...and all its derivations have led to the rise of any number of arguments about why it remains so compelling to so many. The story itself is something from the darker side of the mind, playing into just how terrible a human is capable of being without the restraint of ethics, morals or true human compassion. The monster epitomizes the darkest sides of our nature in his simple lack of morality or concern for human life. Perhaps Frankenstein has remained so popular for the many pieces of human nature that it shows...
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...Elvis Dizdarevic Interpretation of Lit 11/17/2011 Frankenstein: The Pursuit of Dangerous Knowledge By: Elvis Dizdarevic Aristotle once said, “All men by nature desire knowledge” and I tend to agree with him. Every human being strives to be more knowledgeable. It is something we all want. In society, it puts people above one another and gives a certain power to the ones who are intelligent. It is revered to be only a good thing to have and to seek but in some situations pursuing more knowledge is, in fact, dangerous. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, two main characters have this obsessive pursuit of knowledge; Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein. Walton, an Englishman, is on a quest to be the first to reach the North Pole. His story is the frame for Frankenstein and the monster’s stories. He is a determined man who wants to possess a knowledge that no one else has. Walton desires to explore uncharted lands and to discover new particulars unbeknownst to the average man. Victor Frankenstein parallels Walton in his obsessive pursuit of knowledge. Most would say Frankenstein is even more obsessive. Frankenstein is a man who is purely driven to learn more. While attending the University of Ingolstadt, Frankenstein learns all that his professors have to teach him. After mastering the sciences he becomes fascinated with life and its creation. So much that he neglects his family and stays in his apartment for months at a time to research. He believes that there is...
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...“Playing God” is a dangerous accusation toward the scientists and researchers that work for the betterment of humanity through organic replacements and modifications. To really play God, one must undertake deliberate actions to create life or affect the human race in a significant manner that many would consider ethically unacceptable. Today’s medical breakthroughs see unnecessary scrutiny due to the misinformed notion that the creation of life through unnatural means is an act of man playing God. This theme of creating life from other pieces is clearly shown in the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. Also, as seen in cloning, there needs to be a base from another animal or creature. In other words, a scientist cannot make a human or other...
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...Frankenstein as a Gothic Novel Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is considered as a Gothic novel but it can be seen as a compilation of both Gothic and Romantic because of the significance of the sublime. Certain events and settings in the novel present the gothic themes. Shelley uses the different themes in her novel to evoke feelings of horror and terror in the reader. Frankenstein engages in a quest in pushing the realms of science to their limits which leads him to playing god and creating an unnatural being using science. One of the themes Shelley uses in the novel to create the gothic presence is the theme of Forbidden Knowledge. Mary Shelley introduces the ideas that science is capable of being very dangerous and has consequences through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Shelley’s time was described as the age of unprecedented scientific discoveries, which influenced her in writing of Frankenstein. The process of the creation of his creation was influenced by the Italian physician Luigi Galvani who discovered “animal electricity” which manifests with the twitching of nerves and muscles when an electric current is applied. Frankenstein seeks to find “the secrets of heaven and earth” to fulfil his quest. He calls them secrets; he is aware they are not to be known and should not be found. Frankenstein knows that acquiring such knowledge would not be easy as he states “how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge”. Frankenstein is aware of the uneasy task of seeking...
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...Allusions in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Throughout the novel, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, allusions to famous pieces to literature, including parts of mythology and the Bible, are often used to foreshadow events from another story to Frankenstein, and to connect stories for better understanding to what the point of the particular part of the book is. Pieces of literature including Prometheus, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Inferno, the Bible and Paradise Lost are often referred to throughout the book, especially Prometheus, the sub title of the book is The Modern Prometheus, Shelley is obviously alluding to the myth of Prometheus. Shelley would have never put the subtitle of the book as The Modern Prometheus if she didn’t want her audience to consider it while reading Frankenstein. In the myth Prometheus, Prometheus created man out of clay, as well stole fire from the sun, and gave to man. The actions of Prometheus made Zeus very angry, and he was condemned for his said actions, his punishment was to be bound to a rock for eternity while an eagle pecked at his liver. In Frankenstein, no one was condemned to have their liver pecked at, but Frankenstein was condemned by having his whole family murdered by the monster. He wanted to play God, and create something, and just like in Prometheus, a new creation was made, and because someone else wanted to play God, they were punished. On page 45, Shelley clearly alludes to Prometheus with the creation of man by clay...
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...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...
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...Frankenstein and Golem Frankenstein’s theme that man made creations that are created by opposing the Laws of nature are destined to be not accepted and unwanted are stemmed from the many similarities of the Golem of Talmud. Frankenstein’s monster was made in order to provide proof that you could restore life to dead matter so that he could believe he could bring back his mother. The Golem was made in order to protect the Jewish Community from oppressors. However both Frankenstein and the Golem’s creation were seen as unnatural and were shunned. In the Talmud, Shortly after the animation of the Golem (called Adam by his creator) the creator realizes the fact that like Adam(the first human,created from mud.), all golems are created from mud by...
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...the scientist’s intentions of its use. Humanity should fear the power of the creator or the creation’s behavior due to its social, physical, mental and environmental health effects, if it is not used for the better of the community. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly argues that the beast is dangerous because it symbolizes scientific technology; implying that the beast can impose threats to civilization. The author warns, that the beast can form independent consciousness and then turns upon society in an apocalyptic rage. Society becomes afraid of the monster and as a result, rejects it. This fear...
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...Practise #1 You have studied two texts composed at different times. When you compared these texts and their contexts, how was your understanding of each text developed and reshaped? (HSC 2003) Understanding of these two texts may be developed and reshaped with the further analysis into what context and values they both have in common, whether they are contain similarities or differences. Such texts which can be compared is Blade Runner is a film created by Wrigley Scott which was released in 1982, more than a century after the world renowned novel of Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley in 1818. With such concerning issues as technology advances and their impacts on the environment, class structures and the language styles and techniques used to convey these messages. Developing and reshaping a clearer and more concise understanding enhances the ideas and meanings within each text. As the creature from within the novel, Frankenstein, is created from the, what was seen as, advanced technology in a new way of writing and thinking was created for the audience of the 19th century. The ability to create life in a way which was deemed impossible, unrealistic and yet completely compelling to those which were exposed to this style of gothic horror fiction. This reflects on the time period of Mary Shelley although was not a typical way writers were expected to write and to appease their particular audiences. This developed my understanding of the technology and writing styles which became...
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...father and son can be rooted in many different circumstances and causes long-term conflict. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, illustrates the struggle between a father and a son that occurs in all societies and time periods. In the novel, the father-son connection that is most crucial to the theme of the book: the impact of abandonment in a beings life. The relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his metaphorical son, the monster, demonstrates the horrors that come out of selfishness and ignorance in Victor’s disregard of his creation. The violence in Frankenstein stems from the original abandonment...
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...Sunny Ithaca is my home! Atop her stands our seamark, Mount Neriton’s leafy ridges shimmering in the wind.” (Homer 212). Through the acknowledgment of his own flaws and the value of his homeland, Odysseus embodies the theme of human vulnerability and resilience. In this moment of triumph, Odysseus breaks the stereotype of his mortal limitations and embraces his humanity, reaffirming the universal truth of the human condition and fulfilling his hamartia. Through Odysseus's journey, Homer offers a timeless reminder of the inherent vulnerability of human nature and the universal struggle to reconcile our aspirations with our mortality. Through the trials faced by the protagonist, the Epic of Gilgamesh explores the complexities of human vulnerability, the consequences of unchecked ambition, and the transformative power of redemption. During his tyrannical rule of Uruk, Gilgamesh is narrated to walk “around in the enclosure of Uruk, like a wild bull he makes himself...
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...Aymee Gonzalez Professor Susan Malmo HUM205 23 July 2016 Major Filmmaker and Major Works: Name of Filmmaker and Works Mel Brooks Biographical Information Brooks was born Melvin James Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York. His father's family were Jews from Danzig, Germany (present-day Gdańsk, Poland); his mother's family were Jews from Kyiv, in the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine). He had three older brothers: Irving, Lenny, and Bernie. Brooks' father died of kidney disease at 34 when Brooks was two years old.He has said of his father's death, "there's an outrage there. I may be angry at God, or at the world, for that. And I'm sure a lot of my comedy is based on anger and hostility. Growing up in Williamsburg, I learned to clothe it in comedy to spare myself problems—like a punch in the face." In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, Brooks started working in various Borscht Belt resorts and nightclubs in the Catskill Mountains as a drummer and pianist. Around this time, he changed his professional name to "Mel Brooks" (from his mother's maiden name Brookman) after being confused with the Borscht Belt trumpet player Max Kaminsky. After a regular comic at one of the nightclubs was too sick to perform one night, Brooks started working as a stand-up comic, telling jokes and doing movie-star impressions. He also began acting in summer stock in Red Bank, New Jersey, and did some radio work....
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...” Almodóvar ’s 2001, La piel que habito, received mixed reviews from Spanish critics, one favourably calling it an “irracionalidad transcendida” whereas Spanish film critic Carlos Boyero called it a “notable idiotez”. However, most critics agree that this film merits a second viewing in order to appreciate the rich texture of the film, in which a lonely and haunted plastic surgeon (Banderas) becomes dangerously entangled with his personal experiment, Vicente, or “Vera” (Anaya) whom he believed had assaulted his mentally ill daughter, provoking her suicide. The film is the director’s first exploration of science fiction, containing an amalgamation of themes concerning gender and sexuality identity, whilst at the same time exploring the prison house of the self. In this essay I will discuss the ways in which these main themes are manifested in the plot and cinematography, their effect and finally the way in which Spanish critics have received Almodóvar’s latest work. Entrapment, or, the prison house of the self, is the confinement that all Almodóvar’s characters in Piel are subjected to in some form or another. It is through this mental and in Vera’s case, physical, confinement that tension is cleverly built up in the first half of the film, showing Almodóvar’s ability to manipulate the viewers until revealing the film’s twist. The opening shot is of a sleepy Toledo, in which the looming presence of “El Cigarral” can be seen...
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...Ambition a passion that never fails you and will never let you fail it, and this is why it will ultimately cause the downfall of the individual. In the novel Frankenstein and in the Play Macbeth, ambition is the main theme in these two pieces. Both Victor and Macbeth had great dreams of accomplishing certain things that defy a higher order. Ambition drove both of them to strive for what they want and never give up on their dreams. Ambition without doubt help or even single handling brought Macbeth and Victor to their dreams. Ambition is the best quality that a person can have, it allowed Victor and Macbeth to achieve what they always wanted. Whatever can bring you to the top, also has the power to make you fall harder then you fell before, being overly ambitious can also destroy a person and people that surrounds this individual. Victor and Macbeth succeeded in accomplishing their deepest desire but this does not mean they have succeeded in achieving happiness. Everyone dreams about achieving goals and dreams in life that is nearly impossible to grasp due to certain circumstances. Why do some individuals still try in chasing their dreams even though they know that the chances of succeeding are very slim? In the novel Frankenstein and the play Macbeth, Victor and Macbeth had dreams of achieving goals that defy a high order which promises server consequences. Victor and Macbeth are examples of the individual that were driven by ambition, this ambition was so strong and relentless...
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...Steve Vai From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve Vai SteveVai 2.jpg Steve Vai in 2007 Background information Birth name Steven Siro Vai Born June 6, 1960 (age 53) Carle Place, New York, United States Genres Instrumental rock, Hard rock, Heavy metal, Progressive rock, Progressive metal, Experimental rock & Speed Metal Instruments Guitar, Keyboards, vocals Years active 1980–present Labels Favored Nations, Relativity, Urantia Records, Akashic Records, Epic Associated acts Joe Satriani, Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Zappa plays Zappa, Devin Townsend, Billy Sheehan, G3 Website www.vai.com Notable instruments Ibanez JEM Ibanez Universe Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer of Italian origin who has sold over 15 million albums. After starting his career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai recorded and toured in Zappa's band for two years, from 1980 to 1982. He began a solo career in 1983, has released eight solo albums and won three Grammy Awards. He has also recorded and toured with Public Image Ltd., Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. Vai has been a regular touring member of the G3 Concert Tour which began in 1995. In 1999 Vai started his own record label Favored Nations, intending to showcase as he describes, "...artists that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments."[1] Contents [hide] 1 Biography ...
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