Blog 13: The American Dream

. How would you describe the “American Dream?”

2. What is your definition of wealth?

3. What are Americans’ attitudes toward wealth and poverty?

4. What is your attitude toward wealth and poverty?

(I am typing on a European keyboard so excuse me if I spell any words wrong.)  

"The American Dream" is something that I think everyone still looks forward to.  My father came to America in search of this American Dream when he was 18, and I truly believe that he found it.  I describe the American Dream as being free and equal, but that's just me.  I think that everyone in the world wants wealth, so that isn't just limited to America.  I think wealth, however, has a billion meanings in itself.  It can mean you are surrounded by love and by loved ones, or it can mean that you have a lot of money.  

I think that question #3 is an interesting question that can be answered to show a lot about our country.  If one is wealthy, they are supposedly living the best life.  The wealthy tend to despise the poor, it's plain and simple.  The poor also tend to hate the rich based off of jealousy, which is understandable. Everyone in America, in my opinion, just wants to be wealthy.  For some, they don't even necessarily want to be wealthy, they just don't want to be poor.  

I think that people come to America thinking that they are going to instantly have that amazing American Dream lifestyle, when in reality, it doesn't happen for most people, or it ends up being something extremely different than what they thought it was going to be like.  (Sorry to kill the happy vibe Mrs. G, I'm just giving the best possible answer.)  I believe that the American dream comes at different times for everyone, and that it is based off of how bad some people want it vs. how many opportunities someone has.  My dad didn't have a bad life, he just wanted to live the American dream, and I think that he has succeeded in doing so.  As for the rest of the people in the world, some aren't so lucky.  

The moral of the story is, be thankful for what you have, but don't be limited by it.

Blog Post 12: Nothing Really Mattress(?): Kafka, Camus, and Importance of Translations

#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.


I chose to focus more on translation #4 because I think that it is definitely an interesting translation compared to the rest.  

• First, looking at diction: the words used show more of what the author seems to think.  By using "vermin" instead of "bug" or "insect," the audience can see how Kafka thinks of a bug as a "vermin."  By also using the adjective "monstrous," suddenly the vermin gets big, gross, and scary, which is interesting.
• Syntax and Punctuation: this sentence is almost hard to follow because there are so many pauses that the reader has to take due to the use of commas.
• Structure: The structure of this sentence shows more of a story.  In between the commas it tells us the when, what he was doing, the main event of the sentence, the where, and the effect of the main event.  The translation is also very descriptive, so just with the once sentence, many can know what is going on.

Each translation gives such a different effect that it is amazing that all of those sentences are about the same exact thing, just moved around and slightly different words are used.  The diction, syntax, punctuation, and structure changes what the audience takes away from the passage, and changes the meaning behind underlying opinions.  For me, translation #2 and #3 were very similar, being that they both used the words "bug" at the end.  "Bug" is such a younger term to me (being that we call my 18 month old sister "Bug").  I feel that when translation #1 uses "insect,"Kafka seems a little more disconnected and casual because he is just giving more of a scientific name.  I chose translation #4 because its punctuation, syntax, and structure stood out among the others.  It is a very long sentence with lots of description and pauses.  The others seemed to flow pretty nicely and get the point across swiftly, while translation #4 was more dramatic because it didn't get to the point for a while.
As for which is more effective, I think it depends on whether Kafka was trying to remain detached from his writing, or if he wanted some of his own views in his novels.  I think that #1 did a pretty good job in translating the German into English because it seems like that is how the sentence is supposed to be written.  All of the others sound wrong in some way due to their syntax, structure, etc. Translation #1 is good at being an ordinary sentence, unlike #4.  The sentence sounds casual, as if one could be saying it to a friend.  By using "gigantic" instead of using "monstrous," and by using "insect" instead of "bug" or "vermin," it shows more of a formal tone, said in a casual way.  I know that sounds weird, but he used such formal, scientific words, and then made the sentence casual by the structure and syntax.  
I think that translations are definitely something that is so minor, yet they can change the whole outcome of the book to an audience.