-Victor DOES NOT want to allow the male and female monsters to procreate.
-Victor is just so much about himself! He doesn't take the time to look around and see how he is affecting others. This bothers me about him.

The monster could kill Victor at any moment. He is strong and could kill anything he wanted. Why doesn't he kill Victor?
BUT what if Victor and the monster are the same person?!?!?!?!? No one ever "sees" the monster... perchance Victor is simply hallucinating. Victor in the alter-ego.

So, if Victor and monster are the same person, why does Victor want to kill his loved ones?

THE WORD "WRETCH"
I find it interesting that Victor, of course, calls his monster a "wretch," but the monster also uses that word to describe Victor. It is kind of interchangeable between the two of them. I think it must go back to what we were talking about last class and how what the parent states reflects upon the child. Victor also calls himself a wretch... which shows some similarity between the two of them.

MASTER/SLAVE RELATIONSHIP: HAGEL
Look at the dependencies between Victor and the monster. The monster starts using the word "wretch" to describe Victor. It becomes a mirror between the two. "Slave looks in the mirror and sees a wretch, his monster."

That's interesting. Circling words and noting the words an author uses often.

IS THERE SOME REASON WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO BE ALONE IN THE WORLD?
-Part of Victor's worry that someone will hurt him

Neglecting family. Heroism. Sci-Fi.

GOOGLE HERO MACHINE!!!! Make a hero out of one of the characters in Frankenstein

Frankenstein...An Innocent Monster?

Oh my gosh! I am an idiot! I just found the new updated syllabus, so I have not even been keeping up with my blog at home! I'm so sorry! :-( I will catch up for sure! My mistake!

Introduction
I can't believe Mary Shelley wrote this when she was only nineteen! Wowwww!!!

"Go forth, my hideous progeny." - In relation to her book

Words by association: this is how culture perpetuates. Children reflect much of the ideas that their parents hold too. And it goes around as a cycle. Think about how parents may view poor people, and the children will likely reflect their opinion as well.

Prejudice is PRE-JUDGEMENT! The child is the blank slate. Let the child make his own opinion. The child is corrupted by the parents' negativity.
But how far can you go without ruining the child. They do need to know some things from your parents, but maybe not prejudices and what not.

Reign on Terror in France!!!!

Narcisism in America... does it exist? Americans are patted on the back for many things, and what does this mean in relation to other nations?
"People never learn anything unless through pleasure."-interesting comment, and I believe it

WE JUST DANCEDDDD!

The Monster!
-How do Victor and the monster relate to all we've discussed?
Victor is like the mother to this monster, so when he abandons it, it's like he's leaving an innocent child. It's pure neglect. Victor abandons the monster because he was afraid. Think about the kids in Collumbine High School.
-The comment on that everyone has their own personality is based on nurture, rather than nature.
-Victor treated the monster terribly... how impressionable is this monster then?

The monster is much like Victor's CHILD. One has a child for a reason. Victor created the monster for the science experiment; there is zero love involved here. Having a child is a huge responsibility.
Many parenting mechanisms can be viewed in a negative light. Parents use their kids to their own advantage; the children are like tools.
Children need boarders of right and wrong in society. Some things the child will learn on his own, other things, though, the child needs guidance.
A child, more than an animal or a pet, needs attention.

The monster is much like Heathcliff, to me. He is treated horribly by everyone. Initially, he only wanted to befriend William and his intentions were not to kill.

Bascially, the monster is saying that he was good but Victor (and his surrondings) made him bad. Does Victor owe the monster happiness? Does God owe us happiness?
-I don't think parents CAN give the child happiness; that's the human's puropse on earth, in my opinion. For some people, it takes a long time to find what makes them happy, but that's the beauty and the challenge of life.
-Parents owe the children the basic materials and framework to happiness, but in the end, it is up to the child, the individual.

Death...Frankenstein

I'm sorry I've been gone for so long :-( I've been sick...strep, sinus, etc. Bad news bears. I got the plague this year :-(

Think about death. Death and love.
Is it worth to have a love for something (a child, parent, lover) when they can so easily hurt you. Imagine losing a child, what PAIN is that. On a lesser note, my mom is the same way with dogs. We had a family dog, a golden retriever named Buddy, for eleven years, and he and my mom were the closest pair of animal-human I've ever seen. They talked, literally... I'm not kidding (we Collins' are known for our ravishing imaginations) and they were literally dear dear friends. I want my mom to get another dog, but she refuses, since after Buddy's death, she has been so hurt. It was the hardest thing in the world for her, and she would never ever want to relive it.

Poems mentioned in "Frankenstein"
-Prometheus in "Prometeus Unbound." I have never read this, so I did not grasp the analogy.

-"Rime of the Ancient Mariner"-->the wedding ghost, the old man kills the albatross because the bird loves him so much. Why would he kill this bird who loved him so much?
-->Christ image... killing Christ because he loved them so much
-In the end, deep, divine love is scary as hell... it's true, when you think about it. They can hurt you if anything happened.
Think of it on a personal level, if a guy loves you like REALLY, then chances are, you are not going to want anything to do with him.
Terrible anxiety and terrible fear. Think of the horror of watching you child die. Most mothers would rather die.
Suddenly, you have no control over yourself.
What if that bird doesn't come anymore? Kill him before he hurts you, that's the easy way out.

Alastor, Percy Bysshe Shelley
-Veiled maiden in love with him, but he doesn't notice... he dreams about her, and then is in seek of her again
-Originally, he "spurned her" He didn't take the original opportunity to love her back when she loved her...
-->Maybe he didn't want to get involved with someone, maybe they wouldn't live happily ever after in the pristine case. "Black hairs in the shower" image

Do these poems relate to "Frankenstein" in any way?
-Victor spurns nature's gifts
-He ignores everyone around him until he achieves "his goal"
-He doesn't pursue any relationships, he becomes selfish! He completely ignores his family and doesn't send them letters.
-->Even Elizabeth, who is his betrothed...
But why doesn't he contact them?????
-He is obsessed with his "project"

What feelings made Victor forget nature?
-He thought he'd made his monster beautiful... but the monster looks like death animated. He is completely YELLOW! Victor is upset; his creation has, in his eyes, failed. He is horrified by what he's done, and he is ashamed!

Building the monster and rejecting Elizabeth...
-Elizabeth is essentially an extension of his mother, so he wants to not be hurt and he wants to keep her alive forever
-He wants to never lose her, and he is afraid of a world without her
-->Unfortunately, this is a bad motivation for Victor. The monster scares him.

"I became as cheerful as before I was attacked by the fatal passion."
-He imagines himself being literally attacked by fate! He was a mere passer-by and fate attacked him
-->He made a mistake. He is too passive, really. Many things are his fault. He is too passive, and he does not "man up" and act for himself.

Pg. 63-64
-Victor viewing himself as the true murderer, but Elizabeth was innocent. Victor, then, is the one who is suffering the most out of the two.
-->"I bore a hell within me." Victor quoting Satan in Paradise Lost.
-Elizabeth is suffering pretty badly, but Victor is not recognizing her... his egotism is in the way
-Victor has a sick desire to be the greatest... and that is his inherent problem

From Heathcliff to Frankenstein...

All the characters become evil!
-Think about Linton...he is evil, but in the end, he helps Catherine

Hareton
He is completely "uncivilized"
Think about how he's been raised!!! BASICALLY BY NO ONE! Very Jungle Book Mogley-esque
He does have a good heart deep in there somewhere...

Young Catherine
-How bout her, eh? Welp, time for Frankenstein...

Catherine Bronte's Commentary on Her Sister
Aknowledging the brutality and the grotesque of the novel. I like when authors are conscious of what they are doing. Heathcliff is like satan...
-How could "young, innocent" Emily Bronte create such a vulgar story?
There comes a moment when a writer refuses to "follow the path," and begin to give in to the art and lets the art take over.
"You do an eclectic celebration of dance!
You do Fosse, Fosse, Fosse!
You do Martha Graham, Martha Graham, Martha Graham!
Or Twila, Twila, Twila!
Or Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd, Michael Kidd!
Or Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!
But you keep it all inside!"
-->From "The Birdcage," always reminds me of what it's like to be inside an artist's mind... one of my favorite quotes

Frankenstein: Mary Shelley
-Walton is searching for the North Pole
-Imagines he could become a "Homer" or a "Shakespeare in one year
HEFTY EXPECTATIONS, SIR! He wants fame. Pride. That is his only goal in this quest of his.
-Walton wants to be famous... but WHY?????
-How does Victor intervene?
-Victor begins to tell Walton his story... because he wants to teach Walton a lesson
*"Dear men, do you share my madness?"
-It's not in our edition! Por que? It's one of the most famous lines, but it was taken out
*There is debate on whether or not Percy Shelley wrote certain parts of "Frankenstein"
-Walton wants to be treated like royalty: "too cool to touch" Hubris much?

The Vulgar Heathcliff in the Movie...

The first time I read Wuthering Heights, I was in high school, and I struggled to follow the plot and storyline. This time through, however, I am captivated and intrigued. I don't know if it's perhaps maturity on my part or perhaps and new-found patience that I've acquired, but I understood and appreciated the unfolding love story. I struggle to state whether or not Heathcliff and Cathy were truly in Romeo and Juliet-esque love, but they did have a magnetic force attraction to each other, and no one can deny that.

While watching the movie, I struggled to find any sympathy inside of me for Heathcliff's character. When I read the book, I felt that Bronte made him more of a sympathetic creature, and I hurt with him each time he was mocked and ridiculed by the Linton's or by Hindley. Perhaps it was the way that the director of the film made the actor of Heathcliff look: this Heathcliff was cold and brash, almost from the start. The film did not develop Heathcliff's early life, and I did not see anyone ever treat Heathcliff poorly. In the very beginning, Hindley merely closes the door on Heathcliff's face and informs him that he will now be sleeping in the stables. The next time we see Heathcliff, he is a grown man covorting with Cathy.

The point at which I really see Heathcliff's anger and violence that did not translate the same way for me as through the book is after Cathy has given birth to the baby and has died, Heathcliff is shown physically beating Isabella with Nelly watching directly. He calls her a slut, and she is shown with cuts and bruises all over her face. During the book, Isabella comes to Nelly for help and merely hints at what is going on at Wuthering Heights, but to personally see him hit her makes me struggle to find any soft side of him. I guess this, however, is merely the power of modern film....



As the story is unfolding even more, Heathcliff just becomes a colder anad crueler person. I think, because of this, I prefer the book version. I feel I have more emotion invested with the book because I am sympathetic toward Heathcliff; I want him to win and to be treated right. I see the other characters with whom he is interacting as almost completely docile in comparison to him. The book made Hindley much more violent and terrible, and during the movie, he had some one-liners, but he was more in the shadows.

Overall, I'm glad I could compare the book and the movie. I watched the 1992 version, and I found it rather enjoyable. I think it is interesting to compare original thoughts on the text to a movie production. It shows all the different ways of interpreting the same text.

Class, Characters, and Crashes

...sorry I was not here Friday :-( I am still battling a bit of the flu, but I am here today!

"What does _______ do to help people better understand scene_______ in book?"
-->This is the prompt!

Wuthering Heights
...another day, another experience...

These characters aren't nice! Do they get what they deserve?

-Think about the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. Are they soul mates? Their love is so destructive. They are not "the best versions" of themselves when they're together. Their worst qualities come out when they're together.
-Perhaps Edgar is misinterpreting what the relationship is between Heathcliff and Catherine. Their relationship IS confusing.
-Page 101 in our books: look at the relationship between Nelly, a servant, and Catherine and the others. Nelly does EVERYTHING. One would have to have a somewhat intimate relationship with their servants because the servants are with them all the time. Class is what makes this distinguished relationship between the servers and the served. People become used to being waited on, and they get irritated when things go wrong.
-->Nelly does NOT adore Catherine, and she is quick to point out her faults. Catherine can be very narcissistic.
-Heathcliff is extremely perverse with his relationship with Isabella. He does not love her, but he wants to punish her like a voodoo doll for Edgar. His true anger is with Edgar, her brother.
-Heathcliff's emotions. "You married some guy instead of me!" Heathcliff is pissed! He wanted and should be Catherine's wife. The only reason she married Edgar is because of class! Catherine loved Heathcliff much more than she loved Edgar, but it all came down to class in the end.
-->Heathcliff: "You needn't be jealous of me. I'm not your husband." Catherine: "I'm jealous for you." This is all in realtion to Heathcliff's relationship with Isabella.
-Heathcliff wants revenge! Not for Catherine; he loves her and would never want to hurt her. He wants to marry Isabella to seek revenge on Edgar. Also taking power over the entire Linton family. They were a wealthy family, and he wants to soil thier good name. He is doing whatever he can to tear down thier name and heritage.
-->Remember that it is HINDLEY who ruined Heathcliff's potential because he made him a servant, whereas Mr. Earnshaw wanted Heathcliff to be raised as a child just like Catherine and Hindley. Heathcliff could have been wealthy too!
-The only reason Heathcliff is staying at Wuthering Heights is because Hindley invited him. Clearly, Heathcliff had money. Heathcliff is entitled to Wuthering Heights legally
-Hindley's child is a mess!
-Heathcliff has been tortured all his life. He cannot take joy in anything. He has never experienced joy and has been humiliated all of his life.
-->Remember that Isabella and Edgar have made fun of him and called him a servant for all of his younger life, and this has stuck with him.
-->Heathcliff HATES Isabella. He is REPULSED by her. He wants to degrade the Lintons. He wants to bring them down to lower than his level.

-Catherine dies. She is going insane a bit because she is not allowed to be with Heathcliff.

What is a soul mate?
Someone who can talk with one another and always provide honest answers, and whatnot. But what are Catherine and Heathcliff.

Are Catherine and Heathcliff soul mates?

Man of Mystery: Heathcliff

When I was in high school, I read Wuthering Heights for the first time. I struggled to interest myself in the plot, and my mother would time me and make read for 45 minute increments. It just took me the longest time to get into it. Over time, though, it was Heathcliff's character that made me so interested in the plot. I don't know what I envisioned in my head, but I always thought about what his outward appearence may have been. To me, he was very "Phantom of the Opera"-esque. Mysterious, wore a dark black cloak, etc. He was forlorn, but for some deep good reason.
After I read the book, we watched the movie in class, and they portrayed Heathcliff as animal-like, and I didn't like it. He was like a circus freak... dark, in a bad way.

Now, during my second time reading the book, I imagine Heathcliff as the dark and handsome Johnny Depp type. I am more sympathetic toward him than I was the first time. I can understand his character on a deeper level. I think about the number of times that others hurt him and humiliated him. I put myself into his shoes. How would I act and feel after being put down time after time. He's like an abandoned and abused animal who finds himself in a welcoming home, only to be skiddish and sharp-mannered around his new owners who cannot completely understand his actions.