The Best King

In Act II of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, different possible power holders emerge on the island, when the noblemen of Milan are stranded on the island. Three that stand up the most out of this group, are Gonzolo, Sebastian, and Stephano. As to who would be the ideal king, that would be Gonzalo. Gonzolo is idealistic. His utopian society is one in which no one works, everyone respects and loves nature, which in turn gives them everything they need. In this way, in Gonzolo's imagined, idealistic society, no one wants for power, and everyone is equal. Ambition, an archetype explored in nearly every literary work, is an inherent quality in every man and woman- which takes form through a will to succeed, corrupted through a selfish want for attention and fame. If Gonzalo's world was possible- which Gonzalo, being so wise, knows it is not- Gonzolo would definitely be the best king. The explanation of this society seems pointless to Antonio and Sebastian, but it seems to be a subtle jab at the bad points of Sebastain and Antonio, and perhaps in Shakespeare's point of view, a highlighting of the bad qualities of all corrupt and ambitious rulers.

In regards to Stephano, seeing him as a king would be laughable. Stephano seems to pride himself on being 'the smart one' out of himself and Trinculo, but he is really not very smart at all. Rather than being a cold, calculating ruler such as Sebastian would be, Stephano strikes one as a more Louis XIV type of ruler, who indulges himself with no real regard to his position or his people. Louis XIV's stupidity and over indulgence in the end, unfortunately for him, cost him his life, and the sanity of the whole country, which descended into an anarchy until Napoleon Bonaparte rose up from its depths and took control. Unfortunately, through history, it seems that many examples of a king like Stephano can be seen. In almost every case, they did not hold proper power for too long, or if they did hold power for long, their countries slowly descended into ruin, like Louis XIV's France.

Kind kings in the real world, have not had it so good either. In China, Qin held power until the day he died, while other leaders, during for example the Han Dynasty, were overthrown. It is notable that the country is now named after Qin, the man who was cruel to its people. In this way, if Gonzalo was king, his kindness would make him easy pickings for men like Sebastian, who hungered for power. So, unfortunately, it seems that in the real world, Sebastian would be the most realistic king. His disregard for others would get him onto the throne, and his cold, calculating nature would keep him there Governing by fear is many times very effective, as seen before with Emperor Qin and others, and if Sebastian had fear on his side, he could do whatever he wanted.

So, though the best king may be Gonzalo, a king like that would be a fallacy in the real world. The best rulers always seem to be people who are wise enough to realize that they cannot handle the responsibility of leading a people to the best of their ability. This quality is demonstrated by Gonzalo.

The Role of Power In Act I of the Tempest

The roles of power and authority pose an important theme in the Tempest. This battle of authority versus power begins in the first act of the Tempest, when Alonzo, Antonio, and the rest of the officials who wronged Prosperro were stranded on the island of Caliban and Ariel. In this chapter, the roles of authority and power seem to be shifted, foreshadowing event to come, and the theme of loss of power is formed. For example, when Alonzo, Antonio, and his attendants were in the middle of the tempest, Sebastian and Antonia try in vain to take control of the ship and the Botswain, who is the rightful leader on the ship. At sea, they find that roles are shifted, and power begins to separate itself from authority through the Botswain maintaining order in the middle of the storm. In this way, it is shown that though the usurper Duke of Milan, Antonio, has false power through his role as Duke, when he is away from the eyes of society, his authority is useless. This also foreshadows the events in scene 2, when it is found that the current Duke usurped the real Duke of Milan's, Prosperro's, throne. Prosperro lost his authoritative power when he was usurped, but now that he has come to the island, he is regaining power through control of the island and its inhabitants.

Though the Botswain is not a nobleman in Milan, he is the leader at sea, suggesting that wherever the ship is headed, the new world it lands on will upset all the authority the noblemen stranded had in Milan, and new leaders will be decided on the islands, based on power instead of given authority.

On the island, Prosperro appears to have power, commanding a sprite and a monster to do his bidding. Though Prosperro has authority over the sprite, Ariel, it is evident that Ariel is a very powerful force, easily the most powerful of everyone in the play. In regards to Sycorax, the old witch who birthed Caliban, trapped Ariel in a tree, and died. When Prosperro came, Caliban's false power over the island was dashed, the monster ruled over no one. This supports again the theme of the cycle of power. Almost every character in the play exhibits loss of power, and a possible chance at redemption.

Conclusions to Chapters 18- 20 of Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, a nineteenth century novel by Mary Shelley, there is an undeniable implication that Henry Clerval is a symbol of Romanticism. His love of life, adventure, and nature support this. In chapters 18- 20 of the novel, Henry Clerval commented on how he had the goal to go to India and help with colonialization, to see the world and the people in it. This portion is reminiscent of chapters 13 and 14, introducing the Catholic Turk Saphie, who embodied the Orientalist (Orientalism) movement, a facet of the Romanticist Movement, and Western ideals at the same time, through the fact that she featured distinctly oriental features and music capabilities, but she also possessed the morals and religion of a Westerner. In a similar fashion in chapter 19, Henry Clerval comments on how he is planning on going to India, mystified with its people's customs and culture. But, his true goal is colonialization, the dream of 'western perfection' of these exotic countries. This is, again, the Western bias that paints the oriental world as distinctly beautiful, with a need for Western 'intelligence'. Orientalism embodies the Romantic movement in literature, with the break from the Industrial society of that period, to that of the mystical qualities of the human self, along with nature. Henry Clerval is not a scientist, he means to travel and see the world, to go into a country that has not been industrialized, a country that embodied the mystical nature that the romantics were so enthralled with.
Henry Clerval's death, alluded to in the last few paragraphs of chapter 28 is foreshadowed when Frankenstein breaks from the story to address Walton, and pay tribute to Henry Cerval. From this allusion to Clerval's death, comes the foreshadowing of the death of Romanticism within Victor Frankenstein, and therefore a foreshadowing of his inevitable downfall. Throughout the novel, whenever Frankenstein has embraced romanticism, he has been momentarily saved. Whenever he has pursued his science, he created catastrophe. This catastrophe was most evident in his creation of the monster, when he had many chances to turn back, but did not. Clerval constantly brought Frankenstein out of his deep depressions, after he had steeped himself in his science, and back into the world of Romanticism. The suggestion that Frankenstein is a representation of the consequences of science, supports this conclusion. Frankenstein's creation would decide the fate of Clerval, just as the fate of romanticism would be decided by the 'monstrous' creations spawned by science, in the form of scientific discoveries, the analyzation of nature, and a departure from the earthly view of the world, into the cold view of the world through a scientist's eyes. Perhaps this implies that Frankenstein is a call to action, besides a ghost story, to tell its readers to object to science.

Original Post

College Essay

“Genius: the… attendant spirit… allotted to every person at birth”

                                                   - The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

I stepped up to the front of the classroom with my scene partner.  Once we were ready to perform, we both took a deep breath, and began our piece, a scene by Samuel Beckett. I tried to get into character, a reclusive old man fraught with cancer, confined to a wheelchair. I worked to remember my lines, forgetting my objective, but I wasn’t too worried: we’d done well last time we performed the scene. My partner was playing a blind man, and I tried to use the stage, but my lack of confidence in my movement kept me constricted- near my partner. When we finished the performance, our teacher looked at us with narrowed eyes. “Well… it didn’t get worse.” He said simply. “It comes from a lack of preparation.” The other kids in the class raised their hands to make comments. “Your movements were kind of jerky, like you had a condition.” One said. The teacher nodded. “A lot of times actors mistake energy for honesty.”

I had never gotten such painfully blunt commentary before. It made me ponder where I was going with my acting. I wanted to pursue this, but I clearly did not have a talent for it.

As I sat in the car, listening to the radio, sulking and thinking I had no future, a special on the concept of ‘genius’ projected across the speakers. The tortured artist stereotype has evolved over the decades, the speaker explained, due to the idea of genius. When an artist was described as a genius, enormous pressure was put onto them to deliver.  When an artist was described as possessing genius, that pressure disappeared.

As I listened, I felt a small jump in my heart. My next assignment for my advanced acting class was to perform a monologue. I had chosen mine from an Irish play. It meant a lot to me- it was part of my culture, it was gritty, and it reminded me of the desperation and need I felt to be free. I set to work preparing, and before long, the day arrived when I was to perform. As I stepped up to take my turn, the idea of genius crept back into my mind. I had prepared religiously for this moment, and I decided all that I could do was let whatever came, come. I pumped my fists into the air as I said the first few words, feeling something well up inside me, and I looked up and continued to speak. Suddenly, I felt desperation, fear, and anger overcome me, and I began to cry as I continued. Towards the end of the monologue, the words left me, and I stood in the middle of the stage, sniffling. “I forgot the words.” I mumbled, and the teacher nodded, smiling. “That’s alright.”

I went out of the classroom, and sat outside to regain control of myself, sighing with contentment. The reason I had not delivered before was because I had not been ready. But this time, I was ready. And something unbelievable happened. 

Creative Blog Post: 10 Minute Play

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY By Catherine McCue

The sound of a train. A pause. Two robbers, dressed near cartoonish, with big black eye masks and black woolen caps, with black and white striped long sleeved shirts and black pants and shoes, skulk onto the stage. The physicalization is cartoonish.

ROBBER 1
So bruddah, have you got it all ready?

ROBBER 2
I think so sistah.

          Brings out a large bag, sets it on the ground, rummages through it.

Call it out for me sistah.

ROBBER 1
Ropes.

ROBBER 2
Check.

ROBBER 1
Robbin’ bags.

ROBBER 2
Robins? I thought we were stealing!

ROBBER 1
What? Of course we’re stealing ya numbskull! What do ya think I am? A bird watcher?

ROBBER 2
I dunno... I just hear what I hear.

ROBBER 1
Well hear something else. Guns.

          ROBBER 2 whips out 2 guns from bag, and pretends to fire them.

ROBBER 2
BAM BAM!

          Pause.

Check.

ROBBER 1
Train tickets.

ROBBER 2
Nope.

ROBBER 1
What?

ROBBER 2
We ain't got train tickets, sistah!

ROBBER 1
What?! Then how we suppose to get on the train, bruddah?

ROBBER 2
I dunno. Jump on it.

ROBBER 1
Like a bunch of lowlife theives? Wouldja evah....(Pause)
Well, we ain’t got time to be thinkin’ such dainty thinks. We gotta think about the next think that’s gonna think itself up!

ROBBER 2
What else do you think we need, sistah?

ROBBER 1
You know what think I’m thinking, don’tcha bruddah?

ROBBER 2
I think so, sistah.

ROBBER 1
Bring it out bruddah.

            ROBBER 2 pulls out a wad of dynamite from inside the bag.

Dynamite!

ROBBER 2
Right!

          Train whistle heard again. Both spring into obscene action.

Come on, bruddah!  Let’s catch this train!

          Both begin to run, outrageous runs, in place.

ROBBER 2
Sistah?

ROBBER 1
What bruddah?

ROBBER 2
Say that it’s the wrong train?

ROBBER 1
Well, bruddah. We're already runnin’

          Pause.

‘Sides, I brought a stick to whack you across the head with if you was doin’ anyting stupid.

ROBBER 2
Oh, bruddah.

ROBBER 1
I’m your sistah, numbskull!

          Takes stick from bag and whacks him across the head with it. Lights down, robbers exit stage.   Lights back up on train carriage, with HERO, and DAMSEL inside. DAMSEL is fanning herself dramatically.

DAMSEL
Oh, me oh my oh me oh my!

HERO
What is it, my love?

DAMSEL
I just feel so faint! I always feel faint...

HERO
Delicate ladies like yourself are prone to such tragic episodes. It’s one of the downfalls of being so elegant!

DAMSEL
Oh, darling! I’m so elegant I can hardly even feel my toes! Maybe my corset is too tight...

HERO
Now don’t you go ruining that pretty little waist of yours, m’lady. Besides, dainty ladies like you weren’t meant to sit for so long! You’re exerting yourself! Here, I’ll fan you.

          HERO brings out enormous fan, begins to fan DAMSEL. DAMSEL sits back luxuriantly in chair. There is a whistle, and CONDUCTOR comes charging in. He/she wears a typical old style train drivers uniform, replete with cap, ascot, etc, and rings a large bell as he runs. Everyone has a run that is grossly overdone.

CONDUCTOR
Mayday! Mayday! We’ve got robbers!

HERO
Run that by me again, buddy?

CONDUCTOR
We’ve got robbers on the train!

HERO
Say it isn't so!

CONDUCTOR
It isn't so.

HERO
What?

CONDUCTOR
You wanted me to say it isn't so.

HERO
I want you to tell me the truth!

CONDUCTOR
We’ve got robbers!

HERO
Say it isn't so!

CONDUCTOR
It isn't s-

DAMSEL
There are robbers? Oh, oh, oh!

          DAMSEL faints. HERO gapes hugely and grossly over done, charges to her side, and takes out the big fan again, fanning DAMSEL.

HERO
Now look what you’ve done!

CONDUCTOR
I didn’t do no-

HERO
We aren't getting anywhere just sitting around here having a chat! Who’s driving the train?

CONDUCTOR
I think one of the robbers is.

HERO
You let the robber drive the train!?

CONDUCTOR
Well who else was going to man the front while I was crying mayday?

HERO
What about one of the passengers?

CONDUCTOR
They can’t drive a train!

HERO
Tell me where the robber is, and I’ll take care of him!

CONDUCTOR
He’s drivin’ the train!

HERO
Did he have a buddy?

CONDUCTOR
The passenger?

HERO
The robber!

CONDUCTOR
I didn’t see one!

HERO
There has to be another one!

CONDUCTOR
How?

HERO
Who’s going to rob the train when the robber’s driving it?

CONDUCTOR
Gee, I dunno.

HERO
The other robber.

DAMSEL recovers from fainting spell, sits up.

DAMSEL
Did I miss anything?

HERO
Not a pick my love. You sit right here while I go take care of the crooks.

DAMSEL
Oh, be careful darling! Be careful....

          DAMSEL faints again, HERO hands CONDUCTOR the fan.

HERO
Fan her.

CONDUCTOR
I can’t!

HERO
Why not?

CONDUCTOR
I have to cry mayday!

HERO
You’re lookin after the lady, whether you like it or not, buster!

          HERO looks around while CONDUCTOR carries DAMSEL offstage. HERO goes from car to car, until he gets to the front of the train. ROBBER 2, who was shoveling coal, comes on and resumes driving, until he sees HERO.

ROBBER 2
How’d you get down here?

HERO
Down here? You mean up here! I ran up here!

ROBBER 2
But we’re going south!

HERO
How do you know we’re going south, buster?

ROBBER 2
Because I’m the one drivin’ the train!

HERO
Listen, buddy, I don’t like your tone!

ROBBER 2
Then don’t interrupt me.

HERO
Do you want to get yourself into a little bit of an accident?

ROBBER 2
No.

HERO
Then I suggest you step aside.

          Pause.

ROBBER 2
Fight me.

          HERO hesitates, then lunges at ROBBER 2, who dodges commically. The two begin to run back through the cars, chasing. ROBBER 2 is in the lead, but HERO slowly gains on him, until he is right behind him.

HERO
I’m catching up now, aren’t I? ha-ha! Dumb thugs like you are no match for m-

          HERO runs past ROBBER 2, realizes mistake, and then slows down a bit until he is behind him again. Then, he tackles him to the ground.

Whadaya say to that?

          HERO gets ROBBER 2 in head lock, taunts like a bully.

ROBBER 2
What do ya think you're doin'?

HERO
Say uncle!

ROBBER 2
What?

HERO
Say uncle!

ROBBER 2
Uncle, uncle!

          HERO doesn’t stop.

Uncle, uncle, aunts, cousins, come on!

HERO
You’re not a very good robber, are you?

ROBBER 2
You’re not a very good hero, are you?

          They fight some more, and ROBBER 1 steps out of the shadows with DAMSEL. ROBBER 1 breaks the fight up, with acclamations of horror from DAMSEL.

ROBBER 1
For the love of all things theivery, what do ya think you're doin’?

ROBBER 2
Sorry sistah. Comin' to an... agreement...

HERO
Where’s that low life thief?! Lemme at ‘im!

HERO lunges for ROBBER 2, but ROBBER 1 stops him, pointing to DAMSEL.

ROBBER 1
Not so fast buddy! I got your princess right here!

HERO
My love!

DAMSEL
Oh, darling! There’s not much hope left for me! (to ROBBER 1) please let us go!

ROBBER 1
If you plan to do what I tell ya to do, then you can be sure that we’ll see what we can do. Capiche?

DAMSEL
Capoche.

HERO
Darling! Don’t listen to them!

ROBBER 1 knocks HERO out. He falls to the floor. DAMSEL screams, faints, and then recovers, screaming again.

DAMSEL
Why would you do such a thing?

ROBBER 1
To shut that guy up. Where’s the conductor?

ROBBER 2
Manning the front.

ROBBER 1
Man it with ‘im.

ROBBER 2
'Course, sistah.

ROBBER 1
Oh. And one more thing.

ROBBER 2 comes up, and ROBBER 1 bops him on the head with stick.

ROBBER 2
What was that for?

ROBBER 1
For almost lettin’ Mr. Hero get away.

          ROBBER 2 goes back offstage, to the front of the train. ROBBER 1 and DAMSEL are left alone. ROBBER 1 takes off face mask.

Oh, thank the lord. I thought I was gonna be wearin’ this the whole time.

DAMSEL
You have such a pretty face!

ROBBER 1
What of it? You think I’m dainty? Think again!

          ROBBER 1 hocks a loogey, looks at DAMSEL with vehemence.

Prissy little girls like you make toughies like me sick. Get a backbone, ya yellow belly!

DAMSEL
Why did a pretty girl like you choose a dastardly life of crime? Why?!

ROBBER 1
What? Oh... Well, if ya really want to know...

          Looks around to see if HERO or ROBBER 2 is awake or back. But it’s only the two girls.

I was tired of wearin’ corsets and stiff skirts. I wanted something wild! The adventure life!

DAMSEL
Being a criminal is the lowliest of the low!

ROBBER 1
But ya have the highest of highs! When you're in the middle of a robbery, and you're stuffing the money in the bag like fresh buns, you can smell those greens rollin over in that bag, and ya think to yourself- this is the life.

DAMSEL
That’s terrible!

ROBBER 1
That’s the adventure life! I’d never go back to those stiff skirts.

          Pause.

Still. Your waist is just so... dainty! How didja get it that way?

DAMSEL
I wear corsets!

ROBBER 1
Ain’t it hard to run?

DAMSEL
Oh, I never run!

ROBBER 1
You've never felt the wind in your hair?

DAMSEL
I’d faint before I could.

ROBBER 1
Ya haven’t lived, damselly. Ya haven’t lived.

DAMSEL
Well... (looks around secretively) I would perhaps... like to... live?

ROBBER 1
Atta gal!

          ROBBER 1 helps DAMSEL get out of her ‘stiff dress’, and out of her corset. DAMSEL breaths out a sigh of relief.

So... how does it feel?

DAMSEL
It feels... it feels.... Like a breath of fresh air.

ROBBER 1
Ha!

          DAMSEL and ROBBER 1 laugh for a moment, then, spontaneously, DAMSEL jumps up, and puts up her fists.

DAMSEL
(inspirational)
I may be dainty! But I can give a good fight! Put ‘em up!

          HERO wakes up, and faints again, not believing what he sees. DAMSEL stands over him protectively. ROBBER 1 laughs, punches DAMSEL, sending her reeling back in a cartoonish way.

Oh wow.

ROBBER 1
Ya, see, girly. You're just a dumb Dora! How about ya let your hero over there do the saving, and me and my bruddah do the stealin!

DAMSEL
I’m not a dumb Dora... you’re dumb, you dumby... dumbo!

ROBBER 1
Ha!

          ROBBER 2 returns with a bag full of cash, and ROBBER 1 ties DAMSEL up beside HERO.

Ya got the dough?

ROBBER 2
You know it!

ROBBER 1
No I don’t! That’s why I’m askin’ you!

ROBBER 2
Well I’ve got it! Now let’s beat this locomotive, and buy us a castle!

ROBBER 1
Nah... You a sap or what? Let’s get... a Packard!

ROBBER 2
Yeah!

          ROBBER 2 jumps out of the train.

ROBBER 1
Well, it’s been nice knowin’ ya! But we can’t leave any evidence, so...

          Pulls out the dynamite, HERO gasps.

HERO
I didn’t sign up for this kind of ride!

          ROBBER 1 lights the dynamite, and gets ready to go jump out of the train. The ground is offstage, right and left.

ROBBER 1
See ya!

          ROBBER 1 jumps out of train, with protests from DAMSEL.

DAMSEL
Oh, no! I’m sorry, darling! I guess I am just a dummy...

HERO
No you're not, my love. You’re smarter than I always was, or ever will be.

DAMSEL
Oh! Now I’ve got to think of something!

HERO
Wait, dainty lady! Didn’t you used to do the high kick?

DAMSEL
Oh... why, of course not! Why would I ever-

HERO
Don’t lie! How about you try and kick that dynamite out the window?

DAMSEL
Oh, wow! I don’t know if I could do it...

HERO
Well, you've only got one chance, so you better do it right!

DAMSEL
Well, sweetie... okay... one. two... three!

          Lights down just as she calls three. Lights back up slowly. Nighttime. ROBBER 1 and 2 are sneaking with the money. They hear wailing sirens.

ROBBER 2
Sistah, what are the cops doin’ out in the fields at a time like this?

ROBBER 1
I don’t know! The only thing that comes through here is the train... damselly....

ROBBER 2
You were the last one out of the train, affirmative?

ROBBER 1
Oh bruddah.

          ROBBER 2 takes stick and whacks ROBBER 1 on the head.

ROBBER 2
Rightso, sistah!

          Lights down as ROBBER 1 and ROBBER 2 stick their hands up in surrender.

Chapters 18- 20 Conclusions

Many conclusions can be drawn from chapters 18- 20 of Frankenstein. It is highly suggested in this portion of the story that Henry Clerval is a symbol of Romanticism. His love of life, adventure, and nature support this. Henry Clerval in this portion commented on how he had the goal to go to India and help with colonialization, to see the world and the people in it. This portion is reminiscent of the chapters containing the Catholic Turk Saphie, who embodied the Orientalist movement and Western ideals at the same time, through the fact that she had distinctly oriental features and music capabilities, but morals and religion of a Westerner. In this way, Henry Clerval comments on how he is planning on going to India to interact with the people, mystified with their customs and culture. But, the goal is colonialization, the reach for 'western perfection' of these exotic countries. There is again the Western bias that paints the oriental world as distinctly beautiful, with a need for Western 'intelligence'. Orientalism embodies the Romantic movement in literature, with the break from the Industrial society of that period, to that of the mystical qualities of the human self, along with nature. Henry Clerval is not a scientist, he means to travel and see the world, to go into a country that has not been industrialized, a country that embodied the mystical nature that the romantics were so enthralled with.
Another easily drawn conclusion is Henry Clerval's death, alluded to in the last few paragraphs of chapter 28, where Frankenstein breaks from the story to address Walton, and pay tribute to Henry Cerval, thus foreshadowing the characters death. From this allusion to Clerval's death, comes the foreshadowing of the death of Romanticism within Frankenstein, and therefore a foreshadowing of inevitable downfall. Throughout the novel, whenever Frankenstein has embraced romanticism, he has been momentarily saved. Whenever he has pursued his science, he created catastrophe. This catastrophe was most evident in his creation of the monster, when he had many chances to turn back, but did not. Clerval constantly brought Frankenstein out of his deep depressions, after he had steeped himself in his science, and back into the world of Romanticism. The suggestion that Frankenstein is a representation of the consequences of science, supports this conclusion. Frankenstein's creation would decide the fate of Clerval, just as the fate of romanticism would be decided by the 'monstrous' creations spawned by science, in the form of scientific discoveries, the analyzation of nature, and a departure from the earthly view of the world, into the cold view of the world through a scientist's eyes. Perhaps this implies that Frankenstein is a call to action, besides a ghost story, to tell its readers to object to science.

Orientalism in Frankenstien: Chapter 13-14

Orientalism is a major theme in chapters 13-14 of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The entrance of Safie as a Christian Turk from the Middle East, embodies this theme. Shelley suggests Safie's exotic nature upon her arrival, describing how the character came "on horseback... dressed in a dark suit and covered with a thick black veil"(Shelley 101). The monster, who narrated this part of the story, described her looks as "angelic" in beauty, her hair was "shining raven black and curiously braided"(Shelley 101). Many parts of Safie's description would render her exotic and mysterious to Western readers, enthralled with the way she was wearing a suit instead of a common Western dress, with a thick black veil over her head. Before Orientalism struck England, the dominant form of beauty in the Western world was a fair girl, with curly blond locks, blue eyes, and white skin with no blemishes or freckles. It is interesting that, in the book, even though Agatha is described as being fair and pretty, her prettiness does not surpass the exotic beauty of the 'Arabian', Safie. This point suggests the effect that Orientalism had on the Western world at this time. the Western world became deeply attracted with Orientalism around the time that the Industrial Revolution struck Europe. Romanticism also captivated Europe at this time, because the coldness of the machines bred through the Industrial Revolution, and the science that was introduced into the world at this time, gave the idea that nature was like a machine, that could be controlled, fixed, and calculated by man. The love for nature emphasized in Romantic literature was a product of a people trying to break away from the new societal values offered up by the Industrial Revolution. Orientalism became increasingly appealing through its subjects perceived closeness to nature. The 'orientals' were deemed as natural, hedonistic, romantic, and mystical beings, which appealed to the Romantics. Safie's musical skills demonstrated the closeness to nature and mysteriousness evident in Orientalism, when she played old De Lacey's guitar. Her playing style was described by the monster, the narrator in chapters 13 and 14, as so hauntingly beautiful that they resemble the song of a Nightingale.
Europe, of course, did not fully embrace Orientalism. It's hedonistic and strange depiction of what life was like in the Middle East shocked many Western viewers. Orientalism insighted an outward portrayal of scandal for it's onlookers, even though on the inside, they might have secretly revelled in the strange exoticness of what they were looking at. In Frankenstein, it appears that Mary Shelley was careful in not going too far with the Orientalism in regards to Safie's character and physical description, probably because she wanted the reader to embrace Safie rather than revile her for being 'too oriental'. Readers needed to relate to Safie on a certain level; they needed to know that even though Safie had the exoticness and mysterious beauty of the oriental, that she still had a distinctly Western character and relatability. For example, even though Safie had raven black hair and wore a veil, her complexion was still 'wondrously fair', and her cheeks were still "tinged with a lovely pink". Her eyes, even though dark, "were gentle". This point may suggest that dark eyes, at least by European standards, represented an intensity not desirable in women. But, Shelley described Safie's eyes as being different, having a gentle quality that suited Western ideals of beauty. The suggestion of her skin being wondrously fair for her background emphasizes Shelley's plight to make Safie oriental, yet Western. Even though Safie is from the Middle East, her character is still distinctly Western, because according to Shelley's story, Safie was raised by her Western Christian mother, who taught her the 'superior' ideals of a Christian character. So, while Safie is entrancingly oriental, again, she is incredibly Western.

Journal 3: Prometheus, Frankenstein, and Hubris

     In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the protagonist, Frankenstein, displays the fatal form of ambition rife within tragic literature; hubris. An example of this hubris is also displayed in the tale of Prometheus, a god who upon giving fire to the human race, was tied to a cliff, and forced to go through having his liver eaten out of him alive by big, taloned birds daily. Both protagonists displayed intense hubris, both were heavily punished for this hubris, but both figures were saved in the end, almost as if by miracle.
     Prometheus and Frankenstein both displayed hubris in their actions. In Frankenstein it was alluded that the scientist felt that he had the right to play god. Taking responsibility of life is not a small task, often times the creation of human beings is believed to be a joyous, wondrous and mysterious stage in the life cycle. But, in Frankenstein, this integral purpose and stage of the human race and existence is skewed in a disturbing way, through Frankenstein's ambitious choice to take control of this piece of the cycle himself, and create his own human from scratch. In his mad ambition, he throws aside his morality, grave digging body parts from other human beings, and painstakingly sewing them together to make the 'perfect being'. Mary Shelley reveals that Frankenstein's purpose for this creation is not entirely valiant. Rather than trying to create a human being from scratch for the advancement of the human race, Victor Frankenstein simply wants to complete this lofty ambition for his own personal gain, to be revered among the scientific world, to be admired. Prometheus is credited with the creation of man from clay in Greek mythology, so the theme of creation by one man is displayed in both tales. But, Prometheus' hubris does not lie in his creation. In his case, his hubris leads to tragedy when he steals fire from Zeus in order to enable mankind to civilize.   Prometheus, credited with being a trickster figure in Greek mythology, had already made a fool of Zeus on a few occasions, and his hubris lay in the fact that he believed he had the right to choose the path of mankind, even though Zeus was the ruling god.
    While Prometheus' punishment for his hubris was very literal, Frankenstein's punishment was much more emotionally corrosive. Prometheus was chained to a rock, destined to have his liver eaten out every day for eternity. Frankenstein, on the other hand, bounded by mortality, only had one life to experience the pain caused by his creation. When Frankenstein created the monster, his hubris led him to immediately expect it to turn out just like any other human being, even though it was the product of lightning, and as stated before, other sewn together dead body parts he found in graveyards. Even though he meticulously collected and constructed the pieces for the monster, it was still in the end a reanimated dead body. It is highlighted that this fatal mistake, laying within Frankenstein's hubris and ambition, led to the cruel creation of a monster with the mind of a highly intelligent and empathetic individual, but the appearance of a gruesome, ugly creation, which fit perfectly, unfortunately for it, with the way it was created. Frankenstein's first punishment was deep dissatisfaction, which led to an ensuing emotional breakdown reflected in all Romantic literature. But, then, the real punishment ensued. Further consequences of Frankenstein's hubris were displayed after he spurned his creature, even though it was in some ways more intelligent than he was himself. His fatal pride led him to belittle his creature and abandon it, making the creature develop a hunger for revenge against the master who created him with no care as to what might happen to the creature if things did not go according to plan. In both Prometheus' and Frankenstein's cases, they made enemies of people who they thought they had power over. But, unfortunately, both literary works evoked the fact that really, neither Frankenstein, nor ,most literally, Prometheus had ultimate power over those who they chose to go up against. In Shelley's novel, Frankenstein's monster wreaked havoc on Frankenstein's family, killing all of his loved ones, and in Greek mythology Zeus exacted revenge on Prometheus by sending the first woman, Pandora, down to man to enter pain and suffering into their world. So, both protagonists' selfish actions were highlighted to have led to the demise of those who they held dear, Frankenstein's family, and Prometheus' creation, man. But, both works enforced further intense personal punishment on both Frankenstein and Prometheus through their superiors. Frankenstein was driven mad, forced to continually pursue his creature until the day of his death, and Prometheus, to be literally pecked to death day by day.
     Both stories are not entirely tragic, due to the fact that saviors come out of the blue to both protagonists, and this reflects the end of the cycle of hubris in both works. In Prometheus' case, the hero Hercules releases him from his torture, coming out of the blue, slaying the eagle like bird plaguing the fallen god, and thus saving Prometheus from his torture. Likewise, in Frankenstein, Robert Walton's ship comes out of the blue, in the middle of the ice of the North Pole, and saves Frankenstein, featuring scenes of Walton nursing him back to health. While it was probably easy for Hercules to see the effects of Prometheus' hubris directly, Frankenstein's punishment could not be seen directly by Walton. Frankenstein sees in Walton a prelude to the hubris the scientist found in himself. Because of Frankenstein's journey through his hubris, he is able to warn young Walton by means of telling the man what happened to him.
     The cycle of hubris in both Prometheus and Frankenstein is very alike, but in some cases also different. Prometheus' tale of hubris is altogether more literal, and Frankenstein's journey, being Romantic rather then mythological, placed much more emphasis on an emotional and psychological journey. It is interesting to see the many correlations between the two, and offers a greater understanding of Frankenstein as a literary work, as a whole.

Journal 5: Frankenstein and the Ancient Mariner

     When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, she was heavily influenced by a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Besides obvious similarities rife in the novel in question, Shelley even goes on to insert an excerpt from the poem into her work. In this way, Frankenstein and the Ancient Mariner share many similarities through use of imagery, character correlations, and theme.

     Some of the similarities in question are expressed through near identical imagery comparisons. The similarity of the works is clearly emphasized in one particular scene, in which the mariner's ship becomes trapped in a sea of ice. This correlates very clearly with the travels of Walton to the North Pole, and the way that his own ship became trapped in ice also. Both cases exude an air of deep despair and hopelessness; in both cases, the journey men, in this case the mariners and Walton, started off enthusiastic, but soon, this enthusiasm transformed to despair with the introduction of the image of stark lands of ice, trapping each ship and keeping them from going anywhere. Another facet of the image of the lands of ice the respective ships encounter in each literary work, is the auditory imagery of the cracking and grinding of the ice beneath the ships. In this case, if Victor Frankenstein himself is compared to the ancient mariner, another comparison is suggested. Victor Frankenstein, in his pursuit of his creation, becomes trapped in the very ice Walton's ship cracks. His sled dogs are dead, and he has no one to help him, until, a mysterious beacon of hope- Walton's ship- comes out from the mist to save him from failing in the completion of his quest. Walton's boat cracks the ice around Frankenstein's sled, and he is saved. This visual image in Frankenstein is highly reminiscent- at least symbolically- of when the albatross comes through the mist to save the ancient mariner's ship from sinking into despair. Walton is able to nurse Frankenstein back to health, and the albatross in a way nurses the ship crew back to 'health', providing them with luck and a purpose when stuck in the ice. 

     This leads into the next set of similarities noted throughout Frankenstein and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, indicated through character correlations. In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner- set up in the frame story format, just like that of Frankenstein- the wedding guest is the recipient of the ancient mariner's lengthy tale, and in Frankenstein, the young Walton is the recipient of the scientist's own lengthy tale. The naïveté of both Walton and the Wedding guest are alluded to in the way that they both listen to, and respond to the tale they hear. The Wedding guest is at many points indicated to be quite fearsome of the Ancient Mariner, even thinking him to be a ghost at one moment. The wedding guest starts off slightly dismissive of the mariner's tale (as all self possessed young people tend to be when listening to an older person's stories) but as the poem progresses, it is indicated that he is increasing in respect and fear for the mariner, to the point, again, where he believes the story teller to be a ghost. By the end of the story, the wedding guest leaves a 'sadder and wiser man' then what he was before, as Walton does after listening to Victor Frankenstein's tale. It can definitely be pondered that the Ancient Mariner sees in the wedding guest a certain hubris that he himself possessed upon his ship. And it is stated clearly in Frankenstein, that the point of his harrowing tale is to stop Walton from going down the same dark ambitious path that the scientist went down himself. Another set of characters who evoke comparisons, happen to be Frankenstein's monster, and the albatross. These two integral characters are the real card holders in the game. They offer a choice between salvation and demise to their two respective recipients. The albatross offers the choice to the ancient mariner, and Frankenstein's monster offers Victor the choice. Victor and the ancient mariner both respond to these choices with cruelty, bitterness, and impulsiveness, sealing both their own and their friends' tragic fates. The ancient mariner shoots the albatross because it irks him, and Victor spurns the beast he himself created, because of its ugliness, even though it proves to be extremely empathetic and intelligent. Because of Frankenstein's, and the ancient mariner's cruel hubris, the albatross, and the beast, exact revenge on their oppressors. 

    This, in turn, leads into another set of similarities of Frankenstein and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, in the form of theme. Both literary works express a theme that is near the same; that of, who is the monster and who is the man? Or, specifically, in this case, who is the real beast? Frankenstein's monster, and the albatross, are both beasts in the physical sense, but they still both possess spiritual and intellectual existences that their oppressors cannot understand, and refuse to understand, until it is too late. Frankenstein's monster is not only extremely empathetic, but he is also intensely intelligent, showing cunning of a level that would require extreme intelligence and stealth, through the fact that he is able to trail Frankenstein, elude him, and ruin him, all coupled with his extreme ugliness and size. The albatross is indicated to possess a highly spiritual quality, reminiscent of in the idea in other cultures of spirits being presented in the form of animals. The albatross comes to the ancient mariner's ship in strange conditions, across seas of ice and storms. It is indicated in the poem that there was no land around for miles, so it is strange in the first place that the albatross would be flying around in the middle of nowhere, with no land and therefore no place to nest nearby. This mysteriousness surrounding the albatross lends to the evocation of its spiritual transcendence- beyond being just an 'albatross'. With this background, the fact that such a beautiful and grand creature, if not in its physical appearance, in its inner, spiritual nature, is killed because of the fact that it was irritating him (perhaps the albatross' mysterious air was what drove the mariner to slay it) is stark and disturbing. It also alludes to the fact, again, that the albatross was more than just an albatross, as Frankenstein's monster was so much more than just a 'beast'. Both the albatross and Frankenstein's monster were in ways, more intelligent and important than their oppressors, Victor and the Mariner. Understanding the beasts' importance gives reason to the extent of the way in which their revenge ruins their oppressors. Both Victor's and the Mariner's friends and family (the mariner's being his sea family) are killed because of their actions. In this way, the horror of the mariner's action- killing such a magnificent creature that had done nothing wrong, just for the sake of killing, and Frankenstein's ugliness towards his own creation just because it didn't look the way he wanted it to, leads one to ask the question, 'which was the real animal?' For all of Victor's intelligence, he was too stupid to realize that his creation had the power to ruin him, he thought that he was automatically better than his creature, and underestimated it. The Mariner cold bloodily killed a creature just because it irritated him, and paid the price. 

     The comparisons of Frankenstein and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner weave together to create two works of literary art that can be set beside each other, and looked at even as complements. It is easy to see Mary Shelley's inspiration, besides her own imagination, through the comparisons between her novel and Coleridge's poem, and it is an interesting bit of research to look into in the study of the creation of Frankenstein. Both tales evoke stark comparisons in terms of imagery, characters, and theme. In this way, they complement each other greatly.