The quote I have used above is a good example of dramatic irony. Victor believes that the Creature means that he is going to kill him on his wedding night. Therefore, Victor prepares himself for what he believes is going to be a fatal night for either him or the creature. However, the dramatic irony comes into play because the reader knows that the creature actually means that he is going to kill Elizabeth on their wedding night. He wants to get back at Victor by killing the person that means the most to him. Victor begins preparing himself for a night he thinks is going to be dangerous for himself, when he should be doing everything in his power to protect Elizabeth. I cannot help but think that if Victor had known the creature's real intentions, then he could have focused all of his energy on Elizabeth and her safety and perhaps kept her from being killed like all his other family members and friends. On another note, I find it incredibly impressive that after losing just about his entire family because of the monster he created, Victor is able to stay strong for the time being in order to kill the creature that has been reeking havoc on his entire life.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Frankenstein Part II - Dramatic Irony
"And then I thought again of his words- 'I will be with you on your wedding night.'... In that hour I should die, and at once satisfy and extinguish his malice" - Victor, page 123.
The quote I have used above is a good example of dramatic irony. Victor believes that the Creature means that he is going to kill him on his wedding night. Therefore, Victor prepares himself for what he believes is going to be a fatal night for either him or the creature. However, the dramatic irony comes into play because the reader knows that the creature actually means that he is going to kill Elizabeth on their wedding night. He wants to get back at Victor by killing the person that means the most to him. Victor begins preparing himself for a night he thinks is going to be dangerous for himself, when he should be doing everything in his power to protect Elizabeth. I cannot help but think that if Victor had known the creature's real intentions, then he could have focused all of his energy on Elizabeth and her safety and perhaps kept her from being killed like all his other family members and friends. On another note, I find it incredibly impressive that after losing just about his entire family because of the monster he created, Victor is able to stay strong for the time being in order to kill the creature that has been reeking havoc on his entire life.
The quote I have used above is a good example of dramatic irony. Victor believes that the Creature means that he is going to kill him on his wedding night. Therefore, Victor prepares himself for what he believes is going to be a fatal night for either him or the creature. However, the dramatic irony comes into play because the reader knows that the creature actually means that he is going to kill Elizabeth on their wedding night. He wants to get back at Victor by killing the person that means the most to him. Victor begins preparing himself for a night he thinks is going to be dangerous for himself, when he should be doing everything in his power to protect Elizabeth. I cannot help but think that if Victor had known the creature's real intentions, then he could have focused all of his energy on Elizabeth and her safety and perhaps kept her from being killed like all his other family members and friends. On another note, I find it incredibly impressive that after losing just about his entire family because of the monster he created, Victor is able to stay strong for the time being in order to kill the creature that has been reeking havoc on his entire life.
Frankenstein Part II - Personification
"Despair had indeed almost secured her prey, and I should soon have sunk beneath this misery." - Victor, page 154.
The quote I have used above is a good example of the literary technique called personification. Victor is describing his emotions of despair as if they are some kind of living being. When he says that "despair had indeed almost secured her prey," he really means that his feelings of sadness were really close to killing him. He feels like he could just die from the emotions he is feeling. This use of personification is good at demonstrating that Victor's life is finally about to come to an end. I honestly have been extremely surprised that the monster hadn't killed Victor earlier in the book, especially since most of his anger has been focused on Victor. After everything that happened, I was a little irritated that Victor died from causes he placed upon himself, rather than a huge fight between him and the creature. The whole book seemed to be leading up to a great brawl between the two beings, yet it ended in no less than Victor dying of more natural causes and the creature admitting he was wrong and running off to the North Pole to kill himself.
The quote I have used above is a good example of the literary technique called personification. Victor is describing his emotions of despair as if they are some kind of living being. When he says that "despair had indeed almost secured her prey," he really means that his feelings of sadness were really close to killing him. He feels like he could just die from the emotions he is feeling. This use of personification is good at demonstrating that Victor's life is finally about to come to an end. I honestly have been extremely surprised that the monster hadn't killed Victor earlier in the book, especially since most of his anger has been focused on Victor. After everything that happened, I was a little irritated that Victor died from causes he placed upon himself, rather than a huge fight between him and the creature. The whole book seemed to be leading up to a great brawl between the two beings, yet it ended in no less than Victor dying of more natural causes and the creature admitting he was wrong and running off to the North Pole to kill himself.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Frankenstein - There Is Goodness After All
"I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained, and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots, which I gathered from a neighbouring wood." - The Creature, page 78.
When Victor first created this monster, he felt immediately that it was evil by nature. He did not for a second stop to wonder if it was capable of doing good. He just assumed that the Creature was out to harm others and that it was only going to cause destruction. The quote above proves that this assumption that Victor made is wrong. The Creature, at the time this quote is referring to, is thinking totally for himself. There is no one else around to tell him that if he steals the family's food, they will suffer. No one is telling him that this is bad. The Creature realizes all on his own that he should not steal from the family because it is inflicting pain on them. Therefore, there is some goodness in the Creature after all. The Creature is not evil by nature because, truthfully, it seems to me that he would much rather be good and loving than evil and destructive. All he wants is to be loved by others. The only reason he begins to act like a monster is because others are treating him like he is a monster.
When Victor first created this monster, he felt immediately that it was evil by nature. He did not for a second stop to wonder if it was capable of doing good. He just assumed that the Creature was out to harm others and that it was only going to cause destruction. The quote above proves that this assumption that Victor made is wrong. The Creature, at the time this quote is referring to, is thinking totally for himself. There is no one else around to tell him that if he steals the family's food, they will suffer. No one is telling him that this is bad. The Creature realizes all on his own that he should not steal from the family because it is inflicting pain on them. Therefore, there is some goodness in the Creature after all. The Creature is not evil by nature because, truthfully, it seems to me that he would much rather be good and loving than evil and destructive. All he wants is to be loved by others. The only reason he begins to act like a monster is because others are treating him like he is a monster.
Frankenstein - Misery Made Me A Fiend
"I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous." - The Creature, page 69.
When I read this, I realized that it was the Creature's way of admitting that he is now bad. I almost feel sorry for him because he feels that the reason he is now the way he is is because of how everyone treated him. Just because he is ugly and hideous does not give people the right to freak out when they see him, especially if they haven't actually gotten to know him. (Truthfully, I would probably react the exact same way as everyone else if I saw this monster.) However, the Creature is willing to change his ways and return to his previous, good-natured self, only if Victor agrees to listen to him and love him as his creation. Now, although I am saying that I feel sort of bad for the Creation, I am not saying that it is acceptable for him to be violent. If he is in fact the one that killed William, then that was totally wrong. Even if one is being extremely bullied, that is no good reason to go out and kill people. This is the perfect opportunity for Victor to fix the problem he has created. If Victor can show love and compassion to the Creature, the the Creature will stop being violent.
When I read this, I realized that it was the Creature's way of admitting that he is now bad. I almost feel sorry for him because he feels that the reason he is now the way he is is because of how everyone treated him. Just because he is ugly and hideous does not give people the right to freak out when they see him, especially if they haven't actually gotten to know him. (Truthfully, I would probably react the exact same way as everyone else if I saw this monster.) However, the Creature is willing to change his ways and return to his previous, good-natured self, only if Victor agrees to listen to him and love him as his creation. Now, although I am saying that I feel sort of bad for the Creation, I am not saying that it is acceptable for him to be violent. If he is in fact the one that killed William, then that was totally wrong. Even if one is being extremely bullied, that is no good reason to go out and kill people. This is the perfect opportunity for Victor to fix the problem he has created. If Victor can show love and compassion to the Creature, the the Creature will stop being violent.
Frankenstein - Allusion
"Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed." - The Creature, page 69.
The quote I have used above is an excellent example of an allusion. What the Creature means is that he is like Adam and Victor is like God. Just as God created mankind, Victor created the Creature. I find this allusion incredibly interesting for many reasons. The first and most obvious reason is because how on earth would the Creature know about the story of Adam and Eve? It seems that he has rapidly grown intellectually and I, personally, would like to know how he came to be so informed on a topic such as this. The other reason I find this allusion particularly interesting is because I feel it is the Creature's way of asking Victor to forgive him. Everyday mankind sins, yet God is always willing to forgive us. Similarly, the Creature probably knows that he has done wrong, yet hopes that Victor will look past his faults and love him for who he is. Everyone deserves to be forgiven, even if he or she is an ugly and disgusting monster.
Frankenstein - Foreshadowing
"Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity." - The Creature, page 80.
The quote I have used above is an example of foreshadowing. When the Creature sees his own reflection for the first time, he is completely shocked and terrified. He had no idea how ugly and scary he truly was. He then admits that he did not realize that his ugliness and deformities were going to have terrible and fatal effects on events in the future. We, as readers, do not know exactly what those fatal effects are, which is why this quote is an example of foreshadowing. We are left to wonder what exactly is going to happen. I believe this is the Creature's way of almost admitting that he was in fact the one who killed Walter. The reader can conclude that the Creature is going to probably become violent and kill someone. I almost feel sorry for the Creature. He is stuck in this ugly body and wants no more than to be loved by this family and to learn new and exciting things. However, his ugliness is a total setback and will probably prevent him from ever achieving those goals.
Frankenstein - Simile
"Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth." - Victor, page 21.
The quote I have found above is a great example of a simile. What Victor means is that although Isaac Newton was making great discoveries and putting forth new ideas, he often felt like what he was discovering was extremely small in comparison to the many other discoveries that can and will be found. Victor is using this simile to demonstrate the same feelings he has about the studies he is conducting himself. Although he intensely studied and made many of his own discoveries, he felt like there was still so much more to be found. What he was learning and studying was tiny in comparison to the many other things that are out there just waiting to be discovered. I believe this is a very good quality to have. Victor has a great thirst for knowledge and is always striving to learn the most possible and be the best intellect he can. It is unfortunate, however that this characteristic leads him to creating a being that may or may not be the cause of two deaths.
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