The Consequences of Technology Revealed in Shelley's Frankenstein
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written in the late
nineteenth century, the author proposes that knowledge and technology can be
dangerous to individuals and all of humanity. Frankenstein was one of the
first cautionary tales about scientific research. Shelley's novel offers
profound insight of the consequences of morally insensitive scientific and
technological research.
Learn from me. . . at least by my example, how dangerous is the
acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his
native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his
nature will allow (Shelley 101)
The popular belief of how Frankenstein came to be written derives from
Shelley herself, who explains in an introduction to the novel that she, her
husband Percy Shelly, and Lord Byron set themselves the task of creating ghost
stories during a short vacation at a European villa. According to Shelley, the
short story she conceived was predicated of the notion as the eighteenth became
the nineteenth century that electricity could be a catalyst of life. In her
introduction she recalls the talk about Erasmus Darwin, who had preserved a
piece of vermicelli in a glass case, till by some extraordinary means it began
to move with voluntary motion," (Joseph vii). The extraordinary means forms the
basis for Frankenstein. Many people also believe that a nightmare that Mary
Shelley had could also be partly responsible for the creation of the novel.
At the time the novel was written, England was on the brink of leading
the Industrial revolution in Europe. The experiments of Huntsman (crucible
steel manufacture), Newcome (steam-powered pumps), and Cochrane (coal tar
production) throughout the eighteenth century in England were decisive in the
initial transformation of England into an industrialized country (Burke 137, 173,
195). The emerging age of technology appears to have found followers throughout
the culture and to have become firmly reinforced by the time Frankenstein was
written. Eric Rabkin (author), says that in England early in the eighteenth
century, "there exist a populous discourse community that accepted the rhetoric
of science" (Rabkin 39). This rhetoric has proof extending back to the English
Renaissance. Those sensitive to change and those prepared to embrace a rhetoric
of change need not be scientists. While scientists address a discourse
community of scientists, novelists address a wider discourse community of
the literate. If we can accept the earlier argument that science and poetry
are not ontologically antagonistic, then we might well hope to find fictional
uses of the rhetoric of science .
In Shelley's Frankenstein, it's interesting to use the text to ask the question, whose interest's lie at the heart of science? Why is Victor Frankenstein motivated to plunge the questions that bringing life to inanimate matter can bring? Victor Frankenstein's life was destroyed because of an obsession with the power to create life where none had been before. The monster he created could be seen as a representation of all those who are wronged in the selfish name of science. We can use Shelley's book to draw parallels in our modern society, and show that there is a danger in the impersonal relationship that science creates between the scientist and his work. It seems to me that Shelley was saying that when science is done merely on the basis of discovery without thought to the affect that the experimentation can have, we risk endangering everything we hold dear.
The "American dream" is different for every person. To some it means financial success, to others it means freedom of expression, while others dream to practice their religion without fear. The "American dream" is a complex concept providing immigrants with the hope of better life. The U.S. government provides the environment and resources for everyone to pursue their dreams. Each year millions of people around the world apply for the Diversity Visa lottery program provided by the U.S. government, however only a few thousand people are lucky enough to come here. America is the place where people are judged by their achievements instead of having references or connections. Even though the American economy is in recession and the achieving of the American Dream is harder, many immigrants still achieve religious, political, financial, and sports dreams here in the U.S.
The American dream is the general belief that American Citizens all have an equal opportunity to succeed socially and economically, regardless of any predating circumstances. This idea has been accepted as possible by the majority of citizens in this country. This “dream” cannot be true, as there are multiple discriminations in this country, which make it impossible for everyone to have the same chance to succeed. Biases against racial minorities, women, and citizens from lower social classes are examples of just a few reasons that everyone does not have the same chance to succeed in our current economic and social system in America, resulting in unequal chances to achieve “the American Dream.”
While many scientists contributed to the nature versus nurture argument in the past, it is a topic greatly debated today. Modern scientists agree that a mixture of nature and nurture contributes to growth and development. However, scientists in generations past agreed that nurture was the most important factor in growth. Likewise, the effect of nurture on nature argument is prevalent to describe the fall of the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where the monster’s growth results from the hostile environment he lived in, the fact that he was forced to teach himself the ways of life, and the base nature provided for a combination of the factors mentioned before which all contributed and built upon one another.
The American Dream is a concept that is essentially older than the United States, dating back to the seventeenth century. It was then when people began to come up with hopes and aspirations for the newly discovered, unexplored continent. The “American Dream” is in essence the idea in that puts forward the notion that all people can succeed through hard work, that all people have the right to the pursuit of happiness, and be successful. The definition of the American Dream has been expanded upon and redefined over time. The concept of the American Dream has always been debated and put under criticism. There are many that believe the structure of American Society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream. It points out examples of deeply rooted inequality based on class, race, and ethnic origin. This idea is the base that puts in question the attainability of the American Dream for everyone. Generation after generation, people have strongly had a belief that with the right mix of grit, guts, and character, one could achieve new levels of success for themselves and their families. Implied in this amalgamation are the concepts of hard work, and a determination to overcome adversity. That, in my belief, is the definition of the American Dream; with enough toil and a strong backbone, one can take advantage of whatever natural strengths one has and manipulate them to earn success. As Americans we have always believed there was someplace to move, something to overcome, in order to improve our lot in life and raise ourselves up.
The novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is a work of fiction that breaks the ethics of science. Ethics is defined as rules of conduct or moral principles which are ignored in the story. The story is about a person named Victor Frankenstein who creates an artificial being. Victor abandons the being out of fear and the being is left to discover the outside world on his own and be rejected by people making the monster go on a violent rampage. Victor’s decision would affect him later on by the monster killing his loved ones causing Victor to suffer. Then Victor chooses to seek revenge on the monster and this choice will bring him to his death. In novel Frankenstein one might say that the main character, Victor, breaks the ethics of science when he plays God by creating his own being.
The American Dream is known to be a hope for a better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every class. For almost all Americans, this entails earning a college degree, gaining a good job, buying a house, and starting a family. Although this seems wonderful, a large amount of the American population believes that the Dream has changed immensely because of increased prices in today’s society, the price of tuition being highly unaffordable, as well as the unemployment rate skyrocketing and weaker job growth. While some American citizens believe it has changed, others believe that the American Dream has not changed, but point out it is harder to obtain.
“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”
In Lisa Nocks article appropriately titled “Frankenstein, in a better light,” she takes us through a view of the characters in the eyes of the author Mary Shelly. The name Frankenstein conjures up feeling of monsters and horror however, the monster could be a metaphor for the time period of which the book was written according to Nocks. The article implies that the book was geared more towards science because scientific treatises were popular readings among the educated classes, of which Shelley was a member of. Shelley, whose father was wealthy and had an extensive library, was encouraged to self-educate, which gave her knowledge of contemporary science and philosophy, which also influenced Frankenstein as well as circumstances of her life.
“America is the land of opportunity. If I work hard enough, I can be whatever I want to be. If I truly want something, I can get it. I will work hard and grow up to be whatever it is that makes me happy. The sky is the limit. These statements portray the American dream. Though the American dream seems a little more difficult to attain when the American dreaming is a member of a minority group living in poverty”. This quotation by author, Philip M. Deutsch thoroughly sums up the entirety of my paper. Deutsch starts out by listing several somewhat cliché statements summarizing the classic American’s view of the American dream; the hope of starting with nothing and ending up on top. However, he continues by revealing that the American dream is not as easily made a reality for those from other countries. This paper explores why it is easier for those born in America to attain prosperity in the United States. This paper will discuss the reasons immigrants have a harder time achieving the
Frankenstein was written in the Romantics time period. In this time period, natural beauty, nature within life, and art were the major ideas for the time period. In the novel, breaking natural laws was a theme and it is shown through nature impacting his mood, scientific knowledge, and the way women are viewed. Nature impacts his mood in many different ways; In chapter five he hates his appearance and the creation he has made. It is a stormy night when he views his creation which makes him feel down on himself and makes him hate it. In chapter nine, he is still down on himself until he gets a sight of cheerful scenery which instantly puts him in a good mood. Scientific knowledge also breaks the natural laws because many scientific ideas were
The Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth, and early nineteenth century created a significant advance in technology. Mary Shelly’s life and literature were influenced by this technological turning point. Thirst of knowledge is a dominant theme in Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein”, and the driving force behind continuous technological developments. Human Beings are completely dependent on Modern technology and it would be difficult to survive without it. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a growing reality. Many scientists are predicting a computer will soon pass the Turing test, thus making a human and machine indistinguishable. With breakthroughs in nanotechnology, humans will soon be able to sustain a longer life. Technological advancements have been speeding up since computing power is growing exponentially. With artificial intelligence and nanotechnology becoming more of a reality, Victor Frankenstein’s desire of cheating death is becoming more than just fiction.
The pop culture version of the novel Frankenstein depicts Victor Frankenstein’s need for science and creation, a need that results in him creating a monster. An ingenious and inventive scientist, Victor mastered everything he learned from his professors. Unfortunately, he ultimately created something he regrets and pays for until the day he dies. Victor Frankenstein takes his interest in science and creation to an unhealthy and extreme level, and plays God. In playing this God figure over his creation, he creates this being with no intentions of giving it love or happiness. He is selfish and creates it for himself, and he brings the unliving to life out of old used parts.
What is love? Love is the force that binds our feelings. It is very difficult to get out of it, sometimes even impossible. The ability to love in the human beings can manifest itself in the form of attachment, complex social relationships within the group type, but it is fully controversial and has not been confirmed. Love is the highest moral and aesthetic sense, which means a strong emotional attachment and selfless commitment to another person. Love is based on qualities such as selflessness, dedication, devotion. Love is very emotional feeling; it is characterized by high elation flourishing desires, high availability dissolved in the subject of love. In a state of love one experiences a special satisfaction from life that is the state of happiness.
Love, the single feeling that generates the funny sentiments in our stomach, giving us the warm pleasures in our body, causing us to feel joy, and to believe every aspect in our life will constantly go right. In addition, causing us to receive an accelerating, appealing feeling that makes us want to rejoice. Love can be a speeding of your heart, but it can also be nerve-racking. Our hearts rapidly begin to pump, making a rapid beat— “ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom”. Attempting to describe love is a rigorous task, but it is possible. However, the easiest detail to describe and understand about love is the concept of what it is about. Many people may obtain different views and definitions regarding love, but their ideas tend to unite at some point.