Arg!
Why on Earth have I been procrastinating so badly?! Here's what I have so far for the Evil Tyrant:
The Tragedy of Gregor
What is humor? The sister of tragedy lurks in mysterious places. She haunts audiences in the classic slapstick of slipping on a banana peel, yet few people realize the tragic consequences of months lost recuperating from a fractured coccyx or from an emotional laceration of mortification. Finding joy in the misfortunes of others is a defense mechanism that helps people deal with brutal, horrible reality. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is turned into a gigantic insect. Furthermore, his disastrous transformation impairs him from having a job, communicating with his family, and taking care of himself. Gregor is doomed to a futile existence! However, it’s funny. After all, how many giant bugs does a person see on a daily basis? Tragedy commingles with comedy in Gregor’s appearance, people’s treatment of Gregor, and the juxtaposition of human thoughts with insect body.
Kafka makes wonderful use of imagery in the opening scene of his short novel. He humorously describes a large cockroach lying in bed. The pathetic insect’s legs “waved helplessly before his eyes.” From the start, the reader is torn between laughing and crying as the insect flails himself randomly in his attempts to rise from bed. In modern times, this gigantic cockroach skit would evoke laughter on the comedic television show Trigger Happy TV. However, the reader has pathos for this helpless creature, and he can sense Gregor’s frustration.
grrrr.....
The Tragedy of Gregor
What is humor? The sister of tragedy lurks in mysterious places. She haunts audiences in the classic slapstick of slipping on a banana peel, yet few people realize the tragic consequences of months lost recuperating from a fractured coccyx or from an emotional laceration of mortification. Finding joy in the misfortunes of others is a defense mechanism that helps people deal with brutal, horrible reality. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is turned into a gigantic insect. Furthermore, his disastrous transformation impairs him from having a job, communicating with his family, and taking care of himself. Gregor is doomed to a futile existence! However, it’s funny. After all, how many giant bugs does a person see on a daily basis? Tragedy commingles with comedy in Gregor’s appearance, people’s treatment of Gregor, and the juxtaposition of human thoughts with insect body.
Kafka makes wonderful use of imagery in the opening scene of his short novel. He humorously describes a large cockroach lying in bed. The pathetic insect’s legs “waved helplessly before his eyes.” From the start, the reader is torn between laughing and crying as the insect flails himself randomly in his attempts to rise from bed. In modern times, this gigantic cockroach skit would evoke laughter on the comedic television show Trigger Happy TV. However, the reader has pathos for this helpless creature, and he can sense Gregor’s frustration.
grrrr.....