FRANKENSTEIN+UNWRAPPED

=Mr. Miller's English 10 Lit Circles Wiki=

Kelsey, Lindsay, Stephanie, James, & Matt
February 26 blog: One of the themes that I chose from the book so far is Isolation. This theme is shown in many parts of the book, but one quote about Isolation stands out. This quote is said by Victor when he is explaining the feelings he is having after creating the life that he’s been so deeply engaged in. It says, “The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for a sole purpose of infusing life into and inanimate bod everyone around him." The part of the quote that I think shows a little bit of perseverance is when he says, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and ...horror filled my heart.” This shows that at one time, before actually creating his life, he had such a passion to create something so extravagant with his own hands. This shows his perseverance in the book, and his reaction after the creature was created. -Lindsay = =

Perserverance
> Search for Identity > Isolation Victor, while creating his human being, isolates himself from friends and family members. He becomes obsessed with gain knowledge to create life, that he forgets about people around him. For example, he says, "I have lately been so deeply engaged in one occupation that I have not allowed myself sufficient rest..." (49).
 * 1) In the beginning of Chapter 2, going into chapter 3, Victor shows a want to gain knowledge; but he doesn't want to gain modern knowledge. He wants to understand "the secrets of heaven and earth (30)."
 * 2) "I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. (47)"


 * Note from Mr. Miller: As I stated earlier, there is a start here from this group but essentially it is being done by only two members. We are halfway through the book, and other members need to step up and do their share. One of the major expectations for English 11 honors is working independently, but so far that hasn't been entirely evident from everyone here.**

 Feb.13th blog posting- There are many themes that have been shown throughout this story, but the one that I feel is the most prominent to the reader now is fear. I know that many who are reading this book think that perseverance is the main theme that is shown, but this is one of the larger themes that I see merging into the climax of the story. I believe that without Victor’s perseverance, he would not have experienced the fear that he is experiencing now. In other words, because Victor had such perseverance to gain power to create life on his own, and he succeeded, fear was the result of his endurance and perseverance. For example, there are two predominant conflicts that have risen in the story so far. First, Victor’s father writes a letter to Victor telling him that his brother William was murdered. Right away Victor believes that the life he created was responsible for William’s death. Victor then starts to blame himself for his brother’s murder. A second conflict which arises in the story is when Victor actually speaks to his creation. Victor shows anger towards him and wants to kill what he has created. Fear becomes the result of these conflicts. The author uses different ways to bring about conflicts that do not seem predictable. These two conflicts can say a lot about people in general. One, being a human, it is only natural to want to go beyond what we are capable of doing; however, we sometimes do not realize the consequences of our actions. Two, we can sometimes be so into our own lives that we forget about other peoples’ lives and our own families. -Lindsay Lindsay, I like your ideas here. You seem to be stretching for something beyond the surface. You correctly point out some examples where Shelley shows contrasting ideals or concepts to illustrate the larger theme - perseverance v. obsession, the power of life and death. A few questions to continue to prod your thinking: Why do you think Victor experiences such fear? What is he realizing is the consequence of his actions? Do you think Shelley is making a case for more human responsibility for our power over our environment and world? - Mr. Miller
 * Big question from Mr. Miller: How responsible is Victor for the actions of his creation? Is his creation an extension of himself, considering he conceived it?**


 * __//BLOG #1//__**

The theme that I feel is mostly shown in //Frankenstein// so far is perseverance. This is because throughout the first chapters, the man that is rescued begins to tell the reader that he is beginning to take an interest in ancient philosophy. He strives to understand the words and ideas of certain ancient philosophers'. One day when he became familiar with the works of Cornelius Agrippa, he was thrilled to notify his father. However, he did not recieve the answer he wanted to hear. His father immediately said, "Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash." (31). After this, the man did not ignore his imagination, but instead he kept reading. By doing this, he shows perseverance to learn many new things. He seems to be an intellectual person, because he is very open to broad ideas that were never questioning or fascinating to others.
 * One of //Frankenstein// 's themes:**

Lindsay

I agree with Lindsay that the theme mostly shown in //Frankenstein// is perserverance. I didn't think about this theme when it came to Victor, and I think that that's a good point about perserverance, too. Even though everyone, like his father and his professor at school, told him that his beliefs were untrue, he still continued to believe them for a little bit. He also still continued to keep reading, showing a will for learning, as Lindsay said. I also think that Walton demonstrates perserverance, too, on his voyage to the North Pole. Why would he be doing it if he didn't have perserverance in him. It take a huge amount to travel to a place that you've never been before without even a reason for doing it except the want of greatness. Although there are other themes demonstrated in the book so far, it is right, in my opinion, to say that perserverance is the one that is most shown.


 * Another One of __//Frankenstein's//__ Themes:**

"But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend Margaret... I desire the company of a man who will sympathise with me; whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me as romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend. (p.4 / Letter II) "

This preceding quote reveals the theme of isolation as seen in the book, Frankenstein. The passage was written by Mr. Walton in the second letter to his close sister, Margaret. At this point in the story, Robert had just recently embarked upon a seafaring, scientific journey to the north pole. It seems that the elements of loneliness and isolation have begun to take their toll on Walton. There is only so long that a man can live without communication. Considering how you and I constantly possess it, we tend to take it for granted. Imagine a world without words, without friends, and without expression. This is the world Walton has created for himself on his scientific expedition. Also in his second letter, Robert says, "when I am glowing in the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate in my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection." I personally believe that this sentence portrays Walton's true feeling of desperation and isolation. Not only does he need a friend for support, but Walton needs a friend to disagree with.

Matthew.

I agree with my other two group mates that perseverance and isolation are two of the major themes that are shown in Frankenstein. However, I believe that the theme of family is shown as well. You can definitely see this from the very beginning of the book, where Walton writes a number of letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. In these letter, he assures her, again and again, that he will do anything in his power to make sure he gets home to see her. This shows that he cares about her greatly and shows the theme of family. Another theme showed in Frankenstein is loneliness. It is expressed while Walton is writing the letters to his sister. He expresses that he has longed for someone to share his thoughts with on this journey. He says how he has never had someone that he can really call a friend. But when the ship Walton is captaining picks up a man on his own journey, Frankenstein, Walton now seems to think that he has found a friend to share his thoughts and excitement with,
 * __//Frankenstein's//__ Themes:**

James

__//**BLOG #2**//__

I definitively agree with Matt, when he says that Victor's "lack of" family will affect his journey. It seems to me that because he has been away from his family for so long, he forgets about them, and just puts his occupation first. What he doesn't realize is that his "thirst for knowledge" is becoming not so insightful or interesting anymore. I highlighted many important quotes and passages in the story that I felt were significant to the theme of the story. However, I do not have my book with me as I am writing this, so I will do my best to summarize my two chosen passages. The first quote that I thought stood out was when Victor says something like, "The accidents of life are not so changeable than the feelings of nature." (Either in Chapters 6-9). I feel that this quote means that you can control your feelings about something, however, you cannot change the past; what's done is done. I think that Frankenstein felt this guilt/remorse after he created his creature. He feels guilty about letting his occupation and thirst for knowledge take over him. Another passage that I highlighted said something like, "...and I know your happiness will be from the prospect of your union..." (Said by Victor's mother before she died). At first, I did not quite understand what Victor's mom was saying, but I asked some of my group members, and they seemed to think that the mother expected their happiness to come from some sort of marriage; maybe between family members...

Lindsay

I almost forgot...When talking with the group members today, many of them said that they think Victor is in love with Elizabeth, his adopted cousin. They believe this because in one part of the story, when Victor finds out she is going to become a member of his family, he mentions a lot that "she is mine". Also, in another part of the story, Victor mentions a dream that he had about his "lips touching Elizabeth's". We questioned this, because we didn't know why Victor would say something like that about his own cousin.

Linds

My classmates posted several interesting and thought-provoking blogs over the past few weeks. It seems that students perpetually mention how Victor's family will play a large role in __Frankenstein__ 's plot. I strongly disagree with this prediction. In my opinion, Victor's family will not affect his journey throughout this book - his "lack of" family will. When he left his hometown of Ingolstadt for schooling, Victor was very much attached to his friends and family. Before he departed, his father said to him, "I know that while you are pleased with yourself, you will think of us with affection, and we shall hear regularly from you." As Victor reached the climax of his studies and began to scheme his plans for creating a man, he gradually lost interest in anything and everything else. He ignored the sights, the sounds, and the feelings which he had once enjoyed. He also lost interest in his family. I personally believe that Victor's neglect of family is the cause for his unfortunate obsession, depression, and even his insomnia.

Matthew.

__//**BLOG #3**//__

My post-its were marked relatively early in the novel, Frankenstein. They were also written in the form of a question so that I could easily discuss each with my group members and classmates. My first post-it asks, "By what does the narrator mean when he states, "It was thus that I was to be taught to associate evil with ther prosecution, happiness with their disregard? (placed on page 33)" After reading more of the book, I believe that I have come up with a sensible explanation for this quote. At this point in the story, Victor was just beginning to abandon the philosophical and religious explanations of life for the scientific occurences of the human body. Essentially, he was discovering the delicacy of the body and mind. I believe that this quote marked his realization of the preceding things and what how he was going to act towards them. My second post-it asks, "I wonder whether or not the death of the narrator's mother had anything to do with Victor's upcoming "dark times (placed on page 36)." Victor, himself, describes his future hard times as "great and unparalled." Personally, I do not believe that his mother's death was directly related to these "dark times." However, I do think that the death of Victor's mother indirectly affected his future. When she died, a small portion of Victor's sociable personality withered away. Perhaps, Victor's obsession with creating life was even influenced by her tragic death. In my opinion, I believe that Victor was trying to prolong life so that he would not have had to endure the hardships of losing a mother.

Matthew.

One of my post-its was very interesting to me. It really got me thinking and also got me a little confused. It was on page 47, the entire first paragraph, "IT WAS ON a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplisment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was alreadt one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimer 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". This paragraph tells the reader that Dr. Frankenstein has completed his task that took him so long. He created life. The quote that got me confused was on page 51. It starts, "I stepped fearfully.....down to Clerval" I thought this was a very perplexing paragraph. This was confusing mostly because of the fact that he worked so hard to complete his goal. He commited literally all of his time to create this monster and he considers himself happy that the mosnter has run away from his workplace. I just find this wierd that he wouldn't want anyone to know the masterpiece he created.

James :-O

 In response to James's blog entry I also thought at first that it was a little off for him not to be more happy about it and maybe even making it public. I think that if someone were to succeed with such an expirament as to give life to something that they would want to be well known for it. But then as I was starting to think about it I think that Frankenstein realized that creating his monster was not something to be congratulated for. He knew that once the monster was given life that he had made a mistake, and that he would be responsible for whatever the monster's actions were. Brandon Period 1


 * __//BLOG #4//__**

Several "man versus society" conflicts arise in the novel, Frankenstein. These particular conflicts can reveal to the reader much about the theme of the book, isolation. Early in the book, Victor became so wrapped up in his attempt at creating man, that he completely banished himself from family and friends. After the extended period of time in which he had shunned himself from society, Victor eventually gained back his sanity (with the aid of Clerval)and communicated with outside people. Victor's family, whom he had not spoken to for 6 years, hesitantly welcomed him back into the family. Although Victor was enthusiastic about his own return, the tone and enthusiasm in his parents' and siblings' voices expressed contrary feelings. As much as each member of Victor's family yearned to hear back from him, their thoughts and affection towards him had been naturally altered. They did not view him as the same young man who had left home for his opportune studies. The interactions between Victor and his family had lost their glow of youthful innocence and flare of compassion. Essentially, as the lack of communication worsened, the wall between Victor and his family grew taller and more impenetrable. This example from the novel reveals the effects of isolation as seen through a conflict between "man and society." Matthew.


 * Nice job here, Matt, with some insightful comments. Just a follow up question, how else is Victor going against society by doing what he's doing? And by extension (you may not be able to answer right away) how does his monster similarly go against society? - Mr. Miller**

 There are many themes that have been shown throughout this story, but the one that I feel is the most prominent to the reader now is fear. I know that many who are reading this book think that perseverance is the main theme that is shown, but this is one of the larger themes that I see merging into the climax of the story. I believe that without Victor’s perseverance, he would not have experienced the fear that he is experiencing now. In other words, because Victor had such perseverance to gain power to create life on his own, and he succeeded, fear was the result of his endurance and perseverance. For example, there are two predominant conflicts that have risen in the story so far. First, Victor’s father writes a letter to Victor telling him that his brother William was murdered. Right away Victor believes that the life he created was responsible for William’s death. Victor then starts to blame himself for his brother’s murder. A second conflict which arises in the story is when Victor actually speaks to his creation. Victor shows anger towards him and wants to kill what he has created. Fear becomes the result of these conflicts. The author uses different ways to bring about conflicts that do not seem predictable. These two conflicts can say a lot about people in general. One, being a human, it is only natural to want to go beyond what we are capable of doing; however, we sometimes do not realize the consequences of our actions. Two, we can sometimes be so into our own lives that we forget about other peoples’ lives and our own families.

-Lindsay

 Lindsay, I like your ideas here. You seem to be stretching for something beyond the surface. You correctly point out some examples where Shelley shows contrasting ideals or concepts to illustrate the larger theme - perseverance v. obsession, the power of life and death. A few questions to continue to prod your thinking: Why do you think Victor experiences such fear? What is he realizing is the consequence of his actions? Do you think Shelley is making a case for more human responsibility for our power over our environment and world? - Mr. Miller

I agree with Lindsay about the fact that fear is the most recurring theme in the book. I believe that fear shows up in a lot in Frankenstein. It shows up in the eginnign when Robert Walton talks about his journey in the letters to his sister. He fears that if he does not succeed there is a chance he will never return to his home and never see his family again. ANd yet another part of the book that brings up the theme of fear is from Dr. Frankenstein. I believe that this is true in all human beings; if you are taking on such a huge challenge, like creating life, it is almost impossible to fear failure. What if Frankenstein had failed in creating his monster? What would be left of him? He dedicated everything he had to the creation of this monster and he had to once question if he was going to be successful in this or not. Also, another time in the story that fear was expressed was when the monster was finally created. After he was created Dr. Frankenstein got very frightened that the monster was going to attack him. And Dr. F was again in fear when he first thought that the murder of William was caused byt he monster he created. Fear is definitely one of the most recurring themes in the book Frankestein.

-James S.

 BLOG #5

One of the themes that I chose from the book so far is Isolation. This theme is shown in many parts of the book, but one quote about Isolation stands out. This quote is said by Victor when he is explaining the feelings he is having after creating the life that he’s been so deeply engaged in. It says, “The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for a sole purpose of infusing life into and inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health.......but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” (47). I know that this quote isn’t quite from the second section of the book, but it was the quote that I felt brought out the theme of isolation, and even perseverance. I fell this way because when Victor says the first sentence of this quote, he shows that he realizes he cannot erase what has already been done. He portrays that his feelings toward his creation cannot be changed, due to this “accident of life”. He then explains what he had engaged himself in for so long, and says that he had “deprived himself of rest and health”, which shows that he was isolating himself from the real world. He got so caught up in this occupation to create life, that he isolates himself from everything and everyone around him. The part of the quote that I think shows a little bit of perseverance is when he says, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and ...horror filled my heart.” This shows that at one time, before actually creating his life, he had such a passion to create something so extravagant with his own hands. This shows his perseverance in the book, and his reaction after the creature was created.

-Lindsay

"My heart beat quick; this was the hour and moment of trial which would decide my hopes and realise my fears. The servants were gone to a neighbouring fair. All was silent in and around the cottage; it was an excellent opportunity; yet, when I proceeded to execute my plan, my limbs failed me and I sank into the ground." (p.113)

The theme that was revealed through this passage and that has already been discussed on this "wiki" page is fear. In a sense, the amazing feeling of suspense that drives this book's plot and keeps the reader "on the edge" is all a bi-product of this theme. Victor’s trepidation towards the monster he created, the monster’s uneasiness towards Victor, and the mutual angst that is present between Victor’s creation and all of mankind are all perfect examples of fear and how it had developed throughout this novel. The passage above is quoted by Frankenstein’s monster as he was retelling the encounter between himself and the blind “De Lacey.” Victor’s monster revealed his fear through his heart’s quick beat and his collapse onto the ground.

Matthew

 BLOG #6

I believe that the "search of infinite knowledge" was a broad idea which should have been discussed in this wiki. It seems that Victor has a sort of addiction to this thirst for endless information. Throughout Victor's several relapses to and from his states of sanity and insanity, he seemed to ignore what it was that was causing him grief and suffering - his overwhelming devotion to the sciences. Despite this, Victor barreled on like an incessant gambler. While finishing up the end of this book, I also noticed a correlation between Victor's life story and Walton's quest for the North Pole. Obviously, by testing the limits of their interests, they both encountered hardships along the way (Victor's insanity and the boat's ice-bound position). Surprisingly enough, Victor AND Walton never attained the knowledge or reached the heights in which they were hoping for.

Matthew

While finishing the book, I realized that there was a strong connection of the same thoughts expressed between Frankenstein and his creation. I feel that this shows the ideas of “finding yourself” and also a “thirst for knowledge”. Throughout the last part of this book, although they may not see it, Frankenstein and his creation seem to be much alike. For example, while telling his tale, Frankenstein’s creation said to him, “Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it...I wish sometimes to shake off all thought and feeling...” (102). The feelings that Frankenstein’s creation is describing relates to what he himself was feeling as he was fulfilling his task of creating life. The knowledge which he (Frankenstein) was acquiring was “taking over” his person and his life. When Frankenstein’s creation started to gain knowledge, he started to feel like it was “taking over” him too. Once he learned something new, it would “cling” to his mind, leading him to even more ideas and opportunities.

-Lindsay.

Perseverance I believe is one of the stronger themes portray in the novel. As matt had said either Victor or Walton were able to obtain their goal to it’s fullest but they still had the perseverance to keep going even in the toughest conditions physically or mentally. Victor’s creature was very persistent in the middle sections of the book for finding is own companions, but when that showed no sign of hope he continued in his quest for an excepting partner by asking Victor for the help of his services. When Victor is in Scotland and leaves his friend so he can genuinely dedicate his time to the creation of a new monster “Having parted from my friend, I determined to visit some remote spot of Scotland, and finish my work in solitude.” Victor was not only persistent in creating the originally creature and ultimately give life, but now he his persistence has changed he wants to live a life of solitude and with the burden of the monster ever near, he was persistent in finding peace in a long time of misery. Kelsey.

=== Make this a heading for summaries of what was discussed on discussion days=== === Make this a heading for An ongoing list of questions/reactions/responses related to the daily reading=== === Make this a heading for evidence from text that is related to various themes in the book===
 * __Ideal Discussion Criteria__** -

Make this a heading for list of vocabulary words from the book
anatomise - to examine internally (chapter 2) hitherto - until now; previously (chapter 3) irksome - annoying (chapter 4) unbounded - immense; neverending (chapter 5) perversity - an occurence (chapter 6) dirge - a sad song; usually at a funeral (chapter 7) consolation - comfort (chapter 8) sublime - marvelous and grand (chapter 9) equitable - fair or impartial (chapter 10) pensive - reflective or thoughtful (chapter 11)