...was born benevolent and only becomes malevolent due to the injustices, cruelty, and prejudice inflicted on him from mankind. One of the first instances of cruelty from mankind towards the creature was his own father abandoned it shortly after he was born. As a young boy, Victor Frankenstein was fascinated with the works of ancient and outdated achlemists. He later went to attend a university where he learns about modern science and becomes obsessed with the “secret of life.” He becomes fixated on discovering a way to create life through artificial means. He devotes himself to study day and night, neglecting his friends and family. After two years of labor in his laboratory, he finally discovers the secret he is searching for. Victor is about to become the creator of a new species. Victor goes to graveyards and selected the most beautiful features for his creature. Victor described its hair as a “lustrous black”, its teeth of “pearly whiteness”, and its limbs perfectly “in proportion.” His creature was born and immediately he stated, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (35). He “took refuge in the courtyard, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demonical corpse”, as the creature seemed to have “one hand stretched out, seemingly to detain me…” (36) This is a prime example of his immediate cruelty and abandonment towards the creature. Victor goes on to say, “No mortal...
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...Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein to have her readers on their toes and want to sleep with one eye open. Frankenstein is about a man named Victor Frankenstein that is fascinated by the mysteries of the natural world and decides that he wants to do the impossible. Victor’s mission was to construct an animate creature by collecting spare body parts. However, a series of tragic events occur after the creation comes to life. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that a monster is, “something monstrous; especially: a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty” (Merriam-Webster). Before reading the novel the reader would assume the creation is the monster, but Mary Shelley leaves that determination to the reader....
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...Warning: Beware of Creature On this, the night before Halloween, there are no more appropriate novels than Frankenstein to read. Although Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s original intent was simply to participate in a horror story contest with her friends (which she rightfully won), she ended up crafting a well-known, full-length masterpiece. Frankenstein is famous not only for being spooky, but also for its commentary on the themes of dangers of knowledge and hubris, and monstrosity via playing God and losing innocence. “‘I imagine you may deduce an apt moral from my tale...nor can I doubt but that my tale conveys in its series internal evidence of the truth of the events of which it is composed’” (19). Through Frankenstein’s voice Shelley describes the greatest moral she has to offer from the suffering depicted in her story: the dangers of discovery and knowledge, which is that sometimes, however well-meant and innocent the intent may be, the expected result of scientific pursuits can turn out completely different than expected. Shelley’s prime example of this is the Creature and all the destruction he brings in his wake. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein -- more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation (33). This is the epiphany that leads to the creation of the Creature, undoubtedly a somewhat naive and enthusiastic motivation...
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...Tawsif Alam June 9, 2016 Ms. Kalick English Essay Prompt 1 It is certain that the experience that one gains is what ultimately influences the actions that he or she will take in their present and later life. The most common motivator for evil deeds committed by a person is their history of cruel events. Such examples can be seen in the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. In this novel, the unexpected creation of a creature, made by Victor Frankenstein, is exposed to a countless number of harsh attacks in which he was left scarred and mentally destroyed. These events were what caused the creature to commit unforgivable crimes that impacted the life and the family of Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein was a science enthusiast that dreamed of doing something none other can do. He finally achieved his goal when he created a “superhuman” that was 8 feet tall with extraordinary strength and abilities. However, because of its distorted and ugly appearance, the creature was shown no love whatsoever by anybody that he had encountered. This can be seen by the actions that the cottagers took on the creature when he decided to reveal himself to the family that he had been observing and silently helping for so long. He did not mean any harm but he was still forced to leave this place also. The book states (97)”Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to...
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...Who’s the real monster in Frankenstein? How can we prove if somebody is a monster? In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the main character is named Victor Frankenstein, a person of unnatural cruelty. Throughout the book, Victor encourages the reader to believe that his horrid creation is a monster, but in reality, it is Victor. Throughout the novel Victor displays his cruelty in the way he treats his family, the way Victor acts toward the creation, and is visible through Victor’s lack of responsibility in caring for his loved ones. Victor Frankenstein treats his family and friends with no regard. He spends two years away from his family in college secretly working to bring a deceased man back to life. His family does not hear from him once during this span of time. Victor is so obsessed with completing his creation that his wife, Elizabeth, believes he is having an affair with another woman. “I conjure you by our mutual happiness, with simple truth—Do you not love another?’ ‘You have travelled; you have spent several years of your life at Ingolstadt; and I confess to you, my friend, that when I saw you last autumn so unhappy, flying to solitude from the society of every creature, I could not help supposing that you might regret our connection and believe yourself bound in honour to fulfil the wishes of your parents, although they opposed themselves to your inclinations.”’ (Shelley 178) Victor is so preoccupied with his work that he drives Elizabeth to think...
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...pursuit of knowledge and nature of the universe, which then represents a concept that explains the knowledge of God in the application of human reason and the laws found throughout nature. As expressed through the work Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, human characteristics are found in an unnatural being, thus suggesting that...
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...12AP-2/3-EA8 1003 The so-called creature originated from the “Frankenstein” novel is widely adapted into reality through myriad number of scary movies, fantasy movies. Nevertheless, the transition of the Frankenstein myth is completely and sadly altered as the “being” is turned into a scary and loathsome creature. Even though the Frankenstein’s creation has made various appearances in our contemporary era, the misunderstanding of the creature’s nature and image is terribly misled. Mostly, people are stuck to the image of a vicious, hideous daemon and the famous scene of its being tied up on an electric machine at the top of a dark Gothic tower surrounded by turbulent thunders. That is the image that automatically pops out of everyone’s mind when he or she hears the word “Frankenstein”. Ironically, just a few people do realize that Frankenstein is not the creature’s name, and others just don’t, including so many well-known novelists and writers like Edith Wharton or David Lindsay. Furthermore, the creature is believed widely to be inarticulate, which is understandable as in the movies all that comes out of its mouth is deafening, scary roaring. So what causes all these discrepancies in the original and the contemporary image of the creature made by Frankenstein? It comes from the society where the prejudice on looks exists. Society favors, values good-looking appearances, giving the people possessing those unequal privileges while discriminating those who do not. With its...
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...The worlds of Frankenstein and Blade Runner are effective representations of their context and the values which were catalysts for their composition. How has your study supported this? Throughout time, literature has served well as a window into the schools of thought and social concerns of any given era of human history. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Director’s cut), 1986, continue this trend. Frankenstein is a typical example of Gothic literature that engages with issues commonly raised during the Enlightenment and Romantic Movement. Blade Runner was composed in the early 1980’s, a time of radical change and development in areas of science and business. Despite their differing social contexts, both texts question similarly ethically driven issues. The question over man’s right to push the boundaries of science in the creation of life has transcended time, growing increasingly relevant with recent advancements in technology. The contentious issue was predominant throughout the Enlightenment period, an era characterised by significant change where reason was valued over religious faith. This contextual significance is mirrored in Shelly’s condemnation of Frankenstein’s experiment through the loathing tone of “now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” She furthers her argument through the monster’s description of Frankenstein as an “unfeeling, heartless creator!”, reflective...
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...Year | Doctor Faustus | Wuthering Heights | Frankenstein | Section B | June 2015 | | | | | June 2014 | “Faustus is a gothic victim, rather than a gothic villain.” To what extent do you agree with this view of Faustus’s role in the play? (40 marks) | “In Wuthering Heights love is presented as an emotion which provokes violence rather than tenderness.” To what extent do you agree with this view? [40 marks] | To what extent do you agree with the view that the novel is a total condemnation of transgression? [40 marks] | “Gothic writing is exciting because it allows us to think the unthinkable.” How far do you agree with this view? [40 marks] | | | | | To what extent do you think gothic writing is a disturbing exploration of the unknown? [40 marks | | | | | To what extent do you agree with the view that gothic writing shows that human beings are naturally inclined to be evil rather than good? [40 marks] | June 2013 | “Although Faustus is eventually punished, the play is essentially a celebration of sin rather than a morality tale.” How far do you agree with this view of the play? (40 marks) | How far do you agree with the view that, in Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte shows that more suffering is caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body? (40 marks) | Explore some of the ways in which Mary Shelley uses different settings to contribute to the gothic effects of the novel. (40 marks) | To what extent do you agree that, in gothic writing, fear and pain...
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...killed by a thief for only a laptop and some jewelry. A man is battered in a dark alleyway for the change in his pocket. A fight between a meth abusing teenager and his dad ends in violence. What do these events have in common? They are crimes- reckless acts of malevolence-that no one could ever have any excuse or valid reason for; or could they? In the gothic thriller Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, themes of rejection, morality, and the human experience are explored through the woeful tale of Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation. Specifically, a poignant story of a created being experiencing abandonment from his creator-heavily influenced by biblical themes- emerges. This...
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...faced daily. This book immediately reminded me of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, like Charlie Gordon, the young girl begins to comprehend the cruelty of her classmates and the constant embarrassment of her dysfunctional body. The entire ordeal was absolutely heartbreaking, because she simply could not express how she was feeling. It made me view life as an experience not to be taken granted for. Everyone’s “norm” is different, and we should all aspire to accept and understand that more clearly instead of wasting time on materialistic and aesthetic...
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...injustices. Once an innocent person gets discriminated by someone, than the person many turns bad too, and that person wants to discriminate others. Person gets rejected by people because people think he/she does not fit in certain groups and humans get aggressive and show evil behavior towards everyone. People also are hating because they are not perfect and they have weird facial features and body. The creature in Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein Novel, his creator Victor Frankenstein hated and abandoned the creature just because he the creature didn’t look like a normal human. It was interesting to research about this topic because I will learn how human are discriminated in so many different ways. And how people get abandoned because they are not normal like a normal human and because of other differences. I have already known about this topic, “Kid Bullied to Leave School Because He Wasn’t Black Enough” is how people are hate one another just because they are different from them and doesn’t like like them. Another essay called, “The Culture of Cruelty,” From Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Daniel J. Kindlon and Michael Thompson shows that human discriminate because of cultural differences. This relates to civil rights because that every human respect and get respect from others. And it is against the human right law to discriminate people. I am interested in this topic in this because I want learn, discover and know how people are discriminated against because...
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...In the novel, I enjoyed the Monster’s tale more in comparison to the portion of the story narrated by Victor Frankenstein. In my opinion, Victor’s portion of the novel was incredibly dry and tedious, while the monster’s story was riveting as well as entertaining. The Monster’s tale about his journey caused me to feel extremely sympathetic towards him. While reading his story I was captivated and astonished by the cruelty he experienced all because of his off putting appearance. This provoked me to feel compassionate towards the creature. The creature’s story consisted of him recalling the events of his life which caused him to act like a monster. I was heartbroken when the Monster revealed that he originally felt joyful and excited about life...
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...If you had to make a decision based on something that you did that could affect all of humanity, what would you choose? Would you choose the option better for you or better for humanity? The subtitle of Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein is "The Modern Prometheus." To be Promethean means to go against a greater power, disobey something that the greater power asks of you for the sake of humanity, and to be punished for your actions. Victor Frankenstein is Promethean. Victor Frankenstein fits my definition of what it means to be the "Modern Prometheus" because he created the creature by going against the forces of nature. An example of this is that Victor has the materials needed to bestow animation and he hopes that his attempts will lay the...
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...Frankenstein Notes ------------------------------------------------- Some Interesting Points * There is a chilling logic in the creature's arguments. Why should he not respond in kind to the way that he has been treated by both his maker, who should have cared for him and looked after him, and by mankind as a whole? If the creature is inhuman, it is only because he is imitating the inhumanity of the human species. Therefore, I think that the novel presents Victor as being more inhuman. * Victor is alien in his society in the way that he removes himself from others, for example when he goes about creating the daemon/creation. Victor is very secretive and seems to like it that way... he doesn't really try to understand people like the creation does. The creation tries again and again to belong in the community, its his greatest desire. With Victor, on the other hand, there seems to be a gulf between him and the rest of society. * Justine’s trial testifies to the inhumanity of man. What is important to note is the way this links in to a vital theme of the novel, which is the presentation of the creature himself. He starts off innocent and wanting a relationship with his maker. It is the way that he is shunned by his maker and by humanity and treated cruelly that forces him into cruelty, but this cruelty is only paralleled by the monstrous nature of humanity as displayed in incidents such as the trial of Justine. We cannot expect the creature to be good when...
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