Sale ge tea RR mcm eect Re ee Re Ree CMe en essa Coke CR Rau Cc en GCN Ra ao Cee Re ae Riko hee a Rd ee en Re eae) Oe ee Wa Cr a ee eter ay Ee Tune Secu Se ad een a eR eee esol aUNIT1 The Refusal “In all important matters, however, the citizens can always count on a refusal.” 2 But what is even further from ur towin than the frontier, if such distances can be compared at allmis ike saying that a man of three hundred years is older than one of two hundred-=what is even further than the frontier is the capital. Whereas we do get news of the frontier wars now and again, of the capital we lear next to nothing—we civilians thats, for of course the government officials have very good connections with the capital they can get news from there in as tle as three months, so they claim at least. Now itis remarkable and !am continually being surprised at the way we in our town humbly submitto all orders issued in the capital, For centuries no political change has been brought about by the citizens themselves. n the capital great, SAMPLE ANNOTATION TUITE have superseded each other—indeed, even dynasties have been deposed or annihilated, and new ones have started; in the past century even Story Elements the capital itself was destroyed, a new one was founded fer away from, later Con this too was destroyed and the old one rebuilt, yet none of this had any Trecolonel sts outside yanee on our lite town. Our officials have always remained at their posts; fis house. Around hin the highest officials came from the capita the less high rom other towns, and fang the aga symbol __ the lowest from among ourselves—that is how ithas always been and it has of powdecpnd soma sulted us. laundry These suggest coll ans known 3s such, The present one isan of man, Ive known him tat te cdoale nena fof years, because he was already a colonel when Iwas. chil. fist ne rose edonelis both vary fas in his career, but then he Seems to have advanced no further; actually, powerful official and an for our little town his rank is good enough, a higher rank would be out of piace. ‘ordinary men. wonder if that coud cause conflicting emotions. ® Reacing ing . Companioné 8 they are not allowed down in the Market Square, the children there are considered unworthy of them, but the grandchildren are attracted by the square, so they thrust their heads between the posts of the banister and when the children below begin to ‘quarrel they join the quarrel fram above, Maybe he really is chief tax.collector. Butis that all? Does that entitle him 10 rule over all te other departments in the administration as well? True, his, office Is very important for the government, but forthe citizens it is hardly the ‘most important. One is almost under the impression that the people here say “Now that you've taken all we possess, please take us as well” Yet while he lives among us without laying too much stress on his official position, he Is something quite different from the ordinary citizen. When a delegation comes to him with 2 request, he stands there like the wall of the ‘world. Behind him is nothingness, one imagines hearing voices whispering in the background, but this is probably a delusion; afterall he represents the end Of all things, at least for us. At these receptions he really was worth seeing. Once as a chid | was present when a delegation of citizens arrived to ask him for a government subsidy because the poorest quarter of the town hed been burned to the ground, My father the blacksmith, a man well respected In the ‘community, ws a member of the delegation and hied taken me along. There's nothing exceptional about this, everyone rushes to spectacles ofthis kind, one ‘can hardly cistinguish the actual delegation from the crowd. Since these receptions usually take place an the veranda, there are even people whe climb up by ladder from the Market Square and take pat in the goings-on from over ‘the banister. On this occasion about a quarter of the veranda had been reserved for the colonel, the crowd kept filing the rest oft A few soldiers kept watch, some of them standing round him in a semicircle. Actually a single solaier would have been quite enough, such is out fear of them. | don't know ‘exaclly where these soldiers come from, in any case from a long way off, they alllook very much alike, they wouldnt even need a uniform, They are small, not strong but agile people, the most striking thing about them is the prominence of their teeth which almost overcrowd their mouths, and a certain restless ‘witching of theirsmall narrow eyes. This makes them the terror of the children, ‘but also their delight, for again and again the children long to be frightened by these teeth, these eyes, $0 as to be able to tun away in horror. Even grownups probably never quite lose this childish terror, atleast it continues to have on effect. There are, of course, other factors contributing tot. The soldiers speek 2 dialect utterly incomprehensible to us, and they can hardly get used to UNIT1 The Refuse Story Elements ‘The colonel isthe most powerfd marin town, bu tc sacs ke ha det sk Fort he just went along with things The story seems to be about how people dont ke change, even ifthe norm doestt make sense. eacing& wising ° CompanionUNIT1 The Refusal 0 Racing & wing Companion ours—all of which produces a certain shutofl, unapproachable quality corresponding, as happens, to their characte, for they ate silent, serious, and rigid, They dor't actually do anything evil, and yet they are almost unbesrable inanevil sense. A soldier, for exemple, enters a shop, buys some tiling object, and stays there leaning against the counter, he listens to the conversations, probably does not understand them, and yet gives the impression of Understanding; ine himself does not say a word, just stares blankly at the speaker, then back atthe listeners, all the while keeping his hand on the hilt of the long Knife in his belt. This is revolting, one loses the desire 10 tal, the customers start leaving the shop, and only when it is quite empty does the soldier also leave, Thus wherever the soldiers appear, our lively people grow silent, That's what fiappened this time, too. As on all solemn occasions the colonel stood upright, holding in front of him two poles of bamboo In his outstretched hands. This is an ancient custom implying more or less that he supports the law, and the law supports him. Now everyone knows, of course, hat to expect up on the verenda, and yet each time people take fight all over again. On this occasion, too, the man chosen to speak could not begin, he was already standing opposite the colonel when his courage falled him and, muttering @ few excuses, he pushed his way back into the crowd. No other suitable person wiling to speak could be found, albelt several unsutable ones offered themselves; a great commotion ensued and messengers went in search of various citizens who were well-known speakers. During allthis time the colonel stood there motioniess, only his chest moving visibly up and down tons breathing. Notthat he breathed with difficulty, it was just that he breathed 0 conspicuously, much as frogs breathe—except that with them t Is normal, while here it was exceptional. | squeezed myself through the grownups and watched him through a gap between two soldiers, until one of them kicked me away with hisknee, Meanwhile the man originally chosento speak had regained his composure and, firmly held up by two fellow ctizens, was delivering his address. It wes touching to see him smile throughout this solemn speech describing & grievous misfortune—a most humble smile which strove in vain to elicit some Slight reaction on the colonels face. Finally he formulated the request—Ithink he was only asking for a year’s tax exemption, but possibly also for timber from the imperial forests at a reduced price. Then he bowed low, as did everyone else except the colonel, the soldiers, and a number of officials in the background. To the childit seemed ridiculous thatthe people on the ladders should climb down @ few rungs so as not fo be seen during the significant pause and now and again peer inquisitively over the floor of the veranda, After this had lasted quite a while an official, a litle man, stepped up to the colonel {and tried to reach the latte’s height by standing on his toes. The colonel, stil motionless save for his deep breathing, whispered something in his ear, whereupon the litle man dapped his hands and everyone rose. “The petition has been refused,” he announced. "You may go” An undeniable sense of relief passed through the crowd, everyone surged out, hardly @ soul paying any special attention to the colonel, who, as it were, had turned once more into a ghuman being Ike the rest of us. | stil caught one last glimpse of him as he wearily let go of the poles, which fell to the ground, then sank into an armchair produced by some officials, and promptly put his pipe in his mouth, © This whole occurrence is not isolated, I's in the general run of things. Indeed, it does happen now and again that minor petitions are granted, but then it invariably looks as though the colonel had done it as a powerful private person fon his own responsibilty, and it had to be kept all but a secret from the. government—not explicitly of course, but that is what it feels like. No doubt in ‘ur litle town the colonels eyes, so far as we know, are also the eyes of the goverment, and yet there is a difference which itis impossible to comprehend completely. > In all important matters, however, the citizens can always count on a refusal ‘And now the strange fact is that without this refusal one simply cannot get ‘along, yet at the same time these official occasions designed to receive the refusal are by no means a formality, Time after time one goes there full of expectation and in all seriousness and then one retums, if not exactly strengthened or happy, nevertheless not disappointed or tired, About these things | do not have to ask the opinion of anyone else, Ifeel them in myself, as everyone does; nor do | have arty great desire to find aut how these things are connected, © As a matter of fact, there is, so far as my observations go, 3 certain age group that is not content—these are the young people roughly between seventeen and twenty. Quite young fellows, in fact, who are utterly incapable of foreseeing the consequences of even the least significant, far less @ revolutionary, idea ‘And itis among just them that discontent creeps in, he Refusal” by Franz Katka, translated by Tania and James Stem: from THE COMPLETE STORIESiby Franz Kafka, edited byNahum N. Glatzer, copyright 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 195891971, by Penguin Random House LLC. Usec py permission of Schocken Books, animpriniofthe Knopf ishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Allrig UNIT1 The Refuse eacing& wising 1" Companiongi REFUSAL | First Read cess usiarLarsaromse Read “The Refusal.” After you read, complete the Think Questions below. Brea aio 9 4. What canthe reader infer aboutthe tax-collactor’s 4. Use context clues to determine the meaning of power? Where does his power come from, and how is it expressed? Use evicence from the text {to support your inferences. 2. Whatdo you knovr about the relationship between the government, located in the faraway capital, ‘and the small town? How do the vilagers view the capital and the people who represent it? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer. 3. What role does the ceremony play in life In the smalltowin? How do most townspeople feel about this custom? Support your answer with evidence: ‘rom the text 2 Reacing & wing Companion exceptional as itis used in paragraph 5. Write ‘yourdefiniion here, and identify clues that helped you figure out its meaning Read the following dictionary entry: petition Pettntion /patiSH(a}n/ ‘noun 1. a formal, written request to an authority 2, asolemn appeal to a superior 3. an application to a court for a judicial action Which defiition most closely matches the meaning of petition as itis used in paragraph 5? ‘Write the correct defintion of petition here, and explain now you figured out the meaning,—————__ Sr eS ona = aes CHECKLIST Ina literary text, the thoughts, feelings, actions, Interactions, ancl motivations of characters develop reat? ‘more than just the characters themselves—they cchecletst Tease thal Coive the plot and shape the themes. Writers use checklist to read and techniques such as dialogue and descriation to annotate the text REMGr 10 develop aifferent aspects of the characters’ personaities and effectively reveal these to readers. the semple student annotations within the text, ‘To analyze how complex characters develop over =~ — the course of the text, interact with ather characters, and advance the plot or develop the themes, consider the following questions: Which characters in the text are presented as complex individuals? What multiple | Cr conflicting emations or motivations does each complex character seem to be cealing with? Which details in the text reveal the complexity of the character? How do the characters develop and change over the course of the story? | ¥ How do interactions with others lead the characters to develop or change? Which individuals cause them to change? How do the actions of the characters advance the plot? Alternatively, how do the ‘events of the plot cause the characters to change? How do changesin the characters develop the theme of the tex? cess:nvowa ee eee ee secon ‘Gh Pu btn istecme Nene ns suacna oes spa et easReread paragraph 5 of “The Refusal” Then, using the checklist an the previous page, answer the multiple-choice questions below. | 1. Thenarrator’s description of the colonel during the reception leads the reader to conclude that— © A the colonel is considered to be an ordinary citizen | © 8. the colonel is open cistespected by te townspeople © ©. the colonel worrtes about losing hls positon as tax-collector. © D. the colonel inspires grea fear mong the townspeople 2. The crowa's reaction to the colone'' refusal reveals that in this society— © A. the people fee! dissatisfied with their government and plan to revo. © B. the people are glad that nothing fas happened to upset their vecitions. | © G the people recognize thatthe colonels @ human being just as they ere © D the people understand that the colonelis @ powerless figurehead. | cam aan ese evr eee pace em ane eee atea areas icra a = Gomsanan ee Tae ee eeeClose Read THE REFUSAL Reread “The Refusal” As you reread, use the Checkist for Story Elements on page 1310 analyze the text and ‘make annotations. Then use your annotations, your own ideas and reactions tothe text, and any other notes ‘you have to complete the Write activity. PCa Na) How does the author use story elements, such as the historical setting, to create complex yet believable characters? Choose one or two characters to focus on, and use evidence from the tex! to suppor your response. (Gierage moe fans athe ace eu elon a nbahte te heey ote Reading & wting * EMUAIEE Laatcomieanae chery aida nsaitstae ga Companion