FRANKENSTEIN
Volume 2, Chapter VIII is a crucial chapter in your readings for this week as we hear from the Creature about his own sense of humanity and desire for companionship. We also see him act angrily and perhaps unforgivably when he commits an act of extreme violence. As there’s so much to dive in to, write a reading log just on this chapter and upload it here by Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Here are a bunch of resources that might help you:
How to Write a Reading Log
Remember, as you read, that one of the most important skills you can cultivate in college is the
ability to tolerate ambiguity. The ability to tolerate ambiguity is the ability to keep reading
(or writing an essay or participating in a discussion) even when you are not sure you
understand everything you are learning about and/or when you are not sure what you
think about what you are learning about. In other words, it means to keep exploring a
topic even when it’s confusing to you. You will feel confused when you are reading. Try to be
patient and keep reading. After a while, you will start to see you understand more than you think
and that you don’t need to understand everything all the time to learn and develop your skills.
Remember: this assignment is graded only on thoughtful completion. You don’t have to be
“right” about anything here. You just have to be honest. Do your best, but don’t worry about
being perfect.
1. What References and Vocabulary You Learned: Jot down 5 words or references you
looked up on the Britannica link on our Canvas page, and put in your own words what
they mean or refer to.
2. What Makes Sense to You – Jot down 3 or 4 things you think you understand from the
reading. It could be something that happened to the writer or a point the writer seems to
be making or a question the writer seems to be asking – whatever seems clear.
3. What Confuses You – Pick a sentence or a paragraph from the reading where you felt
especially lost and indicate which one it was here. You don’t have to copy it down. Just
write “third paragraph on page 29” or “the sentence that begins with … on page 32.”
Then try to form 2 or 3 questions about it – e.g. “What does she mean when she says
…?” You might use one of the sentence frames from the sentence frame handout to help
you form your questions.
4. What You Think This Reading is About – Whenever a writer writes something, it is
because he or she is trying to change our thinking in some way. What do you think the
writer of this piece wants us to know or understand or believe?
5. Your “Golden Line” and Why You Picked It – Pick a sentence or two from the reading
that stands out to you. It could stand out to you because you agree with it, because it
reminds you of something in your own experience, because you hate it or disagree with
it, or for some other reason. Jot it down here and write 2 or 3 sentences about why you
picked it.
Sentence Frames You Might Want to Use in Your Reading Log or to Contribute to the
Discussion
What does __________ mean?
Why is _____________ doing that?
What does ___________ mean when he says _______________?
Something that really confuses me is ________________.
One question I have is …
I don’t know what ______________ means, but one guess I have is … because …
What the author is trying to say here is …
This part surprised me because …
This part confused me because …
I think what is going on here is that …. but what I still don’t get is ….
I thought this was funny because …
This reminded me of … because
One thing I wondered about is …
