Friday, January 31, 2020

Moral Implication of Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Moral Implication of Frankenstein Essay The message, merits, and moral implications of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein have been long debated and discussed. Many recurring themes which are apt to surface in these conversations are those such as the woes of artificial creation and the â€Å"man is not God† argument. These themes have been so thoroughly explored and exploited that this essay could not possibly generate and original thought within the realms covered by these topics. In order to formulate something remotely fresh and at least relatively interesting, this essay seeks to shift the focus to the less explored dilemmas which Shelley may have purposely or subconsciously woven into the classic novel. The very fact that Mary Shelley is a woman casts the already remarkable tale in an entirely new light. To read it objectively is improbable, if not impossible, because stories like this are simply not written by women. As a matter of fact, there are some things—focusing on a thrilling plot for the sake of the thrill, centralizing characters like monsters and ghosts, prominently showcasing a male to male bond—that are seen from female authors so infrequently, the appearance of one or multiple aspects in a story would be a true shock. This is certainly not a knock against female authors! It is not at all an insult, actually. It is simply an analysis of the female niche in literature at a glance. The fact that Shelley annihilated this mold with Frankenstein is a testament to her creativity, uniqueness and skill, setting her apart from all authors, male or female, and elevating her to a position of respect and glory which spans generations and gender. When taking into account the female psychology, attempting to ascertain what a female would consciously or subconsciously attempt to prove with the novel is interesting. While several smaller points are made by Shelley in the text, the most important and overall message of the novel is this: no man or laboratory can replace the natural maternal nature of the human mother. The nurturing provided by a mother is the most necessary and vital experience of a child’s life and directly affects the person he becomes. While this process can be imitated with foster homes, day cares, orphanages and the like, only the direct bond between creator and creation will suffice to produce the best of outcomes. The first step is to show that Shelley intended for Victor to be viewed as a mother to his creation. The point that Victor is not a woman seems to enhance the idea that he is incapable of undertaking the tasks of a primary caregiver. Given Victor’s masculinity, she uses the characters to â€Å"experiment† with a creator-child relationship in the absence of the maternal nature of a woman. To do so she alludes to the strong parallels connecting the relationships. At the end of Volume 1, Victor’s thoughts turn to how he would â€Å"spend each vital drop of blood for [the family’s sake]† (Shelley 90). This quote is a reference to the womb and the â€Å"lifeblood† shared by a family. Each drop of blood circulating in a pregnant woman is shared by the fetus living within her as she literally creates the child in her womb. That blood is then shared by the next infant as mother and children grow together into a family united by this blood. Shelley is showing that just as Victor is bonded to his mother by blood, so too is he bonded with his Monster. This is not the first time Shelley portrays Victor as a motherly figure. In the description of the creation process, Shelley draws connections between it and a pregnancy many times. To begin with, the overall concept of the creation of an infant and the creation of a monster are nearly identical. Victor speaks of the â€Å"power placed within his hands† to â€Å"bestow animation† on â€Å"lifeless matter;† matter which will eventually become an incredible system with innumerable â€Å"intricacies of fibers, muscles, and veins† (Shelley 54). Is this not the same thing that can be said of a mother? For she, too, creates an intricate being from nothing with an â€Å"anxiety which almost amounts to agony† in the pains of pregnancy and labor (58). Having shown that Shelley intended for Victor to play the role of ‘mother’ in her analogy, focus will now shift to the ultimate point of the novel: The nurturing provided by a mother (Victor), is the most necessary and vital experience of a child’s life and directly affects the person he becomes. From the very beginning, Victor shirks the responsibility of nurture and literally runs from it. As the creature awakes he exclaims: â€Å"breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created; I rushed out of the room† (Shelley 58). The Monster then immediately assumes the role of infant in the relationship as Victor says, â€Å"His eyes were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks† (Shelley 59). In the normal human realm this situation would be met with a dozen tear-filled eyes seeking to hold and coddle the creation. Unfortunately for the Monster, no such treatment is offered by Victor. Frankenstein leaves the Monster to fend for himself. The horrible consequences of this lack of nurturing follow with intensity and frequency. This is proven by the rapidly building sense of confusion and loneliness within the monster. Feelings which are only multiplied by society’s general rejection of him. The Monster laments to Victor upon their reunion on these feelings, â€Å"no distinct ideas occupied my mind: all was confused. I felt light, and hunger and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sound rang in my ears and on all sides various scents saluted me† (Shelley 106). The Monster needed a person to provide some context for these sensations, he needed a nurturer to steer him through the difficult path of modern urban existence. He knew essentially nothing and suffered for it. The Monster recalls in a story to Victor his finding of huts, cottages and houses: â€Å"The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country† (Shelley 109). Had Victor been there to guide and coach his creation through life as a mother does for her child, the Monster would have experienced exponentially less pain and suffering, if any at all. It was not just any instruction and care that the Monster desired. He yearned for the specific life-training that can only be offered by one’s creator. Although he learned language, work and more from the cottagers he observed, nothing could replace that which only Victor as the creator could offer. The Monster details this in conversation with Victor, â€Å"Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant† he then complains of other calamities he faced before saying, â€Å"I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me: I tried to dispel them but sorrow only increased with knowledge† (Shelley 123). It was not the â€Å"knowledge† he desired—he was clearly receiving a more than satisfactory education from the cottage dwellers—it was the relationship with his creator that mattered most, from which the knowledge comes as a bi-product. To ask if Victor learns his lesson is not debatable. Shelley gives him a clear second chance to reevaluate his decision and he chooses correctly. The Monster asks, or more so, demands, point blank that Victor create him a counterpart: â€Å"You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede† (Shelley 147). Initially, Victor refuses, even under the threat of torture. Then, with the Monster’s convincing words and pleas for empathy, Victor agreed under the condition that the monster banish himself and his bride to South America. One night, however, in the midst of creating the second being, Victor suddenly came to the realization that the creation of a second female would not necessarily be for the better and â€Å"made a solemn vow in [his] own heart never to resume [his] labors† (Shelley 171). This resolution to not repeat his mistake shows that Victor recognized the error in his first creation. It is not the creation that was the problem. He obviously was more than capable of producing a counterpart for the first Monster, but realized that he could not provide the appropriate nurturing. He understood, finally, the main requirement of creation: the education and nurture of the creature to become what one intended for it to become, in other words, one has to finish the job. Just as with every human birth, one cannot just bring the creature into the world and let it fend for itself. Frankenstein saw the limitations he had as a creator and made the responsible decision to never repeat his mistake. While the original purpose of this essay was to elaborate on Shelley and the ideas she wrote about as a female, the themes of the novel are too universal to be pinned down as something only a female could create. Creation, it turns out, involves two parts: the first is the giving of life, and the second is the nurturing of life. As a female both of these are very prevalent, more so than with males, but this work shows that males are very responsible for creation. Maybe this entire book is a more than simple commentary on the need for males to step up into the second creation role to support their wives, or maybe it is just a good story about a monster and a man. Either way, Shelley produced a novel with incredibly far reaching themes which contains solid, undeniable arguments which were never touched by male authors, thus making Frankenstein one of the greatest novels of all time.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Character Conflicts :: Short Stories Characters Essays

Character Conflicts Throughout many of the short stories that we have read in class, many have had extremely interesting character interactions. These interactions within most of the stories create strong character traits. Also, most of the characters must face a potentially life-changing situation due to the interactions throughout the story. Because of realizations these characters have while exploring their problems, most are able to resolve their conflicts with few regrets and little harm done. Ultimately, whether it is a personal battle or a conflict between two people, the character is usually able to grow stronger and take control of the situation causing the struggle. This allows them to make changes for the better in their life. The Watch is a great example of a story where the character fights an internal conflict, which leaves an extremely difficult decision on his shoulders in the end. As a boy he receives a gold watch for his bar mitzvah, but is forced to give it up when leaving his home that is being terrorized. His family buries their most important possessions in the courtyard behind the house so these items are safe for future recovery as a family. Sadly, the boy loses his entire family in the holocaust, and he describes this when he says, "My teachers, my friends, my guides had all deserted me"(106). Twenty years later he returns to recover the only item left behind from his childhood, the gold watch. The man wants to dig up the watch to help him "exhume not an object but time itself, the soul and memory of that time"(106). I believe this man has an overwhelming sense of loneliness and needs help to remember when his family was there to comfort him in a time of need and sorrow. He starts thinking th at he can tell the watch his problems, and he believes that the watch has "survived for the sole purpose of welcoming [him] on [his] return"(106). The internal conflict comes when he grows angry that he allows himself to return for this prized possession. He feels he stole the watch back, and is "overcome by violent remorse"(107), which I believe is caused by all his family’s items still spread throughout the courtyard. This is like leaving them behind even though they are already gone. He faces his feelings and places the items back into the ground where his rational mind knows it belongs.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

All About Writing Topics Essay

An essay is a short piece of writing on a topic and presents the author’s point of view on the matter. It is a pure non-fiction presentation of the writer’s outlook on the topic that is the focus of the essay.1 An essay should be structured in different sections that make it easy for the readers to read and follow the author’s thoughts clearly. It is composed of the introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs and the summary paragraph. The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay. It brings the main idea of the essay. It captures the interest of the reader and notifies why the topic is important. Another important part of an essay is the main body or the supporting paragraphs. In these paragraphs, the main idea is discussed. The points are cited one by one to develop the main idea of the essay. Aside from the introductory and supporting paragraphs is the summary paragraph which comes at the end of the essay. In this paragraph, all the ideas in the supporting paragraph are explained through a conclusion. By reading this part alone, the reader should be able to understand the whole idea of the essay.2 Since an essay can describe, clarify, argue or analyze, it has different types.3The four major types of essays are narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive essays. In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. When writing this type of essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible. A well-crafted essay builds towards a conclusion or making a personal statement. The second major type on the other hand which is the descriptive essay, paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through the description. This uses colorful words and sensory details. The third type is the expository essay. This essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. Moreover, in this type of essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Lastly is the persuasive essay. While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. In this type of essay, the writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct.4 Despite having many types of essays with various compositions, they have one thing in common. All essays are collection of interesting ideas which are thoroughly organized to assure that readers are able to fully understand the main ideas of the essays. 1 â€Å"What is an essay,† . 2 â€Å"Parts of an Essay,† . 3 Grace Fleming, â€Å"What is an Essay,† . 4 â€Å"Types of Essays: End the Confusion,†.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Memory And Long Term Memory - 1315 Words

Do you know how many types of memory you have? There are many parts of memory, but two specific parts are Short Term Memory (STM), and Long Term Memory (LTM).Understanding and learning about STM and LTM will help you improve your memory. What they are and how they work are the most important thing to know about them. You will find out is how long short term memory lasts and how long, long term memory last. You will also find out are ways to remember things in Short Term Memory so they go into Long Term Memory, examples of those ways, and types of Long Term Memories with definitions and examples. Once you create a memory it has to be stored in your mind, and it doesn’t matter how long it’s in there. It can be in there for a long time or a short amount of time. Short term and long term memory is an essential part of life. It has the capacity to store, hold, organize, and remember past experiences and to learn. It is an important part of one s ability to operate as an obs ervant person. What is short term memory? â€Å"Short term memory is the very shortest time that you keep something in your mind before it either goes away or transfers to Long Term Memory† (â€Å"Types of Memory). How does Short Term Memory work? â€Å"Short Term Memory works like this, after the first flicker of something, whether it being an image, a feeling, or a sound it goes into your STM. In short term memory, after you create a memory it stays there for a certain amount of time, and information that is important,Show MoreRelatedShort Term Memory and Long Term Memory Essays554 Words   |  3 PagesShort Term Memory and Long Term Memory Research evidence, theorys and studies supports the views that suggest long term memory and short term memory are separate stores. Short term memory is a system for storing information for brief periods of time. 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General Chemistry just had a test last week so I am attempting to store new information, specifically from Chapter 10 tilted Chemical Bonding. We have covered bond theories and have worked extensively on the Lewis Dot structure. The Lewis Dot structure represents the boding of valence electrons, we represent this bonding using dot structures. There are different types of chemical bonds that must be repr esented with their very own dot structure. WeRead MoreLong Term Memory Storage System1537 Words   |  7 Pagesreliance on memory. Long-term memory storage system is characterized by long duration, large capacity, and accessibility. â€Å"Over the years, several different types of long-term memory have been distinguished, including explicit and implicit memory, declarative and nondeclarative memory (with further subdivision of declarative memory in episodic and semantic memory.† (Mastin. 1) Long term memory can store an incredible amount of information over an extensive period. Long term memory is everything