Why I chose the word "fair"

I chose this word for two reasons, the first being recent events in the world, and the second being a philosophical aspect to the word. The recent events which fairness is playing a large role is the Occupy movement. The word fair is being tossed around quite frequently, being used to describe capitalism, the banks, and the "1%". This brought my attention to the word. The second reason, the philosophical, has to do with what exactly is "fair." Is fairness absolute equality or simply starting from an equal point? Can there be a division in a system while still being "fair?" As I begin my project, the word fair to me is currently defined as "Offering equal opportunity to benefit for all sides involved." I will see if this definition stays the same once I finish this project.

Summary of Passage from "Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature"

Where did the ideas for the parts of the monster and its creation come from?

• The only body parts legally available at the time were those of executed criminals, meaning any body part Frankenstein took for his monster were either "tainted" or stolen.
• The association of electricity with life comes from experiments conducted in which electricity caused dead body parts to twitch and move.
• Shelley apparently had nightmares in which her dead children were reborn before writing the novel.
• The motivation for making the monster such a large being apparently came from scientists obsession at the time with abnormalities associated with birth and the religious reasoning that these were a result of the devil at work.
• The parallels between the monster and the story of Prometheus are common due to the fascination with electricity during Shelley's lifetime amongst scientists. They saw electricity as the "new" fire.

The Physical Manifestations of Values

No matter the century, location, or individuals, all civilizations of the world adopt a set of values and virtues for their society. Even with the factors of distance and isolation from other peoples, all societies, even small tribes develop a set of moral principles and characteristics that their people attempt to embody within themselves. This urge to create a set of guidelines to live by breaches not only the wall of distance, but also the wall of time. Civilizations existing multiple centuries apart still manage to create similar moral codes and even spread these ideologies in the same ways, stories and heroes. The values that most of humanity has wished to emulate are courage and honor. These values tend to manifest themselves in the form of a champion or leader, as seen by the hero of the ancient Israelites, King David, and the famed knight, Sir Gawain. Despite a time gap of many centuries, both Gawain and David represent the physical manifestation of values that exists amongst all cultures and civilizations.

            The concept of courage plays a strong role in many a culture in history, often representing the dividing line between a great man and a simple peasant. In all stories of a peoples’ champion, the role of courage is a central vein in the characters personality. To the ancient Israelites, David represented courage by his willingness to fight the Philistine champion, Goliath, a man whose name now literally means giant. David embodied the value of courage because he alone stepped forth to challenge this behemoth knowing full well his chances of victory were slim to none, and yet, he emerged victorious. A parallel can be seen in the tale of Sir Gawain who also faced a seemingly unwinnable circumstance and emerged triumphant. Gawain faced a foe similar to Goliath, the Green Knight, who was a seemingly immortal man who towered over all those whom he came into contact with. Both Gawain and David faced what appeared to be their demise, but due to being the epitome of value courage to their peoples, emerged as the victor against insurmountable odds.

            Another value that echoes throughout all codes of history is that of honor. It is seemingly embedded in human consciousness that in order to truly win a confrontation, one must do it in a fair way, not through a knife in the dark. To the knights of the era of the tale of Sir Gawain, honor was just as important as winning a battle. Knights would fight one on one because they were taught through stories that this was the only way to display their value of honor on the battlefield. Similarly, the people of King David’s era would often settle wars with combat between just two combatants. The importance of honor was so instrumental to both these civilizations that they were willing to forfeit advantages simply to emulate the champions of their stories. The significance of honor in Sir Gawain’s story can easily be seen by the reverence given to him by others. “And the knights in that castle shouted with pleasure, proud to stand in his presence – Gawain, Eternally praised, bearer of excellence, Most able, most knightly, best on earth, Most famous, most honored of men. (910-914).” The constant repetition of titles given to Gawain due to his honor echo the importance the value plays to the author of the story, and also the people of the time reading it. By showing how important honor is in the tale of Sir Gawain, the author is convincing the reader, most likely a man of higher wealth who could be a knight, that honor is a title so important that it must be pursued with intense desire.  Similarly, King David’s one on one confrontation with Goliath preaches the same concept, showing that honor is just as, if not more, important than actually winning a battle. The importance of the single combatant per side is symbolic of honor because it shows that only those fighting are responsible for the outcome; there are no excuses or crutches to lean on such as a fellow soldier.  The similar concept of one man facing against another is present in both stories because it is a powerful symbol of the necessity of honor in a person, a major value to all cultures.

            Be it before the Common Era, or during the middle ages, cultures have always displayed their values in the form of stories about a champion to the people. To the ancient Israelites, this champion was King David, a man who showed the courage to face a giant in order to defend his people. To the knights of the middle ages, it was Sir Gawain, a man who willingly went to what he believed to be his death all for the sake of his honor. Even though their stories seem to have no correlation, the obvious emphasis on the values of honor and courage show how the authors of both tales attempt to convey the importance of these concepts to the reader, showing just how natural it is for humans to want to display these characteristics. Once the outer layers of the stories are peeled back, it becomes apparent that both tales were written down in order to emphasize the virtues to the people in the hopes that they would attempt to emulate them, and based upon the events of history, it worked.

Assignment 3

When choosing a book for summer reading, several things tend to come to mind during the crucial moment when I am finally forced into hunkering down and reading my selection. I always begin my selection process by weeding out any books I have read in the past, shortly followed by scanning the page for any books that catch my attention. Having a great desire to understand the many cultural references used in both entertainment and in academics, I tend to zone in on books that have gained the title of being a classic. When I looked at the list of books from which I had to pick my summer reading, I immediately noticed the classic tale of Frankenstein. I had heard in the past, from many of my friends who had already read this book, that the representation of this novel in film and common perception was warped in shockingly extreme ways, and the curiosity to learn how true these statements were drove me into choosing this book. In addition to this curiosity, I was eager to be able to know that I had read yet another story that most anyone is able to at least recognize when mentioned.

                As I began to read this story, the reasons behind its esteemed status became quickly apparent. The brilliant use of word choice allowed the dark and morbid theme of the novel to easily be projected into the sentences, allowing the reader to connect with the characters’ feelings of terror and dismay. “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base. I wished to see him again, that I might wreak the utmost extent of abhorrence on his …” The use of vocabulary and the references to famous landmarks allows the author to connect with the reader’s emotions on a subconscious level, which allows the theme of revenge to seep into the mind of the reader, creating a more relatable and connectable story. By manipulating the English language with the skill that Mary Shelly does, she is able to coax the reader into a state of mind that magnifies the emotions of anger and desire for revenge, creating a relatable character in Dr. Frankenstein which makes the story more powerful.

                While Mary Shelly does an amazing job in inciting emotions of hate and anger through the telling of the strife of Dr. Frankenstein, what truly makes the novel memorable is the way the voice and story create a sense of remorse and sympathy for the monster despite its malevolent and horrific deeds. “"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.” After gaining a strong sense of hatred for the creature, the reader is forced to reevaluate their decision because of how well the language and voice portray the monster’s pity and horrid life. This internal conflict of whether or not to sympathize with the monster of Dr. Frankenstein is what truly makes this novel a powerful one. The conflict within the reader mirrors that of the characters in the story, and creates a subconscious bond between the reader and the characters.

                What made this novel a strong one was not the story itself, but how it uses literary elements in such a way that the storytelling makes up for any flaws in the tale. The storytelling is what makes the characters relatable and yet at the same time, easy to hate. The use of language, voice, and sentence structure amplifies emotion, which is exactly what creates a good story. By attaching to the emotion of the reader, Shelly is able to create a novel that is truly deserving of its status as a classic piece of literature.

Assignment 2

My Most Memorable Books:
1) A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson - This book was one of the most informative pieces of writing I have ever read, and its humorous tone allows the reader to stay interested from beginning to end.
2) Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card - A well written science fiction book that provides all the elements a book in the genre needs, ranging from the classic lasers to the mandatory plot twists.
3) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien - An easy choice based on the amount the series has contributed to culture. The imagination and innovation needed to write the stories impresses me every time I think about them.
4) The Iliad, Homer - The use of language in this epic is the icing on the cake for a story that already contains enough excitement, historical insight, and application to modern times to appease anyone who reads it.
5) The Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling - This series will always have a place in my heart as the first "grown up" books i set out to read when I was just a little kid. The memories of anxiously waiting for the final book to come to stores will always stick with me.
6) The Things They Carried, Tim O' Brian - A great novel that does its job in an extremely effective way. O' Brian wrote this novel to show the deeper impacts of war and does exactly that with superb use of descriptive language and constant shifts in pace.

Assignment 1

Quote from Frankenstein:
"I beheld the wretch — the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life."

This quote portrays excellent use of the English language to inject a fearful and disturbing image into the mind of the reader. This passage is also a great example of storytelling because even though the writing produces a response on the simplest of analysis, when examined deeper, it employs the literary strategies of foreshadowing and strong figurative language as well as plants the seed of uncertainty in the readers mind. The author then nurtures this uncertainty throughout the book as the subjects of scientific advancement and the role of death within existence emerge during the novel. The blend of strong language and deeper meaning in the text allow this passage, and the novel as a whole, to be a prime example of strong storytelling.