Evaluate how Kafka characterizes each member of the family throughout the story.

Directions
Read Kafka’s modernist masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. After you’ve read the story, answer the Critical Thinking Questions below.
Literary Terms for Study: Modernism and Characterization
Modernism: Modernism has its roots in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernist writers made an intentional break from the traditional styles of poetry and prose that were handed down by previous generations of writers. Writers who embraced this literary movement experimented with form and expression, often trying to incorporate new styles of presenting their material to their audience. Modernist writers made use of various types of writing including stream of consciousness and non-chronological timelines. They tended to focus on the inner workings of a character’s mind and tended to be darker in tone and outlook.
Characterization: Characterization can be defined as the manner in which an author develops characters throughout a work. Some characters are described as “Round,” which means the author gives depth to the character and we see different sides of the character’s personality as he or she undergoes some sort of change. Other characters are described as “Flat,” which means they lack any real depth. Characters that appear in a story for only a short period of time (or serve only a specific purpose) tend to be flat. Flat characters also do not undergo a change in their character.
Critical Thinking Questions:
Answer the questions below in a new Microsoft Word document. Be certain to include your name, course number, and section number, along with the week of the course, at the top of your document. Your answers should be insightful, detailed, and include specific references to the text as a means of supporting your ideas. Answers are to be written in grammatically correct sentences and proper paragraph formats. Do not copy and paste your responses from any outside source; your replies should be original writing that shows me what YOU think. Upload and submit your Word document.
1. Evaluate how Kafka characterizes each member of the family throughout the story. Identify the flat characters. Identify the round characters. What changes take place in the round character(s) from the beginning of the story to the end?
2. Identify the elements of modernism you see in the story and select one. After you’ve chosen the element you would like to examine, discuss how that element is presented throughout the story and evaluate the effect it has on your understanding of that element.
3. There are many interpretations of this story. Consider what you believe your interpretation might be: What point do you think Kafka is saying about “the human condition?”
Part 2: Please have on separate word document. 150 words
Provide a personal response in which you discuss what you liked and did not like about the assigned readings.
Analyze the main points or ideas you learning this week and discuss how interacting with your instructor or classmates helped you build upon or create new learning.
Compare and contrast this week’s concepts with concepts from previous weeks and identify how they relate to your life, community, and/or career.