Connections in Literature By Grace Becker

As we continue to read different novels throughout this class, I am constantly realizing how many of these books relate. For example, in Beowulf and in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the two creatures in these novels both have different point of views. Grendel, the evil, monstrous demon in Beowulf, has a different point of view than that of what others see him as. In the novel Grendel, by John Gardner, the reader sees a different point of view from Grendel that shows a much softer side to him that changes how you interpret his character. This also relates to Frankenstein's monster. When the point of view changes to his, we learn how his up bringing caused him to become an evil monster and that he was not created this way. It is very interesting how these two novels relate and that the little details in them allow for readers to connect the stories to each other. These two monsters coincide because they both represent the real stories of the monsters that many do not understand. This can also lead to the idea that both monsters are looked at as more evil than they truly were set out to be.

Common Misconceptions

By Caitlin Scarpa

Throughout life, people are told many of these different stories and “facts” about life, and these few things are usually just accepted by all of humanity even if no one really knows why.  These are things like “don't swim after you eat,” or “gum takes 7 years to digest.”  These are usually just old wives tales, but many people seem to believe these as rock hard truth.

One of the most common misconceptions is that “Frankenstein is the Monster.” When someone says “Frankenstein” most people picture the giant green guy with bolts in his neck and greasy black hair.  In the original story of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is in fact the Doctor, not the monster.  Dr. Frankenstein is the creator of the monster, and the monster is never said to have a name itself.  

Another misconception comes from the phrase “Blind as a bat.”  From this phrase many people believe that all bats are naturally blind, this also may be from the fact that bats use echolocation to find food and other bats.  There are about 1,240 different species of bats and out of all of these, none of them are blind.  

As seen in numerous cartoons and movies, it is commonly believed that bulls hate the color red and will charge at anything with that color.  Bulls do not hate the color red, this is common myth because of bullfighting where matadors use small red capes to anger the bull.  Ever since the red capes became tradition it helped to fuel the rumor that Bulls will charge at anything red.

The human brain, as believed by many, can only use up to 10% of its total capability.  This tale is in fact very false.  This myth is most likely believed by many because of numerous different shows, movies and other media that talk about this myth like it is truth.  Humans can actually use 100% of their brain.  

Everyone knows the 5 senses, sight, taste, touch, sound, and sent. These are taught to everyone at a very young age. But, those are only the most prominent ones.  There are actually as many as 21 different senses that humans have, such as itch, thirst, hunger, time, proprioception and many more.  

It is commonly believed that if people go out into space without a spacesuit then they will explode, but this is in fact false.  When people are exposed to the vacuum of space they will bloat a bit from the lack of pressure and lose consciousness, but they will not actually pop like a balloon.  It is also believed that you’d freeze if exposed to space without a suit, but it is actually the opposite.  When exposed to the environment of space you would actually overheat because your body doesn’t have anything to transfer its heat to.

Work cited

"10 Common Misconceptions About Space." Listverse. N.p., 21 June 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

"Does the color red really make bulls angry?" Discovery. N.p., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

"How Many Senses Do You Really Have?" Mercola.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

"Neuroscience For Kids." Neuroscience For Kids - 10% of the Brain Myth. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 2017.

Who Frankenstein's Monster Really Is

Evan Silberstein

Who Frankenstein's Monster Really Is

                                                                 

During our classes reading of Frankenstein, I wanted to find out more on what influenced Mary Shelley to write a gothic novella way before its time. In my research, I found something truly fascinating about what gave Mary Shelley her idea. Most people have thought her novella were influenced from her life, but not directly taken from life events. However, I found that not only is this book written from actual events in her life, but that the monster is a person from her family. Frankenstein's monster is Fanny Imlay, Mary Shelly's sister.

Fanny was born a misfit. In her own wording she says, "a being whose birth was unfortunate". Doesn't that sound a lot like the monster? Also, Fanny was rejected by her father, someone always being favored over her. This is just like how Victor rejected his creation. During her teen years, she had scars on her face from smallpox and everyone thought she was hideous for that, exactly like how the monster was thought to be hideous. Towards the end of her life, Fanny sadly became suicidal and ended up taking her own life. On her suicide note, she tore off her own name. This could be way Mary Shelly never gave the monster its own name. 

Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein, as a reminder of her sister. Someone who was rejected at birth by her father, rejected by society due to her scars, and finally taking her own life. It is impossible to ignore the parallel's between Fanny Imlay and the monster. Therefore, it is safe to say that the monster in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is Fanny.

Victor Frankenstein: To Blame Or Not To Blame by: Matt Dumbroff

Victor Frankenstein: To Blame or Not to Blame

Today in class we briefly discussed the topic of who is to blame for the actions of the demon Victor Frankenstein erected, and I would like to expand upon this topic. The class was just about split 50-50 on the matter of who was to blame, however I point the finger of guilt at Victor Frankenstein rather than the demon he bestowed life upon. Due to the fact Victor Frankenstein was the one who gave life to the creature he is viewed as almost a father.  One of the first claims mentioned was that when a child commits a crime the blame falls mainly on the child rather than the parent. This claim however is invalid because the demon is like a newborn child, and one doesn't get mad at a month old baby for crying throughout an entire mass at church, but rather one gets mad at the parents for not bringing the child outside and waiting with them. The same concept applies to the example that you don't get mad at a new puppy for peeing inside the house, it comes down to the the fact that they simply do not know any better. The question presents itself,  "well why don't they know these basic things?", and this is where the blame falls on the creators of the being. Victor Frankenstein knowingly abandoned a creature which he bestowed life upon, aware of the fact that it knew literally nothing about society, but this didn't stop the insane scientist from casting his creation out into a vulnerable world. It was due to a lack of guidance that the demon was led to commit petty crimes, thus the person at fault for these wrongdoings is not the "demon" but rather the creator- Victor Frankenstein. While there are many different ways to look at this, so many so that there could be an entire debate over the matter, I believe that the true villain in this story is Victor Frankenstein.

Below is the link to an article further discussing who the real villain is in the story Frankenstein
http://5wfantasyfiction.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/2011/10/12/who-is-the-real-villain/

Scientific Advancement - Joseph Dempsey

        While the novel Frankenstein may be fiction, the theme "scientific advancement isn't always good" holds true in real life. For example, new forms of communication such as social media and text messaging have been under development over the past many years. However, while the intentions behind these innovations may have been positive, they can have had some negative side effects.
        Next time you are in a public place such as a waiting room at a doctor's office look around. Most people will have their faces buried in their phones. The time those people spend on their phones they could be spending have actual human interaction by conversing with each other. The rise of new forms of technology has caused people to lose the ability to interact with each other in the real world.
         But is this even relevant anymore? The answer to that is yes. Being able to talk face to face and even give a proper handshake is a very important skill to have. While applying for a job, you are most likely to have a face-to-face interview. If your potential employer sees you do not have adequate social skills, you may be less likely to get the job than someone who does have proper social skills.
          Furthermore, text messages can easily be misconstrued due to the lack of verbal expression and visual cues. So many times I will text my Dad and he will just respond with "Ok." Whenever he texts this I get so frustrated because there is no way for me to tell if he is mad at me or in a perfectly good mood.
           So what am I saying? I am not saying we should get rid of all forms of electronic communication, because there are also benefits. For example, communication is much faster than it used to be. What I am saying is that new forms of communication should be used in moderation. If one can find a balance between the use of technology to communicate and communicating in real life, they may be much more successful.

          

Unknown Truths About Frankenstein by Grace Becker

By Grace Becker

Many people know of Frankenstein as the green, horrific monster that was scientifically brought back to life. However, they are mistaken. Just recently when I began to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I had figured out that Victor Frankenstein is actually the scientist who created this monster! Little did I know, there are many more things I didn't know about when it comes to not only the monster, but the author Mary Shelley as well. Something I found very interesting about the creation of this book was that it was written as a competition to see who could write the scariest ghost story. Due to the fact that Mary Shelley went through many tragedies in her lifetime, this also contributed to the gothic aspect of the story, making the story much more creepy. I also found it very interesting how at first this book was hated by many people. Apparently, critics very much disliked the idea of this book, whereas now it is read by so many and is known for it's creepy, yet suspenseful plot. Overall the suspense of this novel makes it very interesting to me because it continues to make me want to keep reading!

"The Evolution of Frankenstein's Monster" by Liz Ukstins

The Evolution of Frankenstein's Monster in Pictures by Liz Ukstins

 Original Portrayal of the Monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 

An Early Twentieth Century Portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster

A Mid 20th Century Version of the monster known as "Frankenstein", contrary to the original story.

A Late 20th Century Version of Frankenstein

The Monster in the 2015 film, Victor Frankenstein

The evolution of Frankenstein's monster has been plentiful since the original story published. The first visual portrayal of the Monster is much like the Frankenstein we see on Halloween or on TV- shows that parody the original piece. The monster has stitches, bolts in his neck, and very pale skin. The early 20th century version of the Monster, just as the first portrayal, is similar to what we imagine as "Frankenstein". The mid-20th century rendition of the Monster, now in color, is slightly different than the two previous versions of the monster. He appears more human-like because of the colored skin. This version was one of the first times that Frankenstein's Monster was being referred to just as Frankenstein. The Late-20th century version of the Monster has demonic qualities and visually, does not share many aspects with the first three depictions. The last, and most recent interpretation of the Monster stayed true to the book, refusing to call the monster "Frankenstein". Though he has more humanistic qualities than the original portrayal, he still appears to be man-made just as Mary Shelley intended.

Frankenstein by Rachel Raffino

Frankenstein

The new book we are starting in English is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The following post will be all about the background of Frankenstein.

Shelley was born on August 30th, 1797 in London England. In 1816 she married Percy Bysshe Shelley, and shortly after wrote her most famous novel Frankenstein also known as The Modern Prometheus. The idea of writing Frankenstein started when her and a small group of friends read ghost stories on a rainy day, and wanted to try handwriting their own books. Since then Frankenstein has been adapted into films, tv shows, and children's books and even halloween costumes. The story of Frankenstein has even inspired real life procedures, like the head transplant we will be discussing in class.

Everyone knows the basis of the story; the scientist named Frankenstein creates a monster made from the body parts of dead people, and when the monster comes alive, Frankenstein get scared and runs away. Only to go back to the laboratory to find the monster has fled. The story is told mostly through the perspective of Mr. Frankenstein. A few other characters by the names of Frankenstein (the monster), Dr. Henry Clerval, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Captain Walton.

Today, there are many new versions of Frankenstein such as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and The Curse of Frankenstein, and many more. One famous quote in this book spoken by Frankenstein states “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.” This is just the start of Frankenstein's fascination and lust for exploration of strange experiments.   

Hopefully this book will interest us, and spark lots of discussion in our classes yet to come.