Mary Wollstonecraft argues that myths such as the Fall and Prometheus are designed ‘to persuade us that we are naturally inclined to evil’. Discuss this claim in relation to two texts from the course. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’ both discuss the nature of evil and whether or not ‘we are naturally inclined’ to it. These two texts both agree and disagree with Mary Wollstonecraft’s claim in various ways. The following essay will explore how these texts discuss the claim that ‘we are naturally inclined to evil’.…
Morally ambiguous characters----characters whose behaviour discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good--- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose one of your novels in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary. Nicholas Nguyen Miss Angus English 2 Honors 2/24/17 ID#406660 Frankenstein - Mary Shelley “Look at something and think what else it might be” is a quote deriving from Roger von Oech, an American speaker, which portrays one’s intent or perception of something to be another.…
The Western Frankenstein By Sarah Cooper “…How delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?” Differences in ethnicities, religions, races and creeds have caused wars between and within communities for centuries. Ever since the very beginning of religion itself, disagreements have broken out between separate sects and schisms of any given faith. A perfect example of such discrepancies can be found in the ongoing conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.…
Anna Westbrook Mrs. Joyner Honors English IV 16, December 2015 Frankenstein’s monster; Friend or Foe? Mary Shelley tells a story about a scientist who is infatuated with science and nature, which will soon lead him into danger. Frankenstein, the scientist, creates this “being” at Ingolstadt, bringing it to life.…
Victor Frankenstein is the one who faces multiple injustices. Victor would have been seen by a different perspectives if he wouldn’t have been a selfish person. Even though, he did those actions for several reason, it doesn’t justify him from the real interior person he is. Although in the novel may say, he did it to protect him and the rest of the people around him, it was unhuman act to blame someone else for your actions, for example; when Victor blames Justine for his son’s dead which it was the monster that kill the his son when the monster meet with him.…
As he is created by man, the appearance of the monster is unlike any other. The creation of the monster from bones and artificial parts lends itself to being representative of the working class (Benford 181). This confirms that the working class is a man made creation and Sandra Benford states that the artificial parts lead to the monster being mechanically inclined. Part of the reason the monster is unnatural is his physical perfection, not only is the monster stronger, faster, and more resilient the humans, he has the intelligence to rival man (Shelley 31). This seemingly physical perfection of the monster is akin to a machine, it is simply too powerful and reliable in its strength to be human.…
Destructed Morality Isolation is a dark feeling that brings feelings of worthlessness and emptiness. Isolation can drive humanity to have poor ethics, resulting in bad behaviors. Victor Frankenstein and his monster were isolated for society and it leads to their inappropriate behaviors.…
God creates man on earth and they sin against him. This causes man to become evil. Frankenstein is very similar. He creates life and its outcome is evil. Maybe this is a replica of god.…
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, she presents the notion of the qualities that make up villains and victims. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the creature, is utterly shocked when the creature comes to life causing him to flee. Due to Victor’s fleeing, the creature is forced to learn about life independently and suffer through many situations. Though many would argue that the creature is the victim of the novel, his actions clearly prove that he is the villain. One of the first situations the creature is in is his encounter with William.…
That poor, poor Frankenstein’s monster, always so misunderstood. From the moment of its birth, When Dr. Frankenstein declares, “It’s alive!,” the creature is always referred to as something less than human. It goes from being called a creation to a creature to a monster and finally a murderer, but never is it called a “he” or even a man. But really, how could it have been? The creature’s outward appearance was nothing less than monstrous.…
Frankenstein In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. The creature could be viewed as either purely evil or purely good. The creature’s moral ambiguity plays a significant part to the work as a whole. When thinking over the creature, many could debate whether he is good or bad.…
It is plausible to say that Victor Frankenstein’s actions instilled in the creature the vengeance he so dearly seeks. However, after the creature commits some of these acts of retribution, a sense of revenge is also instilled in Frankenstein, perpetuating this never ending cycle of revenge in the story. Shortly after the creature’s murders, Frankenstein thinks “I was possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to a great and signal revenge on his cursed head" (Shelley, 202). In this moment, Frankenstein is willing to do anything to find the creature and avenge all of its wrongdoings. Afterwards, Victor Frankenstein’s sole purpose in life becomes to get revenge for everyone that the creature has taken away from him.…
Victor’s actions and reasons have been widely discussed from an ethical and unethical point of view ever since this book was published. Some would say that Victor did this out of discovery, like we have done with plenty of influential studies in our society. Others would only see the consequences for his actions or how he got to this point and think they were unethical for human society. In my opinion I believe Victor’s actions were completely without a doubt unethical. The desecration of human graves in order to build his monster, the abandoned his creation from the first moment he gave it life, and lastly taking no responsibility for his creation, killing countless innocent people does not seem like an ethical man.…
In Volume 1 of Mary Shelley‘s ‘Frankenstein’, horror and terror are themes that evidently run strongly throughout, for example the horror of the creation and the awakening of the Creature, and Victor Frankenstein’s fearful response. According to James. B. Twitchell – “Horror – horrére means to stand on end or bristle”, which most definitely applies to Frankenstein. Written in the early 19th century, Shelley took inspiration from society at the time – particularly science – with the use of Galvanism, electricity, and scientific theories – which fascinated her. This was seen as something completely horrifying at the time of the novel – which emphasizes the horrific nature of the novel itself, as it challenged and fascinated readers with the idea of turning something completely terrifying into a reality.…
Many of the professional literary critiques that emerged following the publishing of Frankenstein were less than positive in their evaluations of its quality and value. Some of these critics devalued it based on its failure to present a positive message to readers while others criticized inconsistencies within the story. One article that criticized both aspects of this novel was The Literary Panorama and National Register’s “Review of Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus.” This paper was well known in this era and considered a credible source of information regarding literature. Despite offering superficial compliments, the author attempts to prove that this work of fiction is a disappointment considering the school from which it proceeds.…