 Frankenstein complicates the idea of what it means to be human. What combination of biology, experience or innate characteristics make us who we are? Primary Blog Expections: 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59 PM Friday night.
Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59 PM Sunday night.
29 Comments
Mary Ainsworth
11/4/2022 07:24:56 pm
This question goes back to one of the most prevalent topics in psychology: nature versus nurture. Nature being our biological predisposition and nurture being our environmental experiences with how the world perceives us. Nurture is influenced by nature in the sense that it is our biology that predicts our temperament, brain anatomy, sentimentality and appearance, which all influence how others treat us; nature is influenced by nurture in the sense that the environment we grow up in, which includes family dynamics, parenting styles, and attachment styles (a area in which a study by Mary Ainsworth proved this) predicts our physiological - and thus neurological - responses as different stressors strengthen and weaken many areas of the brain, which ultimately affect the way we reason, respond to fear, and even how we develop language. As you can see, there is not one answer, not one combination, but a multitude of influences both from the nature and nurture side; human behavior cannot be analyzed or studied from one specific standpoint, instead it must be tackled from the inside (nature) and out (nurture) to get a full idea of what makes someone who they are.
Jane Elanor Datcher
11/6/2022 11:03:53 am
I agree with you. I believe there are a multitude of things that make us human. I think psychology continuously tries to make it a competition when realistically everything can form us to be who we are. I think every standpoint can be looked at because the world is such an interesting place filled with people who have experienced crazy things. For example: yes, your mom and dad can determine genetic mutations, and pass down mental issues, etc. but the world passes down its full experience and puts it on everyone within it. We all become a big melting pot, teaching and giving one another new experiences.
Marie Curie
11/6/2022 07:22:46 pm
I agree with both of you - psychology tries to use the nature vs nurture debate as a way to define one correct answer, when in reality, everything around us is what makes us humans. The emotions we feel in response to experiences, our genetic makeup, our relationships with those around us, and even little things like our motives in life. Although we all have a specific genetic disposition that makes us vulnerable or susceptible to certain things in life, our experiences with the world defines how that affects us. We are human because we interact with other humans.
Rebeca Lee Crumpler
11/4/2022 10:30:22 pm
One of the key things that make us human are the things that we experience throughout our lives and how that shapes us physically, mentally, emotionally, and even socially. Humans are natural beings with emotions. Those emotions continue to be built on becuase of the experiences presented in life which as a result make it very difficult to artificially make a " human" through non-natural means because of knowledge and beliefs in things constantly change, whether positively or negatively. Although with all of that being said I must say that there's one thing that makes a human, a human and that is they're physical appearance. Every human is different, not any one person is exactly the same emotionally, mentally, or physically so realistically if a person was an artificially made human but they look like a human physically and somewhat act like a human who's to say that they're not human. I feel like Mary Shelley through the first couple of chapter of this book is able to show what it's like to be human but I do feel like at the same time it makes me wonder how important factors such as emotions and mental state contribute to how " human" a person is.
Agnes Marie Clerke
11/6/2022 11:27:51 am
I think that there is no way possible for two people to be exactly the same. Like in every way possible. Unless it was in the lab with both children being raised the exact same way. And it would have to be to the point of what direction a person walked in to give them food. I believe that each person will be different even if they share the exact same experiences. So even if Frankenstein created another creature, they would be different from the original. That is what makes a human a human. Their uniqueness.
Marie Curie
11/6/2022 07:31:32 pm
I agree - part of being human is being born with human instincts and emotions that are then built upon as life goes on with new experiences. In Frankenstein, it's impossible for the monster to be a complete human because it was created and invented, not born. It will never completely understand what it's life to be a human as it was built from scraps with a brain not its own.
SOFYA KOVALEVSKAYA
11/6/2022 10:27:18 pm
The building of emotions is such an 'abnormal' concept in today's society, yet so pedestrian of us to express. Events piled on events are going to cause us a build of emotions, in which we are not taught to control causing us to lash out. Even a simple emotion like anger is deemed as irrational because usually it is followed by a large reaction.
Elizabeth Acevado
11/5/2022 09:17:05 am
We not only understand that we are humans because of our shared characteristics physically but also because of our shared characteristics mentally/psychologically. Being able to think for ourselves, and have complex emotions, help to make us human. The environment we grew up in shapes who we are. Whether we grew up poor or rich or with one parent or a single parent or if our family has certain values they emphasize could impact who we are as a human. Our ability to have higher-level emotions and thoughts is important in being human because that‘s what really distinguishes us from most other animals: our ability to share memories, and have complex emotions. We also have some of the most complex forms of language. Our ability to conversate with words make us who we are because most other animals can't do this. Obviously, our physical appearance is part of what makes us all who we are. We’re all bipedal and upright, with head, body, arms, legs, and feet: humanoid. The creature that Frankenstein creates is human but not fully because he’s conscious, moves on his own, and is made of human body parts. Still, he would lack the ability to fit into society socially because of his behavior and how he looks almost human but not fully.
Mary Ainsworth
11/6/2022 02:22:05 pm
It seems that you are arguing that experience plays much more heavily on being human than biology, and in this argument you claim that Creature is not human because, although he has the biological characteristics, he does not have the behavioral/psychological characteristics. Would you argue, then, that if the Creature did in fact have the experience of a loving family and a stimulating environment, that his behavior will then be improved and thus, he will fit into society? Will he be human then? To me it seems not; there is a biological characteristic of humans that just could not let me see the Creature as fully human: being born from sexual relations. One characteristic of all living beings (save those who are born of asexual reproduction) is that they were birthed from the mating of those before them. Since the Creature was not, it is hard for me to Creature as a full human. But he does not have to be; he can be a creature of his own species and be valid in his own way. With all of this said I just wanted to question your proposition that experience is the driving force of what makes us human and that if we fit into society that's what also makes us human. There is much more complexity in what makes us human, and both biological and social experiences are involved proportionally. Also, just because one fits/does not fit into society, does not mean that they are more or any less human.
Elizabeth Acevado
11/6/2022 10:59:22 pm
I think that it would make the creature more human, figuratively, if it had a loving family and more human experience, because it would fit into society more but we would still not fully view it as human because of its physical appearance. We would more likely accept it as if it were an actual human. We would be more likely to emphasize with it, conversate with it, and treat it how we treat other people. In society social outcasts are treat less like people, while people who are "normal" and fit into society's norms are more likety to be treated like a person. I also agree that just because someone into society, does not mean that they are more or any less human, but I was talking about how the creature wouldn't fit in because socially we wouldn't consider him fully human.
Nadezhda Ziber-Shumova
11/5/2022 05:59:14 pm
To an extent, we are all sinners; it is our identity as humans to carry burdens from different problems of the different aspects of our lives. There is a theory that exists in criminal justice, called the Biological Theory of Crime, which credits criminal behavior to genetics. There is also debate on whether crime stems from our upbringing, or the environment we were exposed to while growing up. Reflecting back to the topic of our identity, I feel every aspect of these theories should be considered. When we are brought into this world, we are a clean slate. Our parents are the painters that hold delicate lives in their hands; some may treat it with utmost fragility–some, more reckless than others. We eventually reach a certain age where our minds are gullible to influence from external factors, overshadowing our parents’ teachings. After that, it is time for us to be accountable for our choices. Being human means to bear weight, to endure and to learn, but we cannot do all that without first going through the gradual process of growing up. In Frankenstein however, the creature did not have a father figure, nor did he have a sense of belonging because he did not have family. He was just–there. Because of his unusual start in the world, with no guidance or source of comfort, he expressed his confusion through the most prevalent feeling he could easily make room for: anger. Now, although he committed crimes in the book, let us bear in mind that he understood little to nothing about the world, and had to learn culture, life, and ways, all alone so suddenly. The creature was dehumanized because he was not normal, he was peculiar. This is a theme we see throughout many works of literature, disguised under various kinds of stories and characters of different complexities.
Jane Elanor Datcher
11/6/2022 11:06:15 am
I think emotions determine everything and I enjoy the fact that Mary Shelley gave emotions to the creature. I honestly think she did that to show us how human we all are, how prone we are to judgment, how angry we get as we get rejected, our change in motives when things don’t go our way, etc. I believe we are all Frankenstein, filled with flaws (physically or mental) and just need to truly be accepted to finally become the “human” we want to be.
ANNE MARY PERCEVAL
11/6/2022 09:26:35 pm
I agree with the statement you made with this blog because , although your emotions affect how we perceive things and impacts us to be impulsive and act irrationally
Jane Kilby Welsh
11/6/2022 03:46:47 am
The human condition can be defined by neither biology nor experience. The characteristics of human life, such as behavior, emotion, and morality, are far too abstract to be rationalized with tangible concepts. Though biology can serve as an explanation for many of our traits and behaviors, it cannot draw the line between what is learned and what is innate. The theory of nature vs. nurture questions to what extent we are responsible for our behavior. If our biology can influence our characteristics, then at what point are we liable for our actions? What place does free will have if our genetic disposition can dictate our being? In Frankenstein, the creature is revealed to be sensitive and benevolent, but resorts to harming others after being treated with hatred and disgust. Shelley reveals a bias towards the influence of nurture over nature; the creature is made violent by his environment and not by an innate desire to harm others. Though I do believe biology to have an impact on behavior, people are ultimately products of their environment, for we are what we know. Like the creature, people learn by experience. If treated poorly, it is reasonable to assume that anyone would be partial to antagonistic behavior.
Mary Ainsworth
11/6/2022 10:46:02 am
Biology can in fact "draw the line between what is learned and what is innate”; what is innate is biology, ergo what is learned is due to experience (i.e. biology is nature, or innate, and experience is nurture, or what is learned). Therefore the "line" that biology draws is simply (based on your words), what is innate; after that line, what is "learned" is based on experience. You seem to be arguing that due to biology and free will being too abstract to explain the human condition, that neither can be used to settle the debate as to which dictates human behavior. On the contrary, however, I would like to contest that because the two are extremely complex, this allows room for each to intertwine, mingle almost, and create divine ratios of biology and experience that make each of us unique in who we are. It is these ratios, Welsh, that are too complex to tangibly hold and scientifically assess, for each ratio an individual holds is not black and white, but a divine mixture that cannot be discerned; it is not the human condition that is too abstract, it's the ratios that we constitute of since any instance of the human condition has the possibility to be traced back to a precedent of biology or experience, but, not definitively explained due to all actions being an effect of the distinctive ratios we hold in ourselves. I will leave you with this question: if the prospects of biology and experience were not tangible enough to explain the complexity of the human condition, then tell me, what is?
Welsh
11/7/2022 02:07:04 am
Ainsworth, you seem to have missed my entire point. Let me ask you, how can you differentiate what is learned and what is innate? Biology is innate, I know that. Learning is experience, I also know that--but at what point can you determine whether one's actions are caused by their biology or by their experiences? (You can't). My point was, the ways in which we act, learn, and feel (the human condition) cannot be defined my neither biology nor experience because there is no way of determining what is caused by what. It IS the human condition that is too abstract; if it was cut and dry, we could easily determine what behaviors are caused by biology and what are caused by experience. I was literally implying at that "ratio" that you brought up, I'll make sure to spell it out next time. At no point did I suggest that anything other than biology and experience could be used to explain the human condition; I was saying that there are limits to what can be explained because of the limits of what we know. Also, I did not say that biology or experience were too abstract as you claimed in your statement ("You seem to be arguing that due to biology and free will being too abstract to explain the human condition..."); I quite literally said that they are too TANGIBLE to explain something as abstract as the human condition because it cannot be categorized as either or. Your "divine ratio" is the grey area between biology and experience that I was alluding to in my original post.
SOFYA KOVALEVSKAYA
11/6/2022 10:18:32 pm
I agree with the abstractness of humanity, in which we are all just trying to understand one another and the complexities that exist in our mind. What we experience and goes through, which is inevitably some negative interaction influences how we treat others. Hurt people, hurt people, as evident through Frankenstein's monster.
Emily Stowe
11/6/2022 08:50:35 am
Making someone human is something that is relatively objective. Although if i had to simplify it it would be in the form of our ability to learn quickly from our experiences and form bonds with other humans and animals. Our innate characteristics of emotions and relationships is what makes us human. Our ability to hold relationships and be hurt by them is what makes us human.
Jane Elanor Datcher
11/6/2022 11:01:45 am
I think normal things like us all sharing the same body parts, blood color, genetics, etc. make us just the basic part of our species. I believe what actually makes us human is our differences. The fact that we can all live in the same world but have completely different lives. Our differences make everything so interesting. Imagine living in a world where everyone was the exact same with the same experiences, it would be dull, right? I enjoy the fact that we all have crazy experiences that form us to be the people we are, I enjoy the fact that we all have different families, that we all have different genetics. Humans have this crazy contrast within one another, people can be kind, people can be angry, people can be aware, people can be colorful; no matter what anyone is, we are all our own selves with completely different minds, different functions, different mental awareness but no matter what we are or what we have, we are all unique in our own way whether bad or good. To be human means to have different strengths and weaknesses, to look at the world through your own eyes, to be held captive or to be let free. The fact that there are so many different things that make us different makes us human. Mary Shelley made sure she allowed The creature to have emotions, to feel, to hate, to crave love as everyone else does. She made the creature want to be accepted, to feel beautiful, like we all want to feel. The fact that the creature is subjected to judgment even though he can speak and feel makes him and everyone else human.
Agnes Marie Clerke
11/6/2022 11:22:07 am
I agree wholeheartedly with you. I believe that the reason a person is who they are is by their own experiences. Looking at my sibling, it is amazing how different we are despite growing up in the same house at the same time, doing almost everything together. The idea of everyone being the same species but other type of person is a good way to explain it.
Anges Marie Clerke
11/6/2022 11:18:17 am
I think that we have to have a heart and a brain to be human. If those things fail I think we are still human but if it corrupts our being then we are no longer human. People who can kill and torture for fun are definitely not human, as they have lost their compassion and empathy. So a human can have a heart and brain but that can be lost due to a lack of emotions, such as compassion or understanding who is human. As seen in many sci fi things, (movies, books), emotions are the things that set humans apart from robots. The combination of biology, experience and characteristics is possible, (like a robot), but it cannot pass as a human without emotions. That is shown in Blade Runner.
Jane Kilby Welsh
11/7/2022 02:59:28 am
I agree with you that the Creature is human; he possesses the sentience that is associated with the ability to survive, feel, and think. However, I do think that people who lack compassion and empathy are still human; they may not be good people, but they are still people. Humanity exists alongside both good and evil, which is why I believe that they are still human. By viewing bad people as nonhuman, I think we take away from their responsibility to their cruel behavior. We must recognize their humanity in order to recognize the evils that they have committed; we must acknowledge that man can be immoral and cruel. Though, I definitely do see where you are coming from; it is hard to see people as human when they have strayed so far away from what we deem as humane and just.
Rosalie Morton
11/7/2022 11:38:12 am
I agree, the Wretch can be classified as human because he has both the physical and natural consciences of what makes humans human. You say that a heart and brain can be corrupted which makes someone not human anymore, but i believe that as long as someone still has the physical makeup of being human they are still human, just lack human nature.
Marie Curie
11/6/2022 07:16:17 pm
I strongly believe that nature and nurture both play a part in who we are, including genetics, experiences, and relationships with other people/the world as a whole. To have a brain and body of a human is to be born with humanistic characteristics and instincts that allow us to be part of a society with one another. I differentiate brain with human brain because although animals also have a brain, conscience, and instincts, that's what differs them from us: the HUMAN characteristics. We do not act like dogs nor cats, as we have a brain that is very distinctly different. Therefore, we do not have the same experiences in the world that animals do.
ANNE MARY PERCEVAL
11/6/2022 08:57:09 pm
The concept of what it means to be human is complicated by Frankenstein. Who are we because of our biology, life experiences, or natural traits? The novel examines the concept of what it means to be made and to be a Frankenstein. It poses the query, "What defines a human?" By combining various body parts from various people to create a human being, Frankenstein strives to provide an answer to these issues. As a result, something that is neither quite human nor entirely a monster is produced. Frankenstein's monster represents the dread of the unknowable because he was made by humanity. He represents both the fear of change and the fear of technology. What influences us more—our genes or our environment—is a frequently asked issue. Do the things we experience as we grow older have a bigger impact on our personalities and intelligence than the things we are born with? Given the complicated interactions between genes and environment, the answer is not straightforward. It is well acknowledged that both nature and nurture have a significant impact on how people grow. This brings us back to how Mary Shelley decided to let us readers perceive the creature and how the creature itself had some similarities to a human not only physically but logically. Did the behavior of the creature develop due to his environment or him being neglected by his creator leading him to change.
Rosalie Morton
11/7/2022 09:57:54 am
I absolutely believe the behavior of the creature is the result of his environment and the things he has experienced. This happens to every human being and it is no surprise that this is the same situation as the Wretch. I agree that the wretch has qualities of a human and it's hard to justify and argue for what the monster truly is.
SOFYA KOVALEVSKAYA
11/6/2022 10:08:40 pm
Every human has a different story. From the moment we are born, to the moment we take our last breath, and every moment in between, we all experience completely different lives. In all of this, we all come from the same mother, making us connected internally and externally.
Jane Kilby Welsh
11/7/2022 03:08:08 am
I especially agree with your point about our perceptions of ourselves. I believe that we are what we know, so the way we view ourselves is detrimental to the way we act and show ourselves to the world. In Frankenstein, the Creature is shunned and treated with hatred, so it is no surprise that it would feel compelled to act in cruel ways, for society has only seen it as evil. The concept of self perception can also tie back to the idea of nurture; if we are raised to think of ourselves in a certain way, then it is likely that we will also act in certain ways.
Rosalie Slaughter Morton
11/7/2022 09:46:28 am
The energy and matter that we are made from makes us human beings. We are a species composed of complex cells and systems that are unique to humans. In addition to our genetic make-up that says we are living things, our conscience and our ability to have human nature makes us who we are at the core of our being. Everyone experiences different things and is what determines how we live our lives. The creature that Victor creates looks like a human, has the physical makeup of a human, but doesn't exactly have human nature. Although the argument can be made that the Wretch isn't human because he was made in a lab and was not a real human being, he does possess the characteristic of being a real human. The Wretch has the physical makeup of a real human since victor used actual parts of dead humans. Also the Wretch has been seen to have feelings and has thoughts of humans. From my definition of what makes us human, one can classify Frankenstein's monster as human. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Blog Post Rubric
Archives
February 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed