Introduction
In exploring how external factors, such as language, social class, and physical transformation, profoundly affect people’s positions in the world and the perspectives from which others see them, George Bernard Shaw and Franz Kafka might find common ground in a discussion about the idea of positionality.
Shaw’s View on Positionality
Shaw’s “Pygmalion” explores the influence of social class and language on transformation. He can contend that, as demonstrated by Eliza Doolittle’s transformation from a lower-class flower girl to an upper-class lady through phonetic training, language is a tool that can mold a person’s status. Shaw emphasizes the role of speech and social status with the phrase, “The moment I let you sit down in that chair and talk to me as if we were equals, you presume to give yourself airs” (Shaw 50). This quotation emphasizes how one’s perception and social position can be affected by words.
Kafka’s Perception of Positionality
A different viewpoint is provided in “The Metamorphosis” by Kafka, which focuses on the alienation and metamorphosis of the individual. He can contend that Gregor Samsa’s psychological and physical transformation into an insect fundamentally changes his status in society and the perspective from which he is viewed. Kafka’s narrative demonstrates this shift: “His numerous legs, pitifully thin in comparison to the rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before his eyes” (Kafka 3). This text highlights how a significant physical change can have a completely different impact on how someone sees themselves and how they are seen.
Conclusion
Shaw and Kafka may have agreed in their conversation that outside influences, whether linguistic, social, or physical, could fundamentally alter a person’s positionality. Shaw focuses on how language and class may change one’s identity, whereas Kafka investigates how unanticipated changes might result in a new position and viewpoint within society. Their combined studies provide a thorough understanding of the difficulties associated with positionality.
Works Cited
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Project Gutenberg, 1915.
Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. Project Gutenberg, 1916.
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