The Arts in New York City | Baruch Fall 2013 Macaulay Seminar 1

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Diana Perlov

Until now, I hadn’t realized how active my senses were during the read of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. I had subconsciously pictured each scene as I read it although I wouldn’t be able to explain why I pictured each scene the way I did because I truly don’t know. First of all, I envision the entire story in black and white, so the story completely lacked color for me. That might be because the mood that I perceived was gloomy, because of the constant rain and a certain grayness Gregor saw every time he looked out of his window. This also made Gregor’s room seem more like a hospital cell than an actual boy’s room. Aside from some furniture and one painting the room felt extremely generic and not very personalized, meaning anyone could live there.

Zooming in on Gregor himself, it was never entirely clear about what kind of bug he turned into but I never really envisioned a cockroach, mostly because I associate cockroaches as gross, repulsive insects that I just want to get rid of. With Gregor, I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn’t human, just because his thoughts were so humanlike and normal. Especially in the beginning scene when he realizes he has overslept and is struggling to get out of bed. It’s almost impossible for him to do so and he gets more and more desperate as he watches the clock hands go by, indicating more and more time passing. He’s quick to give into his body, which doesn’t allow him to move with ease, so he ends up staying in bed much longer than he anticipated. I felt myself being able to relate to this particular scene. I definitely experience that type of anxiety every morning when I turn my alarm off in my sleep and end up oversleeping. Even after that I watch the minutes go by, but am too exhausted to get up. However, in my head I am freaking out about how late I am, so I completely understand Gregor’s anxiety. Although, if I had woken up as a bug I don’t think I would be too anxious about being late for school, I would most definitely be anxious about other, more important things, like why am I a bug now.

Lastly, I want to address something I think everyone can agree upon. The smell in the story is extremely clear, and no one can miss that rotten scent Kafka describes that is created in Gregor’s room. I associated that smell with walking past the garbage outside that has not been collected yet and getting hit with the extremely strong stench. It’s an unfortunate sensory experience, but a very strong and distinct one for sure.

Mood Diary of Metamorphosis

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Michael Goldberg

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was a fascinating story in which a man is turned into a giant vermin overnight. This transformation obviously affected the protagonist, his family, and his employer in dramatic fashion. Needless to say, after reading a story in which the bizarre and the mundane are blended together, many emotions were brought out while reading this book. Scenes or moments that were especially dramatic were Gregor’s initial metamorphosis, his telling of how miserable his job was, and when his parents and sister are on the trolley looking towards a brighter future.

Gregor’s initial metamorphosis was confusing for him, to say the least. Imagine waking up and not knowing how to use your own body after a lifetime of physical cooperation from it. This picture caught my eye as to what Gregor must have felt like in bed that very first morning:

Gregor’s description of his job, and the life his job allotted him was very distressing to read about. His long travels on the train, his horrible sleeping patterns, and his lack of true friendships led me to this image:

The last scene of the book, in which Gregor’s family is not only content without him, but even looking towards a brighter future made me think of think of the song by Maroon 5 “Better That We Break”. Even though the context of the song and what happened in the story are different, both involve loved ones separating for the betterment of their future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ckvAun634

Mood Diary: Metamorphosis

Posted on September 13, 2013 by alexandraszilagyi

While reading Metamorphosis I had several reactions.

Before I even began the book, I sort of assumed that the story would somehow have a happy ending, seeing as metamorphosis is a term used to describe the change that caterpillars undergo when they become butterflies. As a result, I somehow seemed to connect the term to Gregor- expecting him to turn back into a human that was more aware of his role in his family- and how his family saw him and expected him to bring home money- in a sort of a bildungsroman way, transforming into a “butterfly” in the end. As a result, the ending came as a sort of shock- I certainly did not expect Gregor to die. Perhaps disappear and never come back, but I never anticipated him just giving up on life.

Personally, I was horrified with the whole situation. Not only did Gregor take the fact that he had somehow transformed into a bug over night remarkably well- too well in my opinion, he also tried to reason his family’s reaction which in itself was quite unreasonable. Sure, poor Gregor turned into a cockroach, which in itself is just outrageous, but he was after all a son and a brother that had cared for his family throughout his life- as long as he was capable. The lack of caring on his parent’s part, and eventually on his sister’s part is absolutely horrifying. While reading Metamorphosis, the whole story somehow reminded me of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Frankenstein himself is a mess- he’s a being brought to life from spare parts. I imagine him to smell similarly to Gregor, and his surroundings. Both beings are dirty, and rotten. Rotten is just the general feeling that is given off by Metamorphosis- the food Gregor eats, the apple rotting on his back, as well as his relationship to his family rotting slowly as his condition continues.

Another story that also comes to mind when it comes to having a connection to Metamorphosis is The Phantom of the Opera. The phantom lives his life in a secluded area under the Opera house simply because his face is deformed. No one can love him, despite his kind gestures towards Christine Daae. While his personality does seem rotten, it is only due to the constant seclusion in which he has to live his life. People judge him, and regard him as a monster, not even bothering to get to know him personally. The story of the Phantom is a sad one, much like that of Gregor.

And overall, while the life that Gregor leads after he is turned into a bug is characterized by silence- what with his lack of communication with his family, the whispers that are uttered around dinner time so as to ensure that Gregor does not hear, and the fear on Gregor’s part of making too much noise to disturb his sister, I connect one song to the story. While it may seem a little too modern compared to the work by Kafka, I believe that The Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a song that shares a similar theme to the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The song implies that the singer is alone, and his dreams are hard to reach, if not impossible. Similarly, Gregor is now completely alone, and his dreams of being able to provide for his family are shattered when he becomes a bug. The only difference between the singer and Gregor, is that Gregor ends up giving up and dying, whether from physical exertion and the fact that bugs live shorter lives, or whether it is from sadness is hard to determine. The singer on the other hand implies that even though he is alone in following his dreams, he follows it nonetheless.

Overall, the Book by Franz Kafka evoked several emotions on my part, not all of them positive. In fact, for the most part the emotions he managed to evoke were disappointment, sadness, pity, and anger. However, I find that any work that successfully evokes emotion is one worth reading- and Metamorphosis certainly was a worthwhile read.

Mood Diary: Metamorphosis

Posted on September 13, 2013 by marcsaadia

Metamorphosis is a story that stimulated most of my senses. Throughout the book I have noticed a theme of rottenness. From the food Gregor ate, to most of the people’s attitudes towards Gregor. From the way they were living, to the experiences they shared in the house. Everything just seemed rotten. The book produced a spoiled smell. Something like this:

In addition to smell, my sense of hearing was also aroused. Well in this case it was just the opposite. Around Gregor, everything seemed quiet and depressing. The family whispered because they didn’t want Gregor to hear them. Gregor hid under the couch in silence so his sister can feed him. The mood did not seem lively at all, in fact it seemed dull and quiet (which reminds me of this picture).

I have to admit, I HATE insects. They simply make me squirm. If I were to see Gregor I would probably run for my life. The reason I hate insects so much is due to a horrible experience I have had in the past. When I was 10 years old, I attended my sisters varsity basketball game in February. That facility had been the place where I used to attend summer camp. I knew my favorite swing set with the mini rock climbing wall stood in the back of the building. So, I went to the playground and headed up the rock wall. Once I climbed up the wall and entered the swing set, I noticed an enormous bee hive (at least the size of a basketball), and before I could jump out of that mini box, I was attacked by what felt like the entire nest. It was one of the most painful experiences I have had until this day. I ran back into the gym hysterically crying, and my mother, noticing my swollen body with all the stingers still inside, rushed me to the emergency room. In the ER I had 22 stingers plucked out of my body. 22! Up until this day, even the smallest insects make me squirm. Just imagine what happens when a bee flies by my ear. I definitely suffer from Apiphobia.

(This photo makes me cringe.)

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Jaclyn

Before reading Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, I expected the book to be about butterflies. Teachers have always linked the term “metamorphosis” to the transformation of butterflies into adulthood, so that was my initial thought. Maybe I was not thinking abstractly enough, but did anyone else think of butterflies?

After reading the first paragraph of the book, and discovering that my initial thoughts on the story were completely wrong, the image on the cover of James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl came to mind. The illustrations are so ugly and the bugs that James befriends reminded me of Gregor and how the characters would be portrayed if it was written as a children’s book. I haven’t read James and the Giant Peach in years, and it was strange to have the sudden memory of the story, but I interpret the characterization of Gregor and the Samsa family as dreadful and odd.

Homework? Let’s play video games instead.

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Nicole-Amanda Merchan

Can playing a video game really be considered art? I personally think so. Why? Because it instills inspiration into the minds of the players and allows their creativity to be utilized. In Chris Suellentrop’s article, he vividly explains how playing a sports video game is a different way to play a sport; it’s not merely inserting yourself into the virtual world.

By defining what it means to play a video game, specifically those in the sports genre, we, as the players, are able to grasp a better understanding of how playing these games affect us in reality. While many people consider the animations and graphics as art, I feel the act of participating in the game is also art. Video games are not merely for pleasure or for passing the time, they engage and influence the player to act or think in different ways. For example, by playing a basketball game, such as NBA 2k13, players are encouraged to step out of the virtual world and to actually play basketball in the real world. They are influenced to exercise more and to fully participate in the sport of basketball. When people visit an art gallery or a museum, sometimes they are so inspired by the different works of art they take an effort to draw out their own creativity and create some sort of masterpiece. These situations are similar to a video game player desiring to step outside and try out a sport that they had no experience in, other than playing the video game. This shows how much of an impact the virtual world has on a vast amount of people, especially since such a large portion of the population engage in video games.

The article also discusses how the virtual world is part of the real world, because when we play video games, it happens in the real world. I have to disagree with this perception. Games are connected to the mental thinking process, not the physical process. The action of emerging yourself into the game is through your mind, as you use your knowledge and critical thinking skills to endure the game. There are no physical actions involved, other than pressing buttons on a controller. It is more important to reflect on how problem solving skills and creativity is expanded and enhanced by playing complex video games, especially the sports games that require planning a proper course of action to play competitively. The virtual world is where we physically do not exist, and we cannot do so unless we create a technology similar to that in the third Spy Kids movie, which currently seems impossible.

Now imagine walking into a museum and the first exhibit you see is an opportunity to play the newest edition of Mario Kart on the Xbox 360. Would you immediately run to that exhibit? Or would you continue on and see if you could find a different piece of art? Everyone has his or her own idea of what art really is, but you need to be able to open your mind and think outside the box. Once you do so, then you can take the time to indulge in your favorite works of art, even if it’s the latest edition of Call of Duty.

Works Cited:

Suellentrop, Chris. “Examined, The Virtual Life is Worth Living.” New York Times. 26 August 2013. Web. 11 September 2013.

“The Benefits of Video Games.” Abc News. 26 December 2011. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/12/the-benefits-of-video-games/

Mood Diary for Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Tina Jing Ru Shen

The first time I encountered Kafka’s Metamorphosis was in my senior year of high school. Before knowing the style of Kafka’s writing – a touch of dark realism in surrealism or the other way around – I related Gregor’s metamorphosis to a bunch of Disney movies when the characters transform into animals and of course, the outcome was always a happy ending like: “Yay! They turned human again and every one lived happily ever after!” Well, that was not the same case for Gregor because he turned into a vermin and died as one.

One Disney movie scene that I think has the closest resemblance to Metamorphosis would probably be from Brave. The scene I am thinking of is when Merida’s mother turns into a bear (sorry to be a spoiler for those who wanted to watch this film), which was a creature that everyone in the kingdom loathed very much because of earlier trauma, and all the people in the castle, including Merida’s father, wanted to hunt her down. This part of the movie reminds me of the moments when Mr. Samsa chased Gregor into his room and when he attacked Gregor with the apples.

In the beginning of Metamorphosis, Gregor shows ignorance to the fact that he has become a bug. Instead, he goes about worrying about his boss, his job, and his family. I really sympathize for Gregor but I really wanted to say, “COME ON! WAKE UP TO REALITY!!”

I was upset when I read the parts where Gregor is physically and emotionally abused by the rest of the family, but one instance that really disheartened me was when the narrator describes how Gregor saved up money for Grete to attend a music conservatory and how he was the only one in the family who supported her passion for violin. Emotionally, I felt like this, but it is also how I imagined Gregor at the moment he realized that Grete will never know about his intentions.

Kim Kardashian’s reaction towards Metamorphosis. Just kidding

Then, here is my reaction when Grete slammed the door (after the three merchants discover him listening to Grete playing the violin) right after Gregor slowly walked into his room and said “Finally!”

Only a little more serious.

P.S. I found something on the MoMA website about two artists who made a short film relating to Metamorphosis. I could not find the actual video but here is an article about their production and some of the cool set ups they made and used for the filming. How did I come across this? I was desperately finding a painting by some famous artist I remember seeing that reminded me of Metamorphosis so I was searching on MoMA’s website. Unfortunately, I could not find the work but instead I got to this!

Metamorphosis Franz Kafka by Quay Brothers

An image from Quay Brother’s interpretation of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

“Elderly Acting Just Might Improve … Line, Please!” – Art Blog

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Tina Jing Ru Shen

As people age, parts of their bodies deteriorate. One specific part would be their nervous system. This change in mental capacity happens to everyone at all ages – I can assure you that I have short-term memory loss – but the age group that is commonly known for retention loss would be seniors. A study led by the Columbia University Medical Center shows that age-related memory loss might have originated from a lack of a certain protein (RbAp48) that promotes activity in the hippocampus, which is a region in the brain that plays a major role in memory. There are other factors, however, that may lead to memory loss such as inactivity for a long period of time (i.e. no participation whatsoever in any labor).

Actress Lynn Ann Leveridge at the age of 65

In the article “Elderly Acting Just Might Improve…Line, Please!” written by John Hanc, the central idea discussed is that increased involvement with daily life can help maintain good memory skills. Hanc interviewed Lynn Ann Leveridge, who is a 65-year-old Broadway actress. She has played roles in a variety of performances, television shows, and films. She claims that she still has moments when she forgets her keys and glasses, but she still holds the belief that acting is: “It’s a passion, I feel incomplete if I haven’t worked for a while” (Leveridge, Elderly Acting Just Might Improve…Line, Please!). Ms. Leveridge was only one example that Hanc used to illustrate the significance of activity in maintaining mental health. He referred to Helga and Tony Noice, psychologist and theater professor (respectively) at Elmhurst College in Illinois. They researched on how acting produces cognitive effects in the elderly by having a group of seniors volunteer in a “before and after” experiment involving an hour-long acting class. The results indicated that after taking the acting classes, the seniors exhibited an improvement in memory. Helga states that: “Good acting involves retrieving the dialogue and movements from long-term memory but using them spontaneously, that is a highly complex cognitive process” (Noice, Elderly Acting Just Might Improve…Line, Please!). Generally, Hanc does not believe that acting is the only cure to age-related memory loss, but that it is one of the many ways to deal with the mental issue. Aside from acting, Hanc encourages everyone to engage in a variety of activities – especially when older, because that is the time when people are most vulnerable to memory loss.

I believe that encouraging people to be more connected with their surroundings like Ms. Leveridge is imperative because I have had some experience regarding memory. Although there could have been other factors such as genetic and environmental effects, my grandfather had the Alzheimer’s disease primarily because he broke off from communicating with the rest of our family and was barely engaged with daily life. It was extremely painful to see him break himself away from the outside world and sit around keeping to himself. Then gradually he showed symptoms of Alzheimer’s. People should always remain engaged with their hobbies, chores, or learning in general because it keeps our brains working. I remember in my junior year of high school I got slightly lazy with memorizing terms and equations so I tried to find easy ways out of memorizing them. This was also the year I stopped dancing so that meant that I did not have to drill myself with choreography. Within the year I could sense the decline of my memory after I dropped those opportunities to participate fully in my classes and interests. Therefore, I agree that constantly engaging in activities such as acting does not only serve as a gain in experience, but it also helps us – not just elders – to keep our brains healthy.

Works Cited:

Hanc, John. “Elderly Acting Just Might Improve…Line, Please!” New York Times. N.p., 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

Columbia University Medical Center. “A Major Cause of Age-Related Memory Loss Identified.” Columbia University Medical Center. N.p., 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

Posted on September 12, 2013 by wangm3

When I first read Metamorphosis, I was surprised that Gregor only cared about work and not being late after he realized he had become a bug. That, to me, is unrealistic (the whole story is unrealistic but even more so with that). It’s almost comical, even, how he simply accepts the fact that he’s no longer human and tries to continue on with his normal life. If I were in his place, I would have been like:

and trying to figure out why this happened and ultimately, probably burst into tears.

When I came across the part when Gregor turned into a bug, I imagined him to be a mix of a cockroach and a beetle, so these colors came into mind:

very neutral, somewhat bland colors (actually kind of like Gregor’s life).

I was surprised when Gregor died in the end because in the books that I normally read, the protagonist never dies. I pitied Gregor when only his sister and mother cared, but ended up giving up on him towards the end. Not to mention how the father downright despised Gregor as a bug — it shows that even a parent’s love has its limits.

I was a bit angry at the family for abandoning Gregor and even being relieved of his death, since Gregor was the one who financially supported them and without him, they would not have been living so comfortably. Then when Gregor was in need, his family essentially neglected him (save for his sister in the beginning). Even when Gregor was a bug, he only cared about continuing to support his family; I become enraged when I think of how he was treated in return. My emotions at that time could probably be best expressed like this:

The book was very enjoyable to read; it was just sad how Gregor died and to see how much his family really cared for him (not very much, apparently).

Metamorphosis Mood Diary

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Janice R. Fong

While reading Metamorphosis I felt a lot of things. I felt grossed out mostly because I hate bugs. However I also felt bad because it felt like Gregor was being used by his family for financial reasons only, rather than actually being loved.

It made me really sad that Gregor was being so mistreated. Even though he was a cockroach, there was no instance made to even reach out to him. The ending was upsetting to me especially because he killed himself so they could have a better life, but in the end the family themselves got over the fact that he was dead.

Most of the scenes seemed somewhat dimly lit to me. I was never able to imagine their rooms as lit. Maybe because it was such a depressing story. However, they weren’t rich either so maybe lighting could have been expensive for them? Every scene I imagined was really dark.

I also felt scared for Gregor being a cockroach. I hate roaches but I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him. However, I really wonder what size he was. How big was he? I hope he wasn’t too big or else that would have really freaked me out but the size really mattered. I really think it would have helped me understand the story more.

Because dogs are cuter. But do you think that Gregor would have been the size of the first two dogs? Or the size of the largest one?

Janice Fong

Citations

Digital image. Sad Smileys with Downturned Mouths. Norma Cornes, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.123rf.com/photo_3181647_sad-smileys-with-downturned-mouths.html>.

Darkness. Digital image. Choose Hope Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://choosehopetoday.com/the-struggle-what-im-learning-about-depression-anxiety/darkness/>.

Group of Dogs Different Sizes Isolated. Digital image. Nataly Kuznetsova, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://depositphotos.com/5650936/stock-photo-Group-of-dogs-different-sizes-isolated.html>.