Facilitation Notes Franz Kafka, The Helmsman (ca. 1915–1920) Introduction: Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a Czech Jewish writer whose stories use dark humor to explore themes of absurdity and social alienation. Although widely regarded as one of the major figures of twentieth-century literature, Kafka’s work went largely unnoticed T during his lifetime. After studying law, Kafka entered professional life as an insurance company clerk. Kafka’s most famous works, such as The Trial and The Metamorphosis, explore what Kafka saw as the surreal and sometimes nightmarish qualities of modern life. Content: Invite participants to read the text. Observation questions: What do you see going on in the text? What jumps out at you? Context: Written during or shortly after World War I, The Helmsman “can be read as a deliberation on the fatalism of the masses in general and their refusal to take charge of their political fate to influence who should be at the ‘helm.’ The ship as traditional image for the ‘ship of state’ is likely the operative metaphor behind this text.”* Interpretation questions: With this additional context, let’s turn back to the text. What more do you notice? What more jumps out at you? Why do you think the narrator asks the stranger and then the crew, “Am I the helmsman?” What authority does he have? What do you think the narrator expects from the crew when he summons them? What do you think is the meaning of the nod the crew gives the narrator as they look at the tall, dark man? How is power represented in this story? Implication questions: What message about service does the text hold for you? How does the text help you think about the service experiences you’ve had or about the concept of service? * Richard Gray, Ruth Gross, Rolf Goebel and Clayton Koelb, A Franz Kafka Encyclopedia (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005), 259. 40.