Kaylee's Outline #2

I. Introduction

A. Thesis:

In Franz Kafka’s The Trial, Joseph K.’s trial and the events that follow his conviction take him on a path to his final judgment. Through K.’s experience Kafka challenges the notion of destiny and an individual’s ability to alter their course of action. 

B. Brief introduction to story.

II. Body 1

A.   What is destiny and what threats this concept?

1.   The events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future, “map” of life

2.   Free will

B.   K.’s life before and after accusation

1.   K.’s perspective on new situation

2.   His belief in his ability to prove himself innocent

III. Body 2

A.   Examples from the novel leading up to his judgment.

(Law office episodes, meeting with lawyer, the cathedral etc.)

B.   How they alter K.’s attitude regarding his trial

1.   Discourage, encourage, denial, search for other outlets

2.   Slowly weakening his mental drive

IV. Body 3

A. The story of “The Law”

1. What it means of society, legal system, religious system & K. himself

2. Interpretations vs. K.’s (and what does this say about him)

3. Does this effect K.'s

B. K.’s final moments and the significance behind his refusal of suicide

    1. Why did he choose this course of action?

    2. Did he win or lose?

V. Conclusion

A. Were the answers to these “trials” that K. endured pre established or could he possibly changed his fate if he reacted differently?

(Judicial systems inactivity

B. K’s fate in parallelism to the Court’s decision– both predetermined. Inescapable destiny, but the individual’s choice to accept or deny. 

Maya's Full Term Paper Outline

1. Introduction
   a) “Every author in some way portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.”
       Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
   b) Explain how as I was finishing the book, I came across a timeline of Kafka’s life and
       that many events in his life overlap with some of the things that happen in his short story.
       With that being said, it can be argued that maybe some of the events in Kafka’s life were
       “transferred” into The Trial
   c) Given that a number of events in Kafka’s life overlap with what happens in his other
       stories, it can be argued that Kafka derived inspiration for writing The Trial from his own
       life. 
2. Body Paragraph 1
   a) This paragraph will explain the first overlap between Kafka’s life and his writing to set up
       the main discussion about Kafka’s life and The Trial
   b) August 1912
       - meets future fiancé Felice Bauer
       - writes “The Judgement” and “The Metamorphosis”
   c) October 1912
       - is asked to take over the family’s asbestos factory
       - the distress causes him to consider suicide
3. Body Paragraph 2
   a) Start to make connections between Kafka’s life and The Trial
   b) 1914
       - becomes engages to Felice Bauer in June
       - the engagement is broken off in July
   c) In a diary entry from August 2, he writes about how Germany has Declared war on Russia
       begins writing The Trial 
4. Body Paragraph 3
   a) discuss more in depth the relationship between Kafka's life and The Trial     - mention some of Kafka's earlier life events that can support the thesis
   b) 1897: Kafka and his family live through anti-Semitic riots while living in Prague
       1901: stops his chemistry studies to study law
       1906 - 1907: begins legal practice in provincial high court and criminal court
       1907 - 1908: works temporarily at the insurance company Assicurazioni Generali
   c) incorporate more in depth research from an outside source about these events
5. Conclusion
   a) conclude if Kafka really did get inspiration for The Trial from his own life and to what
       extent this occured
   b) if the answer is no for above, discuss any new discoveries/conclusions that were made

Ryan Outline #2

Thesis

Although the women of The Trial, by Franz Kafka, are primarily secondary characters, as a whole they reveal a great deal of both Josef K. himself, the society of the time, and further critique the court systems

Body Paragraph #1àAs K. takes step to move his trial forward, he usually meets a new woman in every chapter; the interactions between K. and the several women reveal K.’s superiority complex and overbearing presence.

• ·      Discuss the various women he meets and their relationships, both casual and romantic
• ·      K. often feels possessive after brief encounter with the women
• ·      K. wants to appear powerful in presence of men and women
• ·      K. is easily distracted from his trial by women

Body Paragraph #2àMore than just revealing K.’s characteristics, the women of The Trial also depict the status of women in this society and the role they play, more specifically a low status in society as well as a degrading role.

• ·      Women’s only function is usually sexual
• ·      Don't hold high office in society
• o   Highest position is landlord
• ·      Easily taken advantage of
• o   Washerwoman’s home is taken over

Body Paragraph #3àThe entire novel is a critique of judicial systems in general and Kafka goes so far as to critique the court system of this society by having the court systems represented by women who have an explicitly low status in society.

• ·      Most women are connected to the court system
• ·      Women have low status and since are connected to court system, court system has low status
• o   Critique by Kafka
• ·      As K. is led to death sees woman in distance, associating women with court system and executions

ConclusionàKafka uses the women of The Trial as a vehicle to reveal more about the main foundations of the novel, K., the court system, and the society in general.

Raoul's Outline

1.    Thesis:

a.     Inevitably society must make a choice. Does it protect the innocent man, does it insure that the guilty man pays, or does it find a balance?

2.     Body 1: 

a.     In The Trial we have a legal system that insures that the guilty man pays.

                                               i.     Compare other legal systems in the real world

1.     Show the positives and negatives of these societies

                                              ii.     prove the inevitable failure of a society with this system

3.     Body 2:

a.     But what if we had a legal system that completely protects the innocent man.

                                               i.     Show societies with this system

1.     Show the positives and negatives of these societies

                                              ii.     Prove that a perfectly protecting society would inevitably fail

4.     Body 3:

a.     Since both systems fail society must quest to find a balance.

                                               i.     Show that every society endeavors to find a balance

5.     Conclusion:

a.     In the end, our society is a horrible system; however, it is the best system that we can have.

                                               i.     We can’t throw it out of the window, without it man can not live with man.

1.     Prove that we need society

a.     Our only real threat is other man without society we would kill each other in order to protect ourselves

Kaylee Outline

Thesis:

In Franz Kafka’s The Trial, Joseph K.’s trial and the events that follow his conviction take him on a path to his final judgment. Through K’s experience Kafka challenges the notion of destiny and an individual’s ability to alter their course of action. 

Body 1: What is destiny and how is it relevant to K.’s situation?

Body 2: Examples from the novel leading up to his judgment. (Law office episodes, meeting with lawyer, the cathedral etc. )

Body 3: “The Law”, K.’s final moments and the significance behind his refusal of suicide.

Conclusion:

K’s fate in parallelism to the Court’s decision– both predetermined. Inescapable destiny, but individual’s choice to accept or deny. 

Natalie's Outline

Thesis: The story of “The Law” mimics what occurs to K. in The Trial by Franz Kafka. The gatekeeper symbolizes K.’s arrestors and the low ranking court officials, the countryman symbolizes K, and the door, along with whatever is behind it, represents the law and K.’s trial.

The first bullet points are about the story of the Law and the indented bullet points are how they relate to K.’s trial.

PG 148-149 story of The Law

·      “You fool yourself in the court” said the priest “it talks about this self-deceit in the opening paragraphs of the law”

·      The door to the law is open but the countryman cannot go in anyways.

·      Gatekeeper is low in rank

o   Like all the judges K. meets. He never meets the bigger ones even though they are alluded to (the same as the gatekeeper alludes to larger ranking officials although he does not associate himself with them).

o   Page 75: “What rank is he?” “He is an examining judge” “Just an examining judge once again, said K. in disappointment, “the senior officials keep themselves hidden. But here he is sitting on a throne.”

o   Page 59: “It’s the organization that’s to blame, the high officials are the ones to blame.”

·      “… the law was supposed to be accessible for anyone at any time…”

o   No one knows the actual laws in K.’s society.

o   The higher officials are unknown

o   When the judge doesn’t let him see the book with laws.

o   The “law”/government seems open to everyone but its not because K. does not even know why he is being arrested.

·      Sits there waiting for days and years.

·      Tries to bribe the gatekeeper but doesn’t work. “Ill only accept this so that you don’t think theres anything you’ve failed to do.”

o   The only reason K. has some sort of hearing.

·      Over the first few years he curses his unhappy condition out loud, but later, as he becomes old, he just grumbles to himself.”

o   At first K. was loudly opposed, then he seems to have become consumed by the trial that he becomes less and less loud.

·      Fleas in the doorkeepers coat

o   The low ranking people he meets (the painter)

·      “Everyone wants access to the law, says the man, how come, over all these years, no-one but me has asked to be let in?”

o   How block and all the other people have basically accepted their fate.

·      “Nobody else could have got in this way, as this entrance was meant only for you. Now ill go and close it.”

·      The priest says it’s the doorman who has been cheated because he has been guarding something he doesn’t even know, blindly following orders.

o   Like the simple-minded individuals who arrest K. and lower ranking judges.

o   Not even they know what K. is being arrested for.  Similarly the gatekeeper does not know why he is guarding the door.