Honors English II
Tonight continue reading Kafka's "The Metamorphosis". As you read, continue to take notes related to your essential questions and continue to note the motifs as they appear in your reading. You should make it to the end of chapter two tonight.
Once you've finished the reading, respond to the following question using your knowledge of the text and your own personal opinion:
Both Oedipus and Gregor can be viewed as tragic characters because they are the victims of forces beyond their control; which of the two characters would you consider to be more tragic and pitiable? Oedipus or Gregor? Why?
Be sure to use references to the text and clear explanation to make your argument clear. Don't forget that on Wednesday we will have time to work on the Multi-Genre Project and I will want to see what you've done on your outlines, so bring in what you need to bring in to be productive.
ESL English III
Continue moving forward in your reading of The Kite Runner. If you did not have your comic strip today in class for presentation, be sure to have it next class for a late grade.
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13 comments:
I consider Gregor to be more pitiable the Oedipus because unlike Oedipus he didn't know that this was going to happen to him. Oedipus had already known his and, and should have just excepted it instead of making it worse then it had to be. Though Gregor is pitiable because his whole life he has been trapped and isolated from the world, and to make matters worse he wakes up one day as a bug.
I think that Gregor is more tragic than Oedipus. Gregor is essentially on his own, everyone that should be on his side (like his family) is repulsed by his transformation. Oedipus, at least, had support up until his big reveal.
I consider Oedipus to be more tragic and pitiable that Gregor, because Oedipus has little knowledge of his past, while Gregor knows all his past. I also find Oedipus to be more pitiable because he had little control of what his life. His mother and father put him on a hill to did, just because of his fate. Oedipus is also more tragic because his life completely turns after the truth. He loses his family, throne and city.
Makenzie Elam
I consider Oedipus to be a more tragic character than Gregor. Gregor comes across as whiny and pessimistic to me. He is constantly complaining about his job and seems unable to find the bright side in anything. While it is true that he is in a position beyond his control, he could still choose to accept the experience and find ways to enjoy his job. Oedipus, on the other hand, has strengths as well as flaws. The gods decided his fate, and he responded appropriately when he found out what happened to him. Therefore, it is easier for the reader to pity Oedipus. Gregor has the opportunity to make the best of the situation he is in, not only with changing into a bug but with his attitude toward his career and family.
- Rachel Sauls
I feel that Oedipus is a much more tragic character mainly, because he is forced to be born with an enormous amount of suffereing. Unlike Gregor, Oedipus has reactions to when he finally figures out that he is the plague of Thebes. While Gregor doesn't seem to care about the changes he is going through.
I find Oedipus to be the more pitiable. He, unknowingly, had his life completely destroyed in the matter of twenty-four hours. He finds out he killed his own father, married his own mother, is the cause of the pain in his city, had two kids with his mother, AND when she finds out who he is, instead of telling him the truth right there and then she goes and kills herself. And Gregor? He turned into a giant bug and sits in his room all day because his family is scared of him. AT LEAST HE HAS A FAMILY!
I consider Oedipus more pitiable than Gregor because Oedipus' fate could have been avoided had his parents not tried to cheat it. So Oedipus was in a sense cursed both by his fate, and by his parents. While Gregor is incredibly accepting of his fate. His is less distraught, and it seems like the change Oedipus endured affected him more emotionally than the change Gregor did.
Both Oedipus and Gregor find themselves in extremely unfortunate, miserable situations caused by greater forces. Gregor is turned in to an insect-like creature. Oedipus was fated to murder his father and marry/reproduce with his mother. While both are tragic characters, I consider Oedipus to be more so.
It is partially the reactions of the characters that set them apart. Gregor recognizes his misfortune and the negative effects it inevitably brings upon his family, but he remains relatively calm and rational. And although he is sequestered in his room, his family, which is the most important thing to Gregor, still has the ability to carry on.
Oedipus, on the other hand, is completely ruined by the events of his life. He finds his actions to be so despicable that he blinds himself. What makes Oedipus' situation even sadder is that he was originally in a place of power. As king of Thebes, Oedipus had many people witness his rapid decline. The contrast between his current and former positions makes him more tragic. And unlike Gregor, the most important thing to Oedipus is himself, which, in a sense, he loses at the end of the story.
I consider Oedipus to be a more tragic character than Gregor. The most important factor in determining whether a character is tragic or not is if the character has a tragic flaw. A tragic flaw refers to a personality trait of the character that eventually leads to the downfall of the character. Oedipus has a clear tragic flaw: his pride. Oedipus' pride makes it hard and almost impossible for him to see the truth behind Laius' murder. Gregor does not have a clear tragic flaw like Oedipus does. Gregor is in in a tragic situation, no doubt, but that does not mean that he is a tragic character as much as Oedipus is. Oedipus is also more pitiable because he went from being a king at breakfast to a blind reject at dinner. Within a day Oedipus saw his entire life break down in front of his own eyes (while he still had them). I feel bad for Oedipus because his fate was set at birth and he never had a chance to escape it. That is why Oedipus is a more tragic and pitiable character.
Gregor is the less fortunate character. While Oedipus lost it all, falling from the very top of society, Gregor was already at the bottom of society, and still manages to reach new levels of suffering. He has never even tasted power, not even freedom- Things Oedipus had at one point. The entirety of his existence has been in the lower echelon, an endless train of poverty and discontent. Oedipus too has his life mapped out for him, but he at least has good things to look back on. All Gregor has, and ever will have, his family, who are in as dire straits as he.
I consider Gregor to be a more tragic character than Oedipus. While neither have control over the situation, Gregor is more pitiable. This is because he has seemingly done nothing wrong. He is a young man who has stood up for his family in a time of need. He is a hard worker; even working diligently at a job he hates. He does what is best for his family, and yet is turned into a bug. Oedipus on the other hand, has many chances to learn the truth about his fate, but his ego manages to blind him every time. When he finally does learn the truth, he takes the easy was out by blinding himself, in hopes of continuing to hide from the consequences of his actions. Another reason why Gregor is a more pitiable character is that he tries to communicate with his parents, only to be met with fear and even hatred and violence. This rejection makes Gregor a tragic character because even though he continues to try to do the right thing, he is hated.
Alex Bird 2B
It is easier for me to pity Gregor than it is to pity Oedipus. Gregor seems helpless and lost in the monotony of his everyday routine. He doesn't directly have the power in his hands to change his life situation(not the bug situation), mainly because his parents made choices that caused them to force supporting the family onto Gregor. Gregor has questioned how his life has been lived, we can see this in the text by his distaste with his job, and also with his expression of wishing to send his sister to the musical conservatory. Oedipus, on the other hand, blindly accepts what others tell him he has. They tell him he has power, he accepts it and wields it. Owning this power is one of the main reasons that it is hard for me to pity Oedipus. He has all the power to find the killer and to find out exactly the cause of all the disease and pain in his city, but he stalls and pushes away any idea that is slightly inconceivable and or disturbing to his routine of power. In contrast with the acquaintances and friends who encourage Oedipus to find the murderer of Laius, Gregor is shunned and practically expelled from his family after his transformation. Gregor becomes a more and more tragic character as we see his family abandon him and react to him with disgust.
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