English Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English - Research Paper Example In this paper, I will seek to prove that Franz Kafka’s work has been to some extent influenced (directly or indirectly) by A Thousand and One Nights (Kafka, The Metamorphosis 67). The Research To come up with this, I had to do a lot of in depth research on all books and writers. This required me to re-read the book, A Thousand and One Nights, first. Next, I researched on the themes of the various books and the stylistic devices employed by the two writers in their books. I read reviews, journals, documentaries and watched movies made from all of the books mentioned above. While most of what I read seemed to confirm my idea, most materials did not share this idea, and I had to differ from them. The main challenge I encountered in my research is that no previous material has been written regarding this topic. As such, I had to start my research from scratch to confirm my ideas. This required extensive and intense reading which kept me awake for days. Luckily, the two books have many reviews on themes and stylistic devices, and I was lucky to refer to them (Foulkes 23). The comparison Transformation as the main theme In my research, I discovered that transformation has been employed in changing the behavior and attitude of the characters. In A Thousand and One Nights, the story of The Merchant and Hind has transformation as a major theme. This is observed when the witch’s wife goes on a journey leaving his witch-wife with the adopted son. The witch-wife, who is extremely ungrateful, uses her witchcraft to transform the adopted son into a calf. She also goes ahead to transform her husband’s other wife into a cow. When the husband returns, the witch informs him that his adopted son disappeared while his slave woman passed on. In the next eight months, the woman remained in the state of a cow without the husband having any idea about it. During the feat of Bairam, the husband asked the servant to choose any fat cow for their sacrifice. The cow he chose turned out to be her beloved wife. Although the woman was now transformed into a cow, she still possessed human consciousness. She lowed piteously in a bid to beg for mercy. â€Å"With eyes streaming with tears†. The husband tried to kill her but was unable. The servant killed her. Upon slaughtering her, they discovered that she was nothing but bones and skin, despite looking so fat. In Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into an insect (Kafka 13). This transformation serves to change his entire family. Prior to this, they all depended on him for their financial needs. However, when he becomes an insect and can no longer work, they are forced to start working to earn their own money. The similarity between this transformation and the transformation of the woman in the story above shows that Kafka borrowed from A Thousand and One Nights (O'Neill Pp. 408-409). Use of animal characters One of the aspects used in poetry is t he use of animal characters. This helps to criticize human characters in a more acceptable and friendly way (Sperling Pp. 70-84). â€Å"The Husband and The Parrot† is one of the stories in A Thousand and One Nights that uses animal characters. In the story, the wife offends her good husband. The parrot is aware of this and tells the husband of this offence. The husband scolds the wife. To revenge this act, the woman lies to the parrot that it was raining. The parrot informs the