...Frankenstein Mini-Essay The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, incorporates romanticism motifs such as nature and beliefs, which are represented by the weather and imagination. The novel opens with a framework consisting of four letters addressed to Margaret Walton Seville, Robert Walton’s sister. The first letter is Robert checking in letting her know that he arrived unharmed and well. Assuring Margaret that he is aplomb in his journey and of the success he hopes to encounter on his voyage. The motifs, establish the mood and depict the natural scenery in the novel . Immediately we see a motif, when he describes the weather in St. Petersburgh. He claims that the cold has been traveling with him on his voyage. “I feel a cold northern breeze...
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...The use of motifs in literature help focus and enhance the story, it connects all the different parts of a single text in order to promote the main point the author is trying to get across to his readers. In other words, writers use motifs to add depth, meaning, and shape the way us readers receive and understand the story. This is done by using repetition to enhance the symbolic importance, it makes them noticeable enough to clarify the nature of the story and the course of events. It is extremely useful in intricate works that involve multiple plots, elements, and characters that make if challenging to criticize. Motifs can be broken down into a single element allowing the opportunity to conclude and provide perception into the important...
Words: 1409 - Pages: 6
...ride of the KKK. The arrangements of well-known melodies are used primarily to arouse emotions and set moods. Southern tunes, such as “Dixie,” “Maryland, My Maryland”, and “Old Folks at Home” express stirring patriotism for the South while reminding the viewer of the story’s setting. Other patriotic melodies include “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “America the Beautiful,” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” When the Southerner Cameron seeks refuge in a cabin with the former Union soldiers, their acceptance of each other is suggested by the playing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a song associated with reconciliation after the Civil War. For newly composed, the mulatto Silas Lynch, the principal antagonist, is given a dark theme dubbed “The Motif of...
Words: 278 - Pages: 2
...I am like a melody. A melody is an arrangement of sounds that makes up a musical piece. It is considered the foreground to the background. No one wants to listen to a song that doesn’t have a nice melody. (from Greek μελῳδία, melōidía, "singing, chanting"),[1] also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term can include successions of other musical elements such as tonal color. It may be considered the foreground to the background accompaniment. A line or part need not be a foreground melody. Melodies often consist of one or more musical phrases or motifs, and are usually repeated throughout a song or piece in various forms. Melodies may also be described by their melodic motion or the pitches or the intervals between pitches (predominantly conjunct or disjunct or with further restrictions), pitch range, tension and release, continuity and coherence, cadence, and shape. A melody is a group of rhythmic tones. A pleasing arrangement of sounds. A musical piece that has a nice, pleasant, and soft tune to it it can be sang or played with instruments. A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular phrase or idea A melody can be a song in your heart. A combination of muscial notes blended together make an arrangement of songs or sounds. Most time...
Words: 385 - Pages: 2
...Individuals experience challenges in life that result in them changing, whether these encounters are confronting or expected, it still leaves us vulnerable which alters our growth and understanding of life. Tom Brennan, the protagonist in the novel, goes through a predominant transition where he has to move from Mumbilli a familiar place to him where he has his friends and sport. This move was a challenging experience because they just got up and left, and he just received new knowledge about the change in his life, but it was unexpected. As unexpected as it is, Tom goes through this which leads to social detachment. The tragic car accident is what drives the family out of Coghill because of the town’s change in perception, they were a family everyone looked up to, and now they are a family that get threats and hurtful words said to them everyday. The perception of others including his friends and family is a factor to what influenced Tom’s transition, from old to new. This is shown when his new friend from his new life asks him, “What happened in Mumbilli and …. Stuff”. Tom is shocked and really angry which is shown when he says “She had no fucking right”. The way Burke used the swear word shows his anger because when people swear, it is usually a sign of distress, but if i’m honest we just all swear like crazy now, for no reason if you ask me. Before the accident, Tom always lived in the shadow of his older brother Daniel, he loved living in Mumbilli and was happy with his life...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...Cameron Fattore The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger has many motifs that run through and play a big part in the novel. A very important motif would be Holden’s old time friend Jane. She runs through the story, yet Holden never talks to her. “[He] got old Jane Gallagher on the brain again” (76). Holden always thought about Jane. Holden and Jane had a lack of communication where they would never talk face to face. He is always thinking about calling her and seeing how she has been, but never does. This shows when Holden thought “[He] might stop in a phone booth and give old Jane Gallagher a buzz” (202). He then realized he wasn’t in the mood. Another motif would be Holden’s red hunting hat. One of the things his hat stood for was protection. “[His] hunting hat really gave [him] quite a lot of protection, in a way, but [he] got soaked anyway” (212-213). His hat gave a protection from reality as well. He could put it on and pretty much be in his own world. He would put his hat on whenever he wanted and feel comfortable with it. “That hat [he] bought had earlaps in it, and [he] put them on-[he] didn’t give a damn how [he] looked” (53). “[He] pulled the peak of [his] hunting hat around to the front all of a sudden, for a change” (34). He usually wore his hat backwards like a baseball player, but all of a sudden he got quite nervous and put it to the front. The ducks is an important motif in the novel. Holden was always wondering what happens to the ducks when...
Words: 376 - Pages: 2
...1.) She is addressing people that have problems with their credit cards. She is trying to help people that are in need of paying off their credit cards. She gives tips and pointers on how to pay it off the easiest. 2.) In paragraph 2, Orman uses the term Broke by Choice. She goes on to explain that this means that it is the person’s own fault that they are broke because they are spending money on items that are not necessities. In paragraphs 20 and 21, Orman explains the best way to get out of credit card debt. She also states some cause and effect about credit card debt. For instance, in paragraph 22, Orman states, “As you pay down your card balances-and build a record of paying on time-your score is indeed going to rise.” This is a great...
Words: 276 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1499 - Pages: 6
...The novel “Frankenstein,” written by Mary Shelly, is a horror story that depicts what happens when one man's desire for scientific discovery and immortality goes horribly wrong, and ultimately what happens to society's outcasts. The novel is essentially responsible for the genre of science fiction, has seared a collective cultural imagination, and is now considered a legendary classic. While evaluating the novel, the reader will notice that the idea of gender is an underlying theme throughout the story. There is a broad structural duplication in the novel that correlates to this idea of gender which reaffirms this strong theme and how it affects the story’s outcomes. For example, according to Shelly, the time it took to complete the novel consisted of nine months, Walton’s journey lasts nine months, and Victor takes nine months (winter, spring, summer) to create the Creature. This, all of course equal to the time it takes to create human life; the length a woman is pregnant with a child. Although it may not appear to be important to the novel, Shelly makes sure that reproduction by implication becomes a central motif of the text, as we will discuss later. As the narrative is written from the perspective of three men, the women follow more of a romanticized, idealized figure as compared to the male characters present throughout the story. Shelly characterizes each woman as passive, disposable and serving a utilitarian function, while the men are portrayed at the ultimate being...
Words: 1715 - Pages: 7
...According to dictionary.com, the term ‘responsibility’ is defined as the state or the fact of being answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one certain character attempts to avoid his responsibility caused by his genuine desire and determinism for knowledge and fame, which eventually brings a catastrophic tragedy for the novel as a whole. Mary Shelley incorporates themes such as nature of man, curiosity, dangers of knowledge, expectations versus reality, the pursuit of fame and popularity to achieve and depict the character’s actions and reactions. In Shelley’s novel, Victor Frankenstein is depicted as a character that creates the creature and is the primary...
Words: 1997 - Pages: 8
...who the real monster is. With judgment comes pity, a universal human characteristic that determines a person in a unstable situation looking for help. Analyzing an individuals isolation from society, having parents with poor parenting skills, and manipulation of character can all have an influence of who we pity. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein she allows us to make our own choices based on details she presents from various characters. Mary Shelley uses the motif of Isolation in exploring the idea of humanity. Both Victor Frankenstein and the Creature suffer from isolation physically and mentally. Shelley emphasizes what the Creature lacks when he says, “ I learned and applied the words, fire, milk, bread, and woods. I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth and his companion had each of them several names, but the old man has only one, which is father. The girl was called sister, or Agatha; and the youth Felix, brother, or son”. (112) Shelley purposefully uses those words because they are exactly the first words a baby would learn, showing that the Creature is similar to a helpless infant. Clearly, Victor Frankenstein is the primary cause of his creature to feel rejected, lonely, and determined to seek revenge. Shelley has the Creature realize the rejection he feels from society when he says, “ I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endowed with a...
Words: 1614 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 1159 - Pages: 5
...What motivates and creates the patchwork of experiences that make up people? In her pinnacle of writing, the gothic horror novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores various themes and motifs among them nature versus nurture. She does so through a man attempting to create life named Victor Frankenstein and the Creature he creates. In Frankenstein, Shelley gives examples of the consequences of a spoiled upbringing, the effect on people of their surroundings, the idea of innate goodness, and the idea that people are blank slates upon which their experiences are etched. In the debate of nature versus nature over why people are good or bad, nurture is by far the more influential. A privileged and unrestrained upbringing by overly indulgent parents...
Words: 985 - Pages: 4
...demonstrated in the comparison of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner? The concerns that composers challenge in their texts not only reflect the ideals and perceptions of their time, but the same issues are also found to transcend through the decades. This has been demonstrated through the comparative study of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s feature film Blade Runner in which their 150 year contextual difference could not create a barrier in exploring related issues. Despite Shelley’s Frankenstein being written in the early 19th century Romantic era, while Blade Runner was created in the period of late 20th century America influenced by Reaganomics, both texts delve into the concerns of the overpowering need for glory, the dichotomy between humanity and monstrosity, and the lack of parental responsibility. Through Frankenstein and Blade Runner, the desire for ultimate success is represented through the pursuit of knowledge and the application of science and technology. The underlying intention behind the project is of utmost importance as there will be dire consequences if the purpose of the creation is of a superficial motive. Through Victor, Shelley has portrayed humans as deeply ambitious yet also deeply flawed. Victor dreams of transforming society and bringing glory to his name through his scientific achievements yet his desire also makes him fallible. In writing Frankenstein, Shelley had challenged the Enlightenment ideal...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...In this section of the novel, the creature learns how to “exist” by observing human beings in the village, such as the De Lacys. After reading Plutarch’s Lives and Sorrows of Werter, the creature begins to understand how human beings act. The De Lacey family is the primary source of how the creature learns normal, everyday human interaction. He learns about the story of Adam and Eve and the story of creation, which gives him insight into his own circumstances.. The creature feels that he has been abandoned by his creator, Victor. At this point in the story, the creature is convinced that all he can feel is pain and misery. This quickly changes once the creature sees the moon in the sky and appreciates the beauty of it, which in turn changes...
Words: 340 - Pages: 2
