Metamorphosis by Matthew Bocanegra https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs What is it that defines someone as human? en-us 2021-03-02 15:07:06 UTC 2026-01-23 16:03:57 UTC hello@padlet.com Question laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274792213 What is it that defines someone as human?]]> 2021-03-05 17:48:13 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274792213 Thesis laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274792734 In the Metamorphosis, Kafka shows that what defines someone as human is the way that someone is treated by others, having personal possession, feeling self worth and having meaningful  relationships]]> 2021-03-05 17:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274792734 The way others treat Gregor laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274799335 - the way his family uses him 

"  But the money to
live on had to be earned. Now, although his father was old, he was a healthy man who had not worked at all for five years and thus could not be counted on for very much. He had in these five years, the first holidays of his trouble-filled but unsuccessful life, put on a good deal of fat and thus had become really heavy. (page 24)
  • It is clear that Gregor's family doesn't care about his life and is happy with how much money Gregor was bringing in.  His father stopped working not because he couldn't work, just stopped because he was too lazy/satisfied with how much money gregor was making.

" Furthermore, in addition to this, the money which Gregor had brought home every month—he had kept only a few florins for himself—had not been completely spent and had grown into a small capital amount. " (page 24)

  • not only was his family taking his money for a living, they took more than they needed. 
  • they took everything from him, he kept for himself very little and instead of just taking what they needed from him they took more and kept it so much so that they saved a substantial amount of his money that they don't have to worry for a bit now that Gregor cant work for them.
  • His family just takes and takes form him like a apple tree, like wheat to be harvested. Never giving back to him using him up. he is a resource not a family member.

  • Yes ! 


]]> 2021-03-05 17:49:40 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274799335 Having personal possessions laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274800474 when they take stuff out of his room

" —and so she got the
idea of making Gregor's creeping around as easy as possible and thus of
removing the furniture which got in the way, especially the chest of
drawers and the writing desk " ( page 25)
  • without asking for Gregor or even trying to ask Gregor his family starts removing things from his room
  • the intent of them removing the furniture was to give him space to crawl around, but they don't ask him if he wants them to give him that space.
  • This also shows that they are resigned to him being a bug and do not have any hope that he will return to normal
"Then he saw hanging conspicuously on the wall, which was otherwise already empty, the picture of the woman dressed in nothing but fur. He quickly scurried up over it and pressed himself against the glass which held it in place and which made his hot abdomen feel good. At least this picture, which Gregor at the moment completely concealed, surely no one would now take away." (page 30)
  •  He had to go out of his way to completely hide something so they wouldn't take it from him. he has needs and wants but they don't see it and believe he doesn't want/need his stuff anymore. This makes him feel less and less like an individual and causes him to lose his humanity.

]]> 2021-03-05 17:49:55 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274800474 Feeling self worth laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274801158 - chapter 3 
- it
- stops eating 
-pg 37

" Gregor ate hardly anything any more. Only when he chanced to move past the food which had been prepared did he, as a game, take a bit into his mouth, hold it there for hours, and generally spit it out again. At first he thought it might be his sadness over the condition of his room which kept him from eating, but he very soon became reconciled to the alterations in his room. People had grown accustomed to put into storage in
his room things which they couldn't put anywhere else, and at this point
there were many such things, now that they had rented one room of the apartment to three lodgers." (page 38)
  • after clearing his room from his stuff, they start stuffing their things into his room.
  • his family that is supposed to respect his room but they start using it like any other storage room or closet in the house.
  • This shows how they no longer acknowledge that he is a human being which causes him to lose more of his self worth. 
 
"I will not utter my brother's name in front of this monster, and thus I say only that we must try to get rid of it. " (page 43)
  •  he further loses is feelings of self worth when his sister calls him a monster and refuses to call him from his name. 
  • this reinforces the feeling of not belonging in the family or even being human.




]]> 2021-03-05 17:50:03 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274801158 Meaningful relationships laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274801683 boss shows up mom saying he does not do anything outside the house 

"The young man has nothing in his head except business. I'm almost
angry that he never goes out at night. Right now he's been in the city eight days, but he's been at home every evening. He sits here with us at the table and reads the newspaper quietly or studies his travel schedules. It's a quite a diversion for him to busy himself with fretwork. For instance, he cut out a small frame over the course of two or three evenings." (page 9)

  • His life is work, he does nothing else other then be a worker and a provider for his family 
  • this idea get reinforced by  his mom says "The young man has nothing in his head except business." 
  • the only thing he thinks of is work, he is not human he is a worker, he is a money maker.

]]> 2021-03-05 17:50:10 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1274801683 Score laura_brill1 https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1312307745 Well done Matt. i like the way that you analyzed the way that he loses his humanity and how you stayed focus on the thesis .
A]]> 2021-03-15 18:39:11 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1312307745 what is that defines someone as human? matthewbocanegra https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1316134693 He was human at one point but after years and years of his family using him he saw himself less and less as an actual person. when he finally broke. they had all the extra money they took from him.  they took his stuff from his room, striping him from his individuality. now filling his room with the things that they wouldn't put anywhere else, the place of his became a closet. the only purpose of his life was provide for his family and after he couldn't they threw him away.  ]]> 2021-03-16 15:05:56 UTC https://padlet.com/matthewbocanegra/fx6q4rup3sns0egs/wish/1316134693