Entering 11th grade
REQUIRED READING: THE METAMORPHOSIS
BY: FRANZ KAFKA
REQUIRED READING: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE
BY:GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ
All students entering 11th grade are required to read The Metamorphosis
and One Hundred Years of Solitude and then complete the following short
answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. All answers should be
written in complete sentences and with skill level appropriate word and
sentence usage. Students should provide enough information to completely
answer the question. All assignments are due in class on the first day of
school and will be a test grade.
The Metamorphosis
Please write the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and
answer each one. Make sure you write your answers in complete sentences
and write enough information to answer the question completely.
1. Consider Gregor as a person. What was life like for him before his
metamorphosis, at home and on the job? In what ways do you think
Gregor was like a "bug" even before his metamorphosis?
2. What do you think of Gregor Samsa's family? How would you
describe his father, mother and sister and their relationships to
Gregor
3. What sort of changes do Gregor and his family endure after Gregor's
transformation?
4. The Metamorphosis is an allegorical tale, which means that the
events symbolize a more general human condition in modern society.
What do you think Gregor's transformation represents? Please
explain your answer.
5. Describe the view from Gregor's window.
6. In what ways do the satisfactions of his life as an insect differ from
the satisfactions of his life as a traveling salesman?
7. “Gregor's broken loose." What does Gregor's father do? Why?
Explain the situation that has developed by the end of section II.
8. Why does Gregor, who previously did not like music, feel so attracted
to his sister's playing? What change has taken place in his attitude
toward himself? What might Kafka mean by "the unknown
nourishment he craved"?
One Hundred Years of Solitude
1. What kinds of solitude occur in the novel (for example, solitude of pride,
grief, power, love, or death), and with whom are they associated? What
circumstances produce them? What similarities and differences are there
among the various kinds of solitude?
2. What are the purposes and effects of the story's fantastic and magical
elements? How does the fantastic operate in the characters' everyday
lives and personalities? How is the magical interwoven with elements
drawn from history, myth, and politics?
3. What is the progression of visitors and newcomers to Macondo,
beginning with the gypsies? How does each new individual and group
affect the Buendias, the town, and the story?
4. What is the importance of the various inventions, gadgets, and
technological wonders introduced into Macondo over the years? Is the
sequence in which they are introduced significant?
5. What aspects of the Buendia family dynamics are specific to Macondo?
Which are reflective of family life everywhere and at any time? How do
they relate to your experience and understanding of family life?
6. How do geography and topography — mountains, swamps, river, sea,
etc. — affect Macondo's history, its citizens' lives, and the novel's
progression?