Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

The Hook: As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a…

gigantic insect.

Task 1: Write the opening 2 0r 3 paragraphs of the story. Focus on: The 5 senses Tone and atmosphere The telling detail

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was lying on his hard, as it were armour-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes. One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in his bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug. He lay on his armour-hard back and saw, as he lifted his head up a little, his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bow-like sections. From this height the blanket, just about ready to slide off completely, could hardly stay in place. His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before his eyes. 3 different translations of the opening paragraph One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked. Which do you prefer and why?

A change or transformation could be a useful “engine” for a story...

He awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a… ?

The change could be HUGE!

Or it could be as simple as... A change of hair style Or a change of location Even just a change in attitude

Task 2: Plan and write a story with the title: “The Change” Focus on: identifying the nature of the change – will it be revealed at the beginning or nearer the end? whether the change is physical and/or mental; big or small etc how the character deals with the change not copying Kafka – but being inspired by the idea and taking it somewhere different

Here is an example inspired by an idea from the Year 10 class: Sometimes when the girls in her class pointed out that her hair was the wrong length, or said her breath smelt like garbage she didn’t crawl into the furthest corner of the playground, turn her face to the rough pink cement and cry. Sometimes she changed into a giant, angry crow...