Knowledge
By Zach Durst & Luke Hart
What is Knowledge?
1. Knowledge is something that can be gained in many ways. It’s good to have general knowledge about things that way you know more about life and how to go about situations in the right way. Usually to be knowledgeable is a good thing, but in some cases it’s not. In this case the monster being able to collect information was not for the best. He was able to teach himself how to read and write, then was able to understand feelings. These are all good things to know but not for the monster. He was able to get a hold victors diary and able to fully understand it. Having the knowledge to know what was written in the diary made him want to seek revenge on victor. In victors case he had too much knowledge. Victor was able to create a monster that killed several people. Having that much knowledge and power is a bad thing. He was the cause of the deaths of many people even his own family. In conclusion overall having knowledge is a good thing but can be used in wrong was if there is too much of it.
Knowledge Quotes from Text
Explanation: When Victor says this in chapter 2, it shows that he wants to go above and beyond the things that he knows in life and he wants to use his knowledge to discover more things than the things in real life.
2. "I have described myself as always having been embued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. (Chapter 2)" -Victor
Explanation: This quote is also from chapter 2 before he created the creature. He talks about the secrets of nature and his desire to uncover these secrets that have not yet been uncovered.
3. "So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. (Chapter 3)" -Victor
Explanation: This quote is found at the end of chapter 3 and Victor finds himself as you can say daydreaming about knowledge. He was very upset with himself of what he had already discovered, but he thinks to himself that he wants to discover all the scientific mysteries on earth.
4. "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did, and I hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be serpent to sting you, as mine has been. (Letter 1-4)" -Victor
Explanation: This quote is found in one of Victors letters that was sent to the creature. Victor is basically telling him to be careful what he wishes for out of his knowledge because Victor knows that knowledge does not always bring good things. This is proven after Victor created this dangerous creature.
5. "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, then by my example, how dangerous is the pursuit of knowledge and how much happier is that man who believes his native town to be the world than he aspires to be greater than his nature will allow. (Chapter 3)" -Victor
Explanation: This quote is described as a point of view from Victor of him trying to teach a lesson to people. He is saying that knowledge is a dangerous thing if you use it the wrong way like he did. He just wanted knowledge and he didn't know what kind of knowledge he wanted. He used it in a very bad way when creating the creature and the creatures mate.
6. "You made me wretched beyond expression. (Chapter 10)" -Victor
Explanation: This quote appears in chapter 10 when Victor is talking about the creature that he made and he is saying that the creature made him "wrecthed." This means a very unhappy or unfortunate state. This just shows how Victors knowledge is making him feel after he had did what he did.
7. "As i read, however, I applied much personally to my own feelings and condition. I found myself similar yet at the same time strangely unlike to the beings concerning whom i read to whose conversation I was a listener. I sympathized with and partly understood them, but i was unformed in mind; 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? Whence did i come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but i was unable to solve them. (Chapter 15)" -The Monster
Explanation: This quote comes in chapter 15 when the monster is really questioning his arrival in the real world. This is similar to knowledge because the monster uses his knowledge of reading when he finds this book. He was taught how to read and write when he arrived at the village by listening to human beings. He uses that to read this book and he also is questioning himself using knowledge that he does not have for himself to answer.
Modern Connections
In 1997, there was a lady that had created something that had never been created before. She decided to use her knowledge to create a creature that already existed. She used her knowledge in cell biologists, genetics, biochemistry, and bioethics to create a man made sheep. She used a cell extracted from a pre-existing mammal. This gave it characterizes of a sheep but didn’t have the full behaviors of a regular born sheep. This relates to the book because the lady, Roslin, had to deal with a lot of controversy because of the knowledge she used to create something no one had done before. She ended up losing her license for 10 years. This connects to Frankenstein because Victor created a creature which resulted in him killing many of Victor’s friends and family. Now human cloning is banned throughout the world.
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=7fc1202e-9259-494e-83d2-1b2317e75ef7