The philosophical root of Frankenstein seems to be the empiricist theory first promoted by John Locke in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In that essay, the mind is concieved as beginning as a blank slate or tabula rasa, upon which the various impressions gained by the outside world shape the personality. According to this strict empiricism, the mind contains no innate basis for the basic prerequisites for human socialization: a social code and/or morality with empathetic roots. As a result of the monster's isolation, he is unable to sympathize with human beings and loses respect for other intelligent life. Even though the monster has good intentions, his beneficence is subverted by the negative and anti-social reactions he receives from the people he encounters. The most blatent passages in support of the tabula rasa can be found in the monster's account of the impressions of his early life at the beginning of Chapter IX (pg 70 Dover Edition). The relevant portion starts at the beginning of the chapter, but the passage of most interest is reproduced below: "Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb of night had greatly lessened, when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with drink, and the trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears, proceeded from the throats of the little winged animals who had often intercepted the light from my eyes. I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me, and the boundaries of the radient roof of light which canopied me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant sounds of the birds, but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own mode, but the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me back into silence." While this account is probably a poor model of how an actual entity would behave upon being thrust into a brand new world of sensations with sufficient cognitive apparati to comprehend the impressions (categories and systemization are utilized almost immediately, although there would be no reason for the monster to arrange things in this way, "light from my eyes" is a physical principal [an incorrect one at that] and would not likely be used in a naive description.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein explores the downfall of certain human characteristics, set to the backdrop of creation, destruction, and preservation. The subtitle denoted by Shelly herself supports this idea, by relating the fact that the title can be viewed as either Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. One scholar, Marilyn Butler, also maintains this by noting, "It can be a late version of the Faust Myth"(302). Shelly uses the story of the main character, Victor Frankenstein, to produce the concept of a dooming human characteristic of which Frankenstein states, "I have . . . been blasted in these hopes"(Shelley, 152). The reader finds, as a result of his thirst for knowledge and infatuation with science, Victor creates a living being by whom he has "suffered great and unparalleled misfortunes"(Shelley, 17). Eventually, Victor realizes this self-destructive trait, but he is not able to save himself stating, "I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew"(Shelley, 16). Although everything in his life that is dear has been lost, Victor is able to convince one in his same position--Robert Walton--to not "lead [his crew] unwillingly to danger"(Shelley, 151). While addressing the concept of characteristic and self-discovery, it is possible to realize that the monster also possesses the characteristics held by both Victor and Walton; except in his learning, the monster is driven to continue to cause destruction. Most important about the thirst for knowledge is that, as a form of human characteristic or downfall, it leads to large, critical pieces of self-discovery. In obtaining these critical pieces, Frankenstein finds satisfaction in j...
...ime, such as reading, speaking, and how to find shelter. More importantly however, he learns something that affects his entirety of his short life: how humans truly are. Frankenstein learns that humans can be kind and moral, but more often are cruel, brutish, unfair, and unsympathetic. He learns that he will never be accepted, and learning this drives him to do rather evil human-ish acts. Even as he does these bad things though, he still experiences regret, longing for companionship, and the drive to do good things and be a good person. This inner conflict is present in all humans, as we struggle to do the right thing and avoid temptations and violence. This struggle is what causes the creature to truly be human, encompassing all of humanity’s aspects, including both the good and bad.
Frankenstein defied human boundaries when he created the monster and because of this not only his life, but the lives of others have also shifted, this has caused their lives to spiral into an unjustified conclusion. Curiosity was the main cause of him learning how to create such a thing, his lack of caring for the thing that he created led to his undoing. His motivation for creating life, comes from the fact that he lost someone dear to him. Although Victor was young when his mother died, it had serious effects on the way he viewed life and maybe even himself. Once you take on the father role you have to stick to it, otherwise creating life
First, let's talk about the neurophysiological aspect. Frankenstein was given an abnormal brain, the brain of a criminal. To the Doctor's defense he did not know that the stolen brain was one that belonged to a criminal;however, it is very possible that the new brain recipient inherited the anti-social behavior possessed by the former.
To provide appropriate care, long-term care admissions must be well thought-out and explicit tasks fulfilled prior to the patient’s arrival. There should be a smooth transition between facilities to promote continuity of care (LaMantia, Scheunemann, Viera, Busby-Whitehead & Hanson, 2010). If discharge planning is inadequate, patient safety and health can be compromised. For example, scheduled drug regimens, such as antibiotics and controlled medications, must be available within a timely manner. Most long-term care facilities do not support an in-house pharmacy. In addition, many pharmacies require original hard scripts before filling controlled medications. If admitting orders are inadequate or cannot be carried out within the appropriate time span, the admitting facility may be unable to meet critical needs. I have experienced this first hand on more than one occasion. The most recent o...
The obsessed search for knowledge, fame and fortune can often undervalue one’s life and become the main focus of their existence. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, she proves that obsession is a dangerous aspect of the human behavior, which always results in a negative outcome, this is mainly portrayed through the protagonist of the story Dr. Victor Frankenstein, because of Dr. Frankenstein’s obsessive personality he fails to recognize the affects of his scientific experiments which eventually lead to his and his family’s death.
I learned that while the Monster wanders around showing feelings of admiration and sensitivity towards others, his outward appearance alone is what causes much hatred to be inflicted onto him – and regrettably, so much hatred to be radiating out. It was clear that the creation serves as an example of a being that is not truly evil, but one that was simply trying to fit into the world. Consequently, he lashed out as a result of society responding exactly the opposite: rejecting him. As I now understood, what makes a monster is not always necessarily dependent on one’s actions, as those actions could strongly be influenced by
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is a well known novel written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and first published in 1818. This first edition included some remarks made by her husband Percy Shelley, which the author later revised for the publishing of the second edition in 1831 . A thought-provoking work set in the enlightened European society of the eighteenth century, Frankenstein masterly addresses themes such as responsibility, abandonment, and the ambitious pursuit of knowledge to depict the dreadful effects that may arise from scientific exploration.
The Monster’s confusion about the world and his inability to understand why he cannot simply be accepted in society drives his actions. Dutoit elaborates on the not so apparent truth that The Monster goes to great lengths to assimilate by acquiring language, understanding mannerisms and participating in customs. The Monster grows fond of a family, at first he watches them carefully, paying close attention to the details of their life and even steals food, unaware of their poverty. Supporting evidence which allows for the conclusion that he is innately good and simply longing for domesticity is shown by The Monsters willingness to help the family with chores, in secret of course. Nevertheless, he is universally shunned by everyone he encounters, except for the old blind man who was willing to have a social connection with him, until his family returned home and in fear rebelled against The Monster. This constant exile only leads to a greater alienation from the social world he deeply longs to be a part of. Unfortunately, due to his outward appearance, his good intentions are ill received by the people he
Throughout history, many have debated whether an individual's behavior is a result of DNA inheritance or developed through the environment they have grown to experience. One side believes that an individual inherits their behavior through nature which is DNA just like how it determines the child’s eye color, type of hair and the possibility of diseases. The other side argued behavior is developed through the environment in which they have experienced through the years. John Locke explains that at birth, a child is born with a blank slate and as they grow their mind is filled with experiences. The question arises whether the creatures’ horrendous behavior was a result being born a monster or his experience of being abandoned constantly.
In the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly, Knowledge is power for Victor Frankenstein. Mary Shelly explains that Dr. Frankenstein’s hunger for the knowledge to create life out of death only leads to Victor’s unfortunate monster. The consequences that Victor Frankenstein experiences from creating a creature from his own madness leads to his death as well as the creature. Mary Shelly explains in her novel Frankenstein that Victor’s need to study life and how it is created is dangerous; furthermore, the abomination that the doctor creates should have never been created; however, the monster that Victor creates is his own monstrosity.
By definition, knowledge is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (Merriam-Webster.com). In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley considers knowledge as a “dangerous” factor. The danger of it is proved throughout the actions of the characters Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature. The characters all embody the theme of knowledge in different ways. Shelley supports her opinion about knowledge by using references from the Bible and Paradise Lost. She uses these references to show the relationship between God’s Adam and Frankenstein’s creature, and how nothing turns out as great as God’s creation. Mary Shelley’s goal is to teach a lesson on how destructive the desire for knowledge really is.
The creature’s embodiment of the non-European, the outcast, the alien and the other stems from the incompleteness of the monster ability to engage in cretin perceptions of the world he was brought in. Unlike the Europeans, the monster was brought to life with no concept of value, or cultural norms. T...
All in all, administering medications takes a great deal of responsibility and care to prevent errors from occurring. It is also important to know that administering medications to the elderly can be significantly different because of their physiological changes. Finally, it is important to have a system like the six rights and three checks to consonantly screen against medication errors.
Many immigrants entering Canada do so with exceptional levels of human capital. However, studies have shown that there are many barriers beyond the initial points system selection process, impeding their employment opportunities. Women struggle to have their credentials recognized, forcing them to choose between starting from scratch or changing career paths (Creese & Wiebe, 2012; Tastsoglou & Miedema, 2005; Zaman, 2010). Man (2004); Guo (2009); Zaman (2010) acknowledged the difficulties of seeking reaccreditation. It is costly, time-consuming, complicated, and promises no certainty of success. Immigrants who opt to go this route later become informed there is little or no transference for previous education and work experiences. This devaluation has negative implications, as intelligent, skilled workers are deskilled and funneled into ‘bad jo...