Frankenstein

There was a motif in this story of master and slave. Both the monster and Victor believed that they were slaves. Victor was the slave of despair, which was created by the monster. With each death, he fell further into depression. He felt the shackles upon his wrists and his mind. Also, the monster felt that he was a slave. At one point, he convinced Victor that although "You [Victor] are my creator, I am your master" (122). However, after Victor's death, the creature bitterly realized that he still had his shackles. His master was man. Because he was ill formed, the creature spent his time trying to be accepted somewhere within society. Each time he attempted, the people detested him. He could not live with society and function as a normal person. He was always alone in the world. These shackles remained with him as he will live his days on the North Pole.

Frankenstein

The creature kills almost every loved one in Victor's life; yet, the creature has a soul and conscious like a human. It has the same feelings as any other human being. Killing another human being can hurt the psyche of the creature as it would any human. It is not natural to kill someone who has done nothing to cause them bodily harm. In his revenge, the creature murdered Victor's family. His mind was not unharmed while doing so: "I recollected my threat, and resolved that it should be accomplished. I knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture" (164). He felt guilt, and these deaths did not give him any satisfaction. He still wanted a wife and to find love. Since Victor impeded this, his desire for revenge dimmed his guilt of killing his loved ones. After Victor's death, the beast was remorseful and vowed to live on the North Pole until his death.

Frankenstein

When the monster leaves Victor at the shack where he was building the monster, the creature leaves him with a promise, "I shall be with you on your wedding night" (123). Victor believes that he will be murdered on this night. However, the monster and the audience knows differently. Victor is alive and recounting the story with Walton. Therefore, the monster targets Elizabeth. There seems to be a poetic justice to this. Victor barred the creature's way to love, and so it shall be with Victor. He lost the love of his life when he refused to create the female. After his wife's death, his perspective about the monster changed. He no longer wanted to be the hunted but the hunter. He desired revenge of his wife, his brother, his father, and his best friend. This dramatically changed his motive. He no longer had people to love except his brother Ernest, so he wanted to vanquish his foe. He had no love left in his life, so he was consumed again by an obsession. He obsessed over his revenge. No matter the hunger, thirst, or exhaustion, Victor would travel with the monster until his last breath.

Frankenstein

Victor's character blinds him from seeing the truth about the second creature until he begins to make its body. He commences building it so that both creatures will leave in exile. Victor demands a "solemn oath to quit Europe forever, and every other place in the neighbourhood of man" (107). However, he does not think of the consequences of his actions. His idealistic ways force his mind to narrow. He believes he is doing the correct action by making the monster leave forever. Yet, he does not make the connection that he creates another being with a sharp mind and a strong body. Many possibilities could unfold like the monsters reproducing or they desire a child. He does not think of these until late at night when she is almost complete. This lack of a sense of realism blocked him at least twice from the necessary actions. He should have never agreed to create another monster; likewise, he should not have made the first. He wanted to create it to stop disease and possibly death; however, he created a humongous monster, who was more powerful and intelligent than a man. His idealistic attitude prevented him from seeing all the more likely outcomes to the situations.

Frankenstein

In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, the monster finds a hovel. It becomes his home and his sanctuary while he learns the language slowly without the eyes of man to scorn him . When Safie comes to the family, the creature acquired a partner to learn the language of the DeLacey family. He begins to compare himself to her. He acknowledges her affect upon the family's morale. Their faces brightened when she arrived at the cottage. Soon, they learn the language, but the monster learns at a faster rate. Priding himself on this, he relayed it to Victor: "I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken. (84)" He hopes that since the DeLaceys accepted a foreigner from a distant land and who did not understand the language, they will accept him too. He has done things for the family like collecting wood while he learned the language. He believed that he had more to offer them than the Arabian, yet they treated him differently. Once he presented his gruesome exterior to the family, the parallels diverge. Where they loved and adored Safie, they screamed and fainted at the sight of the creature. His hope crushed; he realized that he would never be accepted by man.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

In regard to the monster that Frankenstein created, it is more intelligent than a person may suppose. It became intelligent like any other child tries to be. When he was made, the creature did not do many things. He could not speak unless it was gibberish. As time grew on, he learned through his experience. Like a child, he had many experiences that taught him to behave a certain way. On one occasion,  he found a fire and "In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain" (Shelly, 72). This shows that he could feel pain and learned not to redo the action because of the pain that he suffered. Still, he could not speak in a fashion like any human. He found a family that he observed throughout the day. Like many children, he learned certain words with his study. Soon, he knew basic words. As the monster recounts its story, it speaks eloquently, which shows that he has a firm grasp upon the language.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

Within Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Frankenstein cannot elude death's horrible reach when he comes home in Geneva. He receives a letter beforehand that states the murder of his youngest brother. Elizabeth, Ernest, and his father were all distressed by the occurrence. Victor believes that the monster killed his brother although Justine Mortiz was accused. She was put on trial, condemned, and died, but she was innocent. Frankenstein knew who had done the murder but did not reveal his secret because he felt it was too far fetched. No one would believe him. He remained silent, and after the execution, his guilt evaded every thought that he had. Eventually, he contemplated death: "... often, I say, I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities forever" (Shelly, 62). He was on the verge of suicide to try to remove himself from his guilt and despair; however, he felt that he had a duty to kill the beast and avenge William and Justine.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

Within chapter five, Frankenstein completed the monster. Terror, which was his first reaction, erupted from his mind. He stated, "I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived (Shelly, 36)." He alludes to Dante, who was an author of Dante's Inferno. Dante fashioned a new, detailed hell through which his character traveled. Because Frankenstein constructed a monster, he thought he was going through hell. He believed that his situation is worse than anything that the author could imagine. Frankenstein ran away from his creation. Eventually, the creature left the dormitory, and Frankenstein was relived not to see him. However, Frankenstein formed a foundation for a new hell even worse than his wildest imagination.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Walton and the stranger upon the boat has many commonalities. Both are driven by their dreams to the point of ignoring familial bonds. Mrs. Saville and Frankenstein's family, especially Elizabeth, write to them to correspond with them. Also, Walton and Frankenstein have educated themselves upon their topic. As a result, their dreams are of different topics but the same essence. They wanted to do something that has never been done before in terms of their career fields. Because of these commonalities, they bonded quickly. Frankenstein pleas with Walton, " 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 (Shelly, 13)." He does not wish that Walton's dreams ends as his did. He hopes to deter Walton from making the same mistakes as he did.

Frankenstein, Mary Shelly

Within Robert Walton's letters to his sister, he speaks of his adventure to the north pole. He is confident in his endeavors, yet he cannot escape his doubts. At the end of his first letter, he writes, "If I fail, you will see me again soon, or never (Shelly, 3)." He is afraid of failing. Dreaming of reaching land to which has never been traveled has been his aspiration since he was a young child. Although he deferred his dream to learn poetry, Walton still had an inclination towards learning of the sea. When his cousin died and left him a small fortune, Walton aspired again his dream to the north pole. He has spent time and money on his dream, and soon, he will be completing it. Finally, he has chartered a boat and hired a crew. However, he fears that his anxiety will become a reality upon the sea.

Miss Brill

In the short story, "Miss Brill" by Mansfield, the people at the part alienates her. As she sits, she begins to think of life being a stage. She sees herself as a valueable asset to the play. She thinks, "no doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there; she was part of teh perfomance after all (Mansfield, 185)." Bundled in her fur coat, she came every Sunday to the park. She thought that she was essential to the scene on Sundays. However, she realized that she deterred most of the action from occurring. A couple would not start speaking to each other until she left. They knew that she was attempting to listen into their conversation. Eventually, Miss Brill left without going to the bakery. She returned to her room and cried because she felt alienated from the others. Miss Bart's feeling of unity shatters her previous feeling of unity.

I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain

In Emily Dickinson's poem, "I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain," the speaker has become crazy. She repeats "treading" and "beating" to expound her lunacy (Dickinson, 776). When a person has a terrible headache, every sound seems to be intensified. The sounds pound inside of her head. She focuses on the sounds, which increases her feeling of craziness. Also, she states that the "Plank of Reason" broke. As it breaks, she finds herself randomly in the world, but then, she plunges back into her insanity. Eventually, she has lost all reasons for her actions. She finishes life without a true grasp on reality. With the last line, "Finished knowing-then- (776)", she has gone crazy.

Much Madness is divinist Sense

In the poem, "Much Madness is divinist Sense", Dickinson declares that the crazy people have a "discerning Eye" (Dickinson, 830). They can see the world in which others cannot. Yet, they are persecuted by the populous for their differences. Their ideas are discredited. Due to their opinions, they are separated from the community. In certain cases, they are punished for thinking in a way that is not like the majority. She states that a person must have a sense of madness to voice his opinion. The person acknowledges that the opinion of the masses is not the only belief. Instead of being sane and withholding his opinion, he declares it. As a result, he is treated differently and persecuted.

APO 96225

In the poem, APO 96225 by Rottmann, a soldier writes to his mother. At first, he writes about the superficial events in the Vietnam War. He begins, "sure rains a lot here (Rottmann, 846)." The mother awaits for the letter and desires more information. She asks for specific events. However, the son knows that the war is not something for fragile ears. He keeps giving small, fun statements about the monkies and the sunset. Eventually, the mother demands actual information about what is occurring in the other country. The son explicitly states, " Today I killed a man. Yesterday, I helped drop napalm on women and children (846)." Afterwards, it creates a sense of situational irony because she no longer wanted to know what actually occurred during the war.

Bartleby, the Scivener

The character Bartelby from Herman Melville's short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" parallels many men who work on Wall Street. A strange fellow, Bartleby does not attempt to connect socially with other people even his collegues in the law firm. They know nothing about him outside of the firm. They do not know if Bartleby has a family or anything of the sort. Furthermore, he does not leave the office at all while refusing any work that he prefers not to do. Although he avoids normalcy, he is similar to the lawyer and narrator of the story. The narrator says that he feels sympathy for him because "both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam (657).", yet they had more in common than he would want to admit. The narrator exemplified many of Bartleby's qualities: passive, unwilling to leave the workplace, and the lack of familial bonds. Presently, Bartleby's state is more drastic because he is like a body without a soul. He is a drastic example of Wall Street's businessmen, who live to work and prefer not to live a life outside the workplace.