Sujata, Macy, Peter, Theresa, and Chelsea

 

 

Frankenstein- Mary W. Shelley

Assignment for April 1-2

 

 

What is the main character in your book like? Describe him using words and phrases from the book. Record them here along with page numbers.

 

 Frankenstein:

"It was my temper to avoid a crowd and to attach myself fervently to a few. I was indifferent, therefore, to my schoolfellows in general; but I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them." (pg.29)

 

"My temper was sometimes voilent, and my passions vehement, but by some law in my temperature they were turned not towards childish pursuits, but to an eager desire to learn all things indiscriminately." (pg. 30)

 

"He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence." (pg. 22)

 

"Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I percieved I had become; the energy of my purpose alone sustained me: my labors would soon end, and I believed that exercise and amusement would then drive away incipient disease; and I promised myself both of these when my creation was complete." (pg. 45)

 

R. Walton:

"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been." (pg.23)

 

 

What important thoughts and feelings does the character have? Use words and phrases from the book in your answer. Record them here along with page numbers.

 

 "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." (pg.43)

 

"I knew well, therefore, what would be my father's feelings; but I could not tear my thoughts from my employment, loathsome in itself, but which had taken an irresistable hold of my imagination." (pg. 45) 

 

“Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived that I had become..”(pg. 45)

 

At this point in the book, how does the main character define who he is? Part of the idea of alienation and isolation comes as people struggle to find their identity. Find several quotes from the novel that illustrate this struggle for identity. List the quotes (with page numbers) and explain how they show this struggle.

 

Robert Walton:

"I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object which I now feel as a most sever evil. I have no friend,  Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection." (pg.13)

 

“My life might have been passed in ease and luxury; but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path.”(pg. 11)  

Frankenstein:

"Mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now a hell to me." (pg. 48)

 

“..I find it arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but, swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys.” (pg. 31)

 

 

Lightning Presentation

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UNTITLED per 4.PPTX 

 

 

 

 

Assignments: Due 04/11/08

 

"Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificient, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle, and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike." (pg. 101)

 

The above passage refers to the feelings that monster had when Felix was reading a book to his lover, Safie. While Felix was teaching her about literature, monster seized the opportunity to learn from him. He listens to his narrative and makes his own interpretations about man. He thought them so peculiar. At some point they can be so kind and at another very voilent. I could connect his feelings to the later events in this part. When he was watching over the cottagers, he learned a lot about thier nature. Also, their admiration for each other inspired him to make a move to being finally accepted by someone. When he goes there, he finds out they were very brutal, unlike anything he had imagined them to be. They treated him just like any other people did to him before. The "godlike" people he perceived them to be appeared to have evil prinicple within. That was a great turning point for the monster because he stopped having faith on people that he will be accepted. More than that, they didn't even give him any chance. His looks was the only signal they needed to hate him. This treatment made him hate his creator even more for not doing the duty of a creator. The passage above goes beyond the story because it's human nature. The good and evil are humane qualities. One moment, they appear to be the kindest creature and another they are voilent.

 

By Sujata, per 4.

 

"I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be  the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of this opinion. For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator torwards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness." (p. 85)

 

This passage shows Victor's inital feelings torwards the being. He is very curious as to why the monster is chasing him and is determinded to find out who killed his brother. Victor was looking for an answer out of the monster either confirming that he did kill the brother or that he didn't. Victor is also very curious as to why the monster is following him around. In this passage, Victor begins to gain some feeling of responsiblitly for the monster and decides that he at least better give him the oppurtunity to speak before he pounces upon him with questions. He feels that its his duty to give him that oppurtunity, having abandoned him in the first place. Victor also claims he feels compassion for the being because it is quite obvious that he has had a hard time.

 

Macy, Per. 4

 

 

 

"My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them," (pg.110)

 

This passage shows how confused the monster is at what he is, who he is, and where he came from, and where he was going. He knows absolutely nothing about himself. Victor played god and created life out of death, and once he realized what he had done, abandoned the creature to which he had brought to this world, and left him to fend for himself. The only thing the monster knew about himself was that he was hideous and gigantic. For someone to know only how scary their appearance is, leaves alot of room for reasons they think that they were abandoned. Did the monster think that he was just too ugly to be wanted? Did he think that he wasn't good enough for Victor? All of these confused emotions play a part in the monster's feelings of just being wanted and loved by someone, being taught by someone, and not being abandoned by his creator. Fortunately the monster was able to survive on his own for two years, and teach himself things along the way to help him live, but he still was confused at why the person who created him, didn't want him. I can understand how the monster would feel this way. If someone didn't want him, they should not have created him in the first place. I think the monster feels anger towards Victor because he didn't ask to be created, it was Victor's choice to create him. In this aspect, Victor should have been prepared to take responsibility for his actions and take care of his creation that he was so ambitious about.

 

Chelsea, Period 4

 

"Mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of dissapointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!" (pg.48)

 

This passage shows Victor realizing what he had done after creating the monster. What he had wanted to do so badly and for so long he had finally done, and then all of the sudden no longer wanted it anymore? I think that Victor thought he would be happy when he accomplished this dream of his, that when he realized how scared he actually was, he regreted it. Victor realizes that he has taken things too far. No one should "play god" for the fact that things like this happen. He created a hideous monster who was much larger than he was, and was terrified. When Victor said that "I felt the bitterness of dissapointment," I think he was saying that he didn't realize that creating life out of death would turn out the way it did. I think he was dissapointed in the way he felt after doing it, and I think he felt dissapointed in himself for actually doing the experiment in the first place. What he wanted for so long had become "a hell to me" so quickly, the only thing he knew how to do was abandon the creature. He was too scared to take care of it, or even know what to do with it for that matter, so not dealing with it seemed like the easier choice for him. Was he a coward for doing this ? At first I thought that abandoning the monster was Victor showing coward like behaivor, but then I put myself in his shoes, and I think that if I were in a situation like that, my first thought would be just to get away from the monster I had created. I think it was wrong for Victor to leave the monster to fend for himself in the woods for two years, not knowing a single thing about life. He should have taken the monster under his wing, and taught him what he knew about life. We all make mistakes, however Victor could have avoided all of this by not taking his science and love for learning too far, and crossing the line of what humans should do, and what a higher power should do.

 

Chelsea Period 4

 

"The being finished speaking, and fixed his looks upon me in the expectation of a reply. But I was bewildered, perplexed, and unable to arrange my ideas sufficiently to understand the full extent of his proposition." (pg. 125)

 

This passage shows that Victor is unable to comprehend all the information that the monster has just shared with him. Up until his encounter with him, Victor thought that the monster was uncivilized, not capable of understanding the human psyche. But the monster spent many long months wandering the countryside and came across these people in a cottage. By studying them he learned how people interact with one another and their emotions. But when he tried to interact with them, all they saw was his hideous exterior and fear took over. This event made the monster realize that he could never fit in with humans, so he proposes that Frankenstein makes a companion for him. To Frankenstein, this proposition goes against his vow of never repeating his mistake again. So now he must decide whether he should grant his creation's wish and create another abomination or to refuse and suffer the monster's wrath. Even though the monster has caused Victor to feel so much pain through his actions and Victor now has a sort of vendetta against him, he still realizes that the monster is like him in some ways and that his promise of going to the jungles of South America to live the rest of his life there would lift some of the guilt and despair that hangs over Victor.

 

Peter per.4