Creature and the Boston Massacre (Connection)

Throughout the book the creature is responsible for the death of 5 individuals, two of which were indirectly. They were William, Clerval, Elizabeth, Justine and Dr. Frankenstein himself. This can relate to the Boston Massacre that happened on March 5,1770 where British soldiers were in a situation that got out of hand resulting in the death of 5 civilians. What happened was that a soldier lost his temper, after an exchange of words and hit an individual that was part of an angry mob in the head with the butt of his rifle. The rest of the mob reacted and began to attack the British soldiers with clubs, however the soldiers were left in a situiation where their life would be in danger if nothing was done. This is why they shot at the mob and killed 5 of them. (Boston Massacre)

This picture shows British Soldiers shooting their muskets at the mob.

HOW LIFE WAS BACK THEN IN HAITI

The Haitian people battled to keep peace and freedom in their country. However, that was not happening in haiti many people were enslaved and their were color discrimination between the haitian people. The haitians were also struggling with being able to farm in their own land. It was  going to happen soon when the French forced  the Haitians to work for them on the 3 most seller which are tobacco,sugar,and coffee. Going back to discrimination between the white haitians and the black Haitians. The " gens de couleur" as in the the white skin who were slave owners. The Haitian people were  preoccupied with the color of people's skin. The country was divided by skin color, lighter skin were in one side while the black were on the other side. According to  http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Haiti/Haiti_Under_Seige.html   the " maroons" were gathered in 1790 and used voodoo  to rebel. Voodoo was combined with catholicism and african traditions .

Slavery Connection

When the creature notices that Victor has stopped working on a female version of himself. The creature confronts Victor and says, "Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power,.. I am your master;---obey!" (Shelley, 140) This can relate to how the British Empire participated in the Atlantic Slave Trade. They used their powers to control and decieve unknowing people. If the slaves didn't do what they were told they were most likely killed or punished harshly. Something that Victor will soon experience when his wife is murdered by the creature.

Congress of Vienna

Following the defeat of Napoleon I, a conference was held in Vienna, Austria between 1814 and 1815 called the Congress of Vienna. The intent of this conference was  to create a balance of power and preserve world peace. It was a conference where the major powers at the time got together to determine what would happen to the land that Napoleon had conquered during his rein. By the end of the conference the British was given control of Cape Colony, as well as several strategic colonial territories, and dominance of water (Naval Power).( pvhs, British Empire )

This picture is an example of the conference.

Connection Post: Luddites Movement

The novel "Frankenstein" was written in the era of many upheavals and unrest of the European society.One of those moments was the 'Luddite Movement',brought about by mans quest for progress and improving,mankind's' way of life.Maybe the blame could be proportioned upon the shoulders of James Watts,for fine tuning and thrusting the steam engine into the limelight of the  year 1812 .This brought about social unrest,strikes,vandalism and literal chaos among lower classes of people who engaged in cottage industries for their way living and sustaining themselves.Price of progress?
 Here we are now with 'Frankenstein' the enthusiastic, brilliant scientist engaged in the search of creating 'Life' for the progress of mankind.Did he succeed ?, yes and no.He played God ? ; yes he did, "After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue,I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay,I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter". The results ? catastrophic! Victor with good intentions, or maybe not so good intentions, dabbled in the hierarchy of science,considered by many 'forbidden arts', created the perfect killing machine..oops! or should I have said monster.This son of victor went on a rampage and slaughtered quite a few people,needless to say more than enough people to say its similar to the 'Luddites Movement'.Good intentions, for progress and man steps back into his primal birth and rage.Each creator or scientist started off with good intentions,only for man to fall short of the original intention.The warning ?,The bi-product of progress is not always the end result sought after .You have been warned!

THE LUDDITE MOVEMENT

In 1776 , James Watt was responsible for the most significant improvements of the "Steam Engine".Giving birth to the "steam engine" prompted the era of progress of the railroad.So much so,with the incoming change of progress ,there would always be 'naysayers, and the critics of the revolution to come.Among the fuss kicked up by the 'steam engine' poet William Blake called those same  steam engines, "those dark satanic mills".Slowly but surely the  vast outbreak of those 'satanic mills'  caused many cottage industries to  suffer at the hands of the revolution of the steam engine.The year 1811 saw an economic depression,which frustrated the already down trodden,working class among the lower class masses.Therefore, many of the people employed by the cottage industry lost their jobs,which then prompted the outcries of the masses for justice .This was the birth of the 'Luddites movement'.There were many strikes,pilferage and vandalism of the new found steam engine factories,which led to the local militia being introduced,to quell the uprising.Source,( http://www.connected.org/is/luddites.html)Before you knew it the 'Luddite Movement had spread through Europe,mainly France & England.This novel should provide interesting reading,a different view and prospect of the 'Luddites Movement'

Elements of Gothic Literature~> Frankenstein

People tend to feel trapped when faced with insurmountable problems and challenges.  This feeling, though, is magnified in Gothic literature.  This is done by the use of an imperishable foe as well as a walled enclosure.  One such example of this is: “Of what materials was I made that I could thus resist so many shocks, which, like the turning of the wheel, continually renewed the torture?  But I was doomed to live and in two months found myself as awaking from a dream, in a prison, stretched on a wretched bed, surrounded by jailers, turnkeys, bolts, and all the miserable apparatus of a dungeon.” (pg 217 – 218, Frankenstein by Marry Shelley)  This excerpt shows how a walled enclosure of no escape magnified the misery of Dr. Frankenstein.

Gothic Traditions

In Gothic literature, there are certain elements that are traditionally apparent.  These elements include a victim, victimizer whose power is marveled by the victim and who is supernatural in some way, a walled enclosure that is inescapable making the victim’s situation more helpless, and a gloomy atmosphere.

(http://www.scepticthomas.com/gothic/gothic.htm)

Logic Vs. Emotions in Frankenstein

“While I still hung over her in the agony of despair, I happened to look up. The windows of the room had before been darkened, and I felt a kind of panic on seeing the pale yellow light of the moon illuminate the chamber. The shutters had been thrown back, and with a sensation of horror not to be described, I saw at the open window a figure the most hideous and abhorred. A grin was on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with his fiendish finger he pointed towards the corpse of my wife. I rushed towards the window, and drawing a pistol from my bosom, fired; but he eluded me, leaped from his station, and running with the swiftness of lightning, plunged into the lake.”(242)  The afore quote was from the later part of Frankenstein by Marry Shelley.  It depicted the train of thought of Dr. Frankenstein upon finding his bride murdered.  This shows two instances of illogicality on his part.  Dr. Frankenstein expected the monster to leave his new wife alone, but to come after him.  This was illogical because the monster had attacked three of Frankenstein’s loved ones before, all in an attempt to upset Frankenstein.  Hence, believing this instant would be different was absurd.  The second illogical act was trying to shoot the monster from the window.  Frankenstein’s creature had eluded him before so it was an act of emotion when this feat was attempted.

Logic Vs. Emotion

Gothic literature commonly makes us overwhelmed with unpleasant emotions that can relate to those of depression.  It also, however, is designed to make us think.  Reading this type of literature, literature that plays on our emotions while being guided with realities, exercises our minds helping us to examine the situations in our lives assuring that we are doing so logically and not being ruled by our emotions.

(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2459090/why_we_should_read_gothic_literature.html?cat=9)

religious connection with Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, the creature tells us his side of the story. He was able to learn a lot about history by reading many books such as Sorrows of Werter and Plutarch's Lives. What really catches the creatures attention is a book of poems called Paradise Lost. The poem concerns with the Christain story such as Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. In Frankenstein the creature compares himself to Adam saying "I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect" This quote gave a religious and depressing feeling by comparing himself to Adam and Victor to God, although unlike God which made Adam "happy and prosperous" Victor made the creature wretched and even abandoned him.

Women of Frankenstein and The British Empire

In Frankenstein the women are not direct characters of the book. The author makes mention of Victor's mother Caroline, his cousin/girlfriend Elizabeth, the servant Justine, Ms. Sayville and Safie. None of these women play strong roles. Ironically enough in the British empire during this time women played substancial roles. Women reered the children, took care of the home and worked very long and strenuous hours carding wool and running looms. These women played active and crucial roles to the Imerialistic movement of the British Empire. So why did Frankenstein have this underlying fear of women? Clearly, he feared women because of strength and power that they held on there own.

Frankenstein and Imperialism connected

In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein ,there's a connection between the creature and the British Empire. The creature is representative of what was going on in the british empire, during the time of Imperialism. In the beginning the creature doesnt know he is different. The creature is feared by everyone because he is clearly different(his phsycial appearance being one), but the fear of the unknown. After trying to socialize and getting poor reactions the creature starts to figure that to be accepted he would need to first learn the language.  This is just like how other counties felt like when the Btit's came into there countries. They did not know what to expect because they never experienced anything like it.

Strong women

The women in india and the women in frankenstein have some similarities. The similarities they have are values,respect, culture & role of a women.The women in india are known of taking good care of their families. they cook,clean, raise their children.likewise, in frankenstein the women are portrayed as being house wives and taking care of the children and house hold work.

       The women also share clothing wear. they might not be the same thing but they wear their cultural clothing. The women have the hardest job . That is being a mother.

Gandhi a peaceful protester.

India became /part of the british in August  2 ,1958.However,there were still indian princes who still controlled some states in india. After india being part of the british empire they forced Bangladesh to be part of the indian empire in 1905. where each section of people were divided into two part based on religion. the western of Bangali were with the hindus where the muslims created a capital called Dacca. Public demonstration was forbidden in india therefore, the indian troops were commanded to fire at the protesters. for this reason Gandhi came about and started his silent protests. Gandhi was a strong peaceful man in india he was the one that lead Independence in india.

The British Women and the Colonized Women

Women during the British empire were always outnumbered by the men however, the women of the empire decided to travel to other sites where they found homes and had other opportunities that Britain could not give them. The numbers of women increased rapidly. They were encouraged by the British to travel in colonies because it was presented as being a way to "protect the social hierarchy of the colonial world, while preserving British racial purity."http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson8/lesson8.php?s=0. The women of Britain and the colonized women did have a few problem/differences with each other. The British women felt the empire gave them opportunities they could not have gotten in Britain. Nevertheless, around the 20th century the women were banned to work in specific areas in the empire. Although British women did disagree with the colonized women, they did try to have communication and make things right by education and through medicine. They would call the colonized women their "sisters" but they did not think the women of India as needing to be protected in any sisterly way.

Frankenstein women Vs British women

  The Women in Frankenstein i felt were weak women who were didn't play a big role .They were more of the stay at home type who just took care of house duties. While  the British women back then were stronger and always did the best they could to have a better life for themselves. They worked outside of the house environment and wanted women rights.

Luddite Movement and Frankenstein

Although they do not seem to relate, the Luddite Movement that occurred in 1811 and 1812 and a theme that shows in Frankenstein have something in common. In the novel, Mary Shelley warns the reader of the forbidden knowledge and fast changing science and its consequences. For instance, the result of Victor Frankenstein’s experiment of creating a new creature using dangerous science knowledge was absolute despair and ruin. Maybe the author wanted to tell the society to take a step back and consider the effects of newly introduced technology. In this sense, the Luddite Movement could be seen as the bad effect of new technology that was poured into the society without any term for the existing society to adjust to the changes. Because the Industrial Revolution made huge changes in such short notice, no one saw the bad consequences coming such as the emergence of poor working conditions and complaints of existing high-skilled workers.

This is a poster published in 1811 (I guess by the government?)

saying that 'evil-minded persons" who destroy the machines will be arrested

(Source: The Luddites )

Luddite Movement

Luddite movement was a social movement against Industrial Revolution. It began in 1811 in Nottingham, Britain. The British textile artisans began to protest against changes produced by the revolution. Highly skilled workers at that time began to feel threatened by the new machines the employers started to use. Employers hired low skilled workers and paid them less than the high skilled workers and still managed to produce the amount the market demanded. So the artisans destroyed the machines in the factories as a way to complain. The harsh economy at that time caused by the Napoleonic Wars contributed in stimulating the movement. The workers’ complaints grew over poor working conditions. The movement became very serious that the artisans that had participated in the movement collided with the British Army. Nonetheless, the movement quickly spread to Yorkshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Realizing how serious this was, the Parliament passed the Frame Breaking Act so if people were caught breaking the machines, they were to be sentenced to death.

P.S Here is a link to a video clip that explains Luddite movement !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOXuiA7E8jI

(Source: Luddite movement, Luddite movement#2 )

Gothic Abstract

Since the word "gothic" is old it has many different meanings. Gothic literature is one of them but another famous type is gothic art such as manuscripts, paintings, decorative pieces and sculptures. Ever since the 12th century gothic art played a huge role and people began to notice. It started spreading throughout the region because of its "religious feel". Painters and sculptors cared very little about the reason for the art work but rather for the realistic visual and the emotional feeling of it. During the 1800s anything with the term "gothic" became into fashion and was highly popular. 

(Source : http://www.fluxeuropa.com/history_of_gothic.htm)

Frankenstein's "pirate"

The creature Doctor Frankenstein created is like a pirate in a sense. The creature used to steal food, raid villages and kill innocent people just as a pirate would.(source:http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2002_winter_spring/terrorism.htm)

Barbary Pirates

The Barbary Pirate, were a group of fighters who attacked ships coming in the mediterranean area. They attacked British colonies, of them was America . The fighters consisted of African contries in the Ottoman Empire. These Pirates captured thosands of ships and more than a million people. After the Neopoleonic Wars they raided cities. After the pirates disregarded peace talks and treaties signed. Britian and America had enough and declared war. The war lasted for a period of time and lead to Eurpean victory.(sources:http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=wars&FileName=wars_barbary.php)

Technology and it's connection with Frankenstein

During the Industrial revolution new technologies had a big impact on society, It changed the way of how people lived and think. In Frankenstein, we can see that the new technologies that Dr. Frankenstein acquired led him to the creation of the creature. The new technologies had a positive and negative effects towards him. The positive effect is that he is able to create a creature using his own knowledge. The negative effect is that it led to chaos, since the creature murdered a lot of people along the way. With new technological advancement there is always a positive and negative effect to it. 

Jean Jacques Rousseau and Frankenstein

Jean Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy influenced many things in the novel, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. Rousseau was born in Geneva. In Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein was also born in Geneva. While Rousseau was learning about that the arts and sciences had improved or corrupted the morals of mankind, Dr. Frankenstein learned science and galvanism in his youthful days. These are new Enlightenment ideas. Both welcomed the new philosophy. In addition, Rousseau wrote his book about human right. He showed his idea; philosophy of right. Dr. Frankenstein made his creature, who wanted to have natural right as a creature like a lot of people did in this era. For instance, his monster cries and says, “Shall each man find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?” after Dr. Frankenstein denies to make new creature for him. His phrases sound like people’s words when people in this era couldn’t have any right. The monster’s passionate statement is likely to Rousseau’s statement. Both was influenced by the idea of the Enlightenment.

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a time period in the late 18th century in which  major changes were being made on technology, manufacturing, agriculture and transportation.  Nations relied on machines and factories to mass produce products. During the Industrial revolution, many technological advances were being made. Steam power was an important technological advancement during this time. There were new fuel being used  for the new steam engine. These fuels were coal and petroleum.  The telegraph were also created during this time, which was a new communication device that made communicating across the ocean much quicker .
Source(https://www.msu.edu/user/brownlow/indrev.htm)

Jean Jacques Rousseau

One of the most important philosophers in the Enlightenment era is Jean Jacques Rousseau. He was born at Geneva on June28th 1712. While he was learning music in his youthful days, he learned the idea that the arts and sciences had improved corrupted the morals of mankind. In 1754 he wrote the Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality, which emphasized about natural goodness of man and the corrupting influences of institutionalized life. In 1762, he saw The Social Contract which started the statement of "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains." At the time, he stated "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," It became the slogan in French Revolution. His Philosophy of Right gave many successors new idea for the next era. Later, Rousseau’s great works effected Romanticism movement in Europe.

Resources; http://www.historyguide.org/europe/rousseau.html

Beginning of Romanticism

In the late 18th to the mid 19th century a new Romantic attitude began to bring life to culture and many art works in Western civilization. It started as an artistic and intellectual movement that emphasized a revulsion against established values like social order and religion. Romanticism exalted individualism, subjectivism, irrationalism, imagination, emotions and nature emotion over reason and senses over intellect. Since they were in revolt against the orders, they favored the revival of potentially unlimited number of styles such as anything that aroused them.
Romantic artists were fascinated by the nature, the genius, their passions and inner struggles, their moods, mental potentials, the heroes. They investigated human nature and personality, the folk culture, the national and ethnic origins, the medieval era, the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the occult, the diseased, and even satanic. Romantic artist had a role of an ultimate egoistic creator, with the spirit above strict formal rules and traditional procedures. He had imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth.

Romanticism represented in Art

Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct, 1818
Théodore Gericault (French, 1791–1824)
Oil on canvas

98 1/2 x 86 1/2 in. (250.2 x 219.7 cm)
Purchase, Gift of James A. Moffett 2nd, in memory of George M. Moffett, by exchange, 1989 (1989.183)

Source:Théodore Gericault: Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct (1989.183) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This work is one of the projected set of four monumental landscapes representing the times of day.
Gericault completed only three: Morning: Landscape with Fishermen (Alte Pinakothek, Munich), Noon: Landscape with a Roman Tomb (Musée du Petit Palais, Paris), and this evening work.
The landscapes fuse souvenirs of ruins in the Italian countryside, which Gericault had visited in 1817 with the stormy skies and turbulent moods characteristic of the emerging aesthetic of Romanticism and the Anglo-French concept of the Sublime.