Frankenstein- Ch. 6-8/ Who Dunnit?/Characterization

"She nursed Madame Frankenstein, my aunt, in her last illness, with the greatest affection and care....She was warmly attached to the child who is now dead, and acted towards him like a most affectionate mother." -Elizabeth Frankenstein (pg. 56)

This quote depicts Elizabeth speaking to Justine Moritz's innocence. It also shows a great deal of characterization. Specifically, this is indirect characterization because Elizabeth doesn't come right out and say Justine is innocent, but she gives evidence through Justine's actions that she wasn't a harmful person, let alone William's killer. Another defence that Justine was unjustly convicted and killed was that "surprise, horror, and misery were strongly expressed" when she was at her trial. I haven't read ahead, so I'm not sure if she was actually the murderer, but according to these accounts, I think Justine was innocent.

The only other suspect mentioned was the creature, because he was spotted (granted, only by Victor) at the scene of William's murder. This is suspicious, and not likely a coincidence. As far as motive, I see none, and even if there were a motive, how would the monster be able to frame Justine and go after a certain target that just happened to be Victor's brother. Because the monster's nature is good, I don't see him as a killer either. Either way, all will soon be revealed. I can't wait much longer!

Frankenstein- Ch. 1-5/The Creation

"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For his I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." -Victor Frankenstein (pg. 35)

This quote describing the first moments of Victor's reaction to his creation show a great irony. First, Victor had spent two years wasting away, working sleeplessly to create life, to do something that was considered honorable and never been done before. After all this toil, he finally reaches his goal. The irony comes in as Victor is disgusted and terrified by his own creation. The irony is simply that ardent work and study should bring pleasure while Victor's labor brought him nothing but horror.

Another irony and maybe paradox (I'm not sure) is that Victor believes, from its first breath, that the creation is evil and wants to kill him. From reading ahead, we know this is not the case, and because the creature was inherently good, his behavior was caused by others' hatred of him. The possible paradox is that the creature is first shown as so disgusting (Victor can't even stay in the same room with him) with yellow-ish eyes, "gigantic stature" from different corpses, and "grin-wrinkled cheeks," is actually a kind and intelligent individual. Even though the creature recognizes itself as a monster, there is little hope that society will not react in the same fashion as Victor.

Frankenstein- Letters/Foreshadowing

"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification o your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been." -Victor Frankenstein (pg. 13)

First of all, I think this is one of my favorite books I've read. I'm not really into horror movies since I'm a whimp, but this book makes it both interestingly terrifying and tolerable. It's definitely boring, which is a big problem with reading for me. Anyhoo, my literary term for the Letters section is foreshadowing, one thing that adds to suspense and honestly, a bit of confusion. In this quote, Victor is telling Robert Walton that his ambition for learning may lead to devastation, just like his did. This comment not only reveals that Frankenstein's quest for creating life was a success, but that it had a bad outcome. Obviously, his creation has "stung" him, so that begs the question, "Who, what, where, why, and how" did this to Victor. This foreshadows the story of what happened in between the creature's creation and present time.

Another instance of foreshadowing that creates suspense is when the men on Robert's ship see "the shape of a man," implying its freakish nature, driving a dogsled. This seemingly random event raises so many questions- most of them still unanswered. What we do know is that Victor is desperately chasing the monstrosity he created and is getting beaten.

Frankenstein- Ch. 9-12/Irony

"I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend." -the Creature (pg. 69)

I take many things from this quote from the Creature (I've found the book easier to read by calling him Sasquatch). The first thing is that Sasquatch is nothing like Victor believed. The presumably bloodthirsty and inherently evil monster is actually gentle and inherently good, despite everyone else's initial beliefs, creating the irony that the monster is in many ways the opposite of what he seems.

Besides contradicting the view that the monster is evil, this quote also debunks the idea that the monster, made by human will, would be inferior to humans intellectually. The monster is actually shown as an intellectual equal through his fast learning and eloquent speech. Another example of the monster's intelligence is the allusion he makes- while his creator, Victor, should love his creation, like God loved Adam, Victor punishes him and calls him names like "devil" and "demon." This creates sympathy for the Sasquatch's character, I think, because it shows he was and is judged merely by appearance, not his "gentle demeanor" or urge to be accepted in society. It sort of assigns blame or a demeaning side to Victor, basically making him a hypocrite.

First, Victor created Sasquatch, so whatever it does reflects Victor. In addition to that is the fact that from the moment of life, Victor was terrified of the monster and, while he didn't abandon the monster, he didn't go out to search for it. This brings to my mind the analogy of, per say, a parent who is out late every night and pays little to no attention to their child. How is the monster guilty of the crimes he commits (if he even commits a crime, which I don't think he did) if his only family dismisses him, calls his names, and tries to kill him? Because he is really inherently good, and is nurtured to behave badly, I am rooting for Team Sasquatch.

A Raisin in the Sun: Opinion/Glass Menagerie

"Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work." (Walter, 33)

I really enjoyed A Raisin in the Sun because of its realistic nature. The Glass Menagerie was also realistic in the characters, but not in the effects on the stage. That said, I liked ARITS because it is so much like TGM and even more realistic- to me, better.

First off, the characters are basically the same in each play. Mama and Ruth are relatable to Amanda, whileWalter is extremely like Tom. First off, in the scene including this quote, a key point of the plot is introduced. In this scene, Walter is trying to tell Ruth about his business idea about opening a liquor store with Willy Harris. Meanwhile, Ruth is ignoring him and telling him to just "eat your eggs." I can see how this would be extremely frustrating-being ignored when you have something exciting to share. That's probably why this story between Walter and Ruth is easy to grasp. Anyways, Walter's motivation is that he wants to escape from his mundane, ordinary lifestyle (hmm, sounds familiar) and make something of himself by going into business. And Ruth, ignoring his dreams (still familiar...) tries to convince him that his dreams are pointless, to give them up, and to come back to reality. Unfortunately, just like the other play, this conflict of interest just creates tension and hostility within a relationship, driving it between the two, resulting in Walter's habit of going out to drink, come home drunk, and start dancing and shouting in African. At least Tom got out while he still had his dignity....

                         OWIMOWEH!

A Raisin in the Sun: Generation Gap (#5)

"Once upon a time freedom used to be life-now it's money. I guess the world really do change..." (Mama, 74)

The question addressed here is: show how Raisin deals with the generation gap- the problems that the older generation has in dealing with the younger generation and vice versa. The first example is the difference in religious beliefs of Mama and Beneatha. While Mama is faithful, Beneatha doesn't believe in God. Although to members of the same generation, this dispute might seem trivial, the discrepancy between mother and daughter is a much bigger deal. Beneatha's disbelief in God comes off as ignorant or selfish to Mama, who is a fervent believer.

The next example is the fact that Beneatha wants to become a doctor. Her mother, Mama, is a maid for others, and her brother, Walter, is a chauffeur. This shows her family is not wealthy, and does not really have extraordinary ambitions to do something with their lives. Bennie breaks this stereotype of Mama's ordinary and mundane lifestyle and is determined to make something of herself. This difference in life goals sets Bennie apart from the other family members.

The last example, from the quote above, is a huge conflicting point of view for Mama and Walter. Mama states that growing up and raising a family, her focus was on freedom, and being set in the 1960's, the play comes in just as Civil Rights are being discussed. Walter, on the other hand, seemingly cares only about money. Even though he just wants to make something out of his life by going into business with Willy for a liquor store, Walter's blunt urgency to have money creates a great gap between Walter's and Mama's views on important things in life.

A Raisin in the Sun: Pressure (#4)

"I-I just seen my family falling apart today... just falling to pieces in front of my eyes... We couldn't of gone on like we was today....When it gets like that in life- you just got to do something different, psh on out and do something bigger..." (Mama, 94)

This blog addresses question #4, asking which characters were pressured into taking an action they wouldn't normally take because of other people or outside forces. There are countless examples of characters who do things because of pressure from surroundings or others. The first example is when Beneatha cuts her hair. She was satisfied doing up her hair until Asagai, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, criticizes her for not being natural enough, and being an "assimilationist." She then cuts her hair in an effort to break her stereotype and please Asagai.

The next example is Ruth's consideration of an abortion. Because Ruth and Walter Lee have a son, Travis, it is clear that Ruth isn't emotionally opposed to having children. The problem is the family's economic situation. Given that the couple lives in a run-down house with three other people, sharing basic necessities, the family cannot afford another mouth to feed. Because Ruth is in a tough spot financally, she considers having an abortion and even making a down payment on the procedure.

My last example is the one from the quote, and a key part in the play's plot: Mama's decision to buy a new, better house. Because of the detrimentality of the house, Mama realizes that the harmful atmosphere is only hurting the inhabitants. Reacting to this hostile and chaotic lifestyle, Mama uses her check to invest in a new, hopefully more promising home.