comparing styles

I read both "13 Reasons Why" and "Gone Girl". "13 Reasons Why" is a story targeted towards young adults. The language is not too difficult; however, the issues the book deals with are very mature. This book is based around a suicide and also addresses rape. While the language and dialect may not be too advanced it is very imactful."I left last night without saying goodbye to Skye" this is an example of how personal his language is. The dialect makes it seem as if clays thoughts are ours as well. I was so in love with this novel that the characters really felt like people i knew. It takes place in the present tense which allows the reader to identify with the narrorator clay. On the other hand, "Gone Girl" is a novel targeted towards older women. The narroration switches off between the husbands narroration and the wifes diary entrys.
“Same questions over and over, and me trying to pretend they’re thought-provoking. And them trying to pretend they’re thought-provoking. Thank God for the open bar”
 I feel like this makes it a bit less personal because it is not her direct thought but her past tense thoughts. It is suppose to be a mystery but unfortunatly the language and style are very impersonal which make it difficult to truly connect with the characters. The content and jokes within the book are also clearly targeted for a more mature audience which may be another reason why i found myself disenganged in the plot. I found myself not being able to put down "13 reasons why" but find it very difficult to get into "Gone Girl" this i feel is greatly due to the style and audience that each of these novels are targeting.

In class writing on Kafka passage

His words are complimentary on the surface however when delving deeper into the text it appears that his words become somewhat condescending. "Could not be expected to undertake" makes it sound as if Gregor is making excuses for his father.  While he may just be stating a fact, his undertone is very belittling to his fathers success. Furthermore, when he talks about his mother he puts little, if any, expectations On her to provide for their family in anyway. Similarly he does this when talking about his sister. He says "wearing pretty clothes, sleeping late" by subjecting his sister to her clothes, he makes it seem as if she is incapable of amounting to a place in her life that will truly fill the void that Gregor cast. His words are not malicious however it is apparent that he feels his family will deteriorate without his reletnting effort and prence.

in class essay

topic 3

“One morning, as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vernon.” (Kafka 5) While one may suspect a person to be stunned or even horrified by the fact that they have awoken as a vernon, Gregor on the other hand was nearly impartial to this metamorphosis. As the book progresses we notice that he does not give his physical shift in appearance much thought, rather he is more concerned with the altering dynamics within his family. His life is dedicated to the wellbeing of his family, and due to his fathers seemingly endless “vacation” the stress has been put on Gregor to sustain his family’s lifestyle and “bring home the bacon”. For this Gregor does not seem bitter however it is evident that his love and affection truly lays with his sister who must fill the void Gregor’s transformation has cast and join the work force herself. While his physical metamorphosis may be much more drastic, the metamorphosis that partakes within his family is of much greater concern. 

The fist and most astonishing change that partakes in this novel is Gregor waking up as a “monstrous vernon”. His appearance has greatly altered and he is no longer capable of carrying out his typical tasks. He can no longer go to work and can no longer interact with people. Thus, he is not able to tell his family that he means no harm, tell his sister what food her prefers, or tell his boss that he can no longer attend work due to his unusual condition. Due to his inability to communicate with humans he can not tell his sister (who is simply trying to make his life more convenient) that he does not want her to move his belongings outside of his room. His inability to convey his thoughts, which is brought on by his physical metamorphosis, causes him great pain. However, he still notices that despite his physical disposition the changes that are partaking within his family have a much greater impact than do the single change that solely affects him. 

While the changes within his family may very well have been brought on by Gregor's metamorphosis, the impact they had were bigger than Gregor. The father who seemed to have no motivation was now dressing for work. His sister who had no purpose took on Gregor’s roll and began working for the family. It appears that after this monumental shift in Gregor’s appearance the family each began to take on a greater roll in both their lives and in the lives of each other. While the transformation may not have necessarily brought the family closer it certainly gave them motivation to work harder and gave them a purpose in life.