Moi Banerjee
English IV
Ms. Pena
21 April 2016
Prejudice in Frankenstein vs. Prejudice in the World The English idiom “Don’t judge a book by its cover” states the fact that no one should look at something or someone and immediately judge and draw informative conclusions. One of the themes that Mary Shelley places heavy emphasis on in her book, Frankenstein, is prejudice. Every single human is being judged for their size, appearance, race, and their behavior which is portrayed throughout the early 19th century, the book, and present day. In the early 19th century, Abraham Lincoln pledged to stop slavery and its growth in the South but that triggered the South to secede and form a new nation. Even though the “U.S. Congress outlawed the African slave trade in 1808…the slave population in the U.S. nearly tripled over the next 50 years. By 1860 it had reached nearly 4
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Most of the slaves were forced to sleep in barns, the owners made the slave depend on them and the slaves had a system of “restrictive codes” and “they were prohibited from learning to read and write…their behavior and movement was restricted”(History.com). The slaves and the creature are similar in so many ways because they were restricted with their actions and behavior. They both could not read and write and they were not accepted by the society. Prejudice was fairly common throughout slavery in the early 19th century. In the book, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a very ugly monster who soon quickly becomes an outcast because mainly of his appearance. Even Victor was “unable to endure the aspect of the being [he] had created, [he] rushed out of [his]
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
Victor Frankenstein, a medical student spend two whole years trying to create a human out of body parts in his apartment while studying in Ingolstadt. Frankenstein focused his time and energy on his creation, isolating himself from his friends and family back home and he succeeded in making a human, albeit an abnormal human. Victor at seeing his Creation let his instincts take a hold of him which lead to his demise in the end. Victor flees the apartment in fear of the Creature, “Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and … I escaped and rushed downstairs” (59). Due to his appearance, which is grotesque and ugly with scarring and yellowish skin, Frankenstein’s instinct is to flee from the Creature.
The election of Abraham Lincoln, an anti-slavery advocate, in 1860 resulted in the secession of the South from the United States of America. The South seceded from the Union and encouraged others to do the same, as Abraham Lincoln was against popular sovereignty and the Constitution. (Doc 7) Abraham Lincoln condemned the institution of slavery, which led the the secession of the South upon his presidential nomination.
"We must not disturb slavery in the states where it exists, because the Constitution and the peace of the country both forbid us. We must not withhold an efficient fugitive slave law, because the constitution demands it. But we must, by a national policy, prevent the spread of slavery into new territories, or free states, because the constitution does not forbid us, and the general welfare does demand such prevention.” (Lincoln) Mr. Lincoln’s views were so polarizing that he finished with less than forty percent of the popular vote. However, do to the lack of unity in the Democratic Party; he still managed to triumph and successfully...
Lincoln is famously known for ending slavery. He Issued the Emancipation of Proclamation. The presidential proclamation was issued during the American Civil War. Lincoln stated in his speech, "I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of states, and henceforward shall be free." The states he was referring to were the 11 out of 22 states that still had slavery. It was because of Lincoln that millions ...
It is scientifically proven, that people prefer attractive people. Appearances help millions of good-looking men and women across the country advance in their careers, get free drinks, and receive more opportunity. But, Mary Shelley juxtaposes the physical deterioration of Victor as her novel, Frankenstein, progresses and the creature ’s ugly physical appearance and the motif of clouds juxtapose with birds to argue that appearances may be deceptive. She argues through the juxtaposition of Victor and the creation’s death that ultimately it is through death, one of nature’s devices, that allows us to see the character of a person.
Contrary to what today’s society believes about Lincoln, he was not a popular man with the South at this period in time. The South wanted to expand towards the West but Lincoln created a geographical containment rule keeping slavery in the states it currently resided in. Despite his trying to rationalize with the South, Lincoln actually believed something different ”Lincoln claimed that he, like the Founding Fathers, saw slavery in the Old South as regrettable reality whose expansion could and should be arrested, thereby putting it on the long and gradual road ”ultimate extinction” (216). He believed it to be “evil” thus “implying that free southerners were evil for defending it”(275). Lincoln wanted to wipe out slavery for good and the South could sense his secret motives. By trying to trick them, the South rebelled as soon as Lincoln became president and launched what is today known as the Civil war.
Let your imagination grasp if you can; walking down a bustling street, people going about their daily business then suddenly stopping without hesitation to glare. As you draw nearer the faces of the crowds gaze from horror to repulsion. The disgusted people whisper jeers to each other and all are too appalled to speak to you or ask you your name. So different from everyone else, you are ugly and have nothing by which to answer even if asked. You feel awful despair as you approach and they turn away in repulsion and feel the sting of their eyes and then the cold of their shoulders.
“Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first breakthrough, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source, many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of a child so completely as I should deserve theirs.” (Shelley 39).
...that had to become evil in order to get what he wants. It was Frankenstein and the society’s fault that the monster actually turned into a monster, they didn’t reach out to him, and instead they froze him out of the society because of his looks.
First, let’s examine the alienation from society suffered by Frankenstein’s monster. The cause of his ostracism was his horrific physical appearance. It was so bad that people would not even allow him the chance to speak or get to know the person behind the hideous face. Shelley is criticizing the importance appearance plays in defining our roles as members of society. The monster knows all too well how people will receive him and so tries to appeal to a blind man, the only type of person who could be dependent on him. Sadly for the wretch, the blind man had others on whom he could depend as well, and upon seeing him caused a stir. His one chance at gaining acceptance
In this 1700’s society the standards for society are quite different than what they are now, for one the general measure of someone’s worth and goodness is based primarily upon their appearance. Another of these societal standards that Shelley conveys is the social classes of the time with the cottagers and the monster’s description of them and how they are divided by wealth and family reputation. The last of the aforementioned societal standards is that of hiding one’s problems in the case of Victor Frankenstein and his hiding of his creation that became a monster, a monster that society
Within Frankenstein, the level at which a female is portrayed is quite low. Like we have heard in class, women were not necessarily respected as much as men were when the novel was written. Published in 1818 by Mary Shelley, her story tells of the adventure of young Victor Frankenstein and the creation of his creature. Though deep within this narration of Frankenstein’s life, there seems to be an underlying theme seeping through Shelley’s writing. Shelley seems to venture into the idea of feminism and grotesquely show how men are treated much better than women. Her novel includes various concrete examples to support this hypothesis.
Do not judge a book by its cover. A famous American proverb that says a person’s character cannot by judged by their appearance. A prime example of this is the monster from Frankenstein. On the outside, he has a terrible appearance but he is a kind soul simply looking for a little compassion. He is a victim however due to his monstrous appearance and is left in bitter misery in the story. Both the book and the play present him as a sufferer in a cruel world but ultimately the book does a better job portraying his pain and creating compassion for him. The monster in the book details his suffering in greater detail, is more eloquent and persuasive and also experiences a more tragic ending and as a result a reader feels more sympathy towards him than an audience member would feel towards the monster in the play.
Great knowledge of the world and its mysterious ways is something many would love to have. With this great knowledge we have been able to find many of the technologies, medicines, and amazing works of art that we have today. But “evil” comes in hand with the power of such knowledge. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the powerful knowledge that Frankenstein possessed brought him nothing good but his end. His creation wasn’t something that was “good” or that brought him joy as he initially believed it would. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein, there is a clear important social value placed on beauty. Also visible are the repercussion of these social values, that leak into ones own personal values, and its effects on others.