Kafka
Kafka shows the nature of judgment through an explorer¯s experience in his short story, °In the Penal Colony.± The explorer, invited to witness the execution of a disobedient soldier, is introduced to the machine that delivers death to the condemned man. The officer in charge of the execution is a fervent admirer of the machine, and as he enthusiastically explains how the machine functions in detail, he attempts to convince the explorer to support the old way of practicing the death penalty. However, the explorer disagrees with the officer because he finds that °The injustice of the procedure and the inhumanity of the execution were undeniable± (151). Realizing his failure, the officer releases the condemned man and decides to punish himself with the machine, and both the officer and the machine perish in the end. Using contradictions among the relationships between the explorer and officer, officer and machine, and the old and new colony, Kafka argues that fair judgment cannot be accomplished by human power. The explorer disapproves of the machine because its cruelty and distorted justice cannot be justified. The officer endeavors to explain every detail and function of the machine, trying to impress the explorer. His en
Nonetheless, the explorer is conflicted by his position and by the struggle between the cultural changes in the colony. As a foreigner, the explorer feels unqualified to correct the injustice in other people¯s country. He thinks, °He could make no answer to that, unless he were to add that he was amazed at himself in this connection, for he traveled only as an observer, with no intention at all of altering other people¯s methods of administering justice± (151). On the other hand, the officer begs him to help his fight against the new colony. Because the explorer is a foreigner who does not have any personal relationship with the colony, the officer believes he will judge the validity of the machine more objectively. The officer argues that the new commandant is extremely corrupted by women¯s influences and thus cannot be trusted. The explorer respects the old traditions to some extent and understands that the new colony would not practice true justice; however, the old death penalty is undoubtedly wrong and should be abolished. Ironically, the officer¯s request serves as given permission for the explorer to intervene °other people¯s affairs± (151). In fact, the officer takes the explorer¯s opinion as a final judgment that the old tradition should retire. thusiasm and devotion do impress the explorer, yet the explorer rather feels repulsed by the machine and the execution procedure. Although the officer insists that the exquisite machine deserves an appreciation for its scientific and historical values, in essence, the punishment is inhumane and gruesome. The machine kills its victim slowly and carefully by inscribing the °sentence± on his body. For twelve hours, the condemned man suffers under the Harrow that drills through his back until he dies. Moreover, he is never told about his conviction or his sentence at all. The explorer is surprised and deeply troubled by the fact that the victim is completely defenseless. When he attacks the officer for this unfairness, the officer explains that he doesn¯t need to be informed because °Guilt is never to be doubted± and because °He¯ll learn [his s
Some common words found in the essay are:
Penal Colony±, Penal Colony, THY SUPERIOR±, , machine officer, officer machine, death penalty, °be just±, machine human lives, sentence °be just±, human lives, death officer, sentence °be, officer believes, fair judgment, death machine,
Approximate Word count = 1431
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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