For my English 106 class our third project is to think of a pop culture icon and make a website about the person, phenomenon, historical event, or thing and create a website on it. In class as we were brainstorming my classmates had such great ideas including The Beatles, marilyn monroe, and walt disney! I was completely lost on what to do for my person until I called my mom and she gave me the great idea to do Michael Jackson! He has such a huge impact on the world from when he was a child star to even now after his death. In my website I will have a home page with just pictures and different videos of him throughout his career. Then I will have one section that is basically going to be a bio on his life including his childhood and how he became a star. I will discuss the Jackson 5 and their raise to fame along with his downfall. Then I will have another section that has all of his music and albums discussed and which were the most famous. I will then have a section that has all of his achievements and awards showcased in it. Next I will have a section on his impact in pop culture involving anything that was influenced by him or made for him. The last section will be a tribute to him and his life as the king of pop. I will talk about the way in which he changed peoples lives and left such a legacy! I am hoping to put as many photos and videos on it has possible to show how active his life was. My website will be very information and will help those further understand exactly who michael jackson was as a person. Very excited for this project!
For my English 106 class we are doing a pop culture project in which we must incorporate Frankenstein into two different forms of media that go together. When this project was first introduced to us in class I began to brainstorm and thought of countless ideas. I thought of making a monster alcohol label but after seeing that absolute vodka had already done the mummy and Frankenstein inspired bottles I decided to go in another direction. I also thought of doing a Frankenstein inspired restaurant and make the menu and an ad for it but I realized that I did not have much creativity when it came to thinking of food names for the menu so I nixed that idea as well. Finally with some creative thinking help from my mom I came up with the perfect idea for my project. I have decided to do a fragrance collection based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel and the 1930s movie. I will have the brand be called “Frankgrance” as a mock between fragrance and frankenstein. The collection will be called “The Lonely Heart” collection inspired by the monsters search throughout the novel and book looking for love to fill his heart. I will have three categories of scents including Frankenstein, The bride, and Baby Franky. Within these categories I will have three separate scents for each all with separate names and smells to go along with them. To make sure the bottles are all unique I got different shape bottles for each category and I will design the bottles to make them have a certain erie or scary look while still keeping an attractive appearance. For my two forms of media I will have a magazine ad that will sexualize the monster and make him attractive so that people will want to look like him. Also the ad will have a fold out piece that will smell like the scent. I will do a website for the second form of media and possibly a web mail out or poster that could go in the mall of something like that.
Nicole Murphy
March 21, 2012
English 106
Nancee Reeves
From Creation to Monster
In many stories the hero and the villain are very easy to distinguish, but in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley these two identities are not so clear. It is possible to argue that because Victor Frankenstein’s creation murdered so many people he is the “bad guy” of the story, but what readers must consider is what made the Creation turn into a monster. The Creature did not turn violent until his creator left him to face the world alone with no guidance or knowledge. Frankenstein wanted to play God so bad he ignored any possibility that things could go wrong. After the first sight of his creation he fled depriving his creation of love, acceptance, and even a father figure. Ultimately, it was Frankenstein’s selfishness that brought about his own downfall and that of his creation as well.
Frankenstein was a man of deep passion whose intentions were harmless. He wanted to be a scientist and benefit mankind, but this passion soon evolved into obsession. He became power hungry and longed to be a godly figure as he mentions in the beginning of the book, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me”(55). He sacrificed his health and family for his ambition. Frankenstein ignored any ideas that his science may be impractical and potentially dangerous to society. He was very bright and succeeded with his plan but instead of celebrating his success he gasped at the acknowledgement of creating something so hideous. His longing to play God had spiraled into a nightmare. Frankenstein did not realize how much responsibility came along with creating a being dependent on him.
Frankenstein’s greatest act of selfishness is deserting his ignorant and helpless creature at the moment of his birth. He fled from his creature leaving him to fend for himself with no understanding of the world. This desertion left the Creature alone, longing for human connections. He wonders, “…But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses…”(124). Loneliness and rejection are only the beginning of the Creatures escalating anger. He could not understand why he was so incapable of being loved. As he began to gain an understanding of what he was missing he realized who was responsible for his lonely existence, “I remembered Adams supplication of his creator, but where was mine? He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him”(134). From this moment the once harmless creation has grown into a vicious monster that set out to make Frankenstein feel the very pain he had experienced. The monster would stop at nothing in achieving this goal.
Frankenstein’s never ending pity for himself also draws readers to classify him as the villain. He creates a human not caring if it would be accepted by society, and as a result forced the Creature to live in exile. Though he brings his Creation so much pain all Frankenstein can think about is himself. As the Monster tries to make him see what it is like living without family, Frankenstein believes that he is the only one experiencing misfortunes, “…I am, by a course of strange events, become the most miserable of mortals. Persecuted and tortured as I am and have been, can death be any evil to me”? (183). The fact that Frankenstein thinks he is the most miserable of mortals is proof of how self-centered he is. He never stops to think that this is how his creature has felt since the day he fled and why he is seeking revenge.
All the Creature wanted was to be accepted by society. He did not ask to be created out of decaying body parts but was forcibly stuck with this gruesome exterior. No one could look past that and see he was just a human being longing for relationships. Consider this, how might you react if your own father figure couldn’t look at you without pain and disgust? Would you be accepting of a life of hurt or would you seek revenge in any way possible? The monster never wanted to hurt the innocent victims. He simply longed for his creator to understand what it was like living a lonely life without the love and joy of family.
Here is the introduction and the revised thesis statement for my Frankenstein essay.
The Destruction in Trying to Play God
In many instances the hero and the villain are very easy to decipher between, but in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley these two identities mesh together to create confusion among readers. Many can debate that because Frankenstein’s creation viscously murdered so many people he is the obvious “bad guy” in the story but what those individuals must take in to account are all of the variables in the creations life that caused him to behave as he did. Imagine being one of the ugliest beings on earth, not knowing where you came from, and having no one love you as the creations life consisted of. He did not begin to turn violent until his creator left him to venture the world alone and be rejected by all he came across. Frankenstein wanted so badly to play God but when he had finally gotten what he wanted his disregard for others took over and made him the ultimate villain. He stole what his creation needed to survive, love, acceptance, and a father figure. Ultimately, it is Frankenstein’s selfishness that brings about not only his own downfall, but that of his creation as well.
Nicole Murphy
English 106
Thesis statement: His complete disregard for human kind, obsession with playing God, and his selfishness throughout the novel are all evidence as to why victor Frankenstein plays as the villain in the story.
Outline:
- Intro- Introduce the story and the theory that both the monster and Victor could be considered the villains in the book.
Thesis statement: His complete disregard for human kind, obsession with playing God, and his selfishness throughout the novel are all evidence as to why victor Frankenstein plays as the villain in the story.
- Support- Victors complete disregard for human kind
- Talk about how he does not think about the consequences before he decided to make a creation or monster out of body parts. Use quote from page 54 “Nor could I consider the magnitude and complexity of my plan as any argument of its impracticability. It was with these feelings that I began the creation of a human being.”
- I will discuses how he was so thrilled when the monster disappeared and did not care whet had happened to it or where it had gone. I will use a quote from page 62, “I could hardly believe that so great good fortune could have befallen me; but when I became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy and ran down to Clerval.”
- The last point I will discuses is how he did not care about the monster feelings and consider that fact that his creation was human and longed for human connection. Using a quote on page 124, “But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses.”
- Support- Victors obsession with playing God
- Since he was young he had a curiosity with life and death and as he grew older it turned in to an obsession. I will use this quote on page 55 to describe his first mention of playing God, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.”
- I will discuses his reaction after he had created the monster and how he did not want to take ownership or responsibility in his God like creation. Using a quote on page 58, “But now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room.”
- The third point I will make will touch of how the monster felt having a different creator then the rest of the world that surrounded him. Using a quote on page 134, “I remembered Adams supplication of his creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him.”
- Support- Lastly I will talk about his selfishness throughout the entire novel
- In this paragraph I will first talk about the first time Victor actually realizes he has done something wrong and admitted some guilt. I will use the quote from page 167, “I felt as if I had committed some great crime, the consciousness of which haunted me. I was guiltless, but I had indeed drawn down a horrible curse upon my head, as mortal is that of crime.”
- I will also discuss his promise to the monster to make him a companion but then later his realization that he would never want to be responsible for a race so ugly as them. I will use the quote on page 170, “yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the daemon thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth.”
- The last point I will touch on is how Victor always manages to make his life seem as though it is a curse and that known of it was his fault. The entire book he is just feeling sorry for himself and it gets very sickening to read. I will use the quote of page 183 to support this statement, “I am, by a course of strange events, become the most miserable of mortals. Persecuted and tortured as I am and have been, can death be any evil to me?” He is so dramatic!
- Conclusion- I will explain the entire essay and recap on all the points that I touched on before and sum them all up. I will also restate the thesis statement.
In my english 106 class we were asked to read the monsters narrative from the novel Frankenstein and decide whether we thought the monster was the real villain or Victor Frankenstein. I have come to the conclusion that Victor is in the wrong and that the monster is just an innocent victim. He was tortured by his creator and forced to live in a world where he was not excepted. Throughout his narrative I came across numerous quotes that will help support my theory in my final paper. The monster could not understand why he was treated so differently from everyone else,”When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, , a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” He meant no harm to anyone but as he was treated with more and more cruelty he began to build a hatred for all man kind. “For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them; But allowing myself to be borne away with steam, I bent my mind towards injury and death.” As you can see from this quotation Victor disowning his creation is the reason for the monster becoming evil. He never had thoughts like this until he realized he had not a single person in the world to love and care for him. I believe that anyone who has ever felt out of place or misunderstood can sympathize with the monster, “My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them.” He had no where to turn and and no one to turn to. All of these quotes are very supportive of my theory that victor was the real monster and they all help people understand who the monster really was.
In my english 106 class we were asked to watch a music video and a clip from a play and anazlye what we think the author or songwriter is trying to convey. The first song/music video is Frankenstein by Willoughby. In the music video it is basically a mad scientist like Dr. Victor Frankenstein mixing chemicals while a craetor like the monster is wandering around the streets and on the bus with a nap sack. There is a scene where the man and the creater are playing catch like a father and son would and this made me realize that the author was probably trying to convey that he feels like a father to the moster. The lyrics are very clear is saying “the man who has my heart” talking about the monster who has clearly run away from him. This is a very basic take on the frankenstein novel I believe because victor should feel like a father even though in the book he wants nothing to do with him.
The video clip we were supposed to look at was Frankensteins wedding and in this particular scene it starts off with elizabeth who is all bloody running up to the monster demanding to know were her husband is. He talks as though he wants victor to feel as much pain as he has felt throughout his life and wants him to suffer like he did. Then he kills Elizabeth just as victor appears with a gun. In the end victor is shot by the police and the monster runs away to who knows where. I felt like this was very interesting because it is a very different take on things then what the movie should. The monster in this clip seems to really love Victor and is very heart broken when he is shot, where as in the movie Frankenstein kills the monster. The song in this muscial is “My Body is a Cage” by Arcade Fire who I like alot and have seen in concert! This Particular song was a very good choice for this scene because the monster feels very trapped in his body. He can think just as anyone else can but people are so repulced by his appearence that he cannot be accepted. The line “My body is a cage that keeps me from dancing with the one I love but my mind holds the key” is basically this exact description. The monster could never be loved because no one can get past his exterior so it is basically like his mind is trapped inside a cage.
In my own pre-suit for Frankenstein songs I came across the song Frankensteins Monster Song by Dave Taviner. It is basically all about the pre-suit to catch the monster and his entire story. It is a very interesting and weird song if you listen to in for the entire thing. I think Frankenstein was used because everyone knows that Frankenstein sells. It has been so successful that a lot of songwriters and authors believe it will give their song that edge that people like.
In my english 106 class at Purdue University we are reading and analyzing the novel frankenstein. Specifically we are taking a closer and more in dept look in to who is really the monster in frankenstein. Is it Victor, the monster, or simply society? I have not yet come to the conclusion of which one I really think it is but I have leaning more towards Victor. Although he does not do any killing himself he shows signs of disregard for his actions. At his earliest stages of life he had a strange obsession with philosophy and rebirth explaing in this quote “Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.” He did not have the normal thoughts of a child and he was always obsessed with the perfect being that was elizabeth because she is so beautiful.
When he created the monster he was repulsed by how ugly his creation was. He explains, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” He could never love his creation as a child and show it affection because in his head he was disgusted by him and could not believe that he had created it. Even after he had realized that he had made a mistake he still did not except responsibility and maybe try and help the monster learn how to act in society. He acts as if he is better and of higher standards then the rest of the world explain in this quote “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” He is a very selfish man and the worst past of it is I honestly believe that he thinks he is completely innocent.
In my english class this week we looked at different types of advertising in media involving frankensteins monster. This is a tactic used very often to appeal to the eye of viewers. People in society can relate to the monster and almost immediately recognize him when seen in ads and on commercials. My personal favorites are the bottle of absolute shelly vodka and the ad with all the monsters (frankenstein, the vampire, the mummies, etc.) all in the bathroom. The vodka bottle appeals to the eye and I feel as though people would actually would buy the bottle just because they like the appearance of it. They use these ads very often and making on that looks like a monster in frankenstein was a very good marketing technique and I sure it raised sales. The other Heineken ad with the monsters has a funny appeal to it and brings attention to the beer. It is very interesting to see how different all the ads are. The monster is appealed in many different ways, some are scary and some are funny. It is all about what the advertiser wants to show by the ad. They can make it so many different ways because some see the monster in frankenstein as the victim and some see him as a killer, but that is what is so great about the story. It isn’t always clear and you as the reader are forced to then make your own opinion of what you believe. Is the monster the criminal or is doctor frankenstein? You must decide. It never really occurred to me as to how much the monster is show in the media and advertisements but now that I am taking this class I’m beginning to notice it more and more everyday. Try and pay attention to how many times he comes up in the media.
After reading both reviews from Onion AV by Keith Phipps and Oh, The Horror Reviews by Brett G, it is safe to say that Frankenstein didn’t change the world of classic horror, he created it. Whether you are watching it how it should be viewed in the wee hours of the morning or simply in the Universal Monsters Legacy Collection series, Frankenstein will send chills running up your spine with one of the most stunning entrances in film history. This movie unlike all recent horror movies proved that gore was not needed to make a scary film, mere atmosphere and tension can provide all the thrills you need. Brett G, having grown up with the film since his father made him watch it at 4 years old stated,” and what a glorious introduction it was. From the opening scene in the gothic cemetery I was hooked.”
It has been said that when Frankenstein reanimates the dead corpse right before their eyes is one of the most chilling sequences in horror history. The aspect that brought people to love the monster so much was the realization that he was merely misunderstood not malicious. In the viewers eyes the doctor and townspeople become the monsters in the film, stated in Oh, The Horror Reviews “As the film essentially feels as if it’s a fairy tale gone horribly wrong”. When being watched it has been said that you are transported to another time and place completely infatuated with the “lavish sets, moody backdrops, and gorgeous black and white photography”. Also the fact that the film has no music aside from the opening and closing credits adds a more dramtic and “on the edge of your seat” affect.
This film will never be brushed away. As said by Brett G “The film is set in an unnamed european country during an unnamed time, which contributes to the timelessness of tale.” The movie Frankenstein was in your parents lives, your lives, and will be in your children’s lives. It will fill future generations with “a public consciousness seemingly instantly and forever.
nikkimurphyy 