James Buchanan Duke

The movie is intensifying, yet the only thing taking away from the movie is the bright light from someone's phone. After the movie, lunch is filled with the constant ringing of laptops, smart phones, and tablets. Are these situations relatable to what you experience on an average day? Regardless of where we go, technology is an extensive part of everyday life. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, She explores the pursuit of advancement within technology. Frankenstein provides a deeper message…

1. Who invented the electric chair? Alfred P. Southwick invented the electric chair. In 1877, Edison began a series of bizarre experiments at his West Orange lab, shocking unwanted dogs, cats and even a circus elephant to death with AC to prove that the current was deadly stuff. In the 1880s, the dentist Alfred P. Southwick was inspired by a drunken man he saw accidentally electrocuted to death, to develop a new quick and painless method for the execution of death sentenced people as an…

This is the life story of a young boy, growing up in Geneva, by the name of Victor Frankenstein. He tells us how fascinated he became with discovering “the secret to life”. In the part of the story, some might refer to it as “curiosity killed the cat”. He then puts together everything that his professors taught him and created a monster so horrid. He later began to question why he created something so horrible and gave this creature life. His main purpose in life went from finding the secret of…

Bibliotherapy is defined as the use of reading materials for help in solving personal problems. In Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein”, the monster reads or observes four different novels each of which change his viewpoint of the world and ultimately lead to his demise. However, had the monster read different books he might have been able to be accepted by society and not be so fixated on revenge. The first book read by the monster is Ruins of Empires, written in 1791 by Comte de Volney. The…

The legendary Socrates once said “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this statement is justified through Victor’s argument to Robert Walton that achieving knowledge is dangerous and not worth the many sacrifices it entails. In doing so Frankenstein ultimately intends to pursuade Walton to not make the same mistakes he did in his pursuit of knowledge. Although Victor may have had good intentions, I disagree with his warning to…

Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney were who the world was cheering on in the 1930s film world. The gangster film genre was in full swing, and as Robinson and Cagney ascended repeatedly to become kingpins of a given town only to fall back to being nothing again, a hopeful named Humphrey Bogart was just beginning his acting career. Stephen Bogart, the son of soon to be movie star Humphrey Bogart, stated in his book about his father that Humphrey was “not happy playing those parts.” Humphrey…

In the X-Files the Post-Modern Prometheus, the creators took bits and pieces of the classic Frankenstein and then gave it a modern twist. The story line of Frankenstein is too outdated to be reasonable today. The creators had to add a modern aspect and adapt in a way that still had the old Frankenstein feel but also make it their own. One very big similarity had to do with the man who created the monster. Both men were obsessed with the fact that they could create or alter life, ultimately…

The pursuit of knowledge is a recurring theme in Mary Shelly Frankenstein, as well in society today. Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster all are pursuing knowledge in this novel. The thirst of knowledge is what drives these characters into their actions. Such as Frankenstein who put everyone in danger because of his desire of science he made a monster who could threaten anyone. This is why Frankenstein can be interpreted as a warning against the pursuit…

Throughout much of Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the “monster” created is presented in his utter inhumanity. Even his creator looks on him as a wretch; a fiend. His horrid appearance and hideous voice are thought to set him apart from society. Recognizing his rejection, the creation hides away from the world into which he was brought, and lives in solitary. One could argue, though, that Frankenstein represents many of the most basic and carnal instincts of the human person. Deep within…

The election of 1800 was a bitter one: there was constant slandering from both the federalist and the democratic-republican sides, but ultimately Jefferson won. In Thomas Jefferson: Political Compromiser, Morton Borden analyzes Jefferson’s presidency and ideals to question how he achieved so much success: did Jefferson simply adapt to gain support? During his presidency, Jefferson often stuck to his party roots. However, Jefferson also enacted very impartial, federalist policies that underscored…