"The Metamorphosis," "Antidisestablishmentarianism"-Unsettling novel-Favorite Word

1. We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists. Answer the question that corresponds to the school you selected above. Limit your answer to a half page or roughly 250 words.

-College of Arts and Sciences: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?

One afternoon, after I finished reading "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, I realized that I had lived my entire life as a vermin. "Unsettled" is an understatement for the effect this novella had on me. The psychological focus of "The Metamorphosis" allowed me to see that Gregor Samsa's life before his transformation is the life that we live and his experience after his transformation is only an exaggeration of this condition in order to serve as a metaphor for twentieth-century life. I felt a chill as I saw the modern world reflected in each of Gregor's main predicaments. The maddening uncertainty Gregor faced about his future-would he be an insect forever?-is the same fog that clouds our minds and frightens us. The agonizing alienation Gregor felt from humanity is the same rift that separates us from each other. The pitiable detachment Gregor underwent-increasingly part of the insect's world and less of the human's-is the same reason that most people do not even blink when they learn that yet another passenger plane has crashed. The heart-wrenching despair that Gregor had succumbed to is the same conclusion humanity faces as a consequence of the uncertainty, alienation, and detachment of modern life. I wonder with what complacency it was possible for society to allow our world to come to this and hope that we will be able to reverse this pattern before we launch the fatal fruit at one another. The horror of this possibility and the current dilapidation of society elucidated by "The Metamorphosis" compels me to struggle against it.

-What is your favorite word and why?

"Antidisestablishmentarianism" is quirky, historically meaningful, and psychologically significant. Like a person, this word has many layers and the best way to understand it is to go through these layers individually. Since psychology is my life's passion, this word is a perfect match for me. I feel drawn towards this word because its essence lies in its root, "establishment," referring to the Roman Catholic Church, just as an individual's psychology has its start in childhood. The word is, in turn, made increasingly complex through the additions of extra strata, such as "anti-," in a manner that makes it a perfect metaphor for the psychological processes that humans undergo and the experiences that comprise their being. Aside from its structure, the definition of antidisestablishmentarianism covers a significant and fascinating length of history: the rule of King Henry VIII, England's split from the Catholic Church, and the opposing reactions of some to this split. It is remarkable that one word can convey such a broad range of information. The definition, mainly focused on history, also enables the word to capture my attention not only because I love this subject, but also because every snippet of it carries deep psychological meaning: the stress and the ego of a King, the upheaval of a country's tradition-a part of the national psyche-and its ramifications, and the motivations and perseverance of those who chose to disagree with the new order. Thus, "antidisestablishmentarianism" has a unique, unparalleled personality among words that endows it with an irresistible spark of life that captures the hearts of all those brave enough to spell it out.

Well,

I didn't understand much of the first essay, but that maybe because I have not read that book. So I won't comment on that one.


Umm...this part seemed like a repetition.


Hey!! It captures the heart of others like me too :P ... hahaha...

This is so cool! You took that discussion and wrote an essay on it. Way to go!!

I had a feeling that might be the case. Is that a problem (like I shouldn't blather on about the book as much) or is it negligible? Well, anyone, regardless of whether they read the book can answer this: I modeled my first sentence after the firce sent. of the met. ("One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin") since it's one of the most famous lines in literature (my English teacher said it is at the top of the list, but I still think "Call me Ishmael" takes the cracker because it is short and easy to remember). I'm wondering if I should try to make that better or if it is just unecessary


Hmm, I see. Now how do we fix that?

The definition, mainly focused on history, also enables the word to capture my attention not only because I love this subject, but also because every snippet of it carries deep psychological meaning

or

The definition, mainly focused on history, also enables the word to captures my attention not only because I love this subject, but also because every snippet of it carries deep psychological meaning

or maybe some other variation of cutting. As my essay is 263 words, I think, I am not averse to cutting ^^

that even captures the hearts of all those not brave enough to spell it out.

Not too lengthy? I think I like that version better, it makes the word seem move jovial and friendly...ha, finally my odd habit of characterizing words came to good use XD

Cool, so it worked out well! That discussion came at the perfect time!

I don't think so. I believe an AO is supposed to know everything.


Yeah I like that one too. But my personal favorite is "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".


The first one should do.

Thank you =)


haha No wonder students are so frightened XD


It's really interesting that you bring it up...oO My personal favorite is "All happy families are the same; all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way." I hope I quoted that correctly. I really like "Call me Ishmael" because it reminds me of the first page where he talks about getting into a mood where he feels like knocking people's hats off and is compelled to take to the sea...it's a fun image ^^

I hope someone who has read the met. (or at least Sparknotes' summary for a school assignment or something) gets around to reading my first essay =/

Hey -

I've read the book in english lit class. and wrote a 1500 essay about it. I feel that you have a) interpreted the book well, b) applied it to a modern setting

However, the book isn't just about gregor's alienation, because his alienation started BEFORE the book started. (his job as a travelling salesman "givese him the torture of travelling, worrying, changing trains, eating miserable food, seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate") the novella also about the reaction of the Samsa family. Greta breifly stood by his side, but eventually, the family moved on. Mr. Samsa throwing the apples (represent sin) at his son is a crucial moment, because he disregards the vermin as his son. Because of Gregor's exterior, Mr Samsa cannot love him (this is considered conditional love).

I don't know how many words you can use, but if you want to enhance your interpretation, here are some ideas.

ha ha, pretty astute, ershad. I guess you are right.

One afternoon, after I finished reading "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, I realized that I had lived my entire life as a vermin. --- I thought vermin was plural! I am not sure, and i have a shaky internet connection with my laptop where I am right now, so I can't look it up... but check to make sure it can be used as a singular noun!

Your writing is complex but not pompous, rhythmic but not sing-songy.. it's excellen t. I don't want to mess with it by suggesting changes.. just the grammar stuff. Here is a little oversight: The horror of this possibility and the current dilapidation of society elucidated by "The Metamorphosis" compels compel me to struggle against it.

Oh, here is a cool idea... layers is metaphorical, unless you are talking about a person's layers of skin, fascia and bone... so, add definition to the metaphor as you make the comparison: Like a person, this word has many layers of meaning...

or...
The truths expressed by this word are layered, like those expressed by a person, and the best way to understand it is to go

It's great that you mentioned your chosen field. Psych was my chosen field, too, but watch out! If you get caught up in all the DSM stuff you'll see that a lot of it is precarious! Some of the real enlightened masters include Victor Frankl, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and (my favorite) Milton Erickson, whose work I hope you'll study!!

Hello Doris, thank you for reading


Yeah, I know that's why I wrote


My problem isn't that I don't understand the novella (trust me, this is one of my favorite works of literature, I can babble on and on about it until I'm blue in the face) but


What I wrote is already over that limit and I am sure the AO's don't really want to read a book report. Actually, I got the impression that the purpose of this question was to learn about the student, not the book, and I was actually worried that I had too much about the book in there. Thank you for the effort, though. Oh, so it was an apple! For some reason I got confused and started wondering if maybe it was an orange, not an apple oO I don't actually have a copy of the book so I couldn't check so I just wrote "fruit," thanks for that!


haha That's exactly what I was wondering about when I wrote that! (Glad to know I'm not that peculiar) In the actual sentence from the novel, it says that Gregor woke to find himself as "a terrible vermin" a vermin. I have no idea what that signifies but I just went ahead and followed the format, plus I couldn't figure out what the singular of vermin would be if that was plural or what the plural would be if it was singular (vermins? haha) so my brain fizzled out and gave up XD I checked just now and the all-mighty internet seems to say that vermin is a plural noun but there is no reference to its singular so apparently it does not exist. But I feel like if I take "vermin" out of my sentence, the allusion loses it strength/symbolism oO Am I just being too "flowery" again?

OK, thanks, Kevin! I'll incorporate your suggestions


What exactly do you mean? It sounds like you are referring to the ambiguity/uncertainty/etc. that comes with some diagnoses, but I'm not sure if I got your point right

I vaguely know of Victor Frankl and Milton Erickson [I think I recall watching a documentary on trance & hypnosis when I was younger and the words "the man who could supposedly put a person in a trance by shaking hands with them..." echo through my mind] (unfortunately)...I just googled him, this confusion thing is fascinating...hmm, maybe that's why I love confusing people so much, and apparently I've been unwittingly using his techniques to do so oO...this is awesome, I'll definitely look into it (she says, recalling the stacks of books falling off her shelves that are waiting to be read. Time, time, time :/

ahhhh i love Kafka! so excited someone decided to write about metamorphosis! props to you haha
maybe start you essays with a quote fromthe novels? great essays!

Word foms
Singular : Vermin
Plural : Vermin

[Source: macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/vermin]

Oh, yeah... now that sounds familiar...


I just remember getting a very disillusioned feeling when I started learning about the various disorders. Various disorders correspond to various medicines, and a lot of it seems precarious. It seems questionable. And it is constantly changing, so of course the diagnostic procedures are imperfect.

And I'm sad to say, a lot of psych articles seem overly complicated.. using fancy presentation to make things seem more significant than they are. This is all just my own perspective on it, anyway. In every field, the mediocre practitioners set the standard. With some real inspiration, though, you can find an intuitive approach that really works. You have to sift through the useless stuff to find what really has the ring of truth and the power to transform the system in which an individual is functioning/failing to function, thriving/suffering, etc...

So, I'm am not saying anything bad about the field... just saying you have to search hard to find the good stuff. :-)

Yeah, I think my Abnormal Psychology class made me feel that way too...I nearly gave up my ambition to become a psychiatrist, especially after the teacher showed a terrifying scientology-sponsored documentary that, while it was obviously exaggerated for, as my professor put it, "propaganda purposes," still freaked me out. Human Growth & Development made psychology fun again. The teacher was great. I know what you mean, though...I have to remember the good parts of psychology and how it can really help people


I welcome a challenge. A stimulating career is a rewarding one. (Not to mention one that helps prevent demantia =)

Thank you, Kevin