to Gregor and he guarded it from removal by his mother and sister after his transformation, showing his love and connection to this fictional person. I believe that if Gregor had had a woman in his life, he would have been able to vent and express his frustrations and give, as well as, receive genuine love. Love is a powerful thing, and if Gregor had acquired it in his first life, I believe he would never have transformed into a bug in the first place.

All in all, Gregor should be more selfish, family oriented, and he should search for love in his second life. Gregor was deeply deprived of relaxation, appreciation, and love. If Gregor gotten even the slightest taste of these three things, I am certain he would never have transformed or died as early as he did. Gregor was a great human being and sadly, he was taken advantage of. Gregor was too timid to take a stand for himself, and he killed himself because of this. In Gregor’s second life, if he is able to meet these three goals, he will be a happy, healthy, respected, and loved person. Don’t you think Gregor deserves this?

"If Gregor had a chance to relive his life, what should he do differently?"