Franz Kafka Metamorphosis A Review

Franz Kafka was a Czech writer and one of the most influential exponent of Existentialist works. Helmut Richter was an expert essayist on literature from the Existentialism Period and he was a Marxist. Richter was astounded by the mechanics of Kafka’s writings and the way he used his words. Richter describes the work as the protagonist’s failure at what he was doing, leading to his death. The climax of the work is hinted at, quite early in the book. When Gregor wakes up one morning, he realises that he has turned into a giant cockroach. Gregor had been working as a salesman and his job demanded much determination to succeed. Kafka proves that Gregor failed in his duty as a salesman, particularly by getting transformed into a giant vermin – suggesting a strong work force. This metaphor stresses on the mediocre work that Gregor was putting in as a salesman. Richter argues that Kafka has reflected part of his personal life in the `Metamorphosis’. It can be considered as a semi-autobiographical work. The parents of Kafka were similar to that of Gregor. He was raised up in a wealthy family and his father was quite an overbearing man. Kafka’s mother was a pleasant woman, similar to that of Gregor. Another striking resemblance of the families is that of the sister. Like Gregor’s sister, Kafka’s sister was the only one in the family who was supportive of him. Richter admired the self-depiction which was included in this work. The ‘Metamorphosis’ is one of the most regularly analysed works in literature. It documents the transformation of Gregor Samsa from a man into an enormous cockroach. The work is known to inspire various exclusive interpretations. It is considered as one of the central riddles of modern literary imagination. Kafka is praised for his symbolic portrayal of alienation that he achieves through the literalised metaphor of man as an insect. In the synopsis, Gregor is initially shocked by noticing the change in his body form but settles down to start worrying about missing his train to work, lamenting in the background the ennui and the boredom created by his job and at the place of work, which he considered necessary to pay off the debts accumulated by his parents. To do a thematic analysis of the `Metamorphosis’, we need to focus on the symbolic and the psychoanalytic side or the allegorical nature of the story. The theme of alienation from humanity has to be viewed as the central theme of the story and interprets Gregor’s transformation as something of a fulfillment of a wish or as an extended metaphor. There is a deep resentment on Gregor’s part in connection with supporting his family. Gregor turns into a parasite with the desire to be nurtured by his parents in return. This takes place in an entomological sense. Gregor’s transformation is an extended metaphor which is carried from an abstract concept into concrete reality as he is trapped in a meaningless job while being isolated from real people around him. Gregor starts to imagine himself as a vermin at some point of time in his life and finally becomes one, physically. Kafka died at a young age of forty one due to tuberculosis. He could not digest the food he was eating and could not even swallow water down his throat. There is sustained realism in his work that contrasts with the fantastic occurrence of his transformation into an insect. The problematic features of this great work continue to challenge the readers even today. A single reading of this work by Kafka will not give you a total understanding and each return to the book will encourage the study of the deep meaning hidden in it. It is an existential account of the predicament of modern man. Kafka is seen as a Jewish mystic who is drawing on the Kabbalah traditions to create texts whose meaning is revealed only to those who are initiated. `Metamorphosis’ is considered by Richter as a modern kind of reworking of the `Pilgrim’s Progress’ of John Bunyan, with the characters embarking on a spiritual journey through a secular world. To understand the work, we have to understand Kafka first. He led an alienated life as an outsider in the Jewish community. He perceived human beings as being trapped by authority in a hopeless world. He was frustrated by the drudgery of supporting his family. He had to work in a meaningless bureaucratic job and this reflected in two other masterpieces of his – The Castle and The Trial. He hated being a pencil pusher. In his character build up of Gregor Samsa, he represents a specific type of behaviour and that is the fear of being alive with all the rewards and risks involved, while embracing an authentic code of behavior which finally has to accept, even after transformation, all the vicissitudes that life offers.

Unidentified Flying Objects seen around the Sun that come right out of Star Trek Episodes as Galactic Obliteration Devices

Images captured through a National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) and SOHO iPad application have revealed unidentified flying objects, akin to Star Trek `Borg Cubes’ episodes, coming out of the surface of the sun. This phenomenon has been sighted twice, a few days ago as per http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2013/04/giant-ufo-seen-coming-though-suns.html. The first sighting was at 1300 hours on 29th April 2013 and the second sighting was done at 0106 hours on 30th April 2013. SOHO is the official Nascom site that gives information on the mission being carried out on the space-born solar observatory. Attention could be drawn to www.thesunproject.net which had reported similar sighting as mentioned in the `UFO Sightings Daily’ site on 14th November 2012, just a week before the Mayan apocalypse day for the world. When we look at these shots here, http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/headline_news/2012/11/23/4929.html, we wonder whether these UFOs are trying to send across any message as galactic devices. These cubes are going round the sun and they could even head toward planet Earth. On deeper probing, it has been ascertained that these shots are not the effect of pixilation but instead, they are images of real spacecraft type bodies of mammoth proportions that are surviving the heat emitting from the sun. These images bring to mind the combined beliefs of the Luciferian Liberation Front (LLF) and the Pagan Gnostics that GOD is going round the sun in the shape of a gigantic cube. GOD stands for Galactic Obliteration Devices here. In fact, Luciferian Liberation Front has sent its interpretation of the Bible in its report to `UFO Sightings Daily’ a couple of years ago, mentioning this galactic obliteration device. This is a fascinating interpretation of the Book of Revelations from the Bible, Chapter 22, when it describes the New Jerusalem as the `City of God’ in the shape of a giant cube that comes down from the heavens. The Luciferian Liberation Front (LLF) have taken these references and tries to explain heaven as a gigantic source of psychic energy that emits from all souls gathered there to turn Earth into hell with the eventual annihilation of the human race. The LLF goes further in pointing out that the Book of Revelations goes to describe the descent of `New Jerusalem’ that would coincide with `a new heaven and a new earth’ and `no more sea’. The Pagan Gnostics also believed that organized religion is a spurious version of spirituality with a humanized shape of regressive aliens or a man who is artificial. These giant cubes seen around the sun have sides roughly about one thousand five hundred miles across them and the images have revealed that there is not one cube but many cuboids going round the sun. Is there any link to the appearance of these cubes reminding us of the Mayan Pyramids and the ending of the Mayan Calendar? Scott Waring, the founder of the site, `UFO Sightings Daily’ feels that these cubes are circling round the sun to harvest energy. A point to ponder!

Etiopathogenesis of Diabetes Mellitus

What are the complications? The basic phenomenon in diabetes mellitus is the destruction of the beta cell mass that leads to deficiency of insulin. There are three linked mechanisms in the Etiopathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. The first is genetic susceptibility; second is auto immune factors and the third is environmental factors. In genetic susceptibility, it has been observed in identical twins that if one twin has DM, there is more than half a chance of the second twin developing it. Studies on both animals and humans have shown various immunologic abnormalities as far as auto immune factors are concerned. There is presence of islet cell antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase and insulin. There is occurrence of lymphocytic infiltrate around the pancreatic islets and this is known as insulitis. Environmental factors include some viral infections that precede the onset of the disease like mumps and measles. Early exposure to bovine milk proteins leads to auto immune processes and chances of DM setting in. Obesity and hypertension and lack of physical activity play an important role in modulating the disease. Complications of Diabetes Mellitus The complications are less severe in people who have blood sugar levels that have been well controlled with medication. Wider health problems start creeping in with deleterious effects of diabetes including smoking, elevated cholesterol levels, obesity, hypertension and lack of regular exercise. Mechanisms of Chronic Complications Chronic elevation of blood glucose levels leads to damage of blood vessels and this is known as angiopathy. The endothelial cells that line the blood vessels take in more glucose than normal as they do not depend on insulin. They form more surface glycoproteins than normal and cause the basement membrane to grow thicker and weaker. These are related microvascular diseases when there is damage to the smaller blood vessels and macrovascular diseases when there is damage to the arteries. It has been recorded that forty per cent of all people suffering with diabetes mellitus develop neuropathy even after controlling their blood sugar levels. Auto immune relations destroy the beta cells of the pancreas and they may also cause retinopathy and nephropathy. Genetics also play a role in causing complications. Severe type of chronic complications may lead to diabetic cardiomyopathy, causing damage to the heart muscle. This leads to impaired relaxation and filling of the heart with blood. This is known as diastolic dysfunction. This is the eventual reason for heart failure. Diabetic nephropathy damages the kidney and leads to chronic renal failure. Diabetes mellitus is a common cause of kidney failure in adults in the developed world. Diabetic retinopathy results in growth of poor quality blood vessels in the retina and there is a mascular edema or a swelling of the macula, leading to loss of vision or blindness. Another complication is the diabetic foot which results out of a combination of sensory neuropathy and vascular damage. It also increases risk of skin ulcers and infection, leading in extreme case to necrosis and gangrene. This is the reason why diabetics are prone to more leg and feet infections and why it takes very long for them to heal from such wounds. Restrictive lung effect is known to be linked with diabetes mellitus. It could result from chronic low grade inflammation of tissue and micro-angiopathy.

Existentialism and the Role of Jean Paul Sartre

Existentialism is a movement in literature that tries to describe the intent of the writers to make decisions which are rational despite being present in a universe which is irrational. The forerunners in the concepts of Existentialism were Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky and Nietzsche. Existentialism sprang from the radical ideas of these two individuals. It was Jean Paul Sartre who declared Existentialism and he was influenced by Marxist ideologies. His interests were more inclined towards politics than on philosophical theories. Camus and Samuel Beckett diverted themselves to the Theatre of the Absurd. They felt that Existentialism was more methodological than being philosophical. Albert Camus called Existentialism a `philosophical suicide’ when pondering on the subject of life: “I call the existential attitude philosophical suicide. How else to start from the world’s lack of meaning and end up by finding a meaning and a depth to it?” - Albert Camus as paraphrased; Introducing Existentialism; Appignanesi, p. 36. What is Existentialism? It is an intellectual movement that found its expression in literature, philosophy, politics and religion just after the Second World War. It is a response to times of anxiety; a period in which collectivism and war weakened the conventional beliefs of people in progress and made them doubt the general theories of truth and goodness. This movement was an attempt to find new platforms of truth and values for people - "a lonely anguished being in an ambiguous world." The most popular and influential exponent of existentialism is Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and political activist. Sartre and Existentialism Sartre’s approach was with a secular orientation. He took an atheist stand and rejected the belief in God or the supernatural power. The concepts stayed centred on the human situation. He rejected the abstract and the rationalistic views of the world that defined the human essence. He spent much time in the deduction of the purpose and values of human existence. He felt that existence was more important than essence. He said that the human conditions, a collection of actions and experience, defined human nature. We are what we make of ourselves. Humans, on an individual basis, are the creators of all values and whatever meaning it gives to life. Humans have to act and then exercise their choice. Individuals can be totally free by acting alone in the face of the forces of evil, death and despair. For Sartre, freedom was the greatest good. It was not a negative release. Sartre proposed a courageous and irrational affirmation of responsible truth against meaninglessness and death. He fought during the Second World War with the French resistance and was even taken prisoner by the Germans. When he was released, he wrote, `Being and Nothingness’ in 1943. This was his major philosophical work. He expounded the Existentialist concepts in several plays. The best known play is `No Exit’ of 1945. In 1964, he declined to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature for the political implications of that award. He always remained a critical supporter of the communist causes post Second World War. In 1945, he also founded the literary and the political Quarterly known as `les Temps Modernes’ (The Modern Times). In this Quarterly, he continuously derided those writers who believed in pure literary art and his primary attack was on Marcel Proust whom he called an accomplice of bourgeois propaganda’. He dismissed Gustave Flaubert as a `talented coupon clipper’. He did not like their art for art’s sake theories. He argued in favour of literature `for engagement’. His thoughts ruffled many a feather in the French literary scene. He was not well known with the English speaking audiences.