Vocab (SAR1)

Semaphore, Livery, Aperitif, Platonic, concierge, chic, ostentatious, sommelier, compatriot, expatriate

Metamorphosis Essay

At the core of Franz Kafka's surreal story, The Metamorphos, is the transformation of a young man, Gregor Samsa, into a large insect. This change forces the reader to suspend disbelief and accept that the events occur, even if only for the brief period the story is read. But, there is a reason Kafka has decided to tell this story beyond the idea of a guy turning into a bug.

In a fully-developed one-page position paper, explain what the transformation of Gregor Samsa, from man into insect, symbolizes OUTSIDE of the short story. In other words, what is the significance of the transformation on an ALLEGORICAL LEVEL.

Remember, an allegory is a story on more than one, or the literal, level. It is a form of extended metaphor in which people, images and events can represent symbols of the larger, underlying meaning. Often, this true meaning has social, political, religious, or moral significance. To answer this question completely, you must explain what the allegorical meaning of the story is, and then how and why different events, images, characters, etc. are symbolic of that larger meaning.

DUE MONDAY