Module 3 Product
Sameer Walia
Frankenstein
"I was dependent on none and related to none. The path of my departure was free, and there was none to lament my annihilation. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them" (Shelley 15) - This quote describes in a roundabout sense the main troubles of the monster.
Most Important Thematic Ideas:
Dangerous Knowledge- "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or, in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world" (Shelley 2) - The pursuit of knowledge is what Frankenstein is known for. Victor tries to gain the secrets of life, and the monster tries to gain knowledge of the world.Knowledge proves dangerous as Victors act of creation results in the destruction of everyone dear to him.
Monstrosity- "Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery" (Shelley 16)- Frankenstein's monster is the most literal case of the monster in the novel. There are a number of monstrous entities in the novel, including Victor. His ambition, secrecy, and selfishness separate him from humane society. He may be a bigger monster than the one he created as the is eventually consumed by the obsessive hatred of his creation.
"Little Girl"
William
Elizabeth
The Flea
"Mark but this flea, and mark in this, How little that which thou deniest me is; It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be..." (Donne).
Most Important Themes:
Sex- "It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be... " (Donne) - Rather than trying to arouse his beloved, the speaker appeals to her sense of reason. He may believe she wants to engage in activities as much as he does. Nevertheless, he is shown in the end her true feelings. He may have chosen the wrong way of courting this woman because it didn't work out in the end.
Guilt and Blame- "Though use make you apt to kill me, Let not to that self-murder added be, And sacrilege, three sins in killing three..." (Donne) - Though the speaker thinks his lady shouldn't be worried about the shame of sex, he makes the woman feel guilty as his words are full of blame. He thinks he has a role as a ruler or husband over her, which he does not at all. As part of his seduction, he tries to convince her not to kill the flea, saying it would be a great crime. But she doesn't listen to him and ends the fleas life and with it, the speaker's arguments. It seems she is more worried about how society will treat her if it is found out that she was so easy to court.