Frankenstein

"The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense." -The back of the book

One of my first blogs for this novel discussed how I disagreed with the "horror" and "suspense" description of the novel. Towards the beginning it really starts off slow with little suspense and action. I was especially disappointed with the creation scene. I must say that I owe Mary Shelley much more credit than I had expected. The novel took a complete turn-around and surprised me. The fact that we, as the audience, got to hear the monster's side of the story really makes it that much better. I had so much more sympathy for him after hearing the REAL side of the story, poor thing :( I must say I am pleasantly surprised with the way the story went and I would definitely read it again.

Victor's Insanity..Once Again..

"As I looked on him, his countenance expressed the utmost extent of malice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged." -pg 121

I completely disagree with everything Victor has done throughout the novel. First of all, he has created a monster without first thinking about all the bad consequences that can occur. Second, he abandoned his own creature and rejected it. Essentially, he was the one who drove the creature to commit murder due to his abandonment. Thirdly, correlating with the passage above, Victor decides to ignore the creation's request for a female companion. DUMB! All the creature wants and needs is to not be so isolated and alone. All he would have to do is to befriend him and apologize for the abandonment, not go pyscho AGAIN.

Sympathy??

"I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces, and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pities me?" pg 104

POOR MONSTER! :( My classmates may disagree with me, but I have the most sympathy for the poor being that is constantly and cruelly referred to as "the monster." He was created and then abandoned. So what if he had deformities? There are pleny of people in society with such problems that should not be outcast. In the passage above, the creation lays it all out on the line for Victor. He had done NO HARM to any being until he was rejected for the third time. He finally snapped. This type of lonliness and isolation is certainly enough to make someone go mad. Its only fair for Victor to make him a companion, or make him feel welcomed and apart of his family. I think if he was loved and not outcast, he is essentially a whole-hearted being that is capable of human interaction and emotion.

Benevolence and Irony

"This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone...Inflamed by pain I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. But the agony of my wound overcame me.." pg 101

The whole first half of the novel had a central theme of kindness. All the main characters were described as being benevolent and gentle beings. The irony comes in when the monster is first rejected. He is simply rejected due to his deformed appearance - no one even takes the time to listen or to get to know him. In my opinion, this is a complete LACK of benevolence.. and it just seems to keep happening (the family, the young girl, and William). It seems extremely ironic that these people, and mankind in general, are apparently kind and genuine but then they turn around and treat someone who is different the exact opposite. It reminds me of all the prejudices we have in our world today. Everyone claims to be a good person, but most have underlying and unnecessary feelings of hatred.

Diction of the Monster

"My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehend and could imitate almost every word that was spoken." -pg 84

When the monster first started telling of how he learned to speak the human language, I noticed specific words and passages that showed his drastic improvement. When humans learn to speak (as babies) it takes YEARS to perfect speech and vocabulary, but it took the monster barely a year to communicate. Of course it is a fictional story, but I think the rapid development of the monster had to be placed in the story in order for the plot to unfold. The diction of the monster in the passage above illustrates the high level of vocabulary that he has acquired. Words such as "boast", "conversed", and "comprehend" are all words that a first-grader would not know...let alone a creation only a year old. The diction the monster expresses throughout the novel continues to show his development and shows his great ability to learn and acquire knowledge.

Frame Story

The novel Frankenstein has many stories within stories. There are three different instances where the narrator switches and is now another character. Robert Walton begins with letters to his sister, and his most recent letter is him telling her of his meeting with Victor Frankenstein. In the letter, in the meeting between Walton and victor, Victor tells Walton of his unfortunate story. The entire rest of the novel consists of Victor's story, but switches half way through to differnt narration and more letters from Elizabeth and Alphonse (Victor's father). In my opinion, the constant switching progresses the story much faster. With three different narrators, the audience is allowed to hear multiple voices and opinions throughout the story. It gives a more round realization of what exactly is occuring.

The Creation Scene

"It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs." -pg 35

The whole creation lf the monster scene greatly disappointed me. Of course we all have our own misconceptions about the story of Frankenstein, but I expected a little more drama than that. At least a little more description of the "traumatic" event. There is a description of the novel on the back of the book, and "few creatures of horror" and "suspense" is used to describe the story line. Needless to say, I was rather upset with the infamous creation scene. He didn't even say "IT'S ALIIIIVEEEEE!" and the monster is not green..?? Hopefully there is real "horror" and "suspense" to come in the next half of the novel.

Internal Conflict - Victor

"But in reality I was very ill; and surely nothing but the unbounded and unremitting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life.." pg 39

Victor Frankenstien illustrates the very definition of internal conflict. It is evident that he had an obsession with his science and philosophy studies due the utter construction of the monster. We can make the second observation of his obsession by the fact that he does not even write to his family. He is so possessed by his experiment and his work that he neglects everything else that's usually important to him. After he creates the monster, he is incredibly terrified of him. He is scared of the thing HE created himself. - but I think he is more afraid of the fact that he had the ability to create such a thing. The passage above shows how ill it made him, and how much it tortured him. Victor struggled with the thought of the monster for weeks after it has already run away, as if he has an internal feeling somethig more was going to happen.

Parallelism --- Walton and Victor

"My affection for the guest increases every day." -Walton pg 11
"My family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.." -Victor pg 14
"I love you tenderly. Remember me with affection, should you never hear from me again" -Walton pg 6
"No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me - my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only." -Victor 18
"A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility." -Victor pg 34
"I cannot describe to you my sensations on the near prospect of my undertaking..It is impossible to communicate to you a conception of the trembling sensation.." -Walton pg 6

These passages above are only a few excerpts that illustrate parallelism between Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein. The first, above the surface, connection can be made based on the great tenderness and love the two show for their "sisters." This similarity may be one to simply connect the two as friends, showing how they are both loving, family-oriented beings. Another connection can be made based on the complete obsession the two show. Both of these men are working towards an almost impossible goal of exploration and discovery. In the quotes above each man recognizes that they are being so consumed by their goals, but they do nothing to reverse their fate. In my opinion, Shelley uses parallelisms between these two main characters to allow the themes of benevolence (kind and sympathetic in social interaction with others) to shine through. The two are able to sympathize greatly with one another because they have similar situations.

Theme of JEALOUSY

"..but on Myrtle's face it seemed purposeless and inexplicable until I realized that her eyes, wide with jealous terror, were fixed not on Tom, but on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife." pg 125

The scene where the "crew" stops in at Wilson's garage brings about a recurring theme of jealousy. Nick, Jordan, Jay, Tom, Daisy, Myrtle, and Wilson all have a tangled web full of love and lust. It seems so simple and easy to love and long for a person, but especially familiar to be jealous of another who is doing the same thing. This aspect of the novel really helps the audience to relate to its meanings. Everyone goes through this kind of thing, especially teenagers. The group of characters in "The Great Gatsby" remind me of being in high school...everyone is fair game and anything goes.

Nick & Jordan

I have personally been wondering about the fact between Nick and Jordan and their relationship. Little is said of them, they both speak little and do not seem to play an important role in the heat of the action. They both act as witnesses to the madness; Nick recounts the story for the audience in his eyes. I'm curious as to why F. Scott Fitzgerald made Nick the narrator if he was not a major part in the theme and plot. Also, I wonder why neither of the two have elaborate backgrounds or characterization. Of course we are told a few things, but nothing near to what we know about Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. I just find it interesting that the narrator of the story has little description and little role.

Internal Conflict - Daisy

"She hesitated. Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she realized she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late." pg 132

Daisy gives signs of great ambiguity throughout the entire novel. In the beginning, she seems content with her life with Tom. Even though he has a mistress, she is well-off with all the wealth she could ever want. I believe she constantly struggled with the idea to stay and be well-off with him, or to leave him. Her courage came when she met (re-met) Jay Gatsby and remembered her great love for him. But, in the passage above, Daisy makes the decision to stay with her husband and be loyal to him. It can be easily interpreted that she is unhappy and unsure of her decision and her current situation. These constant thoughts illustrate an internal conflict inside her..Gatsby or Tom?!?!?

Tom - Dynamic Character

"In a little while I heard a low husky sob, and saw that the tears were overflowing down his face. The God dammned coward, he whimpered. He didn't even stop his car." pg 141

A dynamic character is one who changes in some way due to the story's action. This definition fits Tom's characteristics perfectly. Before the incident between Gatsby and Daisy and Myrtle's death, he was a gruff, arrogant, selfish man. He didn't care about anyone at all but himself. I think that when he found out about Daisy and Gatsby's relationship, he realized how much he actually really loved his wife. Then, like it is shown in the excerpt above, he felt complete sympathy for Wilson after the incident with Myrtle. He actually broke down and cried, something that was completely unexpected considering his mannerisms in the first half of the novel.

Gatsby --- Irony

"Was Daisy driving?....Yes, but of course I'll say I was. You see, when we left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive - " pg 143

There are many ironies throughout the novel that lead up to the one big one that illustrates the overall theme. One irony is that Wilson wants a car from Tom, a "relation" to his wife. Their relationship shows irony because its as if Tom is repaying him for letting him "use" his wife - although Wilson does not know about the situation. The main irony is the excerpt above. Daisy is forced to deal with knowing of Tom's mistress, so she loves Gatsby. Once Tom finds out, he is ironically angry even though he is cheating too. Their confrontation causes Daisy's "panic" so she drives in order to calm herself down. The root of the irony lies in the fact that Daisy was the person driving the car that hit Myrtle. The wife hit the husband's mistress..unknowingly of course.

Myrtle = Spoiled Brat!

"I want to get one of those dogs," she said earnestly, "I want to get one for the apartment. They're so nice to have - a dog." pg 27

Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress, is a spoiled little brat. She doesn't love her husband because he is a "nobody" mechanic. Of course she "loves" Tom Buchanan because of his wealthy and high up social status! The passage above illustrates her begging him to buy her a dog for their apartment, and of course she gets what she wants. Their relationship, besides the sketchy fact that they are both married, is a classic example of a gold digger. Myrtle wants to be with wealthy Tom, but I still cannot fathom why Tom would rather be with her than with his genuine, loving wife Daisy. These people in this time period have got it alllll wrong.

The Great Gatsby - Tone

"A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell." (pg 55) AND "..when the dark lanes of the forties were five deep with throbbing taxicabs, bound for the theatre district, I felt a sinking in my heart...Imagining that I, too, was hurrying toward gayety and sharing their intimate excitement, I wished them well." (pg 57)

These two excerpts, one about Nick and one about Gatsby, both show a tone of lonliness or isolation. The first is a time when one of Gatsby's parties is coming to an end and all his guests are leaving. It is easy to think that Mr. Jay Gatsby has it all, wealthiest man in East Egg with extravagant parties that are constantly a huge hit. But, this is clearly not the case. This is a classic example of the lonely rich man with no one by his side all the time. Family, nor a mistress or wife, is ever mentioned in his context. F. Scott Fitzgerald is illustrating Gatsby's lonliness and isolation in this excerpt. The second passage is of the same theme, but about Nick. Nick is watching all the young couples doing "coupley" things together in the city. Nick is simply longing for a companion, similar to Gatsby's loneliess as well.

Gatsby vs. Tom Buchanan?

"They shook hands breifly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarassment came over Gatsby's face...I turned to Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there." pg 74

The above excerpt describes the event in which Nick sees Tom Buchanan at the same resturant that him and Gatsby are dining at. It really struck me when the "Great" Gatsby, so genuine and level-headed, gets nervous around Tom. At first I wondered if Gatsby was simply jealous of his demeanor or if they had a past run across with each other. Then, I remembered the point in the story where Meyer Wolfsheim tells Nick of Gatsby's "very careful" attitude about women, and that "he would never so much as look at his friend's wife." Considering the reoccurring theme of mistress' and strianed relationships, I believe Gatsby has some sort of history with Daisy Buchanan. If not history, then he lusts or longs for her. Why else would he be nervous around Tom Buchanan? In my opinion, this situation is foreshawdowing an event to come later in the novel between Daisy and Gatsby.

Tom and Gatsby - Foil Characters

"Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face.. His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed." (pg 7) AND "His acqauintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomsoever he knew." (pg 24)

Both of these passages describe Tom's mannerisms. In the first, he is being compared to most wealthy men who arrogantly believe they dominate everyone. The second, Tom out and about with his mistress, shows his disloyalness to his wife. It also suggests that he does nothing at all to hide his "cheating" and shows his mistress off for everyone to see as if he can get away with anything he wants due to his high social status.

"He smiled understandingly - much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life." (pg 48)

This passage, as well as the one on my first blog post about Gatsby's genuine loyalness to his friends, show Gatsby's character as complete opposite of Tom's. Although just as wealthy as Tom, Gatsby does not flaunt his money as a means for social acceptance or gratitude. Also unlike Tom, he is down to earth and has his head on straight. Gatsby's genuine attitude toward everyone makes him so well loved and prominent, not his money or parties.

The Great Gatsby - Theme

"She had a fight with a man who says he's her husband," explained a girl at my elbow. I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husband." pg 51

In the beginning of the novel, we see the conflict between Daisy and her husband, Tom, because of his mistress. Although in our world today it's greatly looked down upon, the people in this day in age seem to care less. The passage above occurs during one of Gatsby's great parties, where all the men and women are quarreling with one another. It is the second occurance where conflict between husband and wife arises. These two specific events in the novel illustrate the strain on relationships during these times, but also shows that there is more social acceptance of this occurring then.

"Yeah." He flipped up his sleeves under his coat. "Gatsby's very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friend's wife." pg 72

This excerpt from Meyer Wolfsheim also contributes to the constant theme of relationships and mistress' in this time period. Gatsby's outlook on the matter is more similar to the social acceptance today than back then. It may foreshadow an event to come between Gatsby and another's wife.

Question #3 (Death of a Salesman)

The three major characters in the play are Willy (the salesman and father) and Happy and Biff (Willy's two sons). The play is mainly about the struggle between Willy and his son Biff's relationship. This assumption makes Willy the protagonist and Biff the antagonist. The story outlines their rocky relationship from the very beginning when it was healthy, to its downfall (when Biff finds out about Willy's affair), and the way it has changed over the years because of this incident. The play also brings about an internal conflict within Willy and his business. Linda, Biff, and Happy are simply characters who are affected by this dramatic change in Willy due to his internal conflict. I believe Happy and Biff are foil characters. Biff was the macho older brother with a huge future ahead of him, while Happy was living in his brother's shadow following in his footsteps. As the two grow up, Biff struggles with knowing about his father's affair, while Happy has no idea as to why Biff and Willy don't get along.

Question #1 (Death of a Salesman)

In my opinion, the play uses very realistic conventions to convey its overall theme and message. The way Willy treats Biff and Happy in the past, when they were in high school, is how any dad who is proud of his sons would act. It is a common scene seen among many teen boys (especially athletes) and their "star" sons. Willy tells them that he is "well-liked" in New England where he does his sales, which makes it sound like business is thriving. The boys, being young and oblivious, love the fact that there father is successful and really look up to him in that aspect. I think the most realistic scene in the play is Biff's conversion when he finds out the truth about his father. When he finds that his father has been having an affair, he loses all respect and trust for him. Similar to many of us, when we find out a negative thing about our role models we completely change the way we look at them. This one thing caused a total 180 degree turn of Biff and Willy's relationship.

Question #1

In my opinion, the play employs both realistic AND nonrealistic conventions. The characters, the setting, and the situation has both elements within some depth of them. During class discussion, many people said that Amanda's controlling attitude and actions was nonrealistic, but I would have to disagree. Aren't most mothers controlling? In my experience, my mother acts very similar to Amanda. Always nagging and complaing about what needs to be done, and how it should be done right, and blah blah blah. For me, it seems like a commmon occurrence. I think the most nonrealistic part of the play is the fact that Laura still treasures her glass doll set. A teenage girl, almost a woman, would not be spending her time playing with glass people. She should be out being a social butterfly like a young girl should be.

Emilia

Emilia is my absolute favorite character in this play. She does not act like the typical ladies are supposed to act in these olden times. In the beginning, we are introduced to Emilia as being a quiet woman, who attempts to win over her husband's approval. Iago has nothing good to say about her and she has no rebuttal. Throughout the play, she continues to stick my Desdemona's side, while still being loyal to her husband. In my opinion, this shows her dynamic character. In Act 5 when the entire plan is revealed to the cast, she completely stands up for her friend one hundred percent. She blows up on Iago, telling him how evil he is and cursing him to hell. I think this dramatic turn around of Emilia's character shows how women can and will stand up for themselves.

Question #4

Shakespeare has written "Othello" by making every separate act a different aspect of Iago's masterful, evil plan. It is written so that Iago doesn't reveal his complete and total plan right away. He reveals his motivations, but not his plan. The fact that Iago's plan slowly plays out from act to act, ensures that dramatic suspense is created. Also, it is a tragedy. In most of Shakespeare's tragedies, people are dropping like flies all throughtout from beginning to end. As "Othello" drags on, the audience is constantly wondering when someone is going to die. In my opinion, it makes the story much easier and enjoyable to read. The longer it takes for major action to occur, the more and more the audience expects it, the more and more they want to get to the end to find out the outcome.

Question #1

In my personal opinion, the play is one of the more realistic Shakespeare tragedies that I have read. All the themes directly relate to the emotions that every normal person experiences in our world today. Jealousy and envy are the two biggest themes. Iago envies Othello and Cassio, so he makes Othello jealous..which in turn makes him go crazy. These emotions are especially realistic for high school students. I am positive each of us have had doubts about our boyfriends or girlfriends being faithful. I am also correct in assuming that each one of us has envied another for what they posess, like a high office, fame, or money. All of these aspects of the play relate to how each of us feel at one time or another. It is extremely realistic and easy to relate to.

Brabantio vs. Othello

In the beginning, I was surprised at the situation between Brabantio and Othello. I understand that any father would be upset and angry if their daughter ran away and got married without telling anyone or getting permission. But, I thought Othello was the famous protector of the city of Venice? In those times, it seems as though one would be proud and happy if their daughter married the great hero. Everyone seems so power hungry, it's although it would be an honorable thing. Another aspect that I am confused about is Othello's nationality. The background information states that he is of African heritage. My misunderstanding is why he was made "hero" of the city, and how he got that noble position. Especially is those days, the separation between ethnicity was great.. so why is an African protecting the city of Venice?

Question #3

The main protagonist of the play is Othello, which he would be considered to be the "hero" as well. The main antagonist of the play is Iago, Othello's ensign, who is jealous that Othello did not make him his first lieutenant. Iago is the one who is evilly plotting against Othello and his own city. In my opinion, I think Iago and Cassio are foil characters. Cassio plegdes all of his loyalty to Othello, while Iago goes behind his back and plots against him. Some important minor characters in the play are the Duke, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Brabantio. Each of these characters play a significant role. The Duke plays the peacemaker between the minor conflict between Othello and Brabantio, and Roderigo is the "side-kick" for evil Iago.

Question #2

Othello is a tragedy. A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. In my opinion, some points of the play reflect the aspects of a tragedy but some do not. Although I have not reached the end of the play, I do not think Othello has a tragic flaw that most heroes posess in tragedies. One of the aspects that do contribute to the type of play is that of evil Iago. Iago plots against the hero throughout the entire play, which would reflect the "conflict with some overpowering force." I believe that Iago's plan will also cause complete destruction to the city of Venice and it's people. All of these characteristics of tragedies are important for the audience to be aware of. It is essential to know the tragic flaw or the overpowering conflict to understand the themes of the tragedy.