What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
Hamlet II.ii.288-92
Background: For the next several classes we will not only explore and discuss Mary Shelley’s 1818 Science Fiction classic, Frankenstein, but also the abilities, limitations, ethics, and philosophical quandaries of mankind. We will try to conduct ourselves much like Hamlet (although hopefully in a more decisive manner) and ponder the mysteries of our species, searching for some type of purpose or understanding. In this thoughtful examination, a myriad of ideas will be tossed about (some you are comfortable and knowledgeable about; others perhaps less so), considered, and applied to the novel. Each of you, hopefully, will find one that seems to connect with the novel and your own philosophical understanding of our existence. Patience and intellectual curiosity will be needed to be successful in this endeavor.
Assignment: In a thoughtful, well-written essay:
Choose a single CHOICE in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by a single character or a group of individuals. Give the choice context and explanation.
Then, analyze/evaluate the choice. You will need to apply your analysis to the decision first. Why does the character make this specific choice? What rational or reason does the novel give? Can YOU apply? What does the section reveal about the characters involved? The situation? The decisions made? Are there other choices that could have been made?
Then, you will need to connect ONE of the philosophies or intellectual snippets provided in class. I will give several possible choices you can utilize. You will not only need to EXPLAIN the philosophy/intellectual concept but apply it TO the choice made in Frankenstein. You will need to process the choice made through the lens of the philosophical concept.
Finally, examine this choice from the novel and the connected to the larger nature of humanity, human nature, or mankind. In other words, what does this reveal about larger the larger nature of mankind?
Ways to Proceed: First, you will need to read and examine Shelley‘s novel closely. This text bombards you with key ethical situations, choices, and reflections. Play around with a few of these to find the section that works best for you. Once you have established these, then turn to the outside thinkers and philosophers. By the time you begin writing, I will have presented you with a plethora of possibilities. You may use one of my choices (while certainly conducting your own research to enhance the brief quotes I’ve given you) or find your own. I’m sure I will have neglected many worthy selections due to time constraints. Use the ideas of this ONE thinker or philosopher and apply it to the novel. Do these ideas coincide with Shelley’s world view? Yours? Do they contradict? Do they redirect or give new possibilities? Be sure to clearly present the philosophical ideas of the thinker (and to limit your explanation; you will not be able to present their entire philosophy, perhaps only a few key ideas). Once you have all of this, you should begin writing your essay.
Things to remember: First and foremost, this is still simply an essay. I don’t expect you to find all of the answers to these questions. Mankind has been perplexed by them for thousands of years. Your essay is simply advancing a combination of Shelley’s views on mankind in conjunction/contrast with a philosopher or thinker of your choosing (and certainly, your own perspectives as well). You will still need to accomplish all of the tasks you would for any essay: a solid claim, an engaging introduction, focused and developed paragraphs, strong transitions, and clearly composed sentences. Also, you must integrate the novel throughout your paper. When you explore the philosophical ideology, continually refer and connect it to the literary work.
Criteria for Evaluation: This paper must be typed, double-spaced, MLA formatted, and about 6-7 pages. You must utilize at least 1 philosophy from the sources provided and properly cite them throughout your paper. A works cited page is expected presenting all of your source material. Severe deductions to your final grade will occur if you do not include a works cited page. Please provide a photocopy of the two sections or quotes being discussed at the end of your essay.
These are the philosphies to connect to areas in the text
1. The curse which lies upon marriage is that too often the individuals are joined in their weakness rather than in their strength-each asking from the other instead of finding pleasure in giving. It is even more deceptive to dream of gaining through the child a plenitude, a warmth, a value, which one is unable to create for oneself; the child brings joy only to the woman who is capable of disinterestedly desiring the happiness of another, to one who without being wrapped up in self seeks to transcend her own existence. Simone de Beauvoir–The Second Sex (1949)
2. “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases can not be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. Can there not be government in which the majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?-in which majorities decide only those questions to which the rule of expediency is applicable? Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right” Henry David Thoreau-Civil Disobedience (1849)
3. The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure. To give a clear view of the moral standard set up by the theory, much more requires to be said; in particular, what things it includes in the ideas of pain and pleasure; and to what extent this is left an open question. But these supplementary explanations do not affect the theory of life on which this theory of morality is grounded- namely, that pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends; and that all desirable things (which are as numerous in the utilitarian as in any other scheme) are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. John Stuart Mill-Utilitarianism (1863)
4. A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world. Albert Camus–The Rebel (1951)
5. THE right of nature, which writers commonly call jus naturale, is the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life; and consequently, of doing anything which, in his own judgment and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto. By liberty is understood, according to the proper signification of the word, the absence of external impediments; which impediments may oft take away part of a man’s power to do what he would, but cannot hinder him from using the power left him according as his judgment and reason shall dictate to him. Thomas Hobbes–Leviathan, XIV (1651)
6. We are born under a load of obligations of every kind, to our predecessors, to our successors, to our contemporaries. After our birth these obligations increase or accumulate, for it is some time before we can return any service…. This “to live for others”, the definitive formula of human morality, gives a direct sanction exclusively to our instincts of benevolence, the common source of happiness and duty. Man must serve Humanity, who we are entirely.” Auguste Comte–Catechism of Positivism (1853) expectations-self and from others
7. “Man may be excused for feeling some pride at having risen, though not through his own exertions, to the very summit of the organic scale; and the fact of his having thus risen, instead of having been aboriginally place there, may give him hope for still higher destiny in the distant future. But we are not here concerned with hopes or fears, only with the truth as far as our reason permits us to discover it; and I have given the evidence to the best of my ability. We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system-with all these exalted powers-Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin” Charles Darwin-The Origin of Species (1859)
8. To put it another way: the greatest evil perpetrated is the evil committed by nobodies, that is, by human beings who refuse to be persons. Within the conceptual framework of these considerations we could say that wrongdoers who refuse to think by themselves what they are doing and who also refuse in retrospect to think about it, that is, go back and remember what they did (which is teshuvah or repentance), have actually failed to constitute themselves into somebodies. By stubbornly remaining nobodies they prove themselves unfit for intercourse with others who, good, bad, or indifferent, are at the very least persons. Hannah Arendt–Responsibility and Judgment (1965)
These are parts of the book that you CAN (but dont have to) use to connect to one of the philosophies from above
1. The Creation stops taking food from the De Lacy family, even assisting them with chores.
“A considerable period elapsed before I discovered one of the causes of the uneasiness of this amiable family; it was poverty: and they suffered that evil in a very distressing degree. Their nourishment consisted entirely of the vegetables of their garden, and the milk of one cow, who gave very little during the winter, when its masters could scarcely procure food to support it. They often, I believe, suffered the pangs of hunger very poignantly, especially the two younger cottagers; for several times they placed food before the old man, when they reserved none for themselves. “This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained, and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots, which I gathered from a neighbouring wood. “I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire; and, during the night, I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days” (Shelley 102)
2. The Creation’s view of himself
“The words induced me to turn towards myself. I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with only one of these acquisitions; but without either he was considered, except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to waste his powers for the profit of the chosen few. And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant; but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endowed with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they, and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded their’s. When I looked around, I saw and heard of none like me. Was I then a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned? “I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge. Oh, that I had for ever remained in my native wood, nor known or felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat!” (Shelley 110-11).
3. The Creation burns down the De Lacy cottage
“I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to controul them; but, allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death. When I thought of my friends, of the mild voice of De Lacy, the gentle eyes of Agatha, and the exquisite beauty of the Arabian, these thoughts vanished, and a gush of tears somewhat soothed me. But again, when I reflected that they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger; and, unable to injure any thing human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects. As night advanced, I placed a variety of combustibles around the cottage; and, after having destroyed every vestige of cultivation in the garden, I waited with forced impatience until the moon had sunk to commence my operations. “As the night advanced, a fierce wind arose from the woods, and quickly dispersed the clouds that had loitered in the heavens: the blast tore along like a mighty avalanche, and produced a kind of insanity in my spirits, that burst all bounds of reason and reflection. I lighted the dry branch of a tree, and danced with fury around the devoted cottage, my eyes still fixed on the western horizon, the edge of which the moon nearly touched. A part of its orb was at length hid, and I waved my brand; it sunk, and, with a loud scream, I fired the straw, and heath, and bushes, which I had collected. The wind fanned the fire, and the cottage was quickly enveloped by the flames, which clung to it, and licked it with their forked and destroying tongues. “As soon as I was convinced that no assistance could save any part of the habitation, I quitted the scene, and sought for refuge in the woods” (Shelley 130).
4. The Creation rescues the drowning child
“I continued to wind among the paths of the wood, until I came to its boundary, which was skirted by a deep and rapid river, into which many of the trees bent their branches, now budding with the fresh spring. Here I paused, not exactly knowing what path to pursue, when I heard the sound of voices, that induced me to conceal myself under the shade of a cypress. I was scarcely hid, when a young girl came running towards the spot where I was concealed, laughing as if she ran from some one in sport. She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when suddenly her foot slipt, and she fell into the rapid stream. I rushed from my hiding-place, and, with extreme labour from the force of the current, saved her, and dragged her to shore. She was senseless; and I endeavoured, by every means in my power, to restore animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic, who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled. On seeing me, he darted towards me, and, tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood. I followed speedily, I hardly knew why; but when the man saw me draw near, he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body, and fired. I sunk to the ground, and my injurer, with increased swiftness, escaped into the wood. “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and, as a recompense, I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound, which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness, which I had entertained but a few moments before, gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 132-133)
5. The Creation murders William
“At this time a slight sleep relieved me from the pain of reflection, which was disturbed by the approach of a beautiful child, who came running into the recess I had chosen with all the sportiveness of infancy. Suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea seized me, that this little creature was unprejudiced, and had lived too short a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity. If, therefore, I could seize him, and educate him as my companion and friend, I should not be so desolate in this peopled earth. “Urged by this impulse, I seized on the boy as he passed, and drew him towards me. As soon as he beheld my form, he placed his hands before his eyes, and uttered a shrill scream: I drew his hand forcibly from his face, and said, ‘Child, what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to hurt you; listen to me.’ “He struggled violently; ‘Let me go,’ he cried; ‘monster! ugly wretch! you wish to eat me, and tear me to pieces-You are an ogre- Let me go, or I will tell my papa.’ “Boy, you will never see your father again; you must come with me.’ “Hideous monster! let me go; My papa is a Syndic-he is M. Frankenstein-he would punish you. You dare not keep me.’ “Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy-to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.’ “The child still struggled, and loaded me with epithets which carried despair to my heart: I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet. “I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed, ‘I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not impregnable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.’ (Shelley 134).
6. The Creation’s request of Victor Frankenstein for a mate
“For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken place; sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the world and its miseries for ever. At length I wandered towards these mountains, and have ranged through their immense recesses, consumed by a burning passion which you alone can gratify. We may not part until you have promised to comply with my requisition. I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create” (Shelley 135)
Below is my latest essay which I got a 75/100 (C letter grade) on
The Tragic Spiral
Some are scared of the dark, and others are scared of ghosts. Nestled back in the trees, hidden by ominous fog, and filled with mystery, the Hill House embodies all of the human’s most irrational fears. Creaking wooden floorboards echo up and down the halls as one tries to tiptoe silently from room to room. Voices linger in the shadows, and secrets hide in every dark corner of the house. Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House published in 1959, shows readers true horror through a haunted house that Jackson has brilliantly made into a character of its own. This house performs extreme psychological torment on the protagonist, Eleanor Vance. Throughout the novel, the house’s ominous presence serves as a catalyst for Eleanor’s rapidly unraveling mental state, ultimately leading to her tragic death. Eleanor’s declining mental health in The Haunting of Hill House serves as a main theme in the novel, showcasing the effects of isolation and supernatural occurrences on her psyche. Eleanor’s mental health starting out was unstable, to say the least. Eleanor was introduced as a woman who has spent the last 11 years taking care of her incapacitated mother. Eleanor was a very emotionally fragile woman from the beginning. Before Eleanor got to Hill House her mother passed away, not only leaving her emotionally fragile but with an even greater longing for connection. To understand Eleanor better, readers need to look into Eleanor’s relationship with her mother to learn why she is the way that she is. Eleanor was her mother’s sole caretaker. For eleven years Eleanor put her mother’s needs first and sacrificed many opportunities in her own life, such as socializing with people her age, making friends, and living life exploring all the possibilities the world has for a young woman. The responsibilities she was stuck with for so long overtook her entire identity leading to extreme isolation and dependency on her mother. Although Jackson does not directly state that Eleanor’s mother was manipulative or controlling over Eleanor, readers can infer that there was a major power imbalance in the relationship between Eleanor and her mother. Eleanor’s role as her primary caretaker leaves her fully responsible for her mother’s well-being, which will create an extremely heightened sense of dependency and constant need for validation from her mother. Naturally, a child is going to chase after their parent’s approval and validation, in Eleanor’s case this Chase for approval may be never-ending with how extensive her mother’s needs were based on her condition. Almost all of Eleanor’s actions and decisions were forced to be based on her mother’s needs. This imbalance of power grew into feelings of resentment, helplessness, and frustration in Eleanor’s life as she struggled to find a place where she felt that she belonged. Eleanor’s mother may not have blatantly manipulated her, Over the 11 years of caregiving, Eleanor was heavily guilt-tripped and manipulated into prioritizing her mother’s needs above her own, sacrificing her well-being in the process. Over Eleanor’s time in the Hill House, it became abundantly clear to readers that this time with her mother played a huge role in Eleanor’s emotional instability, self-doubt, and overall feeling of not belonging. Jackson brilliantly constructs the Hill House as its own character in the novel. Throughout the entire novel Hill House’s presence is known at all times, from its difficulty to navigate, looming facade, and dark Eerie corners; Hill House is described as Supernatural, that has no rational explanation, with architectural loopholes. Doors open and close on their own, walls shift and defy the laws of physics and strange noises can be heard from any point in the house throughout the night. Jackson purposely makes Hill House an undesirable location. On the very first page of the novel Jackson forewarns readers about the house stating “no live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; . . . Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding Darkness Within; it has stood so for 80 years” (Jackson 1) By making this the first thing you read when you open the novel Jackson wants to display how abnormal and problematic the house is. Hill House’s number one priority is psychological manipulation, the house encapsulates its guests and isolates them from the outside world making this psychological torture their new reality. Jackson is taking the stereotypical Haunted House story and completely renovating it. The house does not physically harm its guests but instead takes a more Sinister approach, by praying on their deepest fears and insecurities to send them spiraling into insanity. With all of Hill House’s qualities, it needs people to prey on, and there is no better option than Eleanor. Jackson shows us the connection between Eleanor and the house in a very interesting way. Eleanor’s deep-rooted, constant Chase for belonging and acceptance immediately draws her to Hill House, the house perfectly and knowingly offers her a sense of purpose and connection that she has been searching for her entire life. For Eleanor, her invitation to stay at Hill House seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime, giving her the ability for self-discovery, a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to escape from her previous life and grow as a person. Jackson perfectly feeds Eleanor to the Hill House, from the second she sets foot in Hill House Eleanor feels a unique connection to the house. Both Hill House and Eleanor are outcasts. Both these characters don’t have friends, aren’t well socialized, and are overall misunderstood. Due to these circumstances, it makes perfect sense why Eleanor immediately felt a true sense of belonging at Hill House. As readers we can assume the same for Hill House as the house seems to welcome Eleanor with open arms, Hill House can sense the emotional fragility of Eleanor and sees a perfect opportunity for psychological manipulation. Dr. Montague specifically invites Eleanor for her heightened sense of psychic activity. This “psychic” Ability makes Eleanor more in tune with the house and its malevolent presence. As the novel goes on Eleanor starts to transform. The boundary between the house and Eleanor slowly fades. Jackson explains this perfectly when she says “When she stood still in the middle of the room the pressing silence of Hill House came back all around her. I am like a small creature swallowed whole by a monster, she thought, and the monster feels my tiny little movements inside.” (Jackson 29) Eleanor slowly becomes part of the house. As Eleanor spends more time in the Hill House her mind becomes increasingly attached to the dark and possessive energies of Hill House. At the beginning of the novel, Eleanor was drawn to Hill House by the excitement of Adventure and the exploration of something new. As the novel goes on Eleanor’s mind becomes obsessed with the strange and unsettling facts of Hill House. Earlier in the novel Eleanor stumbles upon a book that has information about the original owners and haunting secrets within the walls of Hill House. The book talks about tragic deaths, Supernatural activity, and the cursed history surrounding Hill House, highlighting a long history of mysterious deaths of the families that have inhabited the house. finding this book is an integral part of the story, especially for Eleanor. leading up to this point Eleanor has been sensing uneasy Supernatural forces in Hill House and after finding this book can confirm some suspicions that she’s had. This also deepens Eleanor’s connection to Hill House by throwing Eleanor down a rabbit hole, making her need to know more about the true history of the house. This need to know more about the history of Hill House, and her connection to the house are all part of the plan for Eleanor’s demise. In this book, Eleanor finds the idea the book portrays is in order to stay with Hill House you have to die at Hill House. Bringing this whole novel to an end is Eleanor’s final straw, in a moment of despair, Eleanor drives her car into a tree outside of Hill House resulting in her death. her suicide is a culmination of her psychological collapse and her longing for connection, needing to be one with the Hill House and the supernatural forces that live within it. The decline of Eleanor’s mental state throughout The Haunting of Hill House highlights The major influence that the supernatural occurrences and the isolation had on her psychological well-being throughout the novel. The state of Eleanor’s Mental Health throughout this novel is a quite complicated and tragic showcase of the impact that fear, insecurity, and isolation have on one’s brain. The way Shirley Jackson portrays Eleanor as a troubled and vulnerable woman shows readers firsthand the damage mental illness can do to one’s life. Jackson beautifully shows readers the connection between this fragile woman and these Supernatural occurrences, in a haunted house turned into a character of its very own.
