Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) comparing and contrasting the personalities of Elizabeth and Victor. Be sure to include how Elizabeth and Victor complement each other, as well as how Elizabeth balances Victor’s personality.

1. Frankenstein begins and ends with letters written by Robert Walton. Why do you think

that Mary Shelley chose to have him frame the novel? How would your opinions of

Victor Frankenstein and his creation differ if their story was told directly by Victor

Frankenstein himself? What if the story was told solely by the creation?

2. Walton yearns for a friend, much like Victor Frankenstein’s creature does. What does this

tell you about human nature? Is it in our nature to want companionship, someone to

confide in, and someone to care for?

3. In Letter IV, Walton writes, “Yesterday the stranger said to me, “You may easily

perceive, Captain Walton, that I have suffered great and unparalleled misfortunes. I had

determined at one time that the memory of these evils should die with me, but you have

won me to alter my determination. You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did;

and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you,

as mine has been. I do not know that the relation of my disasters will be useful to you;

yet, when I reflect that you are pursuing the same course, exposing yourself to the same

dangers which have rendered me what I am, I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral

from my tale, one that may direct you if you succeed in your undertaking and console

you in case of failure. Prepare to hear of occurrences which are usually deemed

marvelous.”

A. In the excerpt above, Victor is foreshadowing the creation of his monster and how

it went quickly awry. Are there any other instances of foreshadowing in these

letters?

B. In the excerpt above, the themes of knowledge and wisdom are introduced. Often,

knowledge and wisdom are seen as interchangeable, or as going hand-in-hand, but

are they necessarily the same. Pay attention to how knowledge and wisdom are

portrayed in the book.

4. Walton and Frankenstein are both men of science but in vastly different fields. What does

having two main characters in this field tell you about 1800s Europe? What does it tell

you about the gender roles of th

Explanation:

the first proposition is to question economic materialism and victorian christianity. the lines are:

“it moves us not.—great god! i'd rather be

a pagan suckled in a creed outworn; ”

wordsworth is stating that nature no longer interests mankind, that the latter is not “moved” by it and explains that ancient western paganism had a more positive attitude concerning nature since it lacked the perv erted judaeo-christian interpretation of having received the world and all its animals and elements from god to use as we , instead of humans actually being not only part of nature but its wardens, meant to appreciate it and protect it.

the next lines are:

“so might i, standing on this pleasant lea,

have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

have sight of proteus coming from the sea;

or hear old triton blow his wreathed horn.”

wordsworth here make it very clear that by actually looking and contemplating nature, human beings would reconnect with happiness, serenity and purpose. the use of mythological figures is quite evocative as well, proteus is a greek mythological god of the changing sea. he personifies the sea that changes, which symbolizes the way nature changes and inevitably can change to be destructive not only due to natural causes but to human pollution. furthermore, the sea is even more symbolic since all life originated in the sea so it is not only our past but our future since no life form in our planet can survive without water and if all water is destroyed in earth all life will be gone as well.

he then uses triton which is symbolic of the synthesis of both nature and mankind. triton is a mythological greek god that has the upper body of a man and the lower body of a fish (a merman). this human fish duality evokes the fact that humans are not only human but also part of nature, the fish tail representing nature. the main attribute of this god was that he used a conch shell as a horn to calm the roaring seas. in other words, triton uses nature through science for the benefit of human sailors who risk death during tempests. with the use of such metaphor, wordworth is conveying the message that human technology   is supposed to use nature to preserve nature and thereby humanity as well.

for the comment!