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19 Comments
Bessie Downse
11/20/2020 02:57:51 pm
Mary Shelley does an adequate job of showing the creature's point of view. By putting the story in his point of view, the reader gets to see it's way of life as a baby by showing how he learned to be strone was a "poor, helpless, miserable wretch," and how this life was painful for him. (Shelley). Soon after without the help of Victor Frankenstein. For example, in lines 21-23, the creature talks about how he described how he later learned to figure out a schedule, find food, and find a way to make his life pleasurable. Again, all on his own. This shows how he did have his downfalls, as any normal baby might have at a young age, but since he was forced to learn how to live with no guidance, the creature showed maturity and really learned to be strong. By showing the contrast between the creature after failing and again after he learned to get through each day, the reader gets to see just how much strength the creature gained. By showing his strength of how far he came from being miserable all the time and having no meaning to his life as a baby, the reader sees how much he struggled to get to where he is now.
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
11/22/2020 08:15:11 pm
In my opinion, I believe Shelley did an excellent job in presenting the creature's point of view because the way that she described his emotions upon feeling the new sensations of exhaustion, fear, etc. was very intricate. Because she chose to write from his point of view, the audience gets a more intimate view into his lens of the world. I agree with your statement of how Shelley's choice of contrasting his failures with his successes displayed his strength. However, I disagree with your statement of how he had no meaning to his life as a baby. It would be like saying every baby born had no meaning to their lives. They simply gain more knowledge about the world as they grow. In the creature's case, he grew more experienced and was able to understand what was around him.
Word count: 139
Eliza Walker Dunbar
11/22/2020 10:22:59 pm
I believe that all life has meaning, but as a baby you don't know what your purpose is. Babies don't know much about the world at all just like the creature. As you grow older you might develop a sense of meaning, but some people struggle with that for a very long. There a plenty of people out there who feel like their life has no meaning and it can cause a lot of trauma like the creature is experiencing. So while the creature's life does have meaning, he personally hasn't found it yet and i think that's what Bessie was trying to say.
Word count: 104
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
11/22/2020 08:18:08 pm
I like your unique interpretation of Shelley's purpose for explaining the creature's point of view and how his repetitive failures are what led to him figuring out life. Generally, I think the response is lacking in analysis. Your response tends to be repetitive rather than really going into the true depth of your quote. Also, by the end, you tend to deviate from your topic sentence, so your response is not connected very well. You go from talking about how the creature's point of view helps readers understand where he is coming from, but you end up describing his life and how he gained his strength as an individual, rather than analyzing the effect of the point of view.
Word Count: 119
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
11/20/2020 04:15:39 pm
In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Shelley humanizes the monster in such a way that leaves the reader feeling almost guilty for believing Frankenstein's descriptions of the monster. He was always considered evil, and at one point, a murderer. Frankenstein was absolutely certain that his creation led to the murder of William and that Frankenstein himself was indirectly responsible for the execution of Justine. By only being able to understand Frankenstein's views, readers do not have much choice but to inherit them, even if they question them. By humanizing the creature, readers are able to understand how Frankenstein's abandonment of the creature was immoral and irrational. The creature's childlike wonder and the discovery of his senses causes readers to question how he could possibly be capable of homicide. The creature explains, "I felt light, and hunger, and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents saluted me; the only object that I could distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with pleasure" (Shelley 93) His senses were foreign to him. People who have children understand what it is like to see them grow up and discover the world, and the only difference here is that the creature is able to describe what is happening. For the creature to finally be able to sense hunger, light, thirst, and darkness and be able to communicate those senses gives him a human-like quality. Perhaps he is not a monster after all.
Word Count: 248
Eliza Walker Dunbar
11/22/2020 03:21:54 pm
I agree, I think the creature is not a monster, he's just confused about the world. No one ever taught him right from wrong, and his creator, the only person he ever really knew, abandoned him. Due to his appearance he's always seen as a monster before he can do anything to show people who he truly is. I know if people assumed I was an evil, murderous, monster all the time, eventually I would become that because that's what's expected. By humanizing the creature in this way, Shelley helps the reader see the creature in a more relatable way, instead of seeing his as just a monster.
Word Count: 108
Gertrud Woker
11/23/2020 12:23:24 am
I really like how you made the connection between William's murder and Frankenstein's unlikely ability of committing such a heinous crime. How could Frankenstein make the connection between the creature and William's murder when the creature was, at that point mentally, a newborn? The creature was only made aware of his most basic senses, how could he posses the knowledge of carrying out such an act whilst only knowing the most absolute, necessary, innate sensations to survive? The fact that Frankenstein abandoned the creature and somehow came to the conclusion that he's the one who committed the crime is absurd. However, if Frankenstein had actually monitored and guided the creature, it is probably safe to assume that he would not have reached those conclusions easily, if not, at all, assuming he took heed of the very obvious "childlike wonder and discovery of his senses" that the creature exhibited.
Word Count: 147
Bessie Downse
11/23/2020 01:34:28 pm
I agree with you. While reading, I definitely felt bad for thinking the creature was a monster like Frankenstein described him. By being showed by the creature himself, the reader was forced to see his side of the story. Because it was the complete opposite of what Frankenstein described, the reader is shocked. The way he describes his early memories show his struggle. This makes them think about how things would've been different if the creature was given a chance.
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
11/25/2020 01:29:27 pm
The way that you connected the humanization of the monster to how he appears to not be as monstrous as Frankenstein described is very interesting. I have to agree with your statement of how he isn't actually a monster. He knew nothing when he was created and everything that he learned was through his own experiences that he gathered. If he hadn't been abandoned and mistreated by humans, perhaps he wouldn't have turned out to be such a "monster" and rather treated like the creature he is. In my own opinion, children are born innocent and soak up any information that they're fed. The creature is similar to a child in this way. If he hadn't been fed all of this discrimination and hatred, maybe he wouldn't have started to hate humans.
Word count: 132
Eliza Walker Dunbar
11/22/2020 02:53:22 pm
For the most part, when a baby is born they are not immediately released into the wild. They are usually taught, loved, and cared for by their parent(s). Although the creature is made up of adult parts, he's seeing the world for the first time like a newborn. What he needs is for Frankenstein to love and parent him, rather than fear him. When a baby is around 6-9 months old they start babbling, they try to mimic the sounds they hear around them, which is usually the voices of their close family. On line 40 it says "Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds, but was unable (Shelley)." Just like a baby, the creature is trying to mimic the sounds he hears around him. Like a baby, the creature "knew, and could distinguish, nothing (Shelley 22);", and like a baby, the creature needs the guidance of a parent/guardian. Even though Frankenstein was appalled by what he created he should've stood by his creature and raised him like a parent would. Despite his outward appearance the creature wasn't a monster. When he was first let out on his own he did not immediately seek out something to kill, he went to the forest and listened to the birds sing. While he did have that darkness within, he didn't act on it, and with the nurture of Frankenstein, I think his dark nature would have never seen the light.
Eliza Walker Dunbar
11/22/2020 02:54:18 pm
word count: 243
Bessie Downse
11/23/2020 01:02:13 pm
I agree with the fact that Frankenstein should have stayed with the creature for much longer despite the fact that he was afraid of him. Arguably, no one/nothing deserves to be abandoned at such a young age. Just like it is a parents' responsibility to care for care for and watch over their baby, Frankenstein was responsible for doing so for the creature. Also, I agree with how the creature was not born a monster, but do you think the reason why he became one is because Frankenstein abandoned him?
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
11/22/2020 03:54:37 pm
I love the concept of your response and I completely agree that if Frankenstein had paid any attention to his creation, he would not be likely to have such dark intentions. Although, I have to disagree with your opening line. You mention that babies are not left by their parents for some time, but that can be debated. For example, pandas most commonly have twins, but abandon the baby they deem weaker. There is nothing wrong with your statement, but the phrase, "for the most part," is a rather hasty generalization and can be a point of counterargument, lessening the impact of your essay's persuasiveness. It is generally true for humans though, so I would specify that to clear up or use the word "sometimes," rather than using, "for the most part."
Word Count: 132
Eliza Walker Dunbar
11/22/2020 09:36:57 pm
In the context of my paragraph "sometimes" would not make sense in that line. Although the creature is made with some animal parts, he is mostly human, and the book is focused on humans, so I am talking about humans when I say "for the most part". When Panda's leave their babies in the wild, they are leaving them to die. That is basically what Frankenstein did to his creature. The claim of my paragraph is that the creature needed Frankenstein to be his parent, but instead Frankenstein left him for dead, like the Panda parents do, and look how that turned out.
Word Count: 103
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
11/22/2020 08:06:22 pm
Mary Shelley introduces the creature's beginnings in his new life as vague and confusing, similar to how many adults are when they look upon their own childhood. Babies are born into the world unaware of what surrounds them and what is to become of them. They have no knowledge of their environment and it is usually in this stage where a parental figure takes charge in order to guide them. Similar to a newborn baby, the creature is forced into a new environment in which he has to learn how to overcome the obstacles the world throws at him. However in this case, there is no one else to help him besides himself The creature wanted to speak about his own feelings but the own "uncouth and inarticulate sounds" scared him into staying silent (line 42). Because there was no one there to guide him and encourage him to speak, he was afraid of hearing these foreign sounds. In both human and animal cases, the parental figure speaks to the baby, encouraging the young to pick up the sounds. As a baby would when it babbles, the creature attempts to recreate the sounds of the birds that he heard (lines 40-41). The creature was created innocent and it's comparable to how babies aren't born with an innate force to kill. It's the surrounding environment that becomes influential on the creature because at first, all he wants to do is explore the ins and outs of his new world to survive.
Word count: 250
Sofya Kovaleskaya
11/27/2020 09:05:55 pm
I agree with the idea that several statements ,as well as the description of the creature's mood cause the creature to resemble a baby. I also agree with the fact that like babies, the creature was born without any sense of "responsibility"(?) because as a new born baby, which in this case is the new created monster, you are usually clueless and unable to properly function without any guidance. It is also very interesting that you brought up the idea of babies not being born with an innate force to kill because it reminds me of the debate between nature v nurture. Even though this wasn't stated in the passage, he eventually turns out to be a monster, not because he wanted to, but because it was a matter of survival. However, I'd like to know what manner or way you think Shelley foreshadowed the creature's transition from a baby to a monster.?
Gertrud Woker
11/22/2020 11:55:41 pm
In this excerpt, Mary Shelly uses imagery to show how the creature's coming to life is very similar to that of a baby's first experiences learning about the world around them. This is best described through the creature's perspective, and Shelly does well putting the newborn monster's thoughts into a concise and encompassing narrative of the creatures first thoughts and actions. In line 5, the creature says, "'By degrees, I remember a stronger light being pressed upon my nerves, so that obliged me to shut my eyes.'" In this quote, the creature describes the sensations he was feeling as a result of being in a somewhat harsh environment due to the effects it was taking on his newly formed senses. He describes the feeling in such a way that images can be formed in readers' mind about the parallels that can be made between this creature and a newborn baby. The notion of feeling alone in a place you have no comprehension of brings close similarities between the two beings. One can imagine a baby being born and their developing eyes not adjusting to its new environment, keeping them closed for protection. Further along in the excerpt, the creature begins to adjust to his new environment outside of his original dwellings inside Frankenstein's workshop. He says: I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with rink, and the trees that shaded me with their foliage.'" The creature is now exploring his environment just like a baby would, and making connections between himself and his environment.
Word count: 257
Sofya Kovaleskaya
11/27/2020 09:24:39 pm
I agree with the point that describing the creature's experiences through the creature helps the reader see the creature's true emotions through an innocent or direct lens. It is also very interesting to see the idea of the creature now "exploring his environment," and "making connections between himself and his environment." This is because, I think this is very similar to the way kids are able to gain intelligence after starting school or being in an educational environment. I also think that this gradual acquisition of intelligence without any parental guidance or filter, would lead to certain mistakes and decisions that would be responsible for making the change in character of the creature.
Word Count: 113
Sofya Kovaleskaya
11/27/2020 08:54:03 pm
In the passage, Mary Shelley uses the first person point of view to directly express the thoughts of the creature, and uses sentences that allude to a kid, to convey the naivety and innocence of the creature. The creature states that, “it was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half-frightened, as it were instinctively, finding myself so desolate.” This description of the creature’s state directly informs the reader about the former’s sorrowful state. By stating that it felt cold and “half-frightened,” the reader becomes very empathetic towards the creature. The fact that the creature wasn’t completely terrified means that they still had some innocence and optimism deep down. Adults are usually considered more mature and usually pessimistic, therefore, the loneliness and fear of the creature emphasizes the idea that the creature may not have anyone to protect them in the dark, something that is likely to cause fear in a child. By making this a direct statement, Mary Shelley helps the reader get a more personal interaction with the creature, and causes them to have more empathy towards the child-like creation.
By frequently showing a slight change in the emotion of the creature, Mary Shelley alludes to the growth of a baby who is intrigued by the discovery of certain basic things. In the passage, the creature is described to be invaded by pain, however, slightly after “a gentle light stole over the heavens,” the creature received a “sensation of pleasure.” The creature “gazed with a kind of wonder” at the moon. Although the creature is still broken-hearted and lost, this “light” was able to distract them temporarily from their struggles. Through this, we see an allusion to children who are able to get excited due to the least discovery. This is a very simple yet effective way of dealing with emotions, a characteristic that largely contradicts the stereotypical complex ways adults usually deal with stress.
Word Count: 319
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