Frankenstein: Intro, Letters 1-4, Chapters 1-5

11/13/2020

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the ONE of the prompts below): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the scientist's name that you selected in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59 PM on Saturday, November 14th.

Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that answer one of the OTHER prompts and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the scientist's name that you selected in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59 PM on Monday, November 16th.

1. In Letter IV, Walton writes, “Yesterday the stranger said to me, “You may easily perceive, Captain Walton, that I have suffered great and unparalleled misfortunes. I had determined at one time that the memory of these evils should die with me, but you have won me to alter my determination. You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. I do not know that the relation of my disasters will be useful to you; yet, when I reflect that you are pursuing the same course, exposing yourself to the same dangers which have rendered me what I am, I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale, one that may direct you if you succeed in your undertaking and console you in case of failure. Prepare to hear of occurrences which are usually deemed marvelous.”

In the excerpt above, the themes of knowledge and wisdom are introduced. Often, knowledge and wisdom are seen as interchangeable, or as going hand-in-hand, but are they necessarily the same?

2. Victor describes how even as a child, “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.” Even as a boy, Victor has been hungry for knowledge. He doesn’t want to learn just anything, however. He wants to figure out the “secrets of heaven.” How does this paragraph foreshadow him creating his creature in his adulthood? Is this contextual proof that he is destined to create this monster like he insists he is? If he claims that he is destined to do this, then does this negate some of the blame he may feel?

3. In imagining the creation of a new race of beings, Victor imagines that “No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. Pursuing these reflections, I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption.” Psychoanalytic theory in literary studies is the analysis of a character’s psyche in relation to their thoughts and actions. Using this theory, what can you tell about the motivations behind Victor’s experimentation and fanaticism? How might his childhood have influenced his choices?

29 Comments

Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock

11/14/2020 07:06:15 pm

Victor Frankenstein achieved his "impossible" dream of creating life. This was after the unbearable loss of his mother, the primary reason he went to focus on his studies. He felt numb after his mother passed, leading him to concentrate solely creating this monster to fill the void in his life. He mentioned that he had an overall positive childhood experience, but he lost himself after his mother died when he was only seventeen. He went to Ingolstadt and met Krempe, who told him that everything he thought he knew about alchemy was wrong. Professor Waldman, who taught chemistry, was going to teach Frankenstein science, encouraging to achieve his goals as a scientist.

As hurt as Frankenstein was over the death of his mother, he was also rather frustrated with her. As she lied on her deathbed, she told Frankenstein to marry Elizabeth, his adoptive sister. All Frankenstein's parents wanted were "perfect" grandchildren because they wanted Elizabeth's traits to continue for generations to come. Frankenstein felt abandoned by the fact that his mother's dying words were about his sister. In a way, he wanted his own Elizabeth, a perfect creation that he can take pride in.

Frankenstein said, "No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs" (Shelley). He felt as if he deserved more from his parents and that they were not very proud of his accomplishments. Frankenstein wanted to prove his father wrong and accomplish the impossible.

Word Count: 245

Eliza Walker Dunbar

11/16/2020 12:54:36 pm

I disagree. I think the reason Elizabeth was adopted was not because she was perfect in general, but because Frankenstein's parents thought she could be perfect for their son. I think the motive behind Frankenstein's mom asking him to marry Elizabeth was less about them having the "perfect grandchildren", and more about her being the perfect wife. So while Frankenstein may have felt like this request was out of dislike for him, I think they wanted what they thought was best for him. I think that Frankenstein's interpretation of his mother's comment did lead him to create his monster, but I think he interpreted her comment wrong.

Bessie Dowse

11/16/2020 06:34:50 pm

I disagree, as well. His parents didn't adopt Elizabeth for them; they wanted him to be as happy as possible for the rest of his life and they figured she was the best option. They chose her because they thought she'd be perfect for him, not necessarily for the entire family. It's clear they had an immediate connection from the start, so the parents accomplished what they were trying to do.

Sofya Kovaleskaya

11/19/2020 10:40:45 am

I agree with the idea that Frankenstein's desire to give life to lifeless matter stems from the lack of compassion or love in his life after the death of his mother. By losing his mother, he sort of lost a part of himself, causing him to obsess over the idea of creating life. I also think that this obsession could be due to the fact that he had gained so much interest in alchemy. Could it be that he was actually infatuated with the idea of possessing so much power, so much so that he tried to create life to establish this authority or power? I also think that Mr. Krempe shutting Frankenstein out and completely dismissing Frankenstein's research hurt Frankenstein, causing the latter to be more motivated to prove Mr. Krempe wrong.

Because his mother brought Elizabeth home as Frankenstein's suitor, and everything was pretty much provided to him as a kid, Frankenstein may also be spoiled. This, along with the fact that he is an only child, may be an important reason for his obsession with power.

Word Count: 179

11/14/2020 07:27:04 pm

Victor Frankenstein made it very clear from a very young age that he was extraordinary in multiple different ways. One of which was his interest in science beyond himself. He always wanted to know how and why things were the way they were in his life. He knew from a very early age that he wanted to make a difference; be known beyond his time. Figuring out what he wanted to learn and do was where he struggled. After a thunderstorm in his hometown, Victor witnessed a tree get struck by lightning and explode into pieces. He said he wanted to make change. This foreshadowed his future because soon after, he met a college professor that especially interested him in natural sciences. This drove him to do the impossible: make a living creature from dead body parts. Doing this illuminated that part of the novel from his childhood when he wanted to find the “secrets of the world” (Shelley). This mindset and dream was very similar to what happened in the next years of his life. He wanted to fix his pain and learn so many different things. He did this, obviously, like he always wanted to do as a kid.

Maria Gugelberg von Moos

11/14/2020 09:52:10 pm

Victor Frankenstein 's desire to learn "the secrets of heaven and earth" aided him in believing that he was able to transcend the physical boundaries that was, in a sense, set by impossible means. He wanted to discover how to build a bridge between life and death in order to figure out the physical secrets that the world kept from him. This foreshadowed his future endeavors as he wanted to learn those secrets.

This isn't contextual proof that Frankenstein was "destined" to create the monster because the only thing that motivated him to pursue this experiment was himself. The hunger for knowledge that he withheld only pushed him further as there was no other force that acted upon him. A reasonable piece of evidence for this being his destiny would be the fact that he met Professor Waldman, whom unlike his colleague, was very adamant on Frankenstein's future in science.

The blame that Frankenstein feels for himself could be negated if he thought this was his destiny. He spent two years crafting such an arduous and ambitious experiment that it would be strange if he didn't feel as though he was destined for this from the start. He worked himself to the point of falling ill so if he truly believed that this is what was thrown upon him from the heavens above, he wouldn't blame solely himself for creating these problems himself.

Words: 233

11/16/2020 01:55:30 pm

I agree with the idea that Frankenstein’s desire to learn “the secrets of heaven and earth” doesn’t mean he was destined to create the monster. This is because his desire was from personal ambitions, and not an outside force. I also agree with the fact that Frankenstein would have blamed himself less if he believed that the creation of the monster was his destiny. This is because Frankenstein would have believed there was a purpose for creating the monster. This would have caused him to maybe take better care or even pay more attention to his creation.

However, I don’t really agree with the fact that meeting Professor Waldman could be a reasonable evidence for believing that Frankenstein was “destined” to create the monster. Although it is definitely agreeable that Professor Waldman was more invested in Frankenstein’s future in science than Mr. Krempe, I think that Professor Waldman actually drew Frankenstein out of the whole supernatural creation, and prompted the latter to be more engaged in modern science instead of alchemy.

Word Count: 171

Anne Elizabeth Ball

12/8/2020 11:36:30 am

I agree that victor Frankenstein believes that by creating the Monster, he can build the bridge between “life and death,” creating a “new species,” and learn how to “renew life.” He is motivated to attempt these things by ambition. He wants to achieve something great, even if it comes at great cost. He gives several different accounts of where his ambition comes from, reflecting his rigid attitude toward it. After the Monster’s creation Frankenstein dreams about Elizabeth turning into his mother’s corpse, which could be seen as Frankenstein’s recognizing that he has failed to create life in a way which could bring his mother back.

11/14/2020 11:26:07 pm

Knowledge and wisdom are not the same. In public schools, many are taught knowledge. They are taught to memorize definitions and formulas so they can simply regurgitate these on the test rather than actually understanding the material. Knowledge is plainly knowing something, you can have knowledge without wisdom. You can be knowledgeable about a topic by simply reading about it, but that does not mean you possess wisdom on that subject. In order to gain wisdom you cannot just know the topic, you must also have a deep understanding of that topic. While knowledge can be gained in a couple of minutes, wisdom takes more time to acquire.

When Victor Frankenstein started attending school in Ingolstadt, he was gathered an abundance of knowledge, he wanted to learn anything he could about the human body, life, and death. Frankenstein was so naive that he perceived his knowledge as wisdom, he thought because he knew a great deal about the human body that meant he achieved a deep understanding of it, that idea is what led him to create his monster. Frankenstein attained wisdom through the creation of his monster. By creating his monster he gained a deeper understanding into the boundaries of life and death, but by this time it was too late.

Word Count: 212

11/15/2020 05:13:41 pm

I completely agree that Frankenstein's naivety is responsible for his reaction to his creation, but did he really perceive his knowledge as wisdom? To me, he couldn't think about the consequences because it would be difficult to be wise about something that has never been done before. There is no way to weigh the risks and rewards of something foreign to the entire world. Even after he created the monster, he was not overly concerned with the consequences, and he was confident enough to compare himself to a god.

Additionally, I partially agree with the notion that schools can teach knowledge, but not give people wisdom. The primary reason for this is because wisdom cannot be taught. Wisdom is gained through experience which people can gain throughout their schooling through endeavors they may have in the classroom. Essentially, wisdom is not gained directly as a result of the schooling system.

Word Count: 150

11/16/2020 11:26:37 am

I think because of his narcissistic personality Frankenstein really did perceive his knowledge as wisdom. He believed he unlocked the "secrets of heaven". He felt like he had done what others in the field could not, he felt like he was superior. Yes, there is no way to know exactly what you're getting into before you start, but with the knowledge he had he should've erred on the side of caution.

Also, I agree, wisdom cannot be taught, but I think it can be facilitated. In order to make the school system better they should focus on not only teaching you the knowledge, but helping you gain the wisdom as well.

Cloltilde Tembrani

12/8/2020 11:59:10 am

I think that Frankenstein thought that his knowledge was wisdom, not due to his narcissistic ways, but due to his upbringing. I know that it kind of seems cliche to talk about how his experiments were caused by his upbringing and his weird childhood, but I truly believe that is that reason for his experiments and trying to gain “wisdom”. I also agree with the fact that schools cannot teach wisdom. I disagree however, that people can gain wisdom through schooling experiences. I think that wisdom is gained way after school and those experiences from schooling help aid in further wisdom but I don’t think those experiences directly cause wisdom.
Word Count: 113

Gertrud Woker

11/17/2020 12:08:43 am

I agree with the notion that knowledge and wisdom are not the same. When Frankenstein created his monster. He was just trying to test whether it was even possible to bring inanimate objects to life. He ran an experiment, it worked, and he succeeded. How could wisdom and knowledge be interchangeable when Frankenstein didn't have the wisdom to know that carrying out such a dangerous endeavor could only ensue horror? He had no way of knowing this. Only his knowledge of his studies which have no bearing in wisdom whatsoever.

I disagree with the idea that one has to have a deep understanding of a topic to gain wisdom. I think one should have a good understanding but it's not necessary to have such an in-depth understanding, although it can help. I say this because wisdom can also be just simple common sense and good judgement, none of which Frankenstein exhibited.

Word Count: 151

Huang Lü

11/14/2020 11:44:13 pm

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is a major theme in the book Frankenstein. As the story progresses, the differences between the two quickly become apparent to readers and characters in the story.

The main character, Victor Frankenstein, is a good example of a character who had knowledge, but not wisdom. he is first introduced as a curious person who wanted to gain knowledge about the “secrets of heaven”. However, the knowledge that he sought out has not always been the best for him. One major example of this is his discovery of the ability to give life to inanimate objects. When Frankenstein was making his "creature", he was extremely excited about it, to the point where he started to ignore his personal obligations. This quickly changed when he first saw the creature moving. He started to realize the horror of what he actually created. This led him to abandon his work, and become terribly ill. Frankenstein did not make a wise decision when he created his monster.

A person who has wisdom knows what to do with their knowledge. They are aware of the consequences of the things that they know and do in every aspect of their life.

Word Count: 200

11/15/2020 11:11:47 pm

Because this was an unprecedented event, the consequences are unpredictable. He wanted to discover the "secrets of heaven," but what could those secrets be? Is creating life truly the secret that needs to be unlocked? Are the secrets of heaven different for everyone?

I don't necessarily think Frankenstein was ignoring his personal obligations. Rather, he was unaware that his creation had to actually be taken care of. He was determined, but it was possible that he thought his goal was impossible and was so shocked that he was able to accomplish it that he did not have the right words to describe what was going on. This is what led him to abandoning the creature. I mean, how would you react if you found out you could be compared to God? Do you think you would respond rationally to creating life from death?

Word Count: 143

11/16/2020 06:16:36 pm

I completely agree. Victor Frankenstein had this priorities straight, but did not execute them well. He had the right intentions and dreams, but didn't go about making them a reality in the right way. Many examples of this showed up in just the first few chapters. Many of which are listed above. Another example of this is his attachment with his cousin, Elizabeth. He loved and cared for her deeply, but completely ignored her and the rest of his family once his life took off. This shows that he was very knowledgeable and had the right idea, but was not wise while handling his situation.

Mercy B. Jackson

11/18/2020 07:47:10 pm

I agree completely.
It makes sense that Frankenstein had knowledge, but ended up making a terrible mistake because he had know experiences using that knowledge to base his future decisions off of.
The same concept would apply someone who has the knowledge that tomatoes are a fruit, but also the wisdom to know not to put them in a tropical smoothie.
Frankenstein convinced himself he was in control, and felt powerful when creating his monster, because he knew he had the factual knowledge to go through with his plan. He did not, however, have the knowledge of wisdom to consider whether or not he SHOULD go through with his plan.

Word count: 110

11/15/2020 12:10:50 am

In the excerpt, Frankenstein explained to Walter that he's had many misfortunes as a result of placing his faith in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. And he lets Walter know that he hopes by telling him his story, he will gain some semblance of wisdom that will help him on his journey.

And while Walter will gain new knowledge of the stranger's life story and his experiences, this shouldn't be mistaken for wisdom. They're not the same. For example, when Frankenstein meets Krempe after he arrives at the university, he is quick to tell Krempe about his exploits in learning about the discoveries of the alchemists. However, Krempe quickly informs Frankenstein that his time studying such archaic findings was worthless.

Frankenstein, by reading the studies of the alchemists, gained new knowledge about that particular "science", seeking to expand his horizons. But only was it through someone else did he come to realize his efforts were in vain. He didn't gain wisdom. He only gained knowledge. Wisdom is gained through experience. Just creating the monster shows he didn't gain any wisdom. And this notion applies better to Frankenstein telling his story to Walter, because now he has gained true wisdom from his experiences straggling around the icy wastelands of the North Pole, which he can relay onto Walter.

Word Count: 165

11/16/2020 07:15:55 pm

I agree that knowledge and wisdom are not the same. Through his various scientific endeavors, it never occurred to me that he was becoming any "wiser." That new information that was being absorbed by him was known as knowledge because wisdom isn't something that is gained from reading a book.

Your notion that Frankenstein truly found wisdom, after all that occurred in his life, when he was talking to Walter was quite interesting to me. I hadn't connected the dots that Frankenstein turned his knowledge into wisdom by applying what he had learned to different aspects of his life.

However, I feel that the creation of the monster is a huge stepping stone in Frankenstein's journey towards wisdom. He had to learn about the mistakes he made & addressing them is what makes knowledge and wisdom so different. Wisdom is learning how the application of the knowledge one attains affects their life.

Word count: 152

11/16/2020 11:07:09 pm

I agree with the notion that the creation of the monster helped Frankenstein in his journey towards true wisdom. It was only through creating the monster and truly seeing it for what it was did Frankenstein gain the knowledge that his creation was vile, creating a path for his journey towards wisdom. Now, not only does Frankenstein have the knowledge about what messing with the natural order of things can bring, but he has the experience to support it as well.

I think when you said "Wisdom is learning how the application of the knowledge one attains affects their life" was a good way to describe how knowledge is applied to an individual's life. Frankenstein would have never became wise and be able to tell his story to Walter well if it had not been for the monster that he created, because as you said, wisdom isn't something that is gained from reading a book.

Word Count: 155

11/18/2020 07:56:26 pm

I agree with the claims you have made when it comes to the events with Frankenstein, but not with Walter.
The stranger was the one who originally gained knowledge though his own experiences. He relayed his stories to Walter, however, to allow him to learn from his past failures, and gain wisdom to apply to his journey.
So, in fact, Walter gaining the stranger's knowledge that came with his life's story WAS wisdom. In Letter IV, the stranger even specified that he was passing on his knowledge for the sole purpose of preventing Walter from making the same mistakes as he did.

Word Count: 102

11/16/2020 01:15:06 pm

Knowledge and wisdom, in my opinion, go hand-in-hand. This is because on the quest to gain knowledge, most people also gain wisdom. Knowledge is directly derived from “knowing” or being aware of a topic. An individual can be knowledgeable of an academic-related topic or social issue; however, wisdom is gained through their experiences and understanding of life. Therefore, one can gain wisdom through the failures they experience while gaining knowledge.

In Letter IV, Walton uses the wisdom he gained through his struggle, and career, to caution Frankenstein to not get carried away by the excitement of his research. Walton could be used as an example of an individual who gained wisdom while gaining knowledge. He states that he has gone through a lot of misfortunes in life, which is how he is currently able to advise Frankenstein about such dangers. The lessons he learned through these misfortunes are what have contributed to his wisdom, something that Frankenstein is currently lacking.

Although Frankenstein eventually wisened up and constantly expressed his regret of his actions in the novel, he initially was only bent on gaining as much knowledge as he could, causing him to make more mistakes than Walton warned. However, such mistakes also largely contributed to the amount of wisdom Frankenstein currently has, and is also responsible for the amount of regret he feels.

11/16/2020 07:27:16 pm

I completely agree that knowledge often leads to wisdom and wisdom is only attained if there is a basis of knowledge. Frankenstein's failures shaped him to be the person he was when he was talking to Walton. Without those failures, all he would have is existing knowledge on the subject of science and not actually how his application failed. This could easily be compared to modern science experiments today. One could completely understand a concept but the real test is taking that knowledge and using it to find a conclusion through trial and error.

I agree that his mistakes contributed to his wisdom and interestingly enough, the amount of regret he feels. That's just the learning process that everyone goes through and he very evidently learned from it.

Word count: 128

11/16/2020 01:17:21 pm

Word Count: 223

11/17/2020 11:18:39 am

So, let me start with saying this character Victor seems to have some sort of motivation behind his experimentation and fanaticism. He is acting in the way where his main motive is to go on a quest for knowledge. Back to when letter 3 was written, Walton tells of Romantic sentiments, for instance, how the stars, or nature, will witness his success and how he can keep going over the untamed and yet obedient region of the North Pole. This puzzling and mystifying questions' topic may be different from character to character. Ultimately, quench of knowledge is the driving force behind experimentations and fanaticism. Victor's childhood might have affected his choices by making him more mature and thrive to seriousness and romanticism.

Word count: 123

Clotilde Tembrani

12/8/2020 11:33:00 am

I completely agree with you when you say that Victor has some kind of motivation behind these experiments. I feel as though that there is a quest for not only a greater knowledge like you mentioned, but there is a quest for wisdom too. I feel as though that the fanaticism that he shows is a way of showing that the way he is going about this quest for knowledge is a little unethical. He is trying too hard to quench that quest for knowledge like you said and I completely agree with the fact that his childhood may have been a factor in the weird choices that he makes.
Word Count: 112

11/18/2020 07:33:42 pm

Knowledge and wisdom are not the same.
Knowledge is facts and experiences passed down from generation to generation, and can include facts and experiences discovered by someone themselves. Wisdom is applying these facts and experiences by to real life-situations (and learning from them) to influence future decisions.
Though they are not the same, knowledge and wisdom do go hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other.
In letter IV, The stranger realizes that Walton's plans and ambitions are the same as his once were, and he had learned quite a few thinks on his own journey. He passes on the knowledge of his failures in the hopes that Walton will learn from them, and use wisdom to guide his path from then on.
Frankenstein had so much knowledge acquired from school, but he had no experiences of others or his own to apply to his (monstrous) ideas. One could even argue that he was incapable of approaching with wisdom because had nothing to build it upon. That is, until he eventually created his monster, and was able to use his regret, and the wisdom learned from that experience, to decide never to create an abomination like that as long as he lived.

Word count: 202

12/8/2020 11:25:31 am

Yessss! I totally agree with the fact that Knowledge is facts and experiences passed down from generation to generation, and can include facts and experiences discovered by someone themselves. Wisdom is applying these facts and experiences to real life-situations (and learning from them) to influence future decisions. The main focus of Frankenstein is the power of knowledge and how dangerous it can be. Because it can be used to perform very non-human activity but then again, it can be used to make folk’s life way easier than you might expect. This power is portrayed very often in the main characters of the novel, Victor Frankenstein and the creature. Their obsessions of knowledge are mirrored in one another through the journeys they take until their paths cross.

12/8/2020 11:23:42 am

The statement that knowledge and wisdom are not the same is a statement I agree with and seems to be a major theme in Frankenstein. Frankenstein created this monster with the intent to experiment with bringing lifeless objects to life. He had the knowledge to be able to bring the lifeless object to life, but he didn't have the wisdom to be able to see that doing these types of experiments could only bring harm to others. He is a very knowledgable person which we have seen so far in the book, however his knowledge outweighs his wisdom by a long shot. While I agree that wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing, I also agree that someone has to have a deep understanding of a topic to be able to have wisdom on that certain thing. I think that wisdom comes from years and years of working on something and training on that topic. Someone can't work lightly on something and have wisdom just because they are knowledgeable of that topic. Wisdom comes from years of experiencing many different things, which Frankenstein clearly did not have.

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Frankenstein: Intro, Letters 1-4, Chapters 1-5

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