Debating the allegory?
Today in class we heard three different debates on what is Kafka’s allegory in “A Hunger Artist”:
1) The artistic struggle, and the lack of appreciation and isolation of an artist?
2) The foolishness of artists, who choose death and despair over happiness?
3) The artist and his aesthetics as saintly or Christ-like?
This debate should help you make a focused and developed argument as to what the story symbolically represents. You may use points brought up in the class debate, restated in your own words and explained in connection with the text. This response, then, is a written reiteration of class discussion; however, you may include points not emphasized in class. Duh!
Choose from options above and write a response in which you clearly state which allegory is Kafka’s intended allegory, from your own reading, and provide supporting points, with example lines from the text.
Tips:
1) Focus on the text and your point, not on you, the writer. This means to erase rhetorical fillers such as “I think” and “I feel” and “I am going to argue.” You, the “I”, is implied simply because you are the author.
2) Re-use the main points used in the debates as topic sentences in the body of your paragraphs! Along with that, your thesis statement then should be where you clarify which allegory Kafka’s intended.
3) This is to say, remember your First Year Writing courses, and provide page numbers in ( ) at end of quoted material. And also, remember the most effective writing provides assertions, support and explanation – not just assertions.
a. Assertion (topic sentence/main points)→Support assertion (textual evidence)→explanation (clarify how support supports your assertion, by discussing what the lines mean!)
Guidelines: 12pt, Times New Roman (Cambria is okay); 1-2 pages double-spaced.
Also, remember to read:
- p. 215-216 on "theme"
- p. 224-236 and 332-347 (Mukherjee and DH Lawrence)
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