August 18
* We had free time this morning before heading back to Vienna, so I took the opportunity to do some shopping, but then to explore more of Lesser Town. I happened to find the John Lennon wall, which was resurrected in memory of the legendary singer and activist, and also acted as a political refuge for Czech youth. It’s been covered with layers and layers of graffiti and Lennon can hardly be seen, although other versions of his face have been painted.* Then I found an exhibit in a nearby park called “Earth from Above.” It was a display of breathtaking photographs of important images from around the world concerning environmental issues. There were also statistical facts shown regarding environmental awareness and energy saving practices that everyone should embody. I think that it is a very prevalent topic to discuss as the world’s energy sources are becoming more limited and global warming is real threat to the planet.
* One thing that I’ve noticed about the Prague readings is that there is quite a lot of discussion of the Jewish community. This is not the case with the Vienna readings. Even by sightseeing I could tell that Prague is more open with their Jewish history, especially of the Holocaust. Austria tends to avoid this subject entirely. Prague even seems to be fairly open with their Communist history as well. Although Kafka’s The Metamorphosis doesn’t discuss either of these topics, I think it provides a social commentary on the fixed roles of family life, with an emphasis on the corruption of the working-class in the Marxist era. Gregor represents the workingman, providing for his whole family and even losing his self-integrity through his mindless job to the point that he turns into vermin. The mother and sister are clearly domesticated and the father is too old to have a dependable job. The family eventually falls apart horrified by Gregor’s incurable state, but then he starves himself. The family simply moves on with their lives, commenting on the exploitation, as well as the lack of care and acknowledgement towards the working class.
posted by lauREN @ 9/11/2006
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