1.) Is it dangerous or wrong to be ambitious? What might a person have to sacrifice to achieve a goal?
2.) Should scientist tamper with the "elixir of life"? To what extent do you believe in scientific experimentation for the benefit of humankind i.e. stem cell research, cloning, etc.?
3.) What is the duty of a parent? Should people undergo psychological evaluations before becoming parents?
4.) Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein can be seen as a didactic piece of literature, one that aims to teach a lesson. What do you think is the lesson, and is it relevant today?
In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, we are encountered with a man who constantly wants to solve the problem with loosing loved ones or stopping death completely, but instead creates a monster that torments him and kills everybody he feels is dear to Victor Frankenstein, this whole predicament could have been avoided if Victor hadn't messed with the dead or creating new life. This science that was established in the novel actually happens now in modern times, just not with creatures that want to kill as vengeance. We use this science to clone cells ,organs, and pets. We also extend the life of others by changing genes that shorten the life of others and by attaching machines that help them survive. The tampering of people is a dangerous and tricky decision because it can turn into a bumpy road that we cant come back from. Victor sought to change the way things had to take their natural course for his own ambitions and brought someone back that hadn't asked to." I had desired it with an adour that far exceeded moderation; 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 and continued a long time traversing my bed chamber.....I took refugee in the courtyard belonging to the house which i inhabitited, 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 demonical corpseto which i had so miserably given life." The person should have a say if they want to be given a chance to be brought back or tampered with, out of their own free will. Then it will be thier own doing. Overall i don't believe science should be used with to bring back others or cloning because it isn't beneficial at all times and may cause great choas and destruction to the course of things.
ReplyDeleteSo you basically believe that life should take its own basic course and that we have no right to interrupt that? Could it be that depending on the situation then we would all change our opinion? Cause most people would try to save a family member no matter the cost.
DeleteI believe ambition can be dangerous to an extent depending on the person and again, depending on the person and to what extent he/she might take his/her ambition to, can result in greater or smaller sacrifices. Scarifies such as lack of health and he decides to be a hero in his own mind rather than preserving the lives of those he loves. In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, Victor has an ambition to seek answers on how to bring back the dead back to life. In order to do so, Victor lacks sleep because he is too busy researching for answers and in result he becomes very ill from not only lack of sleep, but nutrients. In addition to hurting his own being, he also hurts those he loves most. Such as, in a way, killing William, causing the execution of Justine, and the death of his dear wife, Elizabeth. However, his intentions were not to purposefully hurt them in such way. All Victor wanted were answers which he later on found. By creating the monster, he scarified his loved ones. Although he did not directly hurt them, the thing he created, did indeed hurt them. In result, Victor is to blame because he never truly thought of the consequences of his ambition.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are stating, but use evidence from the book such as quotes to make it more effective
DeleteI concur with you as well as with Miranda. Yes. Victor was selfish in only thinking about his own discovery and relying on his ambition. I suggest you add textual evidence, such as "I knew well therefore what would be my father's feelings; but I could not tear my own thoughts from my employment...(53)" This indeed shows that Victor disregarded his family's opinions and rather put his own will first.
DeleteI agree with Cecilia about how ambition leads to sacrifices because you do have to give up some things in live to achieve your goal. As seen in the novel, Victor sacrifices his family to achieve ration of the monster.
Delete- Abel Sanchez
I agree with Cecilia, but it can be argued that even with Victor's ambition most of hardship he went through May have been avoided if he had compassion with his ambition. With compassion he would have cared for his creation even with his looks and would then give the monster a more positive view of mankind. Also he would at least have companion which was what he was what he was looking for throughout the story. - Brian Nguyen
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, a story depicting the story of a man's experiment gone haywire and his telling of a story to a navigator that he met in Germany. The novel touches on one question that has been asked throughout the ages, " Should scientist tamper with the 'elixir of life'" and from the readings and my personal experience/ opinion I say yes as the scientists' tinkering is what brought us closer to the scientific breakthroughs that we have pertaining to our medical advancement and healthcare. In the novel Victor Frankenstein literally brings the dead back to life, in addition Victor did not even use a complete body to complete this task he used the scraps and limbs of many different people to create his monster. Although his plans did do awry and he needed to go on a separate journey to stop the monster before his monster kills everything and person that Victor holds dear his original motivation was to avenge his mother's death by being able to prove that he can create a better human from the dead. Now if what he did could be applied to the real world it could help make revolutionary breakthroughs such as cure for deadly diseases, discovery of new diseases and the key to immortality or long life.-Jonathan Kim
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point, however we must also see the negative affects on this due to religious views. As some people see it as God and only God himself can create life. Thus springing various controversies and arguments. While finding the key to immortality would be a blessing to most it could also be quite troublesome. If you look at it from the perspective of the creature he is one of a kind. Later on he decides that he wants a mate so he cannot be alone. If we decide to add this into the real world we can see it as if one of us has reached immortality, but in doing so we see all of our loved one die. Wouldn't you agree that that life isnt really worth living?
DeleteI concur with both Jonathan's and Jordan's points. However to argue Jordan's point, you can't just imagine a world only you are immortal without seeing the possibility of being in a world where you can live forever with your loved ones if such a breakthrough did happen. -Brian Nguyen
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Victor, the main character, proves that ambition can be dangerous. Victor becomes obsessed and removes himself from society for two years. When he has finally given life to his creature he looses his sanity. Ambition would be dangerous in this case because Victor become obsessed that when he was disappointed he lost his mind. Not only did Victor cause harm to himself, but he also risked the lives of his family. When Victor rejected his creature, the creature was hurt and wanted vengeance. Victor made ambition a dangerous thing, because it led to his family's and his own downfall. When a person wants to achieve a goal they might have to sacrifice family. They loose time that could be spent when them and they push them out of their lives. While everyone is growing older, you are stuck in the same cycle. A person can loose their sanity and humility.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claudia, however I'd like to put it in different words. As being overly ambitious can be a danger to you and those around you, it can also be a way of pushing others away. Everybody loves a confident person, it's always good to have one around, however, it changes when confidence turns into arrogance. Victor believed that he'd get a different species to bow down to him, and obey him like a God. He believed it so much, he isolated himself to show others what he believes he's capable of doing. The isolation caused him to lose his sanity once he was ready to have others around again. This shows that even with success, someone is always in need to share the success with.
DeleteI agree with you both and I'd like to piggyback on what you both said, Victor became isolated from his family as he was trying to discover how to bring back the dead. However, this creation will physically be the cause of the deaths of Victor's loved ones. So, the time spent away from his family during his search for knowledge, is lost time that he could've spent with them before their tragic deaths. Due to ambition, Victor sacrificed time with his family and loved ones that he would never get back.
DeleteI concur with your statement Claudia, that Victor proves ambition to be dangerous. However being ambitious should not always be frowned upon. I believe that Victor took his ambition to the point of obsession and that is what made it so dangerous. As for the creature, I do not feel that it should be on the receiving end of all the blame for the murders of William, Justine, Elizabeth and Henry. Victor played a major part in their deaths by giving life to the creature and then leaving it to fend for itself. In the end, Victor became his own antagonist.
DeleteI would like to kindly offer a counterpoint to the idea that Victor's ambition was a terrible thing. Think of this, if it were not for his ambition to create life in the form of a monstrous being that turned out to be an abhorrent mess, would he have not learned a valuable lesson in not toying with the powers of a god? Sure, the monster does end up killing people while becoming a somewhat decent fellow in the process. In the end however, he does learn from his mistakes and is able to carry this lesson over to Walton when he regaled his story to him.
DeleteI agree, ones ambitions could cloud their judgement. It also can destroy everything one has worked for. In the book, Victor lost everything he cared for. His ambition, which were once innocent, are now crimes against morals and nature.
DeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" written by Mary Shelly, the main question asked throughout the novel, Victor Frankenstein brings back the dead to living, in doing so many problems arise. This in turn bring up a question that has been asked throughout the ages, Should people tamper with the elixir of life? While it may be a great and very strong breakthrough in our current day an age the factor of cloning and bringing back the dead has been munch of a topic that shunned by various individuals. Mostly those antiquated with a certain religion in which the belief is that God and God alone should hold the power to bring life. In my own opinion I believe that the use of such an advancement would benefit us greatly in the medical field such as creating spare organs, blood transfusion, or maybe making replacement limbs. Though honestly the person, whoever it may be, will deal with various issues of making such an achievement, and if such an accomplishment would happen there would be great controversy, and thus creating a new age of man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement as it will in fact allow us to achieve a great advancement in the medical field as it would give us a greater understanding on the anatomy and limits of the human body and its systems. And as you said in the beginning of your response most people disagree with Victor making a human as they say only god can create life and take away life, that being said most people who would think what victor did was bad would also believe that abortions are bad as the doctors would play the role as a "god".- Jonathan Kim
DeleteInteresting take, but also consider how far is too far? Consider the costs of resurrection, and the amount of years, and lives, it'll take to perfect it. What are the costs of perfecting it, and how could the process be abused? Consider if the "elixir of life" is completely worth it?
DeleteIn the novel, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, we're presented with Victor whose sole ambition is to be able to control the power of giving life. In this case I believe that Victor was too ambitious and therefore he ended up leading to his own personal demise. He was willing to give up any communication with his family for his own benefit of not be interrupted in his laborious work. Victor was also willing to put his own health at risk, by not taking care of himself while focusing on his ambition. Ambition like this can lead to a psychological obsession in which that person puts there basic needs behind their goal. I believe that no ambition should cause for someone to put their own health in jeopardy just for the admiration of others. Victor was changed into a social outcast that did not want to interact with most human beings after his ambitions backfired on him. In a sense Victor reaching his own ambition was his own demise in social interaction, because he focused so much on creating life that he forgot how to live his own life. Mary Shelley is trying to emphasize how ambitions can help us reach what we desire, but if we’re willing to give it all up for that ambition then we’re slowly giving up a part of us that makes us humans. The basic moral of ambition in this novel, to my opinion, is have ambitions but don’t become to obsessed with them and don’t forget to enjoy the basic aspects of life.
ReplyDeleteCristina Chinchilla
DeleteI frankly agree with you that when an individual's placed their health in jeapordy for their ambition to reach their goal it becomes a psychological issue. We noted this in Frankenstein as he become isolated from the world to reach his goal for giving life to another being, he pushes his family aside and his mental health to continue his work. I also with your theme of allowing ambition meanwhile enjoying "the basic aspects of life" It is important to not be so centered on one object and forget the significance of the world around you.
I concur with both of your statements that ambition is not a bad trait to have unless you are overly ambitious. In "Frankenstein", we witness Victor destroy himself and those around him because he was overly ambitious to the point of obsession. Victor deprived himself of sleep, nutrients, and social interactions which led him to falling ill, all because he "needed" to create a new species that would bow down to him. There's this quote that says "Never give up, especially when you have nothing to lose but everything to gain"; I believe that Victor is in stark contrast with this statement because he had everything to lose such as his family and so little to gain from the creature he created. If Victor had quit his obsession of creating life and playing god he would have been able to enjoy life and what it has to offer.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying but try to stay out from your opinion and go more for textual evidence
DeleteI completely agree with you Diana. I like how you used the work sacrifice to explain Victor's obsession. The word sacrifice provides a more positive connotation towards Victors unhealthy obsession. Reading through the blogs, most made Victor seem like it was his fault he lost his family. 'Sacrifice' makes it seem like all his work was not in vain.
DeleteI believe that the role of a parent is to guide and help nurture the young malleable minds of tomorrow’s leaders. In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, we follow a scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation of life from a corpse. Victor’s role as a father to the creature never comes to pass because, although he worked for two years consistently, he is disgusted by it and abandons it. Not to say that Victor was prepared for what was to happen after the monster was created except recognition for his achievement, but he didn't even consider it. And we know that really no one is prepared to raise a human being that has so much potential so any sort of psychological tests wouldn't really judge whether Victor was ready to take on the responsibility that comes with making a person fit into society. I feel that in Victor’s case he wasn't able to consider what to do with the creature after its “birth” because no one, not even himself, knew that for certain it would work. I'm not really in defense of Victor because his lack of guidance for the creature, I felt, led to his downfall, but also that things did spiral a bit out of control. And his refusal to give compensation to the monster’s miserable situation made the problem worse than it should have been.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Isabel, Victor was not ready to take responsibility of his creation, so he tries to abandon the creature along with his responsibilities as a "parent". Due to his abandonment, I believe that's what first drove the creature to become violent. The creature will always be in this cycle of rejection since his birth because of his horrid appearance. Since there was no one to guide him, and his isolation from society, he realized that he would never be accepted which influenced him to seek vengeance.
DeleteI would also like to agree. As Victor creates the monster, he keeps in mind only his personal success. Victor disregards all possible consequences. In a sense, Victor was guilty of his own personal downfall. However, Victor never knew that what he longed for the most, would make his life miserable. I agree with you in saying that things spiraled out of control. I addition, Victor's role as a father was highly impacted but the non-expectant.
DeleteI agree with you Isabel. Victor's craving for ambition led him to create a creature he was not ready to nurture. He was so blind that he could not see the consequences this creation would bring him in the future. He was not psychologically ready to take on the role of a parent to the monster.
DeleteI agree with you all it's true that victor never put other people into perspective and what damage his creation would have on humanity. If victor would've taken this into account then maybe the casualties would've never happened. All the monster needed was nurture but his creater was never there to give it to him. Victor needed to consider other people rather than just on his own ambition.
DeleteI agree with you because victor was so focus in his own idea then to listen to the ones around him and once he does its already to late.
DeleteI believe that the role of a parent is to become their model and to guide them towards a great life. In the novel, "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein becomes a parent to his own creation but doesn't actually become the parent role model he was supposed to be. Throughout the book we see that Victor refuses to become the monster's parent. We realize that Victor doesn't take on that parent role because he becomes very disgusted of what he has created and abandons the monster leaving him by himself. The monster was not guided which indeed made him feel miserable and very lonely. Because of that the Monster makes really bad decisions since he was not guided from wrong to right.
ReplyDeletePeople should not undergo psychological evaluations before coming a parent because it doesn't evaluate what exactly the type of parent they will be. I believe, that one learns how to become a parent once they have brought their kid into this world because this is when they know their capabilities. I also feel that one should automatically be ready into what they are going to become. In this case, Victor wasn't aware of what was going to happen so he had no other choice but to abandon the guidance he was supposed to give to his creation. Without the guidance, the monster became very miserable leading him into taking revenge for abandoning him when he needed someone the most.
I don't agree with you on the monster making bad decisions due to the fact that "he was not guided right from wrong". Naturally, he was 'born' with a set of morals which made him very aware of what he was doing; all the destruction he caused was strictly out of revenge. However, I do agree with you on your argument that people should not undergo psychological evaluations before becoming a parent because some of the best parents are the ones that are humble enough to know that they will never be perfect.
DeleteI agree with you on the part where people should not undergo psychological evaluations before becoming a parent because the mind is a very big place. Not everybody thinks the same way with things, like Victor wanting to know the secrets of live while Henry wanted to go the moral way of things. Both being very different people, studies can be very different. Therefore, not having consistency in the evaluation which just makes it invalid. People live the way they like, and wether they believe in the responsibility of taking care of a child, one should not go out of their way to change the way someone else thinks.
DeleteI agree with your statement on how parents should not undergo psychological evaluations because one can say that a child enlightens the parents and shape them into who they become. In this case however Victor, the parent , shapes the monster not in a way that doesn't guide him from " right to wrong " as Miranda stated but in a way that gives him motives to go out in a vegence.
DeleteIn the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the author talks about the power of ambition. As Victor continues to learn, his ambition begins to grow as well as his number of sacrifices. As he begins to make progress, he allows his ambitions to posses him, causing him to play God without hesitation .
ReplyDeleteI do not think to be ambitious is wrong nor dangerous. However when you allow your ambition to become an obsession it becomes an obsession, as well as dangerous because you are no longer in control, in control, your actions, judgement, and feelings are being manipulated by the obsession. In order to achieve one's goal, one might have to sacrifice time, as well as moments with love ones.
In Victor's situation, his ambition to learn quickly turned into an obsession of creating life in a few years. He sacrificed time with his family by studying and creating the monster. The realization that the monster was a mistake allowed him to notice all the wrong he has done. However, it was too late, the monster developed and became angry, as well as vengeful towards it's creator. The monster eventually killed William, Elizabeth, and Henry which will eventually led to the deaths of Alphonse, Justine,, and Victor himself.
Overall, Victor's ambition turned into his obsession of creation life became dangerous for Victor and anyone close to him. His sacrifice was his family's innocent lines, as well as his own
I agree with you, Mariel. Highly ambitious people become too sensitive to failure and frustration. I believe that there’s a line that separates one’s obsessions and one’s passions. Victor’s passion for studying the natural sciences immediately became an obsession; he sacrificed two years of his life without communicating with the people that he loves the most, his family. He got so addicted with the idea of discovering the secrets of life that he forgot about the many other things that were once important to him.
DeleteYou bring up a great point however, his so called obsession of his does lead towards his downfall. To also note is that fact of whether his actual goal was ever intended to be a bad result as he actually took some time to create the monster. If anything is was more of a long process.
DeleteIn the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the titular character Victor Frankenstein, tampers with the “elixir of life” by bringing one of his creations to life. His creation, a misunderstood monster, eventually leads to the death of many members of his family along with others unfortunate to have crossed his path. Although in the novel, experimentation with the “elixir of life” only ends in destruction, I believe scientists should tamper with the “elixir of life” but only is we are certain brining someone back from the dead has no unwanted side effects. If scientists experiment with the elixir, then we have a chance to save our loved ones who have only tasted death. To clarify my point, I believe the “elixir of life” should only be used on a person who has been dead for a short period of time, in example a patient who has just died from a heart attack, not on one who has been dead for a prolonged period of time. If this science were to be perfected, then families of those recently deceased could weigh their options and determine if bringing their loved ones back to life is the best choice for their situation. Lastly, I believe in scientific experimentation if it has a clear purpose and if the subjects of experimentation were voluntary. Without any scientific experimentation occurring we could never lead discovery, and without discovery our world cannot progress.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea on how, if scientists were to bring people back to life, it should be the recently deceased because it minimizes the risk of history repeating itself. For example, another holocaust. However, I don't think scientists should bring just anybody back to life. It would go against the cycle of life and our world would be much overpopulated. Maybe this process would be used if, say a political activist got assassinated or mothers or their babies died at birth. In addition, I also agree with you on your claim with scientific experimentation. It has gotten us very far with our medical research and we have saved many people due to it.
DeleteI agree with Miranda, I don't believe that scientist should bring every single person back to life because then we would be overpopulated, and our resources would be scarce. However, I do agree that scientific experiment would benefit the medical field and help unravel new discoveries that will help improve our lifestyles.
DeleteI agree with Isaura that the experimentation with the “elixir of life” would be most beneficial but I don't think that it could or should be available for commercial use because we have become so use to letting people go after death and as both Miranda and Alicia have said there is a problem with overpopulation. So if someone did want a loved one back, the price would be considerably high.
DeleteI understand how bringing someone you love back might be an enticing cause to tamper with the "elixir of life", but there's no way such a thing could happen without a cost. Alicia and Miranda have great points on this. Unfortunately, overpopulation and violence are two main worries of resurrection. Even if it isn't commercially used, just knowing that it's a possibility will cause more radical people to act. What about war? If countries can constantly revive their soldiers, when will the fighting end? Also, consider how this will affect the population morally. Limiting who gets resurrected and who doesn't makes it seem like the ones in charge are playing God. There would no doubt be public outcry.
DeleteI would also like to agree with Miranda, Alicia, and Isabel on the idea of bringing people back from the dead would be a problem to the world, like the world being overpopulated as previously mentioned. On the other hand, it could serve as a positive thing. For example, if the person left unfinished business before he/she died, then it would benefit to bring them back to life.
DeleteIn the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the author evidently illustrates that in most circumstances, too much desire for knowledge or ambition can sometimes lead to your own downfall. The main protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, primarily thrives on learning about the natural sciences to unlock the study behind the secrets of life. He was so focused on accomplishing his goals, and this made him lose his quality time for his family and friends. When he finally brought his creation to life, Victor was horrified and he refused to accept his obligation as the creator of his creation. He immediately regretted not being contented with the sufficient knowledge he already obtained. Because of his irresponsibility, the monster gradually became driven to make his creator feel the pain and suffering he caused him. This novel embodies numerous themes that are universal and quite relevant in today’s time. Victor’s selfishness was completely fueled by his ambition; he failed to realize the consequences he might have to face because of his decisions. Our ambitions serve as a necessary driving force in our journey towards success; however, unchecked ambitions may lead to losing the things that are most important to us in life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that unchecked ambitions can cause of to lose the most valuable things in life we desire. I liked how you stated that it's relevant to today's time , but how so ?
DeleteI agree that ambitons that we aren't aware of can derail everything we stand for. They will drive us to our brink as well as everyone we care for. In the book, Victor lost everyone. An uncheck ambition was revenge which caused him to dig two graves, one which was his.
DeleteI agree with you because ambitions are typically seen as a positive thing but in Victor's case he let his ambitions consume him to the point of where he lost his connection with his loved once and became obsessed with creating his beloved creation in which ironically ended up destroying not only Victor's life but like lives of the people he loved most.
DeleteOur world is brimming with many wonderful technologies brought to us by advances in science which are only made possible by our innovative and ambitious fellows. But, to what ends shall humankind go to in order to be able to achieve the impossible? Such impossibilities include finding ways to increase the lifespan of a human being more so than our DNA originally allows for or to even be able to clone living tissue in order to build organs for those in need. If such a reality is possible for the near future of humankind, I am in full support of the people striving to achieve that possibility. Sure, it may seem unethical to be able to achieve some of the goals as I have described such as building organs with the usage of stem cells, but this article(http://www.popsci.com/scientists-grow-transplantable-hearts-with-stem-cells) points out that as many as 2,500 people waiting for heart transplants are not able to get one this year and for those that do get one, there is a chance that their bodies might reject the new heart. So what are we supposed to do? Let them die because no one had the fortitude to conduct experiments using stem cells? I say no. I do believe that extracting stem cells(they are pluripotent stem cells which can be found on embryos) is a necessary evil in that it may seem abhorrent but it is able to save lives. But now a days, it's not as evil as we think because people have been able to donate their embryos through in vitro fertilization which eliminates much of the controversy. But I digress, experimentation in finding ways to cheat death or crippling illness is always something to cheer on. Sure, in Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein, Victor's experiments lead to the creation of a monster that ends up killing many innocents. He, however, did this for selfish reasons of becoming god-like. Many people today trying to do similar experiments like him are mostly trying to acquire new knowledge for their respective fields. Sure, some of them seem like they are turning animals into monster for giggles but in the end does it not serve as a way to gain new knowledge? This is Raul by the way. Please excuse my terrific account name.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the role of a parent is to be their kid’s guidance until one day they are mature enough to be able to make the correct decision. In the novel, "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein who gave life to the creature, becomes parent of his own. He doesn’t become the role model that society has set to be. Throughout the book it shows how Victor despise and rejects the monster since its birth. Victor’s role as a father or parents to the monster was never done or made to action, even though he had worked two years consistently creating it, he is revolted by it and abandons it. Not only was that but Victor was not prepared for what was going to happen after the monster was created. He was so obsess with the achievement and how it would help humanity. He did not consider how he will raise this creature and he didn’t consider what the monster will do throughout time. As shown in the book, the creature makes many irresponsible decisions and actions that effects Victor’s life. But the creature did not have guides or anyone to lean one, he felt lonely and sad.
ReplyDeletePeople should not undergo psychological evaluations before becoming parents because many don’t have the right answer of becoming a parent. Many might say they do but every parent has different morals to raise their own child. Also I believe everyone should experience how to raise a child because they would learn what capabilities they can give to another human being. As for Victor, he wasn’t aware how to guide someone else because he was lost in his own ambition. Which lead to the monster not being able to know from wrong and right.
I agree with you Jailim that a parent should be a guide for a child. I believe that they are also suppose to be the ones who teach them the difference between right and wrong. However, I would like to challenge you into thinking that if a parent isn't in the right mind set could they be teaching the opposit of what our society sees as wrong or right? And if that's the case shouldn't it be a good idea to be evaluated?
DeleteYou make an excellent point, but using textual evidence would have made your point much more stronger. Besides that, what you're trying to convey is very clear.
DeleteI agree with Jailim about Victor completely ignoring the fact that he is the one dedicated as the caretaker of the monster. And you made an excellent point that I hadn't thought about, every parent has different morals that they want to pass down to their kids so a psychological test to be a parent would be inconsistent except for the fact of whether they would take care of the child, which you and I both know Victor would have failed.
Delete(Cristina Chinchilla)
ReplyDeleteA parent's role in my belief is to love and nurture their child and build a healthy and stable relationship with them as well as guiding through to be successful individuals. In The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, we can discern the example of bad parenting between the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his creation which he perceives as “the monster” After Frankenstein gives life to his creation he is dissatisfied and disgusted by how hideous he is, hence he decides to leaves him desolated without giving him a chance to be a part of his life and play the role of a father. This abandonment and neglect immensely affects the monster as he has no companion or a being to guide him through the world to protect and care for him. Henceforth, the monster becomes isolated from the world and comes to believe he is different from the rest and he doesn't belong as he perceives the world as barbarous and unkind as they neglect and beat him.
Parenting highly affects the outcome of a child and sometimes parents don't know how to play their role in order for their child to be successful or even attend their child with love and nurture. There is neglect and abandonment of a child seen in many cases simply because a parent wasn't prepared to raise their child or didn't want to accept their child for who they are. In many occurrences and in the same way like the monster, children often view themselves as worthless and become ashamed of their existence as they become isolated from the world. Because of this I believe there should be psychological evaluations to insure that people play their role as a parent and care for their child and attend to their needs and not mentally impact their child by abandoning or neglecting them.
When I hear the words elixir of life I believe that means the medicine of life. I strongly believe that scientist should work on of the medicine of life even if that involves controversy things. For example stem cells have been a very controversial topic because stem cells are collected from the plesenta, but stem cells would do so much good to mankind. Stem cells would easily help create organs that other serve patient would need immediately. In the novel. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, M Waldman is victor teacher who made him love science said "The ancient teachers of this science," said he, "promised impossibilities and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted and that the elixir of life is a chimera but these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places. They ascend into the heavens; they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.” In this quote you can see that in today, most scientists have done so much for life. scientist today have tamper with the elixir of life more than when it was in 1818, today there been more surgery and organ transplant , because scientist have tried to fine the medicine of life and I agree that they should keep doing it .
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with your statement that scientists should invent new medications and new possibilities of miracles to cure the sick only to an extent. I do not believe scientists should temper with the natural course of life because it is cheating death. Life has a cycle and all life forms should follow through with it. Also, can you give more examples of situations like this in Frankenstein?
DeleteI have to somewhat disagree because I think that when the scientists tamper with subjects that cause controversy they overlook the consequences, such as Victor and what happened with the monster, because they simply want to know whether they can do it or not, at least that is how I interpret the quote. Although personally I agree that advancements in stem cell research would be extremely beneficial for mankind.
DeleteAs we read the novel,"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, we witness how Victor Frankenstein's parents make their duty as parents to be nurturing, affectionate, and supportive of their children. These key aspects to their parenting do the kids well, as they live a generally happy and successful life. In other cases, children don't get lucky enough to have these kind of parents. For example, just recently the news reported that a 5-month-old baby girl was starved to death because both her parents overdosed on drugs. With parents that take no responsibility over their children, it will only make sense to give parents psychological evaluations since some can put children in fatal situations. Even in the novel, Frankenstein himself becomes a "parent" of a creature that he created, but once he saw the outcome of his work, he immediately regretted it. He neglected the monster, treated it cruelly, and left it to fend for itself in a world it has never been in. Many cases like these show how unprepared some parents can be, and just how dangerous it can be for a child to be raised by someone who can put them in immense danger. A parent's duty should be to want to help and guide their child, not regret their existence and desire to destroy them. Although it seems a bit extreme to do testing on potential parents, it will ensure that the child will be safe.
ReplyDeleteCristina Chinchilla
DeleteI agree with you In the aspect that parents should undergo psychological evaluations in order to insure a child's safety. I also like how you pointed out an example of a recent event that shows a cruel situation which clearly demonstrates the inability to perform a good parenting role.
In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the title character Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with discovering the secret of life after his mother’s death. As a result, he isolates himself for two years and builds a creature to life. Throughout the novel, Victor is ambitious nature drives him to achieve his goal. The novel communicates that ambition is a dangerous thing when you allow it to consume you. After Victor creates his creature, he experiences disappointment when he discovers that his creation is in his eyes a failure. Victor falls ill since his investment turned out to be a disaster. His creation also leads to the death of various members of his family. One might have to sacrifice family, health and in this case one’s sanity to accomplish what you set out to do. Although the novel gives an example of the worse case scenario when your ambition becomes your first priority, ambition isn’t exactly a bad thing. A strong desire to achieve something can lead to great things. Victor managed to bring life to the dead. The deaths didn’t happen because Frankenstein made the creature, they happened because he abandoned him, which resulted in it becoming a monster. Resolve could be dangerous, but not at all a bad thing. -Jennifer Lizarraga
ReplyDeleteIt is my personal belief that a parent is guaranteed to give unconditional love and affection to the life they have birthed or created; to acknowledge and teach, to welcome and protect, and most importantly, provide the basic necessary needs for the child to grow.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, follows the main characters: Victor Frankenstein and the Monster/Creature, on their tragic journey together. After the monster was created by Victor Frankenstein, he was amazed yet horrified of what he had just brought to life. He describes his creation in full detail as "beautiful" yet repulsive with his "yellow skin", "lustrous black, and flowing" hair, and teeth of "pearly whiteness." Victor describes the monster's eyes as "watery eyes, that seemed almost the same color as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips." Victor then throws the monster to the world and abandons him. This was the start of the overall plot. Throughout the novel, we experience the both perspectives of each character. Victor feeling ashamed for what he has done and the monster facing rejection and fear from his creator and the society. The hatred grows for each other among every passing day. Victor's lack of love and affection for his creation or "child" resulted in his downfall: the monster killing Victor slowly by murdering his loved ones along with himself. Near the end of the novel, the monster still identifies Victor Frankenstein to be his father and nothing more.
i agree with you totally that parents should give unconditional love and affection to their kids. but i also sometimes that doesn't work, i feel like it doesn't only have to be parent but friends and other people can give this child who doesn't love , love. the monster in the book doesnt get love from victor but if he wold had gotten love from someone else he would had been more nice.
DeleteI believe that being ambitious is dangerous due to the fact that one can get carried away and lose themselves while trying to accomplish their goal. This is shown in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley when Victor becomes overly ambitious in trying to create life, which in the end becomes his worst nightmare. Victor ends up depriving himself of any companionships and sleep, and isolates himself from everyone to get answers on how to bring life to death. When he finally accomplishes his goal to create life, it back fires on him and ends up hurting him more than he bargained for. Victor ends up loosing the people he most loves and cares about because he neglected the creature he so worked for, and shows a perfectly good example of the effectiveness of being over ambitious. We also see this in Walton as he seeks new territories in the North Pole and states with arrogance that he will benefit the generations after him from his discoveries. This ambition seen in Walton leads him too put his sailors and himself in jeopardy as no man has done it before and doesn’t know the inquiries that beholds his journey. These two characters shown in the novel show examples of how being ambitious can be dangerous and one should not deprive themselves of everything to achieve their goal.
ReplyDeleteI would like to agree with you that being ambitious can be dangerous but only to an extent. Although we see this throughout the novel that being overly ambitious can be dangerous but that is only because Victor had too much pride which led to the fact of him having too much faith in himself that nothing will end up going bad. If Victor what have learned his limit, none of this would have ever happened to Victor meaning ambitions would be safe not dangerous.
DeleteI would like to disagree with both of you as it is is not dangerous to be overly ambitious. Victor simply did not take care of the child after creating him but the drive to create life with the "Elixir of Life" is completely fine if he understood what exactly he would be creating when he created the creature. As far as Waltons adventure goes he had ambition and the risk was needed simply because there was no way to go around as the trip to the north pole is dangerous regardless and the men knew what they were signing up for.
Delete1. In the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, we read about Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who is determined to find the "elixir of life" but on his search he creates a monster that ultimately kills those he holds dear to him and leads to his downfall. I believe that ambition can be dangerous however it depends on the person and what they are willing to sacrifice in order to reach their goal. In the novel, we see that Victor sacrificed his own health in order to create the monster. Victor spent many sleepless nights researching the "elixir of life" and also spent all of his time indoors which resulted in him falling ill from lack of nutrients and sleep. Victor also sacrificed those he held dear to him. William, Elizabeth, Justine, and Henry all died because of his creation. Although, Victor himself did not directly kill them, his ambition (the monster) did. I think that when ambition turns into obsession is when it becomes dangerous.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, victor had an ambition to create life and help man kind with his creation. He believed he had the knowledge to help and create something useful for all man kind, but in reality he was only seeking fame. Once he created the monster, he was horrified by what he had created and abounded the monster. This made the monster anger and full of hatred, as for victor he just wanted to forget what he had done/created. Victor Frankenstein is full of ambition, but ambition of creating life through his knowledge. Through that ambition he did not notice what he was giving up which was family, time, and love. Ambition is dangerous and wrong at a certain extent, it is not all wrong and all dangerous it can be helpful and pure good. His ambition lead him to create something he was horrified by and then left, "How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form", shows he did what he wanted to do, but wasn't happy with the results. When he left the monster and the monster started to murder everyone he loved, "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", shows that he forgot the meaning of love and family until the monster started to take it away from him. He didn't know about them for years and once he started to lose them he realized that his own creation was destroying the people he loved his family people he admired. Ambition is dangerous to a point where it's all about you and you don't take responsibility like Victor and forget about the ones you love and forget what family and love is and just be yourself all the time and no one else but you.
ReplyDeleteThe role of scientists has never changed. The constant striving towards advancement has given us the cutting edge technology we know today. New medical techniques have greatly increased lifespans. However, when dealing with life, should it really be the job of the scientist to tamper against nature? In Mary Shelly's novel, Frankenstein, Victor does exactly that, and suffers the consequences of it. Not only does Victor's physical and mental health decline, many people around him actually die. However, what does this say about the "elixir of life"? We have reached an era where ambition is rewarded with praise and glory. Even moreso than before. This has become so true, that people even give praise to notoriety. In the public's eye, the notoriety of such research is overlooked because of all the benefits that will be reaped from it. However, if we're going to give up our humanity to do so, such an action shouldn't even be considered.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein's ambition turned into unhealthy obsession. However, I do not believe that ambition is necessarily wrong or dangerous. Because of ambition we have now more cures than ever, there have been more scientific discoveries, and technology is more advanced. If Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist, was not at all curios or even the least bit ambitious to find out why things fall down and why the planets orbit around the Sun then we would not of known that gravity is the force that draws objects toward each other. Being goal oriented and determined doesn't mean you are leading to your own self-destruction, on the contrary being driven is what can lead to a much more successful life. Ambition is not threatening if there is positive intent behind it. Which was the case in Frankenstein. Even though Victor was told not to mess with death and God, he still did it, because of his hubris and obsession. "My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement."(Shelley 50) This quote from chapter three demonstrates both how he sacrificed his social life for his ambitious obsession.
Every success story always comes with a struggle. If you want to achieve greatness there will be things you will have to sacrifice. For example, if you are trying to become a prestigious engineer, you will probably sacrifice your days to socialize with your friends to study. You might not have enough time to do something simple you enjoyed doing in the past. However, I do not think it has to get to the extent where you neglect your family, just like it did Victor did in the novel.
I absolutely love the fact that you not only made ambition a positive trait, but the fact that you used great examples of respected people to make your point. I do believe that ambition has its great side, and more people should be more open minded to the idea you portray.
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DeleteI strongly agree with your claim. Ambition has set us up for astonishing discoveries as seen in history with people such as John Cabot who discovered parts of North America due to his firing ambition, or the Wright Brothers having immense ambition for inventing the first airplane ever to be piloted by a man even though many people doubted them. The list goes on and on. This is a very strong claim that is well supported with examples and evidence. Good job!
DeleteIn the novel Frankenstein, by Marry Shelley, Victor, the main character, created a monster that became the destruction of his life as well as those around him. This was led by the obsession to not only play God’s role, but to satisfy his curiosity for natural philosophy. Victor spent years attempting to create as he states, “…an animal as complex and wonderful as man.”(pg.50) The moment he created a creature that he longed to give life to, he could not even explain to begin the disappointment he felt in creating something he described as ugly and wretch. His obsession to discover life within death crumbled right before his eyes and he learned that obsessiveness led to nothing but misery. This lesson developed throughout the novel as his loved ones began to die by the hands of his creation and in the end was left alone to always remember all the harm he caused. Even today, like in the novel, obsession has had consequences for many people. They come in the form of drug addictions to longing for high power, as Victor did. And, in the end, those people learn from the consequence that obsession led to. This I believe, is a lesson that Mary Shelley hope to portray as a lesson in her novel Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Dulce that ambition could be taken further into obsession. Obsession in many instances has been the reason an individual grows away form their family and loved ones. As you stated in this case it was Victor. Not only was he pushing his loved ones away from him because of his dedication to his work but it was his creation that led to the death of most of his family. I am in similar sentiment in that Mary Shelly does want to portray this message that ambition could be dangerous and destructive if you let it get too far, making it unhealthy.
DeleteIn the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor, the main protagonist, becomes overly ambitious to the point where this becomes dangerous. Victor is obsessed with natural philosophy and the idea of bringing back life to the dead. He leaves to college with the ambition of discovering a way to do so. For instance, Victor states, “That application…now became so ardent and eager, that the stars often disappeared in the light of morning whilst I was engaged in my laboratory.” Victor became so ambitious that he even began to sacrifice and deprive himself of sleep. In addition, Victor’s ambition led him to sacrifice time being spent with his family. Ambition was dangerous in Victor's case because it cost the lives of Victor's loved ones. When Victor realized that what he had created was a monster,he abandoned it, following rejection from society for his horrific appearance.The monster wanted vengeance and for this caused the deaths of William, Elizabeth, and Justine. Not only that, but Victor's life became miserable as he states, "...they all died by my hands(229)..." Victor's ambition soon turned into remorse and guilt for having created the monster that brought ruination to his family and himself.
ReplyDeletei do agree with you on the fact that victor's ambition was dangerous to him. however, i don't agree with ambition being overly dangerous as a whole. The reason for that is because having a lot of ambition for something just shows how you're determined to get something done. With victor he does get lost in the sauce with ambition and that does lead to his downfall
DeleteI agree with Angel Yanez as Victor did nothing wrong with creating the elixir of life other than handling his creation poorly because he did not give it the attention that it required and that all new born things need, but as far as ambition goes it is not dangerous sometimes to accomplish your goals you must do some things that would go against peoples "Moral Standards" but it was necessary to take this risk.
DeleteIn the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein tampers with the elixir of life by creating a creature he ended up being disgusted by. Before creating the creature, Frankenstein believed he would make a different species, and strongly believed that species would bow down to them. In doing so, he is in a way criticizing God's work with humans. Frankenstein believed he could create something way better, and so from there came the creature. Once the creature came to life, Victor felt disgusted and all of a sudden worried. Not only did he tamper with life, but it almost like cursed him. If you have heard before to not compare yourself to God, or even call yourself a God, it is almost like being overly confident in yourself. God created humans almost just to be humble, but Victor, in this case, was not. I believe that God punishes Victor through out the novel for doing so, such as the punishment of losing loved ones, and making Victor live the rest of his life in vain. This shows that scientists should not tamper with the elixir of life, for some type of bad results can come out of it.
ReplyDelete*bow down to him
DeleteI see your point, Carolina. Victor did attempt to do something better than what God had created. He thought that his experiment would succeed, but it ended up becoming a curse for him. I would not say that God punished Victor, but rather it was Victor himself, who brought his own pain. His obsession with his creature lead to him neglecting it in the end, and taking no responsibility over the Monster. He instead ignores the creature, attacks it, and thinks of himself only. Overall, I do agree that sometimes misery can come out of tampering with the "elixir of life", but we can choose how far the misery goes.
DeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Victor had strong ambition to play with the elixir of life to recreate life and it soon came to backfire against him. Being ambitious is okay if your intentions are to make yourself feel proud of your accomplishments. However, if you were to be overly ambitious to try and plot to take over the world, te pasas. In this scenario, Victor attempts brings back the dead and he succeeds. He sacrificed family to finish his creation and the second it comes to life, he gets all sad. Being the complete opposite of what Victor expected, the monster came out to be horrifying and ugly. Almost as if he was mortified of his work. All in all, one might have to give up his or her entire life to achieve such greatness. Internally the feeling would be great but externally one might not have thought it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteI concur with what you said about being ambitious not being a bad thing, because it is not. However there are those whom become overly ambitious and hurt themselves, including the ones they love. For example in the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Victor becomes overly ambitious and in result hurts the people he loves.
Deletei agree with you on the topic of ambition not being a bad thing, but the way you stated makes it seem as if ambition is something people use to make themselves feel better. To me that is not always the case, some people use their ambition as fuel for greatness. that is what victor did, but unfortunately he got lost in the sauce.
DeleteIn the novel "Frankiestein" by Mary Shelley, the main character Victor had a huge ambition for success and to be seen as a hero. This eventually led to his downfall. He sacrificed many things in his life to create a new life, but all that did was make him closer to the end of his. Victor was overly ambitious for what he strived for and couldn't live up to his goals, but having too much ambition isn't wrong or dangerous. Some people just can't handle themselves and they eventually get lost by their own thoughts. This is what happened to Victor. But this isn't really what happens when someone is over ambitious. Being overly ambitious just shows how determined someone is to reach a goal and they will work hard, smart and efficiently. That person might have to make a lot of sacrifices to reach that goal like victor did, being isolated for about 4 years, but in the end once that person reaches what they strived for they will know that their ambition help lead them. Without the ambition that people have, they wouldn't be motivated to do anything and they will just let the world control them. Many successful people have a lot of ambition and have done good wth being overly ambitious because they don't let it become an obsession. With all that being said, ambition just helps motivate you as a person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the your belief that ambition is a good thing. Everyone needs some sort of drive in order for them to achieve greatness. However, ambition is dangerous. Victor put not only his health in danger, but the lives of those around him. He creates a new and improved being, without taking into account if he's mentally prepared for his dream to become a reality. His drive to create life blinded him.
DeleteI agree with my homie Angel that ambition could be a good thing because ambition did lead Victor to his creation of the monster. However, towards the end he did sort of give up on his aspirations which is why I also agree with your statement that it led to his downfall.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Victor creates a monster thinking of making it superior and more beautiful than God’s creations but as Victor breathes life into his creation he begins to neglect it and realize that this is not what he wanted. Victor insults the monster as soon as it is born, leaving the monster with a big chip on its shoulder. The monster has to find his own source of knowledge and festers a hatred for Frankenstein and his family, eventually killing his wife and his brother. Victor is not fit for parenting and it is obvious from his actions.
From the time that Victor Creates his monster to the time he dies, Victor shows no parental love for his child. Unlike our parents Victor was able to pick the attributes of his offspring, even then he was not able to provide any love for his creation. He was not able to fill his proper duty to raise his child to be better than himself. It may have been better to evaluate Victor with a test before becoming a parent but it is not for people to decide who can have children and who cannot because parents will also be the ones deprived of a child. Then it is up to the child to fulfil its duties of being the best person it could be despite its challenges.
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein creates a monster in which he plays God and defies the natural and unnatural sciences. Throughout the novel, readers are able to evaluate the impact Victor's parents have on him and the way they affect how he acts and thinks when an adult. For instance, Caroline, Victor's mother, is very intrigued by beauty in which when she comes across the peasant family in Italy, she automatically notices one particular child apart from the "dark-eyes, hardy little vagrants." The mother describes the little girl with such beauty-" thin and very fair, hair was the brightest living gold, blue eyes cloudless..."- that readers can see how important beauty is to her and how she has imprinted such ideals into Victor's life. From seeing this , Victor believes in beauty too hence the reason why he rejects the monster for being so "horrendous" and "wretched". Parents have the ability to influence their offsprings the same way Caroline influenced Victor to care about physical appearances. The duty of a parent is to teach their kid right from wrong, but never tell them what to believe in or how to think;to be supportive but never encourage them to cross the line. In many cases, we see young boys and girls in extremist groups, such as kkk, it may not be it is because that is necessarily what they believe in but because that is what their parents have been putting in their heads. I also believe that people should undergo psychological evaluations before becoming parents because I have seen when a parent murders their own baby because of a mental breakdown or mental problems. To add on to that, many children end up in foster homes or in the system because parents are unfit or incapable to raise a child.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Lili, on the part where in the novel we see how his parents created such a great impact on Victor by the way he acts. I would like to respectfully disagree with you on the part where parents should undergo psychologically evaluations, because parents shouldn't do that. I believe this because this doesn't actually evaluate what kind of parents they will be, parents do change as a human once they have brought their little one into this world and this change is mostly good. Although, there are bad parents there is no test that will clearly state they are not capable of being parents. I feel like it is up to the parents if they do want to become parents and no test should determine if they can't or can be parents.
DeleteAdrian Trigo Question 1 response:
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" , by Mary Shelley , we see an abundance of characters that have various goals in their own respective lives. Some characters like Elizabeth have very humble and genuinely simple goals that revolve around their loves ones in keeping them smiling. Going beyond that there are characters like Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein, in which they wish to do some of the most ambitious things created in their time in history, whether it be exploring never before seen land or creating life in a lab their wishes are those out of a child's imagination made real. In the novel, Shelley makes it very clear that too much ambition mixed with hubris is volatile concoction that only ends to the demise of those characters with this flaw. Having ambition in most cases is great but once a person starts to isolate themselves from the world we begin to see an unhealthy obsession form . Working hard is encouraged but not if the cost of your goal is your life.
I couldn't agree with you more. I do think that there has to be a balance in life when you are an ambitious person. I would like to challenge you to take one side and make your argument.
DeleteI agree with you and Claudia. Being a very ambitious person and isolating yourself can lead to actions that later on we will regret.
DeleteI completely agree with you three, too much ambition can result into isolation from others because you're so dedicated into doing your thing and it eventually not only hurt themselves but also the people they're surrounded by.
DeleteI see what you're saying, and I agree. However, also consider how far "should" one go? I mean, obviously sacrificing one's self is bad, but what about events like the first trip to the moon. That was an act of ambition, and also life-threatening. Yet, society as a whole looks at that moment as one of the greatest ones in history. What about Martin Luther King Jr.? His speech was definitely life-threatening, but his ambition, his dream, to live in a united community won over. Are ambition and cost the only things we need to watch out for?
DeleteIn the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein tampers with the laws set by nature by creating a creature who arrived from the remains of the dead. Victor's over ambition to beat death was the cause of his own tragic downfall. I believe that ambition can be dangerous once you let your ambition take over your life. For example, Victor isolated himself from his family and friends to create an experiment that will fulfill his desires to create this elixir of life. He states, "And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for a long time. I knew my silence disquieted them,". This shows how Victor neglected to talk to his loved ones who were so worried about him because he was too busy searching for the solution to his experiment. In addition, Victor sacrifices sleep and the fresh outdoors as he is confined in his dorm, searching for answers till the early morning. This shows how Victor puts his search for knowledge ahead of his own health. Once he created the monster, he is disgusted by what he's done which leads him to abandon his creation. His abandonment is what causes the creature to crush every hope of happiness Victor has. Due to his ambition, Victor lost his loved ones, his hope for happiness, and eventually his own life. Therefore, I believe that ambition can be dangerous if the person sacrifices their own health and time with their loved ones to accomplish their goals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and would like to add more to your comment. Not only did Victor put ambition above his health, but he put ambition above his own family. At the time Victor didn't realize it because he distracted and blinded by his hubris.
DeleteIn the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor is ambitious to continue in with creating life after death. He wants to pursue glory with something that sounds amazing to become. “A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind….” this quote states that Victor would use a human being for his invention and he does. Victor would continue to create life after death even when it leads to hurting others like in the novel Frankenstein. People might need to sacrifice people they love and family around them to achieve a goal that has not yet been done. Although sometimes you can achieve a goal that can be harmless there would be some cases when it comes to science you might have to sacrifice people around you. By sacrifice it does not always mean kill but to not be around them while you accomplish your goal. People need time to themselves to complete a goal that they have been pressuring for a while and want to complete. I believe that it is neither wrong or dangerous to be ambitious because you are just doing what you want to do and be able to do what you have been wanting to do for the longest time.
ReplyDeleteI would like to respectfully disagree with your claim that ambition isn't dangerous. One only needs to look to Victor, his drive to become somewhat like a God led to the destruction of his loved ones and his downfall since he spends his life trying to fix his mistake. Is that not an example of how dangerous ambition can be when you allow it to overcome you?
DeleteAgreeing with Jenny, why sacrifice so much when nothing good would come out of it or nothing will be achieved from it. It show how Victor sacrifice two years of his life to create this creation that lead to only destroying the only thing he had valuable in his life. I understand when it comes to achieving a goal many things in your life would be sacrifice but not to the extent where your own family is in danger.
DeleteI would like to respectfully disagree with you and say that I believe ambition is dangerous. You would not need to sacrifice anything if it wasn't dangerous. However, I do agree that ambition is not wrong because it's fueled with curiosity and leads to discovery.
DeleteI also would like to disagree with you ambition could be dangerous but it is not dangerous to have motivation or a passion.
DeleteIn the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, we see the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein neglect the monster/creature he has created from the moment he awakens. I believe the role/ duty of a parent is to provide care from day one, endless love, and to guide them in the right path in hope that they make the right decisions one day, and just always being there for them, especially during rough times. Rough times, for example, when the monster was being discriminated by society because of his looks. Even Victor, the father model was disgusted at his own creation. He was so disgusted and horrified that he left the monster to wander off on his own. The monster had to learn how to speak and search for food on his own. He should not of had to go through that on his own because that is the duty of a parent, to fulfill those nurturing needs. Yes, I do believe that parents should undergo psychological evaluations before becoming a parent. Parenting is a crucial factor that is played out on the lives of children. In many cases, the way a parent nurtures a child has a huge impact on them and then has its effects. Because Victor abandoned the monster and provided no sort of affection, the monster caused harm to Victor by killing his loved ones. These psychological evaluations would prove that the person is capable of caring for another human’s life.
ReplyDeleteI most certainly agree with you that psychological evaluations on people would prove whether a person is deemed fit to care for an offspring. This would prevent so many children from growing up with neglect and the loss of nurture. This would also prevent people from taking the responsibility of a human life when they cannot even take care or provide for themselves.
DeleteI concur with your statement about parenting. A Parent can easily influence a child and are suppose to help them grow both physically and emotionally and Victor made it worse by abandoning the monster.
DeleteSince Christianity was first established, its followers have always been in awe at the idea that God can create living things and objects out of nothing. As seen in "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Victor has begun to journey into the realm of the "elixir of life" to learn from how it functions so that he is able to manipulate it for his own use as if he himself were God. In this story, Victor tampers with the elixir to create a new race of superior human beings that would be bigger, stronger, and smarter. I believe this path of scientific experimentation is a horrible idea that consequently would result in either the extinction or enslavement of our own human race. Just like our race has conquered all other animal races on this planet and either sells them in food stands or in animal shelters as pets, they could do the exact same thing. However, I do believe that the medical path of scientific experimentation would be more useful. For example, being able to tamper with genetics so that cancer can be prevented or any likelihood of catching a severe disease for that matter. All in all, I believe that the scientific tampering with the elixir of life should be limited to preventing cancers or disease so that humans only die of old age or severe physical damage.
ReplyDeleteI can see how you would want there to be limitations to experimentation especially when dealing with anything akin to a god's abilities, but how will we be able to achieve any progress when there are set limitations to what we can pursue? Sure, some people may get carried away but they can be dealt with. Setting limitations only prohibits any potential progress in experimental research. If there were to be limitations to scientific experimentation on a so called "elixir of life", people will be less likely to take any risks that could be potential breakthroughs. This in turn will stagnate scientific research. I do not believe in setting limitations in scientific experimentation for there is much of a risk of it denying any potential "miracles".
DeleteIt's Raul....
DeleteI see what you're saying but I think that there shouldn't be any limitation in the experimentation with the "elixir of life". It's all about exploration. If you set a limit in what you're exploring, then there is little to know what lies in the unknown which can also leave you vulnerable to the unexpected. Setting no limit in exploration leads to the astonishing discoveries that we've seen throughout history.
DeleteIn the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the author shows how the main character Victor gets so overwhelmed with his work that it proves the point that ambitious only leads to it being dangerous if you allow it to get to that point. We learn from the novel that there is a difference between obsession and passion. For instance, Victor gets so caught up in his work that it eventually leads to him isolating himself from everyone for 2 years. He sacrifices his social life, distances himself from his family and eventually ends up getting really sick just because he is infatuated with the idea of creating life. But if you think of it from another perspective if he wouldn't have been overly ambitious with his work he wouldn't have ever been able to create life in the first place. Looking back to the story, and you compare Victor and Walton you will be able to see the difference between obsession and passion, Walton sees the result of being overly ambitious and realizes that the journey he wanted to endeavor wasn't worth risking his life or the life of others so he eventually decides to head home. Being ambitious overall does have its consequences but in reality it leads up to how far you're willing to go to get something done.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, we are presented Victor Frankenstein who comes from a fulfilling family , but cannot seem to figure out what responsibilities come along with creating life and bringing it into this world. After discovering the “ Elixir of Life” , Victor creates a creature who as soon is brought to life is loathed by Victor. Victor leaves the monster immediately after giving him life ( obviously the most monstrous thing you can do after having a kid). Now essentially Victor is the monsters father, his duty as a parent is divided into three simple rules. One, guide your child into the right direction so they are ready to face the real world. Two, love them because you every creature requires interaction. Three, this might blow Victor's mind but, TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO COMMUNICATE SO THEY DON'T BECOME AN OUTSIDER. People should not undergo psychological evaluations before becoming parents because it is a natural right to have children, but their should be rules on how you should be in a child's life.
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ReplyDeleteIn the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the author portrays the main character as overly ambitious. Towards the beginning of the story you see Victor become obsessed with reaching his desired goal and through that desire came him sacrificing his time with the people close to him. Having ambition can be a positive thing, but when it came to Victor he let his ambition consume him. The author shows his obsessive commitment when she writes,"After so much time spent in painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires." Being overly ambitious led him to have his most "desired" creation destroy everyone he loves. Through Victor's experience Shelley's showing the dangers and sacrifices one has to make in order to reach their dream and how one has to be sure their ambition is worth risking everything for.
ReplyDeleteI would like to agree with your view of ambition, Michelle. As we take a look at the novel, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, one thing that immediately stood out was Victor Frankenstein's devotion to his work, and his neglect of the things that surrounded him. Because of this ambition he took no notice to any harm being done, he even stated "...I appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines, or any other unwholesome trade, than an artist occupied by his favorite employment." (pg.54) He knows what it is that he's getting himself into, yet he does nothing to stop himself. His obsession with this project completely blinds him from the misery that is evolving from it. We even see this in real life when we see individuals who struggle with serious addiction (drugs, alcohol, etc.). Some addicts recognize the problem, but struggle to stop themselves from causing more harm to themselves and others. In this case, the addiction would be Frankenstein's work, and how he can't stop himself from creating his monster.
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DeleteI agree with you, Michelle. Victor’s ambition for glory caused his own downfall; he challenged the limits of human knowledge and go beyond the natural laws. At one point, he chose his obsession over spending time with the most important people in his life. Victor became utterly obsessed with the idea of playing as God who can create life himself. He did not realize the wrongs he has done until it was too late. I believe that it is not wrong to be ambitious, as long as you learn the difference between an obsession and passion.
DeleteI completely agree with you Michelle. Mary Shelley shows it throughout the novel as he slowly beings to accept his death because of his tragedies he caused himself. And the projects that had consumed him because of his over ambitious mind set.
DeleteI personally believe biological parents are not always parents. Parents are people who look after someone because they want what's best for them. Parents have no secret agenda and genuinely want them to succeed. Parents also try to provide the child with basic necessities so they can focus on more important things such as school. Biological parents are people who bring an infant into the world. It is then that the biological parents decide if they want to become parents. Sadly not all biological parents want to look after their child. An example of this can be seen in the "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley. Victor brought the monster into the world, but instead of being a parent for the moster, he neglected the monster and left him to tend to itself. Making parent go under evaluation won't solve anything. It would be darn near impossible to enfore such requirements.
ReplyDeleteI truly admire how you pointed out that "parents" and "biological parents" are completely different, the same way "father" and "dad" can have different meanings. I agree with the idea you pointed out. Great analysis.
DeleteI somewhat agree with you Martin. How sometimes biological parents decide for themselves and I think that's why they need the evaluation. To stay and take care of their child. And it could change their mind. For example, if someone helped Victor through his state of creation, he would have stayed and acted like a parent towards the monster.
DeleteOnce two people bring a child into the world they become parents. They become responsible for the little bundle of joy they have in their arms. But for instance in the novel "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley, she does not show that bond between parent and child. A parent's duty is to teach the child their morals, how to talk, walk, and how to show emotion to others. To have the child grow into someone that they can be proud of. In the novel, Shelley does not show that between Victor, a parent, and the creature, the child. Once Victor brings life to the creature, he's disgusted and mortified with the child. He neglected to teach the right from wrong. And to have the compassion between child and parent. In Victor's case, he did need psychological evaluation because he did not have a back up plan. He assumed that he would love this being with all the fiber in his heart. He didn't think of what would happen if his experiment would go wrong. Also, Victor did not seem stable to become or have the role of a parent. He wanted to play god. With parent's you have to have the mentality of doing the best for your child. The parent instinct kicks in, for Victor all he saw was science.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Emily that parent's should undergo psychological evaluation because some people just aren't fit to be parents. It is for the safety and future of the child.
DeleteEmily , I agree with you to the extent that Victor only saw a project, but maybe this emphasizes how not all people are meant to be caregivers or parents and should be tested before being allowed to care or create one?
DeleteI agree with you Emily because it is a parent's responsibility to care for their child and also to teach them right from wrong. Victor neglected to do that and his creation suffered due to his lack of responsibility.
DeleteIn the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the responsibility of a parental figure reoccurs throughout the story. Victor being raised by the most devoted parents that nurtures his own parental guidance to his creation. His parents boarder line Idolize their son "I was their plaything their idol and something better- their child. " Also Victor even defines what a parent's affect on a child is "whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hand to direct to good or misery."
ReplyDeleteIn both cases Victor and the Creature's they were brought up to lead a miserable life. Victor's parents were meant to guide him to happiness but at the absence of one he was inspired to test the boundaries and create the Monster. Which Victor in turns abandons leaving the monster up to his on devices. Parents should take in their best interest the impact they have on children, however being screened or psychology tested to see if they are fit to be a parent is unreasonable. Rare few know how to parent and learn as they go, so who is to tell what a parent is until they have a child to call their own?
I agree with what you're are saying however you missed the connection between the effect of how the parents had with victor and how victor created the monster.
DeleteAmbition is something that we all have as human, but at the same time that ambition becomes dangerous because it turn into greed. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein started with an ambition that later left him in ruins. After his experiment of bringing life to a creature fails. When victor was small he had a passion for nature and fro the elixir of life, but his father had told him it was a waste of time and that he should focus on something else. As he got older his ambition grew with too, to prove everyone one that his studies were not a waster. When victor had figure it out he started to create the monster. Once he did give life to the monster he realized that he had made a mistake because he was hideous. That seen was a great example of his ambition becoming dangerous because once he realized that he made that monster he became sick. That not the only example When he was found be Walton have death we still wouldn’t get on the ship unless in was going to the north pole. You can tell that he wasn’t in the right sence of mind. It also shows how Victor have his hole body and mind just to satisfy his ambition come true even thought in the end his own ambition was his own destruction.
ReplyDeletei agree with you that his ambition was his destruction and i also see that the monster ambition led him to be evil, the monster ambition was to make victor life horrible and so he did and not only that but at the end he regret destroying his father life just because that was his ambition, he regret it .
DeleteVictor frankstein a man full of ambition trying to create a living, out from the dead from his own hands. He starts collecting the most beautiful body part of every human he has ever encountered/seen in his life, collecting them as if they were items. Victor was a man full of intelligence but his heart was following a dark shaded path. I as the reader encountered that a scientist shouldn't tamper with the "elixir of life", for it causes chaos and destruction among society. For in the novel, the creator left his creation on a planet he doesn't understand, the monster had to discover everything on himself leaving him not knowing the right and wrongs. The monster killed when he didn't get what he wanted such his desire for a companion, leading to the death of victor's wife/cousin. For this reason, scientists shouldn't tamper with life and death. It should be left has a life cycle, learning to lose people around us no matter the pain it causes someone. Sometimes people needs to feels these things to adjust growing up and having your own family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely! Throughout the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shslley it exhibits how seeking his ambition did not fulfill him. It left him lonely and isolated. After his mothers death he believed that he would never alow anyone else to die. That he would be deemed the greatest scientist, instead of being led to the path of greatness he reaches darkness, he regrets trying to create and keep life and his conscience then eats away at him. This really depicts how messing with things don't make it any better, it gets worse. Maybe the theme is to accept what has come and to not change it.
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ReplyDelete#4
DeleteHeed the warning of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley!
Turn ye ambitious people from the dangerous path layered out with ambition!
Mary Shelley has promoted a lesson through the entirety of her didactic novel, "Frankenstein". This lesson reveals itself as the danger of the pursuit of man's ambitions. During Shelley's time, people all around were obsessed, you could say even possessed. A land of Classics all around her. In retaliation, she writes Frankenstein, the story of a man named Robert Walton, seeking glory for finding a passage to the North Pole. As dubious as this is, the only thing that returns him home is the story of Victor Frankenstein, someone who lived the ambitious life, only to warn Walton of the very dangers of following such a path, and what the cost can be.
Perhaps "Victor" was actually Mary Shelley, not so much as she created a monster, but wants to thwart the consequences of men chasing their dangerous ambitions. Hence the birth of Frankenstein.