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.