English 1102

In the film version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Kenneth Branaugh’s film adaptation was an interesting compilation of the events in the book and an imaginative exaggeration at times. The majority of the movie tended to stick closely to the plot of Shelley’s novel, but there are some points at which the two diverge.

One major difference was the amount of time spent on the actual creation of the monster. This pointed itself out to me because of the emphasis made in our class discussion about the incredible lack of words used to describe Frankenstein’s creation of the monster, yet Branaugh’s extensive time, character’s energy, and detail spent on making sure that everything was done correctly and with dramatic over-exaggeration to ensure the viewer an up-close and personal experience. Although its creation was rather lengthy, the monster stayed close to that of the novel, and his emotions are well captured by the director of the film.

The characters were well dressed (dramatic at times – when Victor’s shirt is torn apart from working so diligently on his creation, just before he succeeds) and the make-up for the monster helped to create the feeling of not being completely human, but at the same time the details in Shelley’s novel were much more horrifying because it left the precise picture up to the imagination, which has absolutely no boundaries to work within. This is something that has always bothered me about movies being created after books – it is extremely difficult to accept a set and props as reality of a tale after you have worked for hours upon hours to construct the perfect place, characters, and props in your head (call me a nerd now!). It wasn’t difficult to see that the creation in the movie wasn’t a human character, but the detailed character I had created in my head while I read the novel was hard to beat.

Another difference were the events found in the film that were not included in Shelley’s novel, such as the death of Frankenstein’s mother by childbirth, but these events didn’t change the overall effect of the movie. Branaugh’s outlook was the same as Shelley’s in that they are both emphasizing (to different degrees) the horrific outcomes of a situation in which technology or scientific advancement is being challenged without moral backing. This is obviously the very point of the novel, and if that basic point were changed, they wouldn’t have called the film Frankenstein.

To me, in my experience, poetry is the purest emotional text. There could be books written about love and emotions, but I think that poetry has an elloquence, which novels lack, and that uncanny ability to speak from the poet's heart into that of the reader. Poetry can come in a multitude of forms, but every form is full of connoatations, sounds, rhyme and other devices that make poetry such an independent form of literature.

The poetry that we have been reading lately has been all from the Romantic era, and this is especially focused on the emotional side of life and the expression of the "deeper" meanings of subjects, as well as encouraging the relationship between the reader and their "emotional" or "spiritual" beings.

This is obvious in Kubla Khan with Coleridge's spiritual trip to Paradise, or in his adventures as told by the elderly wedding guest in his poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Poetry is the overwhelming expression of powerful emotions represented by the poet through words, sounds, and the devices I talked about earlier. I think poetry has the ability to share with others the innermost feelings of the poet and help to act as guidance for the reader in times of confusion or uncertainty.

Through poetry, genius has been shared and enlightenment has been allowed to occur. Some of the lines I have enjoyed the most this term have been the two following by John Keats:

"beauty is truth, truth beauty/ that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know"

"a thing of beauty is a joy forever"

Tonight I saw Maya Angelou speak and her impact on my mindset and outlook towards work both for school and for others was challenged and she has truly acted as a composer of this aspect of my life.

Through her story, which included songs, poetry, and comic interventions during the serious parts, I was completely intrigued. From her story of when she was raped at the age of 7, to the story of how she learned her multiplication tables, I was never disinterested. She spoke about being a composer of another's life and how important it is to be conscious of the effect we have over others, even when they aren't our close friends. I thought of the impact that the poets and authors whom we have read this term are having an impact on us, and they have been deceased for centuries. I think it is incredible that someone who lived so long ago can have this kind of impact on generations later, and I believe that this should encourage everyone not only to impact future generations, but also focus on those around us presently.

This called to mind my younger sisters and friends who I have an impact upon, but because of the constant contact I have with them, I sometimes forget this impact. Maya brought this thought to the front of my mind and through her speech and the authors, especially the poets, we have covered this semester have helped me to further question aspects of my life, from academics to the spiritual side of life, in a way that I never thought possible by someone I had never met before.

One of the major issues with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that I think is especially pertinent to Tech students is the idea of the irresponsibility that technology can cause if not contained and all cautions taken into consideration before creation. Clearly, Shelley is trying to make the point that there is no one that should be in control of the creation of life, or destruction for that case, other than the Creator. When cloning, space travel, and industry were just beginning (the book was written during the Industrial Revolution), there was little thought put into the outcome of these advances, but with time and the uncovering of the truth of the situation there were concerns and debates about ethics and morality. This is just what Shelley was trying to create – debate and suspicion about the current situation of scientific advancements and the moral consequences. I think this debate is such a sticky topic because the possibilities of issues that could be brought up, especially the thought that if you created something (i.e. birthed a child), then you have the right to destroy it. This is an extremely horrible viewpoint, in my opinion. I think that if the proper cautions were taken beforehand, then the issue of destruction of the monstrosity wouldn’t exist.

Hindsight is 20/20.

After reading Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, or Kubla Khan, or a Vision in a Dream. A Fragment, I have realized more about Coleridge and the Romantic poets. Their thoughts obscured by drugs or not, have the adventurous and creative aspect that makes this period so unique. Kubla Khan is a blatant hallucination, but the history of this poem was what truly interested me. Even though I have heard that alcohol and drugs help to release inhibitions for authors, Hemingway’s alcoholism comes to mind, but I think that this opium induced hallucination is particularly interesting because it is genius, and was done literally without thinking. In my mind, this just makes Coleridge’s talent more obvious, which is strange. I liked the interesting descriptions of the colorful place where Coleridge is, and throughout the poem there is the use of the first person, which is strange. Another interesting thought I had about the poem was the intensity of the reality of this hallucination. Some critics speculate that Coleridge attained his state of paradise during this trip, and I think that is interesting because when he was tripping out of his mind and completely in his “element”, which was poetry, he was in paradise. I think this just goes to show that he was obsessed with his talent, and in fact was a brilliant poet regardless of the fact that he abused opium and laudanum throughout his life, especially when trying to become creative for his poems that dealt with the spiritual aspects of life.

Whatever works.

Since the first time that I read Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” in ninth grade, it has spoken to me personally and that is why I chose it for this poetry assignment. Although the entire poem is rather lengthy, there are many important themes, thought provoking stanzas, and an overall important message that can be translated on a plethora of levels. Even though Coleridge didn’t write this piece on a purposely religious level, it is near impossible to overlook the multitude of Judeo-Christian archetypes. After studying Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” I have discovered both the existence of new theories, as well as my own personal interpretation of the piece.
After re-reading this piece many times, I have personally elaborated upon the theories of interpretations I learned both recently though research and those taught to me when I first studied this piece as a freshman in high school. The 4 stanzas that I chose as my focal point for this assignment concentrate on the idea of living with nature and not trying to control and master nature; this is a major theme of the poem and is characterized by the death of the Albatross by the Ancient Mariner and also the natural and spiritual connection that is respected and practiced by the Hermit, who is introduced later in the piece. I chose the final stanzas because they not only conclude the themes and lessons which Coleridge touched upon in the previous seven parts of the poem, but also includes religious symbolism, warnings to all readers, and concludes the change that the Ancient Mariner had undergone as a result of his experience with the Albatross and his life-changing adventure, with which he captures the wedding guest’s undivided attention. The first connection I found when I read the poem was the uncanny similarity the death of the Albatross’ death resembled to the Taoist belief in Karma. Although I was raised Catholic, I have always had a firm belief in Karma and its power over my fate, and I interpreted this poem in this manner. When the Ancient Mariner shot and killed the Albatross, the bird of good omen, his adventure was immediately turned upon its side, first with the death of his crew and then continuing with the horrible weather that he had to endure. The only time that his fate changed was when he changed his outlook and wore the Albatross around his neck, just as Jesus Christ had to carry his own cross, which alludes to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. The thoughts that are included in my chosen stanzas include the lesson that: “He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small; / For the dear God who loveth us, / He made and loveth all.” This refers to the Hermit, who has moved away from society and dedicated his life to humble prayer and living in concurrence with his natural state. This stanza points out the major theme and lesson of the poem, which is that if you respect nature and God’s creations, then good karma will return in your direction and it will respect you. This is relative to the times and can be seen even today in the constant destruction of our natural state of being, including the destruction of the ozone layer, global warming, or in the constant removal of our deteriorating rain forests. Likewise, whenever we preserve nature or make a conscious effort to stay away from destruction, we are improving the natural karma for future generations. I think that this poem is full of interesting, thought-provoking themes, which are obvious to me because of my Catholic background and education, although Coleridge didn’t consciously mean to include them in his piece.

When reading and talking about Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women" in class and then thinking about her throughout my day, I was confronted with the reality that there will always be the double standard and the ever-present issues with gender equality in our society. This angers me for a plethora of reasons. Although she admits the physical superiority of men, she stands up for the rights of her fellow woman and encourages them to step up and educate themselves and to become independent women. This mindset is one that I strongly believe in and think should be spread throughout the minds of my friends and sisters. I think that women today sometimes underestimate their ability to stand up and walk away from situations in which they find themselves against the odds. This is seen in Pride and Prejudice with Charlotte's marriage into a "comfortable situation", instead of going for happiness and protecting her dignity.

Mary Wollstonecraft's idea that rational men should understand her thesis was interesting because that just proves that if there are men who understand that women SHOULD have the rights they do, then that means they have been immorally keeping women from becoming their equals for many years, which is just not nice. I think that Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas were "before her time" because of the society she lived in, but I respect her and other revolutionaries like her because of this fact alone.

GIRL POWER!

All week this week i have been thinking about Charlotte married Mr. Collins because she wanted to have a secure marriage and not have to worry about finances down the road, and I was wondering if I would do the same thing to secure my life financially. I dont think that I could sacrafice my happiness or mental stability in marriage, especially if the groom was Mr. Collins. I think that even though we have talked about it alot in class, I couldn't deal with that decision. As i was watching Desperate Housewives this week (which is one of my favorites - who doesnt love suburban drama?!) the concluding thoughts said that there is really no perfect couple and if you look at every single relationship there is always some sort of drama in the past or present that keeps each and every relationship from being perfect, and i automatically thought of Charlotte's situation. I think that there is always going to be something "wrong" with whoever you are attracted to, but I couldn't ever marry someone that I felt absolutely nothing for. I think that would just be too strange and I would rather be attracted to my husband than be financially sound, but lonely and terribly unhappy. If any of my friends or younger sisters thought that money was more important, I would definetly call them out on it, but it would be interesting to hear their side of the argument. there is another quote that i just thought of, and it goes like this : "the only people who dont worry about money, are the ones with endless amounts of it". but nonetheless i think if i dont ever have to worry about this problem, i could count myself as one of the luckiest people around.


To each his own.

This week when we started reading, I began to write down quotes that I thought were pertenient to the text and ones that just struck me as interesting as I read. Some of them were the following:

"nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility"

"where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation"

"implaceable resentment is a shade in a character"

"it is wonderful...for almost all his actions may be traced to pride; - and pride has often been his best friend"

"laugh as much as you chuse, but you shall not laugh me out of my opinion"

"that would be the greatest misfortune of all!- To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate!"


These are just some random quotes that jumped out at me as I read. I like them because not only do they add some ironic humor to the text, but they are applicaple in multiple situations, both in the text and in reality. I think the first one is really important because in life, i think that being humble and serving others is a quality that should be admired by all and everyone should try and show humility, but when people are deceitful in humility, then it is difficult to give credit to those who truly should receive it because of the people who have earned it unjustly. I like the next quote because when Lizzy is talking to Darcy she says this, but in reality she is ironically judging him and not allowing him to change her opinion of him. This ties in with the last quote that I chose because she is talking, hypothetically, about falling in love with someone whom you are determined to hate. I think this is hilarious in context, but in reality it would be horrendous! The next quote that talks about the flaw in Darcy's character with his inability to forgive people's character flaws, but this ends up being Lizzy's character flaw as well, which ties into the falling for someone you are determined to hate. The entire novel's focus is on these two characters, their relationship, and their characterizations on the words "Pride" and "Prejudice". This continues in the quotes that i chose in the next one that says everything can be traced back to his pride and that is the only thing driving his good actions, but in reality he loves Elizabeth and does it to win her over, which again isnt exactly just doing it for the moral reasons, but it is more moral than feigning humility. Whatever the case may be, Darcy and Lizzy are two of the most stubborn characters in literature, and it takes only great courage on the part of Darcy to admit his love for Lizzy while he knows that she thinks he is a stuck up asshole (to put it bluntly). But in the end it all works out, thanks to Jane Austen, but at the place we were at as of last week, they were caught up in prejudices, preconceptions, and their own pride.


Nikki

Hey everyone! This week i chose to write about our talk about Barbauld because I just finished watching the opening episode of the new season of Desperate Housewives, and being a nerd, i actually thought of her while i was watching. Although her life wasn't full of messy murders and constant affairs (or at least I don't think it was...let me know...), I thought of her because of her piece called "Washing Day". Her epic retelling of the hectic happenings of laundry day (its ironic because I'm sitting in the laundry room waiting for the worthless dryers to work, but that's beside the point). I liked how we compared her work to that of Beowulf adn the Oddessy because battling monsters and scrubbing stains are hardly distinguishable from one another. I think its humorous because when your life is just being a "desperate housewife" many women lose their grip on reality because of the intense time committment and constant vigilence required by being a mother, not to mention if you had a plethora of kids running around, you would hardly have time for any other concerns, i would assume. Barbauld's mock epic gives humor and life to a day that makes everyone nervous and anxious because of the hustle and bustle of everything that is going on. I liked how she spoke to the "domestic muse" for help with her laundry and I couldn't help but think of Zeus next to Mr. Clean and her putting them on the same level. just a thought. Although her muse was not the most interesting inspiration, I like how she subtly put in the part about how she doesn't need a muse to help her improve her writing, what an independent woman!! I also, enjoyed the humor in the part where she is warning her friends to stay away from her on laundry day, because there is nothing so annoying as when you have to entertain with a busy agenda. Finally, the part about the husband just being confused with the entire situation of laundry day was funny to me because it reminded me of my family and how my dad acts whenever it comes to laundry, dishes, cooking, or any other chores around the house. I liked this mock epic poem because of its humor, but at the same time it flows perfectly in the right rhyming scheme. how did she do this with all those kids running around the house?!? that's impressive.

This week, I really was interested in Wollstonecraft's issues with the women of her era and the issues they had to combat against in society. let me preface this entry with the fact that i am NOT a crazy feminist and that guys are great! I just think it is really outlandish to have only the thought of marriage as a life goal. I think that the fact that "men, indeed, appear to me to act in a very unphilosopical manner when they try to secure the good conduct of women by attempting to keep them always in a state of childhood". i think this line struck me as crazy because when dr. kimberly was talking about paris hilton and britney spears - they are in the same boat, in my opinion. although i dont know either of these women personally, i do that it is not a good thing to constantly be looked down upon by many members of society, or even worse to just be a piece of meat to guys. if i were either one of those girls, i would want to change something about the way they acted or their reputation. i also thought it was interesting, having already read Austen's Pride and Prejudice, that their prime years in both liveliness and beauty are fully devoted to "catching a husband". i think its funny that this would solely occupy someones life, because i couldnt think of a more boring task. in the novel, austen pokes fun at this by starting with the line "it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". i think that this is the exact line that would make Wollstonecraft turn over in her grave. She stands up for what is not popular, but what she knows is right. this also connects with her line that says "it is a farce to call any being virtuous whose virtues do not result from the excercise of its own reason". i really like this point because usually the "crazy" people in any one society are the ones that actually have good points (not in all situations, but you know what i mean) and stand up for what will become the status quo in later generations. all in all, i think that although her ideas were crazy, as was her personal life, she is really interesting and anyone who can stand up that strongly for something they believe even when society is against their opinion - to me, thats impressive and respectable.

see you all in class!!

In Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell, i really like the line in plate 3 that says "attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existance. from these contraries spring what the relious call good and evil. goo dis the passive that obeys reason Evil is the active springing from Energy. good is heaven. evil is hell" I really liked this part because it sums up what I have been learning my entire life. I have been going to Catholic schools since I was in kindergarten and I was an altar server for the majority of my childhood (trust me, it was a long childhood ;) ) but because of my strong religious background, it has always had a key role in my life. This simple paragraph sums up what I have been taught for 18 years. It would have been great if they had just told us this instead of thousands of hours in sunday school, religion classes, and masses that would seemingly never end! I think that the Catholic church really stresses the individual overcoming these hardships instead of realizing that they are infact necessary to human exisitance. like toaism and the yin-yang - at least they acknowledge both good and evil and also credit evil to be created only in the presence of good, and vice versa. i think that is a very important truth, and Blake states this truth rather bluntly, but as a reader i can appreciate that he doesnt sugar coat important truths. also, since the entire Marriage of Heaven and Hell is about the truths surrounding good and evil, this paragraph at the beginning helps to bring a preaching tone to the piece. he has a strong arguement, and i think it took courage to write on this topic because usually when religion or politics is brought into any situation there are many personal feelings and emotions attatched and that makes winning over the audience more difficult. i liked this piece because it allows the reader to see another side of religion and how Blake perceives good and evil in relation to religion and his own life.