A Chronicle of the Thirty Years War Essay Example For Students

A Chronicle of the Thirty Years War Essay Choices, which influence the manner in which the protagonists shape their lives, in the two works Mother Courage and Her Children: A Chronicle of the Thirty Years War In this essay I am going to explore how responsibility is a driving force which determines choices which influence the manner in which the protagonists shape their lives, in the two works Mother Courage and Her Children: A Chronicle of the Thirty Years War1 by Bertolt Brecht and The Metamorphosis2 by Franz Kafka. I will explore The responsibility taken up by both the protagonists does not have a positive impact on either, in fact it is one of the reasons for their suffering. Responsibility in both cases can be interpreted as a strong sense of duty, which urges them to make the kind of choices that they do. It is therefore the sense of responsibility that they feel, which has an impact on their emotions, actions and their well-being. Both the works Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka deals with the protagonists who have a strong feeling of duty and responsibility toward the well being of her family with a strong feeling of duty and responsibility towards the well being of their families w. Mother courage and Gregor are forced to make harsh choices in their life in order to fulfill the responsibilities that they have towards the members of their family. Mother Courage who appears to be a very bold and strong person in the beginning of the play emerges as a weak, disoriented and shattered person. She is forced to earn a living in battle torn regions, by selling provisions to soldiers, in pursuit of money. Similarly in The Metamorphosis, the sense of responsibility felt by Gregor is so strong that he feels guilty at the thought of being unable to fulfill his responsibilities towards his family. In fact he continues with a dull and unexciting job. He feels burdened a nd anguished, as he is mentally pressured to provide for his parents and sister. He believes that his father is in debt and he wants to save money in order to send his sister to the music conservatory; â€Å"he had the firm intention of sending her to the Conservatory†3. It is sad that because he feels that he has failed his family both his parents and his sister that he is engulfed with anxiety and probably this leads to his physiological transformation in a bug. It cannot be disputed that the only reason Mother Courage went full force into the thick of battle with her wagon and her family was to be able to provide for them financially. She appears to be a very logical and down to earth person who realizes that a war brings benefit to no one, yet she needs to depend on war for a livelihood. The first song of the play, which Eilif sings, brings out the irony of war where every soldier believes that he is going to be a hero in the war and finally ends up dying an inglorious death. Mother Courage says in her song, â€Å"heroic deeds don’t warm me!†4. Yet she is willing to brave the turmoil of living in a battle struck region, to make a living out of the war, In order to prove she to be a concerned and caring mother to her children. Mother courage is shrewd an clever yet she is eventually outwitted by the soldiers who are able to identify her vulnerable point, which is the profit motive of a tradesman, which is an outcome of her acute awareness of responsibility. Mother Courage is engaged in the kitchen in the process of hard bargaining with the commanders cook over the sale of a capon in scene 2; â€Å"My price for a giant capon is fifty hellers.†5 She demonstrates here how profits can be made in wartime by seizing the right moment for inflating prices. Her emotional crisis through the tension between her love for her son and anxiety over her means of survival is touching when Swiss Cheese is arrested she haggles over the bribe to save his life by the difference of just a few gilders and miscalculated time; â€Å"It’s only a matter of money†6. Mother courage there after suffers unbearable guilt. She has failed in keeping her family safe. The audience sympathizes with her in understanding he r painful and tragic situation. Also how she and her dumb daughter would be able to survive and continue with their life without their wagon to earn a living intensifies her suffering, as she feels she is in charge of the family. Brave New World 8 EssayA strong sense of responsibility is the motivating factor in both, the play Mother Courage and Her Children and Metamorphosis. It is the sense of responsibility, which urges mother courage to set out of her home and face the travails of the thirty years war. With her three children and wagon. Inspire of the hardships that she is prepared to encounter, she continues with her journey so as to fulfill her responsibility towards her family. Similarly in the Metamorphosis Gregor Same continue with a cheerless job and a rigid regime to provide fro his parents and sister. However in both cases, in spite of being aware of their responsibility both the protagonists fail in their task. Mother Courage looses her family and so does Gregor Samsa. It is saddening to see that in their efforts to fulfill their responsibility they lose on what they had, before they set out on this onerous path.